The diplomatic "achievement" of the ceasefire was to recalibrate the tempo of the genocide sufficiently to get it off the front pages and the news bulletins, thus alleviating the political pressure on Israel's western accomplices. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

Never thought I'd see the day where the British establishment is standing up for violent football hooligans over a police force's attempt to maintain public safety and order

Thanks to Bill Law for inviting me back on the Arab Digest podcast where we chat about the Trump 'peace' plan before moving onto discuss all things Libya and what developments there tell us about modern diplomacy's corporatist overtones. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/v...

It's 2025 and sports washing is plumbing ever murkier and bloodier depths. Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan journeying to Benghazi today on Haftar's €3m invitation to lend some sporting legitimacy and glamour to his bloody and brutal authoritarian regime ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/reveale...

Fascinating to see Isabel Oakeshott now blending her traditional right-wing grifts on issues like migration with UAE foreign policy projects, after moving to Dubai See her recent puff-piece on Saddam Haftar, brutal authoritarian and ironically people smuggler

Ten years since the so-called "migration crisis," the EU is walking away with the wrong lessons when crafting migration policy. So what can rights-based, cooperative migration governance look like for MENA? Don't miss @tmegrisi.bsky.social, Diana Rayes, Mohamed Lotfy, and Nadine Kheshen ⤵️

The ever-more radcalised Elon Musk regularly shares content from Steve Laws. Laws leads breakaway faction quitting Homeland for its leader only supporting the voluntary, not forced repatriation of British-born minorities "I don't care if they were born here, every single one must go" i

The commentary of armed actors in #Libya from the likes of Haftar to local commanders shows that even if this situation doesnt inflame, the environment is already one of war. The new UN roadmap alone wont be enough to change this, it's where the diplomats must come in to build out on it

The UAE continues to replicate their Libya policy in Sudan as their local proxy Hemedti announces himself head of his own political authority deepening a de facto division in response to losing a war. Tbf it worked for them in Libya, but will cause deep & complex trauma locally

Tensions in Libya are rising dangerously, whether it's: -The parade of Egyptian, Turkish & Emirati intelligence chiefs visiting Haftar -Dbeiba aligned troops pouring into the capital. -May's peacekeepers being removed -Anti-Dbeiba troops parading Something's cooking & it's unlikely to be good

Saddam Haftar, a man with no military experience or qualifications, is now deputy commander of the LAAF. It's a good indicator of the organisation's quality, what to expect from it, and the ambitions of its intnl backers For more, see this excellent bio en.majalla.com/node/322152/...

Devasting news about Anas.. A paragon of his profession, abandoned by his peers abroad after being openly targeted for his journalism by this cowardly, genocidal army desperate to ensure no one documents its horrific crimes to come. إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون , الله يرحمك يا غالي

Greece now indefinitely deploying naval vessels in Libyan waters, not to stop migrants as initially posited, but to defend their perceived 'maritime zone' . Another alarm bell that plans to develop Libya's offshore fields will set the region aflame www.ekathimerini.com/politics/for...

Poem of the day... How many are the people And How rare is the human

For anyone familiar with EU migration policy, the recent EU-US trade deal won't come as much of a surprise. EU policymaking has long been driven by reactionary fears of fantastical what-if's, rather than the ambition of trying to shape what could (and arguably should) be

With Russia's Libya presence continuing to grow and grow ever more malicious i wrote this commentary for @projectsyndicate.bsky.social outlining this deepening threat along Europe's soft underbelly and the European imperative to start combatting it www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/e...

Genuine question for the IHL folk on here. If you train a force notorious for committing war crimes does that make you complicit, share in liability, for any post-training war crimes they then go on to commit? www.ilpost.it/2025/07/24/s...

📰 For @projectsyndicate.bsky.social, @tmegrisi.bsky.social explores how Russia's alliance with Libya's Haftar family has created a criminal network which enables Russia to weaponise migration against Europe and sow political discord across the continent 👇 buff.ly/hgd0FO5

With Russia's Libya presence continuing to grow and grow ever more malicious i wrote this commentary for @projectsyndicate.bsky.social outlining this deepening threat along Europe's soft underbelly and the European imperative to start combatting it www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/e...

An important reminder that any global order doesnt necessarily die by losing the adherence of the few superpowers, but by the indifference of everyone else who adopt "pole politics" and a law of the jungle that ultimately condemns us all in this era of global crisis foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/11/b...

There's a reason why at sea interceptions have been limited, they kill people. We're talking about scared individuals seeking safety. Slashing boats and interceptions doesn't stop them making journeys. Any lives lost are on British and French governments shouders. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Last week I spoke with @euronews.com about the 'team Europe' delegation getting PNG'd by a warlord in eastern Libya, and the flaws in Europe's Libya policy that were exposed by this farce. www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...

