By James A. Lyons
By arming the rebels, we're aiding al Qaeda
A political crisis is brewing in Libya with the imminent resignations of the president of the legislature, dozens of lawmakers and as many as eight Cabinet ministers, following the adoption of a law that bans officials who had served under late dictator Moammar Gadhafi from holding public office.
Security in Benghazi, the eastern Libyan city where four Americans were killed Sept. 11 in a terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate, has decayed to the point where Westerners are fleeing, assassinations and kidnappings are rife and residents worry that U.S. drone strikes on jihadist targets are imminent.
"You're talking about tens of thousands of people who will be out of a job," Mr. Mezran added.
"There will be political uncertainty because of the fact that most of the people who had any experience in government are being accused of being members of Gadhafi's regime; they are being ostracized," said Karim Mezran, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. "So what you have left is people who have no experience in administration."
