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Angola

Mozambique

Republic of the Congo

Algeria

Egypt

Iraq

Lebanon

Libya

Tunisia

Turkey

Europe

Cyprus

Italy

Ukraine

Russia

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (2nd L) and Libya's Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (3rd L) attend an agreement-signing ceremony between Italian multinational oil and gas company Eni and the Libyan National Oil Corporation in Tripoli, Libya, on Jan. 28, 2023.

As Europe turns away from Russian energy, Italy positions itself as a natural gas conduit between the Continent and Africa.

With Energy Deals in Africa, Italy Positions Itself as Europe's Next Gas Hub

Israel

Morocco

Palestinian Territories

Western Sahara

Economics

Energy

Politics

After decades of isolation, Algiers plans to use its energy wealth to engage with the world, but its lack of economic diversification will hamper this process.

Algeria Emerges From Isolation, but Its Economy and Foreign Policy Will Limit Change

Snapshots

A photo shows the Mellitah Oil and Gas terminal in western Libya, which is a joint venture between Italy's Eni and Libya's National Oil Company. 

Military & Security

Efforts by countries like Turkey and Egypt to further their own interests by exploiting Libya's internal rivalries risk disrupting peace talks and the country's energy exports.

External Meddling in Libya's Crisis Portends More Infighting and Oil Blockades

Brazil

United States

Iran

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre discusses the recent drop in U.S. gas prices during her daily press briefing in Washington D.C. on Aug. 3, 2022. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Risks stemming from the Ukraine crisis, along with developments unrelated to the war, could quickly send prices back above $100 per barrel -- if not much higher.

Global Oil Prices Ease, but for How Long?

Farhat Bengdara, the new chief of Libya's National Oil Corporation appointed by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, gives a press conference outside the company’s headquarters in Tripoli on July 14, 2022.

The prime minister’s gambit may end the current oil blockade. But it could also enable his eastern-based rivals to further weaponize those exports and oil revenue down the line.

The Firing of the NOC Chairman Risks Politicizing Libya’s Oil Company

Fathi Bashagha delivers a speech in Tripoli, Libya, after east-based lawmakers named him as the head of a new interim government on Feb. 10, 2022.

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

The approval of a new regime by east-based lawmakers could renew violence in Tripoli and disrupt the energy-rich nation’s crucial oil and gas exports. 


The Risks of Libya’s Return to Two Governments

The Libyan Civil War

Security

Guidance

South Africa

Mexico

A Ukrainian soldier on the front line of the Donbas conflict on Dec. 12, 2021, in Zolote, Ukraine. Russia-Ukraine tensions will continue to climb next week as the Russian-occupied Donbas separatist republics evacuate their territory and repeat dubious claims that a Ukrainian attack is imminent. 

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Russia-Ukraine Tensions Soar Even Higher, a Possible U.S.-Iran Nuclear Breakthrough

The Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-Iran Relations

A group of activists protest against the postponement of Libya’s presidential election in Tripoli's Martyrs Square on Dec. 25, 2021.  

Postponing the presidential election will resolve neither the disputes over how to hold the ballot nor the controversy surrounding the top candidates, portending more violence and division.

A Delayed Vote Reflects the Scars of Libya’s Civil War

Chile

Hong Kong SAR, China

Taiwan

Jose Kast, the presidential candidate from Chile’s right-wing Republican Party, speaks during a closing rally in Santiago on Dec. 16, 2021, ahead of runoff elections. 

The Weekly Rundown: Elections in Chile, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Potentially Libya

Media

Podcasts

Libya is set to hold its first presidential vote on Dec. 24, which will also mark the country's first major national ballot since 2014.

Essential Geopolitics: Libya Holds Elections

France

Supporters of Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi attend an election campaign June 14, 2021 in Tehran.

The Civil War in Libya

The Weekly Rundown: A Vote in France, Election Results in Iran

Syria

U.S. soldiers patrol oil fields in northeast Syria on Feb. 13, 2021.

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The Jihadist Wars

Without a viable exit strategy or a new security threat, U.S. operations in the war-torn country will stagnate, renewing calls for a full withdrawal of troops.

In Syria, U.S. Fears of Getting Stuck Will Haunt Biden’s Mission

The Syrian Civil War

Libya's House of Representatives removed Government of National Stability (GNS) Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha from his position, assigning his duties to GNS Finance Minister Osama Hamad, Al-Wasat reported on May 16.

Libya: House of Representatives Removes GNS Prime Minister Bashagha

The U.N. special representative for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, announced his intention to launch a new high-level steering panel to bring various Libyan stakeholders together in order to organize presidential and legislative elections in 2023, U.N. News reported Feb. 27.

