Massad Boulos: Like a man calling Libyans to prayer from Malta

When Massad Boulos, the US President’s Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs, chooses to meet senior Libyan officials from both East and West Libya in Malta rather than in any Libyan city, he resembles a man calling the faithful to prayer from an island where no one hears the call.

Libyans continue to pray to the rhythm of their own cities — Tripoli, Misrata, Benghazi, Sabha — while Boulos raises his voice from Malta, a place that neither expects nor responds to such a summons.

The metaphor is not ornamental; it captures the entire political moment.

Libya’s crisis cannot be resolved from a Mediterranean balcony.

It can only be resolved where Libyans actually live, negotiate, fight, and resist: on […]