War Lord: Khalifa Haftar and the Future of Libya

by John Oakes

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar leads an army that controls most of Libya, stands at the gates of Tripoli and is threatening to overthrow the Government of National Accord. Backed by the powerful Libyan tribes, Khalifa Haftar has also won the backing of several international governments who see him as Libya’s last hope of a democratic solution. Others portray him as a dangerous rogue commander with terrorist tendencies.

But who is Khalifa Haftar, and how has he become the most powerful leader in Libya? How has this unknown commander raised an army from scratch, controlled the powerful Libyan tribes and gained the support of powerful international players? Is he good for Libya, or a terrorist threat?

This book explores the life of Khalifa Haftar against a backdrop of Libyan oppression and war. A charismatic and controversial figure, Haftar provides a lens through which to view decades of Libyan unrest and explore the future of this volatile region.

272 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2021

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good solid book about the recent politics in Libya. The first half of the book takes us from World War II through the rise of Gaddafi and his downfall. The book is centered on Khalifa Haftar but the history of the nation is good easy to read history. Things get murky from the downfall of Gaddafi to the beginning of the consolidation of the war lords. There were so many Islamic splinter groups with names I was unfamiliar with led by people I was equally unfamiliar with, that it was hard to keep track. The last part of the book dealing with the machinations of Turkey and Russia to gain a foothold in the country was very interesting.

As a biography of Khalifa Haftar, the book leads much to be desired. We see very little about his personal thoughts or life and next to nothing about his time in the US. It is also notable that, other than a brief mention, key events like the Lockerbie bombing, and Benghazi attack were barely mentioned. Although Haftar may have had little to do with the events it seems that they shaped current events enough to have a little more said about them.

The good points are a solid contextual discussion of the history of Libya from the installation of King Idriss and his demise at a Gaddafi engineered coup, through the Gaddafi years and the rising power of the war lords, chief among them being Khalifa Haftar. Secondly the Turkish and Russian scramble for influence was very interesting.

It is a good book. It leaves some stuff out but is not intended as a history of Libya. If you don't know much about Libya beyond half-forgotten news stories, which was my level of understanding you should find the book interesting history. It is my chief reason for giving the book four stars.

[Chloe Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I disagree with the thesis which I believe to be too easy on Haftar, but it nevertheless provided good, reliable information.