Author: webmaster

Nuanced Arab Representation: Celebrating Female Film in the MENA Region

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The Sharjah Art Foundation, in collaboration with Habibi Collective, will host a series of virtual film screenings throughout June. The project will highlight the work of female filmmakers from across the MENA region and consist of a diverse array of short films, features, documentaries, and experimental movies. 

Habibi Collective 

Started by Roision Tapponi in 2018, Habibi Collective is a digital platform dedicated to archiving and promoting female filmmaking in the MENA. The daughter of an Iraqi father and Irish mother, Tapponi grew up in rural Ireland. She started the project following her realization that the mainstream films she watched lacked representation of Arab women and narratives that surrounded her during summers spent visiting family in Iraq.

Habibi Collective hosts its content on Instagram, making it free and highly accessible. The account currently has over 10,000 followers and prior to the outbreak of coronavirus had hosted film screenings for fans in London. Bringing the online community together in-person creates a space for dialogue and the further diffusion of the female-made films featured on the page, according to Tapponi. 

Highlighting the diversity of Arab cultures and experiences 

In 2020, the majority of mainstream media representations of Arab characters and culture remain deeply rooted in negative stereotypes that typecast Arabs as one-dimensional, simple figures. Entrenched in orientalist understandings of the MENA region, the men are cruel, weak-minded terrorists and the women either oppressed and voiceless, struggling against restrictive cultural norms, or exotic, muted subjects of the Western male gaze. 

These stale representations deprive characters of their humanity and ignore the rich diversity of Arab experiences. By painting the region as a monolithic entity, the unique culture and history of the countries that make up the MENA, and the sub-regions within it, are dismissed. 

In addition to ignoring cultural specificity, Arab characters in mainstream media are almost exclusively Muslim, contributing to the false assumption that to be Arab is to be Muslim. The experiences and histories of the region’s many religions, including Judaism and Christianity, deserve to be acknowledged, shared, and celebrated. 

History of silencing  

Media produced in the West has a long history of silencing or “othering” Arab characters and culture. The Palestinian-American postcolonial scholar Edward Said developed the theory of “Orientalism,” used to describe the process of “othering” the Orient (Asia and the MENA region), in his 1978 book by the same name. According to this theory, 19th century Western literature and art reduced Arabs to uncivilized and idle “others” imbued with a sort of mysticism. 

The lure of the “exotic” led many who had never visited the region to create inaccurately imagined representations of “The East.” The lack of genuine interaction or exchange further contributed to constructions of the Orient as a passive subject of Western construction. It is this lack of dynamic exchange and passiveness that this sits at the heart of today’s simplistic misrepresentations of Arabs in mainstream media. 

In 2015, artists hired to make scenes on the program “Homeland” “more authentic,” via the addition of Arabic graffiti, deviated from script to include the phrase “Homeland is racist.” That the producers did not notice the change, which only came to light when the show aired, further highlights the problems of the continued portrayal of the MENA region by those who do not understand the cultures and languages of the Middle East.

This flattening of Arab culture and specificity is similarly present in the 2019 Netflix series “The Spy” when the supposedly Syrian shopkeepers speak in Moroccan Darija (the country’s Arabic dialect) and not the Levantine dialect spoken in Syria. The program was filmed in Morocco. 

The work of Habibi Collective and its partnership with Sharjah Art Foundation to bring Arab voices, particularly those of women, to a broader audience is an important step in reversing the trend of speaking of, instead of hearing from, Arab characters and creators.

MENA Tourism After Coronavirus

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The coronavirus pandemic has triggered a crisis in the global tourism industry with border closures and lockdowns resulting in global air traffic falling 60.8% in April year-on-year. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is suggesting the pandemic could cost the airline industry $314 billion. 

In 2018, international arrivals to MENA destinations grew by 10% and for a number of countries, tourism is an increasingly important source of employment. In oil-based economies, such as Saudi Arabia, tourism is a key component of plans to diversify revenue streams. 2019 was an excellent year for tourism, with the region outpacing the global average in competitive growth. 

Within the MENA, countries in North Africa, most notably Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia, stand out for their high tourist numbers. In 2019, a record 13 million tourists visited Morocco, an increase of 5.2.% compared to the year before while Egypt saw an increase of 21%, welcoming just under 14 million tourists. 

