The State Department stubbornly clings to a phantom diplomacy, recognizing a corrupt, Islamist faction in Tripoli as Libya’s sole government. Yet, the physical map dismantles this Washington fantasy. In reality, Benghazi-based Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army controls 70% of the country, holds the vital Sirte Basin, and secures the oil terminals that keep Europe’s lights on. Indeed, the National Oil Corporation reported output soaring above 1.4 million barrels per day in 2026, hitting a historic June peak of 1.43 million barrels of crude plus 49,163 barrels of condensate. While eastern military units provide the physical security that stabilizes these massive shipments, Tripoli’s ruling politicians merely invoice the oil wealth that they do nothing to protect.

Western Libya’s kleptocrat Abdul Hamid Dbeibah hypocritically accused Aqila Saleh and Belgassim Haftar of parallel spending — citing 59 billion dinars in extra-budgetary disbursements — immediately after defending its own 123 billion dinar outlays. Two treasuries now fracture the country, yet the State Department pretends a unified government exists while sheltering its Libya team in Tunis because Tripoli remains unsafe. Hillary Clinton’s disastrous decision to recognize a baseless Tripoli claimant institutionalized a permanent U.S. policy failure. Right on cue, a feckless United Nations hijacked this expired mandate, repurposing Washington’s mistake to manufacture a fraudulent peace process.