The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has unveiled yet another political roadmap for a nation exhausted by failed transitions. Presented to the Security Council on August 21 by Special Representative Hanna Tetteh, the plan claims to respect the Libyan people’s “desire to stop the cycles of repeated transitional periods.”

Instead, it seems a transparent retread of the very same failed pillars: elections, institutional unity, and national dialogue. This isn’t a plan for a breakthrough; it’s a facade of progress built on the same broken diplomatic foundation.

Tetteh’s “guarantee” against spoilers is perhaps the most brazen element of this charade. She asserted that UNSMIL “can and will take any necessary measures” against those who obstruct the process. But this threat is a farce, ringing hollow against the UN Security Council’s years of inaction.

Following the UN’s authorization of international intervention during the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has experienced a devastating decline, becoming a fractured nation trapped in a seemingly endless transition – a consequence of NATO’s extensive bombing campaign, which ostensibly aimed to protect civilians.

Critics dismissed the new roadmap as a public relations stunt rather than a blueprint for a breakthrough. Some Libyan parliamentarians went as far as accusing UNSMIL of not being serious in ending Libya’s long transition period. Many commentators also think the new plan projects an image of progress while relying on the same failed diplomatic architecture and that it is a domestic non-starter.

The plan depends on the very same actors who have long dominated and paralyzed Libya’s political scene.........

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