Libya’s “Gaddafi 2.0” Eyes Military Takeover Of Tripoli, Could Rattle Global Oil Markets

Libya is coming apart again — though of course it was never put back together in the first place after NATO’s regime change war to topple Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 in the first place. Since then it’s been a jihadist wasteland of three, or at times up to four, competing governments vying for control of land and resources. 

And now, as Bloomberg reports this week “Libya’s most powerful warlord has his sights on the capital” of Tripoli and “even his international backers are nervous.” Who are Khalifa Haftar’s international backers? He was for a couple decades believed to be on the CIA’s payroll while living in suburban Virginia outside Washington, D.C. in exile during Gaddafi’s rule. He’s also financed by the UAE and quickly emerged as a main player collecting the spoils in the aftermath of the US-French-NATO bombing campaign in support of the rebels. 

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Libyan General Khalifa Haftar. Image source: Middle East Monitor

Based in Libya’s oil-rich east, Haftar’s militia has already captured much of the country’s oil resources, especially after a successful blitz to take much of the south this year.

And now he reportedly has his eye on the capital of Tripoli in the west — home to the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) and Libya’s state-run National Oil Corporation, which when combined with small subsidiaries under its direction accounts for some 70% of the country’s oil output

But has an increasingly powerful Haftar gone rogue, outside the bounds of his international political and financial backers? Or is he actually the external brokers’ “solution” to impose order after years of post-Gaddafi chaos? Are we witnessing the rise of Libya’s new strongman — a Gaddafi 2.0 who will be amendable to western and gulf interests? 

Bloomberg reports the growing alarm of his international backers:

Alarmed, international powers are clamoring to avert a military showdown that could rattle global oil markets and sow further chaos in a divided country already struggling to defeat Islamic State and stem the flow of migrants toward Europe.

The UAE has reportedly tried to intervene with Haftar, urging him to put on the brakes and negotiate a power sharing situation, but to no avail. 

Haftar’s forces, known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), have continued bulldozing their way across the country at lightning pace:

But Haftar has continued to indicate that an offensive on Tripoli is looming, according to three Western diplomats who declined to be named. Rumors his self-styled Libyan National Army is building up troops and weapons in the west are adding to the anxious mood. LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said as recently as February that elections could only take place once the whole country was secure.

“We should be in no doubt that everything Haftar has done until now has been to get to Tripoli, to be the man in Tripoli,” said Mohamed Eljarh, co-founder of Libya Outlook for Research and Consulting, a think-tank based in the east. He’s likely to continue planning for a takeover “whether peacefully or violently.”

Interestingly, Haftar has also enjoyed the political backing of an unlikely assortment of powerful countries that include Russia, France, and Egypt. This is due to his purported secular identity and political platform, and his willingness to fight the jihadists, including Libyan ISIS. 

As a “secular autocrat” with external backing and potentially “West-friendly”, he precisely fits the model of a nationalist type dictator uniting the various large feuding tribes in the mold of Gaddafi (the late Libyan 42-year ruler himself at various times enjoyed the backing of European powers). 

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Libyan oil fields, pipelines, refineries and storage, via Wiki Commons.

Bloomberg reports further his LNA already has immense leverage as a potential military and political showdown with Tripoli GNA officials looms:

Already in control of Libya’s main oil-exporting terminals, the LNA has secured its biggest oil field since beginning its southern campaign in January. That puts Haftar in control of more than 1 million barrels of production a day, giving him crucial leverage over the OPEC member’s key source of income as well as command of its most powerful fighting force.

Post-Gaddafi Libya has been largely forgotten about in the media after its “liberation” by NATO and Islamist militants, and since 2011 has existed in varying degrees of anarchy and chaos. Libya has remained split between rival parliaments and governments in the east and west, with militias and tribes lining up behind each, resulting in fierce periodic clashes. 

The most significant of these warring militias nationwide has long been Haftar’s LNA, which has for the past couple years controlled much of eastern Libya and emerged as the chief rival to the UN-backed GNA in the western half of the country. 

Haftar has since 2017 been reported to be planning a move on Libya’s vital “oil crescent region” while bolstering his forces with Chadian mercenaries, according to prior local reports. Now largely successful in this endeavor, control of the capital would constitute the endgame allowing him to solidify rule over all portions of the country. 

Prior the 2011 Libyan war and NATO military intervention which ultimately led to the field execution of Muammar Gaddafi, the country produced about 1.6 million bpd, but years of turmoil and political instability in the aftermath have slashed that to 550,000 barrels per day as of 2018 output numbers. 

The ‘Justice Democrats’ Are the Brains Behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Who Was Recruited from a Pool of 10,000 Contestants

The Justice Democrats intend to takeover the Democrat Party by ‘primarying’ out establishment Democrats and replacing them with radical socialist puppets. The Justice Democrats, backers of the Green New Deal and open borders, intend to take over the Democrat Party, Congress and then the entire United States.

