Libya and its allies : All too friendly

/21538208

  • Libya and its allies: All too friendly | The Economist
    http://www.economist.com/node/21538208

    Parts of the new establishment are worried when they see foreign powers giving selective backing to their opponents—often those prepared to do their bidding. This not only undermines the new republic’s aura of legitimacy, but risks igniting internecine conflicts beyond the messy politics that is already playing out in Tripoli.

    The worst offender is Qatar, according to several Tripoli-based diplomats. The small Gulf state was instrumental in arming the rebels. Earlier this year it sent hundreds of weapons shipments and military advisers to Libya and lobbied hard for international intervention. Not surprisingly, the Qataris are revered among Libyans. All over Tripoli, squares and districts have been renamed in their honour. Yet the Qataris are now supporting the political ambitions of hand-picked leaders and commanders, undermining attempts to form a unified military command. Some members of the National Transitional Council are seething. They say even during the war the Qataris bypassed them, sending weapons directly to favoured units at the front. To a lesser extent some Western powers are also pushing their own men or models.

    Allez, vite: des élections! Que ces braves islamistes sur-financés par le Qatar soient blanchis par la «démocratie».