Libya's Fractious New Politics is a very compelling and convincing article from Karim Mezran. He is a true expert on the internal politics of the GNC. Additionally, it is crucial to identify zidan-magarief tension as a key source of inefficiency backbiting, and inability to compromise on the key issues of building security institutions and making the constitution. However, just because Mizran confirms the depths of zidan-magarief tension doesn't mean that it is the be all and end all political dynamic in Libya I wouldn't overstate it because institutional paralysis is caused by multiple factors in Libya like the lack of functioning ministries and no one wanting to stick their necks out, etc.
Also I don't buy the last idea that the assassination attempt on magarief was done by former gaddafian elements. yeah i know it was in sebha and yeah i know gadadfa and magarha tribesman have been opposing awlad suleiman in more standard pro and anti-revolution sides but i don't believe that secret gadadafi family agents give money to fund attacks like that or the one against amb. stevens it is simply too far fetched. Well here are some of the key paragraphs email me if you have your own opinion or data on this. I'd be very happy to hear it.
Parsing Libyan politics at the moment is no easy task. As noted earlier, a conflict has emerged beneath the surfaces between Prime Minister Ali Zidan and General National Congress (GNC) head Mohamed Magariaf. At its core, the Magariaf-Zidan conflict, which they have never publicly acknowledged, is a battle over defining the country’s nascent institutions. In the absence of by-laws or a more thorough constitutional declaration, Magariaf has been free to exercise power potentially far outside the scope of his office—even declaring himself head of state—much to the dismay of nearly everyone.
The Magariaf-Zidan conflict and the institutional paralysis it has caused dims the prospect that Libya will make swift progress on its fledgling security apparatus, yet the country’s political infighting does not end there.
It is in this context, and as the country seeks a larger, unifying force to overcome political differences and rebuild the Libyan state, that the National Forces Alliance, the relatively secular bloc led by Mahoud Jibril, announced its boycott of the GNC on Sunday. Its grievances, unsurprisingly, are largely tied to GNC speaker Mohamed Magariaf. An NFA statement disapproved of Magariaf’s total control of the GNC’s agenda, overshadowing the work of GNC special committees, and delaying the sixty-member constitutional committee. The NFA also criticized the lack of proper security around the GNC building.
It is highly probable that members of the former regime in exile are plotting the destabilization of the country through targeted assassinations and terrorist attacks and may be responsible for last September’s attack on the US consulate in Benghazi. The modus operandi of these Gaddafi groups is to hire outside guns—often individuals unfamiliar with their benefactor—to carry out attacks. Last week’s assassination attempt on Magariaf in Sebha would seem to match the work of the Gaddafians as well. If successful, these sorts of attacks would cause a rapid shock to state institutions and the possible derailing of the transition.