Carafano: Trump Gets an ‘F’ for Libya

[TomSea]

James Jay Carafano is actually connected with the Heritage Foundation. ... That said, I read another article earlier that things on the ground in Libya are pretty fluid. Carafano grades Trump as basically getting it right in the Middle East though, Libya appears problematic to the author. This is from the Daily Signal which is the voice of the Heritage Foundation: 

Trump Gets an ‘F’ for Libya
James Jay Carafano

Getting grumpy over the administration’s Libya policy is a just cause.

There is no nostalgia for President Barack Obama’s “lead from behind” policy that left the country in ruins, an American compound in flames, and a U.S. ambassador and other brave Americans dead.

But let’s be honest, President Donald Trump hasn’t done much better at making things better. This is not just about grading presidents. There are good reasons to get U.S. policy for Libya right.

(snipped)

Trump gets an “A” for his instincts on the Middle East.

Read more at: [url=https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/05/24/trump-gets-an-f-for-libya/]https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/05/24/trump-gets-an-f-for-libya/[/url]

Actually, a good summation and Carafano says Trump can shift his grade pretty easily but lastly, Carafano may well be a "neo-con" and his other views, might not be palatable, depending on what they are, say with Iran, Syria and so on. Seems okay though.

[Free Vulcan]

What exactly is Trump supposed to do in Libya? The author's suggestions seem like naive technocratic EU diplomacy tactics.

[TomSea]

It's actually a complex question. The Libyan government and army is somewhat split and that's a nice way to put it. Some would say a renegade General is leading a bit of a rebellion there or at least, is one side of the Civil War.

That General is Haftar. There have been a number of articles on him here so the short answer, is Trump and Haftar had a phone call and some don't appreciate that. Some say we should only be talking to the UN recognized government, the GNA, Government of National Accord. It's complex. Haftar by the way, is a US citizen though, he wasn't born here. He lived in Langley VA. for 20 years, before that... he was in a jail, it is complex.

Libya’s Haftar says to fight until Tripoli militias defeated

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2019/05/26/Libya-s-Haftar-says-to-fight-until-Tripoli-militias-defeated.html

We are not officially on Haftar's side, Trump talked to him and said something like Haftar was doing good fighting terrorism.

https://www.france24.com/en/20190419-libya-trump-haftar-phone-call-tripoli  (phone call article)

It's a story in itself that has raised some controversy.