The Role of External Actors in Decentralization and Strengthening Islamist Radicalism in Libya

External actors—the EU, NATO, Turkey, Egypt, different Gulf countries—took different sides in the civil war in Libya. The involvement of foreigners trying to pick Libyan “winners” and “losers” according to their specific national, personal or corporate goals has made finding solutions difficult, if not impossible. The inconsistency and inefficiency of external actors in Libya, as well as their limited ability to coordinate their actions, are explained by unilateral actions or organizational paralysis caused by disagreements and vetoes at the institutional level. Islamist and jihadist actors in Libya are in a good position to take advantage of the chaos sown by the failures of international collective action that prevent a unified response against them. The use of short-term approaches by external actors to the systemic challenges posed by jihadists in Libya only exacerbates the negative dynamics of the conflict.