Venezuela’s Guaido to risk arrest as he returns home to challenge Maduro

March 4, 2019

By Angus Berwick

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido plans to run the risk of arrest by returning home on Monday, after he ignored a court-imposed travel ban and toured Latin American allies to boost support for his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

Guaido’s return, details of which his team have kept under wraps, could become the next flashpoint in his duel with Maduro as he seeks to keep up momentum and spur his international backers to further isolate the socialist government.

His arrest could allow the opposition to highlight how the Maduro administration represses political foes and prompt the United States to impose even harsher sanctions. But it could also strip the opposition of a public figurehead who has brought unity after years of infighting.

Guaido, who is recognized as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state by most Western countries, said on Sunday he would undertake the “historic challenge” of returning in time to lead protests on Monday and Tuesday during the Carnival holiday period, an unusual time for demonstrations.

“If the regime dares, of course, to kidnap us, it will be the last mistake they make,” Guaido said during a broadcast on Twitter, without disclosing his location. Guaido said they had prepared “the steps to follow” in case he was detained.

Guaido secretly left Venezuela for Colombia, in violation of a Supreme Court order, to coordinate efforts there on Feb 23 to send humanitarian aid into Venezuela to alleviate widespread shortages of food and medicine.

But troops loyal to Maduro blocked convoys of aid trucks sent from Colombia and Brazil, leading to clashes that killed at least six people along the Brazilian border, rights groups say.

From Colombia, he then traveled to Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay to shore up Latin American support for a transition government that would precede free and fair elections.

On Sunday, he departed by plane from the Ecuadorean coastal town of Salinas but has not appeared publicly since, beyond the Twitter broadcast. To arrive in Caracas by Monday morning, he could take commercial flights from Bogota or Panama City.

Maduro, who labels Guaido a coupmongering U.S. puppet, has said his arrest depends on the justice system.

“He can’t just come and go. He will have to face justice, and justice prohibited him from leaving the country,” he told ABC News last week.

The United States has warned Maduro of the consequences of arresting Guaido and the Treasury imposed new sanctions on Friday targeting Venezuelan military officials.

“If Maduro took that step, I think it would just hasten the day that he leaves,” U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton told Fox News on Sunday.

After the military blocked the aid convoys, Guaido proposed that “all options be kept open” to topple Maduro, but foreign military intervention is seen as unlikely and his international backers are instead using a mix of sanctions and diplomacy.

(Reporting by Angus Berwick; Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in WASHINGTON; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Obama Quietly Gives Advice to 2020 Democrats, but No Endorsement

Barack Obama wearing a suit and tie: Former President Barack Obama has met with several Democratic presidential candidates, but he is seen as unlikely to endorse any of them before the general election.

Source: NYT

A secret meeting of former President Barack Obama’s financial backers convened in Washington early this month: Organized by David Jacobson and John Phillips, Mr. Obama’s former ambassadors to Canada and Italy, the group interviewed an array of 2020 presidential candidates and debated whether to throw their wealth behind one or two of them.

Mr. Obama had no role in the event, but it unfolded in his political shadow: As presidential hopefuls like Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar and Sherrod Brown auditioned before them, the donors wondered aloud whether Mr. Obama might signal a preference in the race, according to three people briefed on the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

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Russia Warns Coup-Cheering Washington Not To Meddle In Venezuela

Russia has slammed the US government for bullying Venezuela and warned against encouraging its opposition to stage a coup against President Nicolas Maduro.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday “Nations should avoid meddling in other nations’ internal affairs” saying that it indicated that the US policy of destabilizing governments it does not like, is still a priority.

He added that Washington’s encouragement of opposition forces in Venezuela indicated that the US policy of destabilizing governments it does not like is still a priority

RT reports: Venezuela is currently in a political crisis, with the opposition-controlled National Assembly declaring President Maduro a “usurper” and its speaker, Juan Guaido, an “interim president” of the country. The move came after strong public support from Washington, which has been advocating toppling Maduro for quite some time.
Washington has targeted Maduro’s government with a series of crippling economic and personal sanctions, and reportedly considered a military intervention in the country.

The National Assembly’s mandate to represent Venezuelans remains in question. In 2017, the country reformed its parliament system by introducing a new body called the Constitutional Assembly, which is controlled by pro-government politicians. The opposition and its backers in Washington rejected the reform as a power grab and declared the new legislature illegal.

Explaining Russia’s position on the conflict, Lavrov said US involvement in Venezuela was “very alarming and indicated that the US policy of destabilizing governments it does not like remains a priority.”

Venezuela suffered years of economic and social hardships, which the opposition blames on Maduro’s poor governance. He blames the hardship on sabotage of big business and foreign interests, which want to see his socialist government ousted from power.

