On 4 February, New Lines Magazine published an article by Abdalla Najjar titled ‘Sports and Legitimacy in Eastern Libya’. The report argues that the Haftar regime in eastern Libya has sought to legitimize its rule through soft power and attempts at sportswashing its legacy, with European teams participating in football games held in Benghazi’s newly reconstructed stadium and financed by the Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund under the leadership of Haftar’s son, Belqasim. The games and the media spectacle they generated ‘exemplify the tools of soft power that the Haftars have been resorting to in recent years,’ Najjar writes. ‘It highlights the field marshal’s ability to adapt his rule to new challenges while diverting attention from a poor human rights record, which is being ‘sportswashed’ by the grandiosity of events.’
Read the full article here.