The impact of coronavirus in the MENA region

Tourism represents a greater share of regional GDP than in the world’s other four travel regions (Europe and Eurasia, Asia-Pacific, the Americas, and Sub-Saharan Africa), highlighting the threat that shutting down travel represents to regional prosperity in the MENA. 

In the first quarter of 2020, Tunisia recorded a 27% decrease in tourism revenues. Tourism represents the second biggest contributor to the country’s GDP. When the pandemic hit, the sector was already in recovery following sustained damage in the aftermath of the 2015 terrorist attacks that targeted Sousse, a popular tourist destination. 

What will tourism look like after coronavirus? 

With summer approaching and the reopening of international borders across Europe, many are beginning to look ahead to where their next trip may take them. The novel coronavirus remains highly contagious, as new outbreaks in factories and following large gatherings continue to demonstrate, and will undoubtedly have implications on tourism for some time to come.

In May, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) issued a set of guidelines to assist the tourism sector as it emerges from the COVID-19 crisis. Central to the guidelines is the development of safety protocols. Suggestions for ensuring traveller safety include immunization certificates, mandatory testing at airports, increased frequency of cleaning, and measures to implement social distancing at airports and on planes. 

Despite the disruption of the past few months and the challenges ahead, officials in Dubai remain confident that the Emirati state will be able to attract large numbers of tourists in the near future. Citing high numbers of online activity and enquiries, officials claimed Dubai could become a “top five” tourist destination. Last month Dubai began to slowly reopen hotels and beaches while spas, pools, and children’s play areas remain closed.  

In Tunisia, industry leaders are urging officials to consider diversifying the country’s tourism offerings. The large, resort-based, all-inclusive offerings that are popular in Tunisia will be difficult to modify to COVID-19 requirements. Suggested alternatives include developing tourism for more upscale clientele with a focus on boutique hotels and personalized services. 

Giant Arctic Oil Spill Prompts State of Emergency in Russia

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An oil spill in northern Russia has prompted the government to declare a state of emergency after 22,000 tons of red diesel oil spilled into Arctic waters. A diesel storage tank collapsed at a Nornickel power plant in Norilsk, Russia when the permafrost it was built on started to thaw. One of the supporting posts of the storage tank suddenly sank, damaging the tank and spilling its contents.

The diesel fuel spilled onto a nearby roadway, causing a passing car to catch fire, before spilling into the local waterways. For two days, the power plant attempted to stop the spill and clean up the 6,000 tons of oil that covered the ground and an additional 15,000 tons that had leaked into the local Ambarnaya and Daldykan Rivers, flowing down into their tributaries.

But the company was unable to undo the damage, the Ambarnaya River had turned bright red, and diesel oil flowed as far as seven miles from the power plant. After two days, the plant officials decided to contact the government as they realized the scale of the disaster.

Environmental concerns

Their communication came too late. The disaster is now described as a “135-square mile oil spill,” with Greenpeace warning the clean-up could cost as much as $85 million to deal with damage to waterways alone. The environmental NGO called the spill “catastrophic” as the first large-scale oil spill in the Arctic.

The Russian branch of the World Wildlife Fund released a statement expressing fears that the red diesel fuel may have spread as far as Lake Pyasino, situated 20 kilometers from the Norilsk power plant. “The most toxic components of diesel fuel are light aromatics (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene), which in significant quantities will nevertheless dissolve in water and can in no way be collected by booms,” WWF Russia stated.

State of emergency

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a federal state of emergency after reportedly shouting, “Are we going to learn about emergency situations from social media?” at Nornickel’s CEO during a televised video conference. By putting the responsible company at the front-and-center of the clean-up efforts, Vladimir Putin appears to be following Barack Obama’s communication playbook used during the 2010 BP oil spill.

With a state of emergency in place, clean-up efforts are underway. The cold conditions and large scale of the spill will likely slow down progress and many fear that the damage done to local nature will be irreversible.

‘Big Tech’ Leverages its Monopoly, Halting Innovation

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Many did not welcome Facebook’s move to start labeling state-controlled news posts as a step toward protecting media consumers from “fake news.” The far-reaching implications of the move could change the media landscape. “It’s not just about funding, it’s where can a government exert editorial control over the entity?” Facebook’s Head of Cyber Security, Nathaniel Gleicher asked.

Much reporting contrasted the move with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s unwillingness to censor incorrect content published by US President Donald Trump. Several outlets openly wondered how Facebook could be promoting anti-fake news measures while not stopping the often outrageously false statement by Trump.