ANTHONY TOLDA GETS RESTORED TO THE BALLOT FOR US CONGRESS (3rd District of NY)

For Immediate Release, May 8, 2012

ANTHONY TOLDA, AN IMPRESSIVE GOP CANDIDATE, SURPRISES EVERYONE AND GETS RESTORED TO THE BALLOT FOR US CONGRESS (3rd District of NY)!

Mineola, NY, May 8, 2012 — NYS Supreme Court ORDERS that Anthony Tolda be restored to the all ballots for the public office of Congressman for NY District 3 (Suffolk, Nassau and Queens).

Today, Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola, Hon. Anthony F. Marano, J.S.C., did ORDER from the bench, that Anthony Tolda be restored to ALL BALLOTS (including ALL machine ballots and ALL paper ballots) as a Republican Party Candidate for US Congress for the 3rd Congressional District of New York.

“I am very thankful that my prayers were answered and justice was done” said Mr. Tolda, who ran for the same office in 2010 as a Constitution Party Candidate. “I am in this race because our economy and liberty needs to be defended”, Mr. Tolda said further, “in the past my primary opponent, Mr. Labate, has gone so far as to favor CISPA, PIPA and SOPA type legislation which would have harmed our ability to use the internet freely; on other issues, his platform is thin.”

“The last thing the people need is another carpet bagger selling influence from the floor of a legislature” remarked xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Mr. Tolda’s aggressive campaign strategist xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. He went on to say “Labate is a phony; when he talks about his promises or commitments to the voters (of the district) he shows himself as a laughable long-distance candidate”.

“It seems that Mr. Labate has been running a half-hearted campaign, and not giving his best, especially not to the Republican voters of the district. He is a RINO (Republican-In-Name-Only) who lives OUTSIDE the district and whose positions will make government even bigger. His special interest backers include Steve Forbes who seem to be lobbying government or thinking they can buy a seat for Mr. Labate to serve their own personal agendas. I am proud that Mr. Tolda wants to nip corruption in the bud” says xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

“Today, in court, I went up against party lawyers. I was unrepresented (pro se) and they were stopped. I want to go up against bullies; justice is very important to me” remarked Mr. Tolda (who has been a member of Curtis Sliwa’s Guardian Angels).

Media Shows No Signs of Understanding the Ron Paul Strategy So Let Me Explain it

Over the last couple of weeks, the Ron Paul campaign has picked up a majority of delegates in Iowa, Colorado, Maine, and Nevada. He’s on pace to also pick up the majority of delegates in at least four additional states…and those are just the sure things. This is all part of a process that actually started over 4 years ago when Paul ran for President and his deputy campaign manager, Debbie Hopper, did yeoman’s work with the grassroots to recognize the intensity and develop this strategy.

The media is now belatedly noticing that this has been happening. It has already succeeded in taking control of slews of local and county GOP organizations, putting at least seven Paul backers on the Republican National Committee, and completely taking over the party in multiple states…and counting.

The question that much of the legacy media is now starting to ask is “Why?” As with so much reporting, they then go on to attempt to answer their own question and fail. The supposition has included…

He still thinks he can win

He’s laying the groundwork for Senator Rand Paul in 2016

He wants a convention floor speech

He want to force Romney to make Senator Paul the veep

He seeks to influence the platform

They want to make floor motions about pet issues

The funny thing about this is that these reporters and opinion makers could know the answer to their own questions if they had bothered to listen. There is no great mystery. Ron Paul, his staff (Full Disclosure: I’m a former staffer to both Dr. Paul and Campaign for Liberty), his activists, and his backers have been talking about this, writing about this, and meticulously implementing this strategy for years! Ron Paul himself has been going on national television and discusses this strategy for months! Heck, they started laying the groundwork by winning local GOP boards and committees in 2008.

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U.S. Backers of Israel Pressure Obama Over Policy on Iran

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U.S. Backers of Israel Pressure Obama Over Policy on Iran 04 Mar 2012 On the eve of a crucial visit to the White House by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, that country’s most powerful American advocates are mounting an extraordinary public campaign to pressure President Obama into hardening American policy toward Iran over its nuclear program. From the corridors of Congress to a gathering of nearly 14,000 American Jews and other supporters of Israel here this weekend, Mr. Obama is being buffeted by demands that the United States be more aggressive toward Iran and more forthright in supporting Israel in its own confrontation with Tehran. Despite the position of the Israelis and the pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the American intelligence agencies continue to say that there is no evidence that Iran has made a final decision to pursue a nuclear weapon. Recent assessments by American spy agencies have reaffirmed intelligence findings in 2007 and 2010 that concluded that Iran had abandoned its nuclear weapons program. [Right, so it’s time for Israel and the US – the scourge of the planet – to abandon *theirs.*]

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