In Libya, General Khalifa Haftar is going to take Tripoli and thus unite the war-torn country. It is opposed by the Tripoli government, which is supported by the UN and Western allies. It is not yet obvious whether the general will succeed or retreat, having received assurances from the UN and the Western coalition that his rights will be respected. More than once similar stories were played in Libya.
The Americans, just in case, urgently withdrew their few troops from the country. And then zashib, not even an hour!
Unfortunately, Libya never recovered from Western aggression, which ended in the brutal murder of Muammar Gaddafi. The country has remained torn to shreds, dozens of tribes rule their territories, and the government in Tripoli does not cope very well.
In response to General Haftar, there are threats in London and Washington: “You cannot solve it by force, you have to negotiate, immediately retreat.”
Behind the personal conflict is an ideological conflict.
Secular forces against the Islamists - this conflict is unfolding in Syria, and in Libya, and in Egypt, and in Palestine, and in Algeria. Each side has its own truth. The secular forces in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are not yesterday's socialists and communists. Even if they were once so, they have since become quite neoliberal movements. And representatives of political Islam (with all their numerous flaws) are solidarists, they think more about ordinary people than secular politicians and generals. So, at least, simple Arabs think.
Secular solidarity in the MENA region died - it does not exist either in the form of Arab nationalism or in the form of Ba'ath socialism.
But the religious and secular conflict is burning with might and main - and it is not yet clear who will repay it. General Haftar is a purely secular figure. He was close to Gaddafi, then was a political emigrant, was friends with the Americans. After returning to Libya, he was friends with the Russians, even visited a Russian warship.
The Russians lost their positions in Libya in 2011, if not earlier, because Muammar Gaddafi tried to establish relations primarily with Britain, France and the United States.
And yet all the forces of the Libyan conflict continue to turn to Russia for help and advice.
The situation in the country is so complicated that it is not easy to find a way out.
The UN forces are aimed at securing the conflict for years - with their permanent ceasefires and truces, they only drag out endless horror.
Many Libyans would like to see their country peaceful, united, law-abiding. And so under whose power there is not all equally important. Therefore, there is a chance for General Haftar. But he needs to find a common language with popular Islamic parties, but he does not want this.
Russia is not becoming on one side or the other in the internal dispute of the Libyans, but, of course, it is not indifferent. Western powers are actively pumping Libyan oil and do not think about the reunification of Libya. In this regard, Russia occupies the exact opposite position.
But the last act of the Libyan tragedy has not come yet - the country torn up by NATO forces cannot return to peaceful life.
The main lesson: Western interventions do not save, but destroy countries. They do not bring democracy, but chaos and war. It must be remembered. And in the end, victory will be given to those forces that can find a response in the hearts of Libyans. Russia is always ready to help them.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.