Abu Dhabi plays complex diplomatic game in Libya

The UAE’s strong support for Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and his Cyrenaica-based anti-Islamist military campaign Operation Dignity has never been secret. For the past two and a half years this has made Abu Dhabi the chief geopolitical opponent of the United Nations-backed political resolution to Libya’s civil conflict. The UN specifically excluded Haftar in the formation of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in January. Haftar’s recent military successes have exposed this misjudgement while guaranteeing the GNA’s failure.