Libya: Prospects of a political solution to the crisis
“Whoever controls the money in a sense controls politics in Libya”
Professor Dirk Vandewalle (Dartmouth College) examines the current conflict in Libya between the two parallel governments fighting for state control. The recent takeover of the Benghazi branch of the Libyan Central Bank by rebel forces affiliated with the internationally recognized Libyan government in Tobruk threatens to completely unhinge the conflict dynamics.
Not only does the country need an open dialogue on its political future, but functioning institutions which can support a process of reconciliation in the wake of the Gaddafi regime, argues Professor Vandewalle.
The interview was conducted on January 23, 2015. Professor Vandewalle visited the Netherlands to partake in a panel on ‘Guns and Borders: Libya’s Arms Bazaar Fueling Conflicts in the Arab World’ as part of the Henriette van Lynden lecture series organized by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