Libya: U.N. Proposes New Panel in Latest Attempt to Hold Libyan Elections

Libya's Tripoli-based and internationally-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) said it was lifting force majeure on new oil and gas exploration and called for international oil companies (IOCs) to resume exploration, the Libya Herald reported Dec. 5.

Libya: Tripoli-Based Government Lifts Force Majeure on Hydrocarbon Exploration

Several people were reportedly killed in overnight clashes between the Special Deterrence Force and Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade at several locations in Libya's capital of Tripoli, forcing the city's main airport to suspend flights, Reuters reported July 22.

Libya: Multiple Dead as Fighting Breaks out in Tripoli

On May 10, Libyan Government of National Solidarity Prime Minister Fathi al-Bashaga said he reached an agreement with those blocking several of Libya's oil export terminals and fields, but he offered no timetable for the lifting of the blockade, Bloomberg reported May 11.

Libya: Government of National Solidarity Prime Minister Says Oil Ports to Reopen

Protests forced the shutdown of Libya's largest oil field, Sharara, after the country's 1.1 million barrels per day of oil production had already fallen to 535,000 b/d due to previous field closures, Argus Media reported April 18.

Libya: Protesters Force Half of Oil Production Offline

On March 1, the Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) passed a confidence vote on a new government -- the Government of National Solidarity -- with former Libyan Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha appointed as its prime minister, Reuters reported March 2.

Libya: HoR Approves Rival Government, Portending Political Turmoil

The Difficulties of North African Reform

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the establishment of a parallel government in Libya would be inappropriate and that Turkey would still support Libya's current Government of National Unity over the likely soon-to-be-formed Government of National Solidarity, The Libya Observer reported Feb. 16.

Libya, Turkey: Erdogan's Support for Government of National Unity Strengthens Dbeibeh

Turkey's Resurgence

Afghanistan

Antigua and Barbuda

Luxembourg

South Sudan

A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Bahrain

Lithuania

Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

Barbados

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Belize

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Brunei Darussalam

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Burkina Faso

Cambodia

Germany

The President palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The administrative center of the Gakh region of Azerbaijan, located at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, on the river Kurhumchai.

Burundi

China

Finland

Nepal

Cameroon

Canada

Georgia

Jordan

Pakistan

Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

Cabo Verde

Federated States of Micronesia

Kuwait

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Sri Lanka

Central African Republic

Colombia

Fiji

Latvia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Chad

Costa Rica

Indonesia

Comoros

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Czech Republic

Japan

A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Cote d'Ivoire

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Dominican Republic

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Ecuador

Holy See (Vatican City)

Malaysia

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El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Greece

Marshall Islands

Eritrea

Grenada

Mongolia

Libya lies in the middle of North Africa’s Mediterranean coast, bordered by Tunisia and Algeria to the west and Egypt to the east. Across the Sahara Desert, the country’s southern edges touch Niger, Chad and Sudan.     Libya is divided into three geographic regions: Fezzan, the desert interior; Cyrenaica, the Mediterranean hills running east to the Egyptian border; and Tripolitania, the coastal deserts and oases of the west. Because the country’s two largest cities, Benghazi and Tripoli, are separated by a long stretch of sparsely populated coast, Libyan power tends to split between east and west.     Libya has no year-round rivers or lakes, and it boasts only small forests in Cyrenaica. Though it is the fourth-largest country in Africa by landmass, Libya ranks 36th by population, home to a mere 6.2 million people. However, the state has the ninth-largest proven oil reserves, making trade and secure sea lanes critical to Libyan prosperity and security.     From gaining independence in 1951 to the outbreak of civil war in 2011, Libya used its energy resources to import technology and goods that transformed its economy. Chief among these projects was the Great Man-Made River, which brought underground water supplies from the desert to the coast, improving Libya’s trade capabilities and boosting its influence across Africa.     Because Libya has no natural geographic barriers to fortify its land borders, its governments often struggle to establish order across their territory while protecting the country’s long, exposed coastline from other Mediterranean powers. Friendly ties with European countries are therefore vital to Libya’s security, because the state cannot defend its coastline from Continental navies. Libya’s primary geographic challenge is thus to guard its winding coasts and borders while using its substantial energy resources to develop the country. 

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SITUATION REPORTS

Libya: House of Representatives Removes GNS Prime Minister Bashagha

Libya: U.N. Proposes New Panel in Latest Attempt to Hold Libyan Elections

Libya: Tripoli-Based Government Lifts Force Majeure on Hydrocarbon Exploration

Libya: Multiple Dead as Fighting Breaks out in Tripoli

Libya: Government of National Solidarity Prime Minister Says Oil Ports to Reopen

Libya: Protesters Force Half of Oil Production Offline

Libya: HoR Approves Rival Government, Portending Political Turmoil

Libya, Turkey: Erdogan's Support for Government of National Unity Strengthens Dbeibeh

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