Sportswashing isn't just for the Gulf

While we're all distracted by Israel's rampage, Libya is quietly ratcheting up in importance and impact. An item on Meloni-Macron talks, reconvening of Berlin and now again at the EUs FAC. But for all the movement, Libya still lacks leadership, meaning the destsbilising vacuum only grows

Trump announced ceasefire between US/Israel v. Iran. @ecfr.eu's Ellie Geranmayeh unpacks in @financialtimes.com op-ed how to now pivot to diplomacy: #Trump must shift away from maximalist demands that opened door to war & #Iran will need to show flexibility 👇 www.ft.com/content/d9c2...

A call on Europe to help prevent large-scale war between Iran and the United States @ecfr.eu Council members urge European governments to pull every available lever to prevent escalation in the Middle East ecfr.eu/article/a-ca...

To make matters worse their proxies\partners are either normalised (like Haftar) or lionised (like capt Traore) amongst "progressives" through ridiculous propaganda or more traditional Russian misinformation tactics

I hate that what Russia has unleashed in Africa these last few years barely makes or remains in the global news. I absolutely hate it.

Well... That went well Looks like Israel is trying to treat this as it does its ceasefires with Lebanon (for thee but not for me). Let's see if Tehran tolerates it

This is made even worse given it looks like leading Labour MPs colluded with the Israeli embassy, even sharing classified material, to work out how to contrive the outlawing of Palestine Action www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Astonishing that this is how the BBC reports on a far right terrorist attack The dynamics behind such a headline should frankly terrify everyone in the country

This is one of the most important conversations in sport. Thank you very much for giving it the focus it deserves, @hebagowayed.bsky.social and @nickocchiuto.bsky.social.

Sometimes i feel like I'm living in an onion article

Last night there was another bout of violence in the Libyan capital Tripoli So, just a regular scheduled reminder here that until the UN takes control of the mediation space, and fills the vacuum with a new, meaningful political process. The violence will continue and get worse

Oggi, Giorgia Meloni ha detto apertamente di non escludere attacchi di missili russi dalla Libia verso l'Europa del Sud. Cosa possono fare Italia & UE pèr diluire l'influenza di Mosca nel paese? Per approfondire, leggi il policy brief a cura di @tmegrisi.bsky.social‬🔎

"All President Qais Saied is achieving is to create a more adversarial relationship with his people and asphyxiate the ideas and discussion that might infuse some creativity into solving Tunisia’s problems" - @tmegrisi.bsky.social in his latest commentary

Just to deepen that feeling of impending war is a complementary Turkish airlift. This is a UN vacuum being filled

Tunisia’s economy teeters on the brink and its president jails opponents and scapegoats migrants. European governments have the tools to support Tunisian reform and resilience if they can look beyond short-term migration management, writes @tmegrisi.bsky.social‬.

Qatar win the European Cup. An absurd sentence, but a farce of a match, that was an exhibition of superior power - in multiple senses The record scoreline symbolised the scale of football's issues You can be happy for Luis Enrique and concerned for this www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...

This has been a good season for sports washing and the sense of inevitability that they will change football forever

The Haftar alliance's rearming routes seem to be very active these days.... Just to add to the feeling that #Libya's returning to a 2019 style dynamic

7/ Tunisia’s economy teeters on the brink and its president jails opponents and scapegoats migrants. European governments have the tools to support Tunisian reform and resilience if they can look beyond short-term migration management, writes @tmegrisi.bsky.social buff.ly/6zHbq5z

My latest piece with @ecfr.eu unpacking the stark decline Tunisian President Qais Saied is trying to distract from with mass show trials against his opposition, activists, journalists and aid workers - showing why Europe has to broaden its engagement, before it's too late ecfr.eu/article/bord...

After a bout of popular, political and military escalation in #Libya my new piece for AlMajalla explains why it's a harbinger of deeply dangerous things to come unless the UN is helped to take control of the situation and steer it more constructively en.majalla.com/node/325715/...

My latest piece with @ecfr.eu unpacking the stark decline Tunisian President Qais Saied is trying to distract from with mass show trials against his opposition, activists, journalists and aid workers - showing why Europe has to broaden its engagement, before it's too late ecfr.eu/article/bord...

I think who ever made this hasn't watched enough black mirror

After a bout of popular, political and military escalation in #Libya my new piece for AlMajalla explains why it's a harbinger of deeply dangerous things to come unless the UN is helped to take control of the situation and steer it more constructively en.majalla.com/node/325715/...

Today's perfect example of this: Libya's parliament unironically meets to decide a new government claiming they're: Supporting protestors, and holding PM Dbeiba accountable for not handling militias with due process. This will not end well

What are migrant "dependants" doing? Last week's fascinating Home Office research has some answers - confirming that most are working (as @migobs.bsky.social & I have been pointing out for some time). [NB these are *minimum* estimates] www.gov.uk/government/p...