Libyan Security Force Became a Lesson in Failure
Libyan Security Force Became a Lesson in Failure by Missy Ryan, Washington Post
… the Obama administration’s plan to help Libya rebuild its military, joined by other NATO governments, instead came to symbolize the shortcomings of the West’s approach to post-revolution Libya. Undermined by insecurity and political divisions in Libya, the flagship assistance program revealed not only the hollowness of Libyan institutions, but also how different parts of the U.S. government worked at cross-purposes, dooming a project that Obama selected as a personal priority.
Envisioned as a low-cost, low-risk means to stabilize Libya, the planned force became a case study in the limits of American power to shape events following the upheaval of the Arab Spring. It also showed how a protracted planning process and a strong aversion to risk bogged down what was supposed to be Obama’s signature effort in Libya…