Corporate control

The reason for the disparity appears to be that Facebook’s new labels have little to do with stopping false news, and instead concern increasing corporate control over media. By labeling state influence over broadcasters while ignoring corporate influence over many of Facebook’s preferred news sources, they legitimize these sources and hide the influence of big business on social media.

Applying universal labels to indicate outside influence for all media outlets would lead to CNN having the label “owned by AT&T Telecom,” the Washington Post “fully owned by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos,” or almost all US media outlets carrying the label “receives large investments from weapons manufacturers.”

Because Facebook only applies the label to state control, this entrenched corporate control remains conveniently hidden. By not labeling these corporate-funded outlets, they appear free of any biased influence. The result is a return to the days when television ruled and corporate media exercised full control of news narratives.

Growing trend

The developments at Facebook are just one in a plethora of examples of how Silicon Valley’s tech giants have stopped innovating and have started leveraging their monopolies. During the rise of companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, the term “tech start-up” became almost mythical and started a global craze of trying to find “unicorns,” the next billion dollar-valued tech firm.

But as these companies got bigger, the mantra changed. The idea of small and nimble companies, competing by introducing new innovations, started to fade as the industry’s pioneers grew exponentially in size and influence. Suddenly the focus of start-ups changed from boasting creative operations and small business values to being large companies trading in user data.

Instead of developing new innovations, these companies now buy up any potential competitor before they pose a threat. The purchases of Whatsapp, Instagram, and Waze are examples of acquisitions that actively aimed to stop innovation and prevent competition. The “big data” hegemony has led developers to aim for a quick payout when their innovations are inevitably swallowed up by one of tech’s big companies.

With Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter as examples, big tech is expanding with almost no barriers to growth. The value of all small tech firms around the world combined is now less than Apple’s valuation alone. Without effective monitoring and regulation of these monopolies, soon we could be reverting back to a corporate-controlled and distributed media narrative, reminiscent of the days of television.

Violent ‘Boogaloo’ Movement Aims for Second Civil War in the US

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On June 4, three men made their way to protests in downtown Las Vegas: Twenty-three-year-old Army reservist Andrew Lynam, 35-year-old former Navy enlistee Stephen Parshall, and 40-year-old Air-force veteran William Loomis. The three white Las Vegas residents filled gas canisters at a local parking lot and used glass bottles to make Molotov cocktails as they made their way to the anti-racism protests in the city’s center.

Before they could make it to their destination, an FBI anti-terrorism unit busted the three men, arresting them on terrorism-related charges. A complaint filed at the Las Vegas district court claimed the men identified as members of the “Boogaloo” movement, which the government document described as “a term used by extremists to signify a coming civil war and/or fall of civilization.”

Eager to escalate

The arrests were the result of nearly two months of work. Earlier in April, the three men had attended a rally to advocate for the ending of COVID-19 measures. At this “Reopen Nevada” rally, they had struck up a conversation with a man that turned out to be an FBI informant.

On May 29, the informant accompanied the three men at a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest on the famous Las Vegas strip.

Lynam, Parshall, and Loomis had decided to bring their rifles to the event. Lynam joined the crowd of protesters and deliberately went up to the police, yelling at them to taunt them into a reaction. Parshall became agitated as the protests continued peacefully.

Parshall was “very upset that the protests were not turning violent,” the court complaint said. The armed men told the FBI informant that they had gathered all the ingredients to make Molotov cocktails, prompting the Bureau’s anti-terrorism unit to intervene on their next outing.

Boogaloo movement

The Boogaloo movement that the three men identified with is an offspring of the American gun rights movement. An online network of gun owners, fearful of any regulation of their firearms, started an escalating joke over their perceived idea of an inevitable conflict with the government over their gun rights.

The term “Boogaloo” comes as a Reddit reference to a potential “sequel” to the American Civil War. The term is derived from the 1984 movie sequel “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo,” and has since sparked a variety of other movement-related terms.

Members of the movement call themselves a variety of related names, including the “Boogaloo boys,” the “Big Igloo Bois,” or the “Boojahideen,” in reference to Afghanistan’s anti-Soviet guerrilla force from the 1990s.

