Ruling Libya

By Greg Scoblete
November 21, 2011

One of the leaders of Libya's emerging government has an interesting resume:

'It was one of the most overtly political declarations by Mr. Belhaj, who is competing with militia leaders from the towns of Zintan and Misurata to become the formal head of the new army. Having fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union and been detained for a time at the American base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, he would seem a strange partner for Mr. Keeb, an American-educated electrical engineer who is considered moderate in his religious beliefs. Mr. Belhaj is known for his Islamist ideals and ties to the Persian Gulf state of Qatar, which has independently armed some military units, to the consternation of more secular leaders.'

The good news, if we can call it that, is that the various armed militias contesting for power may violently block Belhaj's bid, throwing the country back into a state of anarchic civil war.

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