The Audio Long Read Power without a throne: how Khalifa Haftar controls Libya
Mar 23, 2026
A deep look at how a former CIA asset built power in Libya without formal title. Traces his rise from Gaddafi’s inner circle to exile and return during the 2011 uprising. Explores control of oil, militias and parallel institutions. Details foreign backers, shadow financing and fragile succession plans that keep a personality-driven order afloat.
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Haftar Holds Real Power Without Official Title
- Khalifa Haftar wields real power in Libya despite lacking formal national office.
- He controls oil fields, coastal smuggling routes, foreign bases and a parallel state that forces others to pretend official institutions hold power.
Haftar Uses Recognition As A Bargaining Chip
- Haftar enforces a diplomatic fiction by forcing foreign delegations to acknowledge the eastern administration he controls.
- When European ministers refused to meet eastern ministers, Haftar denied them access, exposing how recognition is weaponised for leverage.
Foreign Backers Make Haftar Untouchable
- Foreign patrons enable Haftar's shadow rule by publicly supporting Libya's sovereignty while backing him.
- The UAE bankrolls and arms him, Egypt provides bases and intelligence, and Russia supplies mercenaries and diplomatic protection.