Libya's Latest Oil Standoff

International oil markets are apprehensive about ongoing negotiations in Libya, where political and security concerns ranging from labor protests to campaigns for federalism brought oil production nearly to a standstill in August. For the past few months, terminals in the eastern cities of Ras Lanuf, Es Sider and Zueitina, which at 600,000 barrels of crude per day account for 60 percent of total exports, have been offline almost continuously, depriving the country of much-needed revenue. Though local tribal leaders and the country's nominal central authority are confident that eastern Libyan oil production will restart Dec. 15, Tripoli still faces significant challenges in guaranteeing and protecting its energy industry.