Gaddafi’s Son Rises in Libya, Much to Moscow’s Delight

A strategically significant part of North Africa appears to be falling into Russia’s hands.

Journalists watch TV screens showing a judge (R), broadcasted live from an adjacent room, questionning Seif al-Islam (L), the son of slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, broadcasted from the western Libyan city of Zintan during his trial in a courthouse in Tripoli on May 25, 2014. Mahmud Turkia/AFP via Getty Images

Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine have caused the United States to lose focus on a part of North Africa that holds immense strategic value and is falling into Russian hands, according to security analysts.

Libya has vast oil wealth and ports that offer access to Europe via the Mediterranean.