As their names suggest, the group consists of mostly male online-engaged gun rights supporters that consider themselves to be the victims of an ever-expanding state that will inevitably “come for their guns.” The men identify themselves by wearing Hawaiian-print shirts often matched with military-grade body armor and rifles or handguns.

Provocateurs

Because members of the Boogaloo movement consider another civil war to be inevitable, they appear to have little remorse in escalating the progress towards such a conflict. The current protests over state violence and structural racism have provided a platform on which they appear to want to trigger a full-blown civil war.

The movement’s preference for military fatigues and equipment gear has meant it is relatively easy for its members to pose as “Antifa” protesters, a left-wing anti-fascist group. US President Donald Trump is moving to classify Antifa as a terrorist organization, although experts doubt the official designation will be constitutionally possible.

Members of the Boogaloo movement have been caught impersonating the left-wing group on Twitter. Posting under the account “@antifaUS,” Boogaloo members called for violence, stating, “Tonight is the night comrades, tonight is the night we say f… the city and we move into the residential areas, the white hoods, and we take what is ours.”

Once the group was exposed as a Boogaloo operation, the Twitter account promptly re-styled itself as an “Antifa parody account,” deleting earlier calls for violence. It appears that members of the movement are trying to provoke the police and the country’s right-wing by posing as violent left-wingers in order to spark a violent reaction.

Because there is no official membership or vetting process, any person can claim a role in the non-organized and leaderless protests in the United States. The Boogaloo movement’s apparent aim is to use the protests to provoke both political sides into a violent conflict.

Now that the Boogaloo movement is getting significant attention from the media and law enforcement, it remains to be seen whether it can realize its dangerous goal.

Dubai Security Forces Take Down Danish Gangster

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Dubai State Security arrested Danish crime boss Amir Faten Mekky in a “sting operation” carried out in the early hours of June 4, United Arab Emirates authorities revealed today.  

A joint task force, including Dubai Public Prosecution and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, raided the 23-year-old gangster’s residence after spending gathering intelligence to confirm his identity. 

Mekky entered the United Arab Emirates using a fake passport on November 14, 2018, the Dubai Media Office said, but it is unclear what prompted the security services to suddenly zero in on the dangerous criminal.  

The arrest comes six months after the sensational arrest of “Angels of Death” gang leader Radwan Al-Taghi in Dubai last December. Dubai says its security forces are currently investigating Mekky and are ready to hand him over to “the relevant authorities,” although it is unclear which country he could be extradited to. 

Mekky is a high-profile Dutch crime lord with a long criminal history. He has eluded European authorities for years over his drug trafficking and money laundering activities and is wanted by INTERPOL for murder. 

Despite holding Danish nationality, Mekky’s criminal activity was based in Malmo, Sweden’s third-largest city. He has faced a “handful” of murder charges over recent years, stemming from Malmo gang feuds, Swedish daily newspaper Expressen reports. 

The same source says Mekky is wanted in connection with two gangland murders and a number of explosions carried out in Spain by the “Los Suecos” (Swedes) gang, which he allegedly heads.

“The high-profile arrest sends a clear message that Dubai will not tolerate international criminal activities even if the crimes have not been committed in the UAE. It also emphasized the UAE’s commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities towards combating transnational crime,” the Dubai Media Office said.

Read also: Dubai Airport Ready to Lead Air Travel Resumption

 

Iraqi Militiamen Provide Burials for COVID-19 Patients

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In Najaf, one of the holy sites in Shia Islam, local militias are providing burials for COVID-19 victims. The city has allotted a special graveyard for those who have died of complications linked to the virus alongside the “Valley of Peace,” or Wadi al-Salam cemetery, the biggest cemetery in the world.

While religious rites are usually performed in public ceremonies, the Imam Ali Combat Brigade that is performing the burials has to do so in total isolation. “So far, we’re coping,” the militia’s paramedic Sarmad Ibrahim told Reuters. But the small group of volunteers would be hard-pressed to deal with an increase in COVID-19 deaths.

“If we start receiving more bodies we might not be able to bury according to religious rules,” Ibrahim said.

Stigma

The work is physically difficult and emotionally taxing, but the group is not garnishing much praise. Stigma and fear over the coronavirus mean the group volunteers have struggled to attract new members. The roughly dozen men have faced alienation from friends and families as many fear infection.

“If we face a shortage of men, I’ll have to ask friends or other fighters to come and help us. I’m afraid that if someone catches the virus, relatives will blame me for it,” said Abu Sajad, a 46-year old veteran militiaman-turned-volunteer.

