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Libya

Archaeology Turns Political to Benefit a Trio of Middle East Strongmen

Dictators and Hijacked Heritage

Both Saddam and Assad recognized the value of their countries’ archaeological heritage and adapted it to suit their interpretations of what they thought the Baath Socialist Party should be.

Why There’s Hope for Libya

Why There’s Hope for Libya

Libya now has a unified national government that resulted from a peaceful transition of power and handover by the two rival governments. Two top U.N. envoys to Libya say they could have hardly imagined this development a year ago when they were serving in the United Nations.

A Notorious Prison and Libya’s War of Memory

A Notorious Prison and Libya’s War of Memory

Abu Salim was once notorious as the prison where Gadhafi’s opponents were imprisoned, all but forgotten. But in a few short years, conflict has changed the memory of that place and the prison has become embroiled in the contested narratives of post-revolution Libya.

Beyond Benghazi-Gate

Beyond Benghazi-Gate

Amb. Chris Stevens was one of the main reasons I took a job in the State Department. In 2011, I admired his enthusiasm for engagement in Libya during the revolution. That moment of fleeting optimism felt a lifetime away as I stood in a hangar at Joint Air Base Andrews, waiting for his body to arrive.

How Obama Got Pulled into Regime Change in Libya

How Obama Got Pulled into Regime Change in Libya

"As Middle East adviser to President Obama, I saw first-hand why it’s much easier to get rid of a bad regime than to put a good one in place."

How Libya Became a Battleground for Foreign Powers

How Libya Became a Battleground for Foreign Powers

The first armed conflict of the Arab Spring is now a playground of intervening foreign powers out for themselves. It won’t be the last.