A new issue of “Libyan Affairs” magazine: Libya is the front of Turkish expansion in the Mediterranean and France is the strategic loser

Under the title ” Libya is the front of Turkish expansion in the MediterraneanLibyan researcher Ibrahim Muhammad Al-Ghadamsi wrote, in the new issue of “Libyan Affairs” magazine, about what he called Turkey’s return to the Mediterranean space, after it had spent years knocking on the doors of the European Union, hoping to obtain full membership. Prominent countries in the Union objected to the annexation of an Islamic country with nearly 100 million residents, although Ankara agreed to enact new laws and implement reforms that meet European conditions and standards.

Since the Turks, during the era of the fundamentalist Justice and Development Party, closed the arc of negotiations with the Europeans, they turned to their strategic surroundings, looking to build new alliances. In addition to the countries of Central Asia, historically linked to the Ottoman Empire, such as Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, Turkey also focused on its Mediterranean surroundings, starting from Syria, Libya, and Tunisia, all the way to Algeria. This space became a priority in the plans of the “Justice and Development Party” following its rise to power in 2002. The party’s theorist, Ahmet Davutoğlu, who later assumed the presidency of the government, described this region, extending from Central Asia to North Africa, as “strategic depth.” He sees the Mediterranean region as a bridge to transform Turkey into a medium-sized regional power, says Al-Ghadamsi.

A pivotal role for Germany

The writer and researcher Obada Al-Hassi, for his part, monitored, in the new issue of the magazine, the strategic retreat of France in Libya, with the emergence of the pivotal role of Germany in seeking to push the Libyan crisis towards the peace square, pointing to the decline of the traditional European powers, especially France, which “reaps the benefits of Its mistakes in Libya, the Sahel region, and the eastern Mediterranean,” according to what Al-Hassi wrote. The researcher considered that betting on Haftar was a strategic mistake, noting that the “General Directorate of Foreign Intelligence” provided advice to the eastern Libyan forces, over the years, through its military arm, “Service Action,” with the title of helping to pursue ISIS. The downing of a helicopter in Benghazi and the killing of three French foreign intelligence officers on board led to the unveiling of the extent of French support for retired General Haftar, as some sources spoke of the presence of at least a hundred French officers and advisors in the eastern region. But these numbers are usually kept secret.

Support with advisors and missiles

Al-Hassi adds, “In furtherance of the bias against the internationally recognized Government of National Accord, members of the French Special Forces received instructions to accompany Haftar’s forces as they marched towards the capital, Tripoli, on April 4, 2019. The defeat of those forces in Gharyan, south of the capital, revealed the extent of French support. A group of “advisers” fled across the border, while French “Gavlan” anti-tank missiles were found in their boxes at the military base.

Issue 16 of the magazine “Libyan Affairs”, issued by the “Maghreb Center for Research on Libya”, managed by colleague Rachid Khashana, included a collection of articles and studies in Arabic, English and French, including a study on the history of the constitutional issue in Libya, written by Dr. Abdel Majeed El Gamal, professor of history. Contemporary University of Sfax. Dr. Al-Gamal shows that the constitutional issue was and still is one of the issues that sparked controversy and sparked many conflicts, whether between the Libyan elites or between them and foreign powers throughout the colonial period (1911-1952). During the Italian occupation (1911-1943), the demand for the constitution was one of the demands of the national struggle. The emergence of the Constitution of the Tripolitan Republic in 1920 and the Basic Law of Cyrenaica around the same period was an embodiment and completion of this struggle.

Multiple parties and associations

The period of English colonialism in Cyrenaica and Tripoli (1943-1952) was characterized by the period of Italian colonialism, as well as the French colonialism in Fezzan (1943-1952). It was characterized by the multiplicity of parties and associations in Cyrenaica, especially in Tripoli, as well as the emergence of two constitutional documents: the Constitution of Cyrenaica in 1949 and the Constitution of Unified Libya in 1952, which was It was accomplished by a national association and in agreement between the various components of Libyan society.

It should also be noted here that one of the peculiarities of constitutional development in Libya is the important role of international powers, as indicated by the resolution issued by the United Nations in September 1949, in implementation of which the 1951 constitution was completed. During the period of independence under the rule of Muhammad Idris al-Senussi (1952-1969). ) Amendments were made to the 1951 Constitution in April 1963, according to which the federal system was abolished. During the period of Muammar Gaddafi’s rule (1969-2011), the 1952 Constitution was abolished and a constitutional declaration was issued in December 1969, which was later canceled as a single rule was established, until 2011, the date of the fall of his regime.

The new issue of “Libyan Affairs” included other materials, as Areej Khattab wrote about harassment, rape, and the consequences of fear, based on two examples from Libya and Egypt, and Rashid Khashana also wrote an analytical article about whether elections are possible in March or not, while the Libyan academic touched on Dr. Ali Al-Hawat referred to “the outbreak of the Coronavirus 19 and its impact on Libyan society, especially in the education sector.” As for the French and English sections of the magazine, they were full of studies and articles written by Frederic Boban, Jeremy Berlieu, Benoit Vitkin, Fahim Testakin, and others.

related

comments