A failed coup attempt in Tripoli by members of a political faction in Libya has exposed the fragility of the country's UN-backed unity government, which set up shop in the capital on Mar. 31 but still struggles to control Tripoli itself, let alone extend its mandate across the country. The absence of strong political institutions in former leader Muammar Qaddafi's Libya always meant the country faced unique challenges in its post-revolution recovery. But as difficult as "fixing" Libya is, it has at least so far avoided the territorial break-up of the state — in large part by keeping some form of central control over oil, and blocking rogue exports.
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