Insight Turkey
Insight Turkey
Challenging ideas
On Turkish politics and International affairs

Author

Timothy Reid

Former Senior Defense Reform Adviser United Nations Support Mission in Libya
Timothy Reid
Strange Bedfellows: Why France’s Emmanuel Macron and His Autocratic Friends Are Attempting to Impose Another Strongman in the MENA Region
November 26, 2020
France has lately edged ever closer to a number of autocracies in Africa and the Middle East. Notably, in the name of combating “Islamic terrorism” –which it links to “political Islam”– it has actively supported Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar. While actively allying with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and Saudi Arabia; it has aggressively confronted Turkey and undermined the internationally recognized Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). In doing so, France finds itself in the same camp as Russian and Janjaweed mercenaries. Since France, in theory, supports the GNA and since Turkey has been sheltering millions of refugees that otherwise would flood Europe, this hostility is hard to comprehend. The present commentary will seek to examine the premises of this policy and what may be behind its actions.

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