• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Frederic Wehrey"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North Africa",
    "Libya",
    "Maghreb"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Security"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

ISIS and Migrant Smugglers Exploit Lawless Libya

The chaos in Libya continues to have a negative impact on the region. Recently, a boat carrying immigrants from Libya to Italy was capsized and the Islamic State killed Ethiopian Christians.

Link Copied
By Frederic Wehrey
Published on Apr 21, 2015
Program mobile hero image

Program

Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

Learn More

Source: WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show

Speaking on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show, Carnegie’s Frederic Wehrey discussed important recent developments in Libya, including the capsized boat carrying immigrants from Libya to Italy and the killing of Ethiopian Christians in Libya by the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Wehrey explained that much of the ongoing chaos in Libya is the results of failed efforts to stabilize the country after the fall of Qaddafi. While the United States and the international community has not provided enough support to Libya after Qaddafi, the political and other divisions among Libyans, as well as their lack of experience in governance, has led to the ongoing chaos, he concluded.

This interview was originally broadcast by WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show.

About the Author

Frederic Wehrey

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Frederic Wehrey is a senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where his research focuses on governance, conflict, and security in Libya, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf.

    Recent Work

  • Research
    Russia in Africa: Examining Moscow’s Influence and Its Limits
      • Nate Reynolds
      • +11

      Frances Z. Brown, Nate Reynolds, Priyal Singh, …

  • Commentary
    How the Flaws of Trump’s Gaza Deal Prevent an Enduring Peace

      Charles H. Johnson, Frederic Wehrey

Frederic Wehrey
Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Frederic Wehrey
SecurityNorth AfricaLibyaMaghreb

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Trump and Netanyahu speaking
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The Diverging U.S. and Israeli Goals in Iran Are Making the Endgame Even Murkier

    The cracks between Trump and Netanyahu have become more pronounced, particularly over energy and leadership targets.

      • Eric Lob

      Eric Lob

  • Seoul traffic at night
    Commentary
    Emissary
    How the Hormuz Closure Is Testing the Korean President’s Progressive Agenda

    The crisis is not just a story of energy vulnerability. It’s also a complex, high-stakes political challenge.

      Darcie Draudt-Véjares

  • apan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (L) reacts as US President Donald Trump delivers a speech in front of US Navy personnel on board the US Navy's USS George Washington aircraft carrier at the US naval base in Yokosuka on October 28, 2025.
    Article
    Takaichi’s Security Agenda After the Landslide Election

    Backed by a new LDP supermajority, Prime Minister Takaichi aspires to revise Japan’s long-standing security doctrine. Ahead of her visit to Washington, she faces fiscal hurdles for her proposed defense spending while needing to navigate President Trump’s request for naval assets to the Strait of Hormuz.

      • Harukata Takenaka

      Harukata Takenaka

  • Soldier looking at a drone on the ground
    Collection
    Conflict, Security, and Peacemaking

    Domestic and international conflicts present myriad challenges for leaders, militaries, and civilians, including the effects of new technological capabilities on the conduct of war, the effectiveness of security strategies, and the intricacies of post-conflict peacemaking. Carnegie scholars provide timely analyses to address these and other related questions.

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Europe and the Arab Gulf Must Come Together

    The war in Iran proves the United States is now a destabilizing actor for Europe and the Arab Gulf. From protect their economies and energy supplies to safeguarding their territorial integrity, both regions have much to gain from forming a new kind of partnership together.

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600Fax: 202 483 1840
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.