Libya stands at a crossroads following the attack which killed the U.S. Ambassador on September 11. This followed much-lauded parliamentary elections on July 7,but served to highlight that the country faces a number of pressing demands, including rebuilding its security forces, demobilizing revolutionary militias, establishing an equitable balance between local and central governance, and drafting a constitution. In many respects, Libya’s future may be decided not in Tripoli but in the eastern province and the southern periphery, where ethnic conflict, Islamist militancy, and weak governance have impacted not only the country’s domestic stability but the security of neighboring states.

Carnegie’s Frederic Wehrey will analyze security developments in Libya’s eastern province, drawing on recent fieldwork. Peter Cole, former senior analyst for the International Crisis Group in Tripoli, will discuss the restive southern border region. Marina Ottaway will moderate.