New Concerns About Libya's Fledgeling Govt As It Shuts Out Pro Western Liberals

[The Prof]

One day after Libya’s top lawmaker appeared to back down – under criticism from fundamentalists – over the need for a secular state, the country’s prime minister-elect on Wednesday submitted a cabinet that does not include a single member of the country’s pro-Western liberal coalition.

The proposed cabinet could still change as lawmakers consider each nomination on Thursday, but the 28 names put forward by Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abushagur thus far exclude any from the National Forces Alliance (NFA), a liberal coalition headed by former interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril. There is also only one woman among the nominees: Summaya Mahmoud Baltief is proposed as social affairs minister.

The proposed ministers include several from the Muslim Brotherhood, which operates in Libya under the name Justice and Construction Party (sometimes translated as Justice and Development Party).

The NFA was by far the most popular party in legislative elections last July, winning 48 percent of the vote and taking 39 seats in the General National Congress (GNC), Libya’s parliament. In second place was the Muslim Brotherhood party, taking 10.3 percent of the vote and 17 GNC seats.

Why his proposed cabinet includes no NFA members was not immediately clear. The English-language Tripoli Post reported earlier this week that a meeting Monday between Abushagur and Jibril ended with an agreement that the NFA would get three portfolios, including possibly the coveted post of foreign minister.

The list submitted to the GNC Wednesday did not include a foreign minister, and the independent online Libya Herald reported that the post would be held by Abushagur for the meantime.

The Obama administration last year played down concerns about shari’a forming the basis of new constitutions in Libya and other “Arab spring” countries, with State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stating that the term shari’a “has a broad application and is understood differently in different places and by different commentators.”

“We’ve seen various Islamic-based democracies wrestle with the issue of establishing rule of law within an appropriate cultural context,” she told a briefing last October, in response to questions about Libya.

“But the number one thing is that universal human rights, rights for women, rights for minorities, right to due process, right to transparency be fully respected.”

New Concerns About Libya

human, minotity and women's rights?

transparency?

democracy?

arab spring?

leading from behind?

obama's entire middle east policy is in ruins

the white house has been worried for months about increased aq activity in north africa

White House widens covert war in North Africa - CBS News

wapo reported monday that nsa's john brennan has been holding "secret meetings" for months, even contemplating unilateral military action in the region

White House secret meetings examine al-Qaeda threat in North Africa - The Washington Post

they opted instead for "wait and see"

sources from within the intelligence community are revealing that IRAN, in the form of revolutionary guards and quds, has capitalized on the destabilization of the entire region by extending its heinous sway into egypt, libya and beyond

Intel officials see North Africa terror 'cover-up' | Times 247

"the obama administration is afraid to admit aq is running rampant throughout the region"

"the morsi government has turned a blind eye to both the increased jihadist activity and iran’s support for it in the region, particularly in libya and syria"

obama acts the ostrich---denial, apology, retreat

always for political purposes, perpetually campaigning

but libya is becoming benghazi-gate, the word (according to cnn's erin burnett) is coverup

there are a dozen questions coming out of benghazi for which the administration's best answer is "no comment"

it's not gonna look real good in the foreign policy debate in boca

worry