While the volunteers have been able to ensure bodies are washed and buried with dignity, the recent increases in reported cases in Iraq is a troubling development. Within two weeks, the number of cases has doubled, from 3,000 to 6,000.

After having helped defeat ISIS, this new enemy is posing a significant challenge to ensuring the beliefs and dignity of COVID-19 victims.

Religious rites

Abdul Hassan Kadhim, the leader of the volunteer team, told Reuters that “in the beginning, bodies were brought back to the morgue, where they stayed for up to 15 days, they ended up being buried without proper religious rites.” Because of the work the volunteers are doing, Muslims can now be buried within days in adherence to Islamic customs.

The Shia militia has had to face a crash course in the religious practices of their neighbors of different faiths as they also had to bury two Christians recently. “We know they’d prefer to be buried in their own graveyards. But because of the pandemic, they now rest here,” Abu Sajad said as he knelt in front of one of the Christian graves.

“We asked for advice on Christian burials, to be able to carry them out according to their own rituals and traditions,” Abu Sajad continued. “I didn’t know about them before. But we did everything the way our Christian brothers told us.”

Saudi Arabia’s Sad Milestone: First COVID-19 Doctor Death

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Pakistani doctor Naeem Chaudhry, who worked at a hospital in the holy city of Mecca, is the first medic to die of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.

Dr Chaudhry died two days ago after contracting COVID-19 through his work at the Hira General Hospital in Mecca, Arab News reports. 

The doctor worked in the hospital’s General Surgery Department, where he was considered one of the facilities most skilled surgeons.  Director General of Mecca Health Affairs Dr Wael Hamzah Mutair said the Hira General Hospital team is greatly saddened by Chaudhry’s passing.  

Mutair emphasized that the doctor contracted the virus during the course of his work, not outside the hospital and, apart from having high blood pressure, suffered no other underlying health conditions.  

The Pakistani Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz, expressed his sympathy to Dr Chaudhry’s wife and three daughters who live in Mecca, saying he too was “deeply saddened,” by the doctor’s death. 

“He laid down his life for the humanitarian cause in these difficult circumstances. His services will always be remembered,” Ejaz said in a condolence message.

“May Allah Almighty rest the soul in eternal peace, and give you and the bereaved family the courage to bear this irreparable loss (Ameen).”

Chaudhry is one of the many Pakistani doctors and health professional’s working to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic in Saudi Arabia. On June 4, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health said the country has 23,581 active cases of COVID-19 and recorded 611 deaths from the disease.

Read also: Egyptian Coronavirus Denier Dies From Disease, Infects Family

Iran Releases US Prisoner in Long-Awaited Swap Deal

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Michael White walked free from prison on Thursday , June 4, as a “humanitarian gesture” by Iran, and promptly boarded a flight to Zurich where he met with Brian Hook, the US diplomat who negotiated his freedom. White and Hook then boarded an American government plane and touched down in the United States on Friday. 

The United States Special envoy to Iran, Hook, lauded the deal as a win-win at a press conference at the mid-way point of White’s journey home.  

“We were simultaneously able to secure the release of an American Navy veteran from an Iranian prison and accomplish our law enforcement objectives,” Hook told Fox News Channel from the tarmac in Zurich.  

White said he was relieved to be released and recovering “pretty decently” from his time in Iranian jail, telling Fox News Channel, “I feel all right, and happy to be back.” 

“I’m improving. I did contract coronavirus in the Mashhad central prison prior to going out on furlough.”

‘I’m getting a lot better as a result of the Swiss Embassy and all the efforts of the Trump administration,” a Hawaiian-shirt clad White told reporters. 

For its part, the Swiss Embassy which represents the US in Iran, welcomed the “humanitarian gesture” behind the swap deal, adding it “stands ready” to assist in the future. 

White also thanked President Donald Trump “for his efforts both diplomatically and otherwise, making America great again.” 

The successful deal is a boost for the embattled US President and he was quick to tweet about White’s return. 

“So great to have Michael home. Just arrived. Very exciting. Thank you to Iran,” Trump fired off.

Taheri Release

 Back in the United States, a judge in Atlanta, Florida agreed to a deal which enabled dual US-Iranian citizen Matteo Taheri to be sentenced to time served for sanction and banking violations.  

