A seagull flies in front of an oil platform in the Bouri Oilfield north of the coast of Libya. Reuters
Candace Rondeaux, World Politics Review: NATO could face its ultimate test in a growing African proxy war
* Libya's ongoing civil war has drawn in its African neighbors as well as nearby European countries, including NATO members.
* Those powers are on different sides in the conflict, and the potential for clashes between them presents a distinct challenge for NATO and for US and European security goals.
With Egypt reportedly on the brink of invading neighboring Libya, and troops from Chad said to be on their way north to join Gen. Khalifa Haftar in his fight to topple the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, what was already a complicated proxy war could soon become Africa's first full-on intracontinental war in decades.
That may not be all that is at risk, however. If Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi delivers on his promise to come to Haftar's aid, it could also result in a serious setback for two key American and European security priorities: securing the volatile Eastern Mediterranean and stabilizing the increasingly fragile NATO alliance.
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WNU Editor: The war is already happening. We are in the escalation phase. And as for NATO and its role in this conflict, the organization is going to keep its distance.
