Arab Nations Strike in Libya, Surprising US

Without asking or waiting for US approval, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates targeted airstrikes against Islamist militias in Libya, reports the New York Times. During the 2011 Arab Spring protests, powerful autocrats, tending to regard any political opposition to their rule as extreme, had warned that extremists could hijack the democracy movements. Elections in Libya have since led to bitter struggle between nationalists and Islamists. Throughout the volatile region, leaders favor militias that do their bidding and intervene in neighboring states. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE “have launched a campaign across the region – in the news media, in politics and diplomacy, and by arming local proxies – to roll back what they see as an existential threat to their authority,” the article notes. “Arrayed against them and backing the Islamists are the rival states of Turkey and Qatar.” The polarization – combined with a steady stream of arms into the region, many from the United States, too many falling into extremists’ hands – dashes hopes for a diplomatic resolution. – YaleGlobal