“There are numerous foreign policy interests that are furthered by this particular sentence,” U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May said.

Taheri pleaded guilty to the charges of violating US sanctions, but is not considered a security threat and is now free to remain in America or travel to Iran.

“The United States government and the government of Iran have been negotiating the release of a U.S. citizen held in Iranian custody. This case, and more specifically the sentence recommendation, is directly related to these negotiations,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracia King explained during Taheri’s June 4 hearing.

Taheri’s legal team said he was planning to take a long-awaited trip to Iran and visit his family, but would ultimately return to the United States. 

Iran’s Reaction 

Iran welcomed the deal, but used the breakthrough to again extend calls for the release of all Iranian prisoners in the United States. 

“Pleased that Dr. Majid Taheri and Mr. White will soon be joining their families,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on June 4. “Prof. Sirous Asgari was happily reunited with his family on Weds.”

“This can happen for all prisoners,” Zarif added. 

“No need for cherry picking. Iranian hostages held in—and on behalf of—the US should come home.”

The deal also comes just days after Iranian scientist Sirous Asgari, referred to in Zarif’s tweet, was deported from the US back to Iran on June 3. State Department and Iranian officials said his release was not part of the deal, clarifying that his case was a separate matter.

The Iranian government has previously declared they are prepared for a full prisoner exchange but are waiting on a US response. 

The successful swap-deal is a rare bright-spot for Iran-US relations and a win for quiet diplomacy. The relationship has been tense since Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal, and re-imposed sanctions in 2018. It was further inflamed this year by the US rocket-strike death of Iranian Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani in January, and naval tensions in the Arabian Gulf. 

Read also: Iranian FM: US Deports Jailed Iranian Professor 

 

US Signals Potential Renewed Involvement in Libya

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The United States is considering the deployment of its Security Force Assistance Brigades to Tunisia in response to Russian activity in Libya.

The US has nominally stayed out of the conflict except for some support to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) targeting local forces it considers part of ISIS. The US military appears to be concerned over what it calls “Russian involvement” in the conflict that has seen Egypt, France, Turkey, and the UAE all support factions in the messy civil war.

Increasingly sophisticated weapons

Actors in the Libyan conflict are using increasingly sophisticated weaponry, despite a UN arms embargo that all foreign powers involved in the devastating proxy war nominally support. The recent involvement by Turkish planes and drones turned the tide of the conflict in the Tripoli government’s advantage, which Haftar’s forces are now countering with 14 Russian fighter jets.

The US has published grainy photos of jets taking off in Russia and landing in Libya’s Al Jufra Airbase, while the Libyan National Army (LNA) was less covert, proudly publishing photos of its new jets on twitter.

The inclusion of Russian MiG-29 and Su-24 will likely re-balance the conflict and perhaps draw it out even further, but a new factor has emerged as the US is considering renewed involvement.

Security Force Assistance Brigades

The US Security Force Assistance Brigades are a recent innovation of the US military. The 800-strong brigades first saw deployment in 2018 and consist of a variety of troops that train, support, and fight alongside another nation’s military. Whether the deployment in Tunisia signals increased involvement by Libya’s Western neighbor remains to be seen.

The “S-Fab” troops consist of commissioned and non-commissioned officers that have received additional training at the Military Advisor Training Academy in Fort Benning, Georgia. The s-fab’s are intended to relieve “advisory duties” from the infantry units that have increasingly performed these tasks in Iraq and Afghanistan. S-fabs were deployed in Senegal in 2020 and could soon make their first appearance in North Africa.

Entangled alliances

If the US indeed plans to counter Russian involvement, it would pit itself against its long-standing allies in Egypt, France, and the Emirates. Because of the intertwined alliances in Libya, it could mean that US forces would face incoming French missiles or fight forces supported by its key strategic partners in the Middle East.

The addition of Russian fighter jets is likely to prompt increased aerial support from Turkey. Turkish C-130 planes and drones are already active in the region but Ankara is likely to increase the presence of Turkish F-16 jet-fighters, which are from the same generation as the Russian MiG-29s.

With Turkey announcing that it will soon start to extract oil from Libyan waters, the stakes have never been higher. Libya already featured significant surface-to-air fighting with anti-aircraft batteries fighting drones, but the conflict could soon see it’s first air-to-air combat. This would prove a major escalation and further evidence that the Libyan arms embargo is an abject failure.