US-Arab Relations will be Defined by Reaction to Attack - Carnegie Foundation

It is likely to have effects far beyond the specific Libyan context and place pressure on the Obama administration in the middle of its re-election campaign, he writes.
 
Libya has been through a prolonged period of instability and the  NTC government left the National Congress a legacy of failed attempts to disarm  and control warring militias with disastrous consequences in Benghazi in particular and the country in general. However despite this Libya has not fallen into chaos and has made significant progress in democratic transition. Even so Libya like other unstable Arab nations has seen groupsof salafist radicals threaten the country and in this instance a foreign embassy for whose security its government is responsible.  Libyans acknowledge the problem posed by the militias and the need to disarm them but it will probably take years to achieve this, Paul Salem observes.

The reaction to the film ridiculing islam enables salafi jihadists who are few in number to project an influence and power over events which is far in excess of their presence in the democratic process. Libya has excellent relations with teh United States because of its assistance in the fight against Gaddafi. It bitterly regrets the security lapse that led to the death of US diplomats on their soil and will do what they can to tighten security.

In America the attack will have profound affect in a presidential year and the fact that this happened  on the anniversary of 9/11 will only make matters worse.

The US administration has maintained a moderate stance avoiding inflamatory statements which could allow the situation to get out of hand but it will be blamed for the security lapses which led to the deaths. Right wing reactionary Republicans are likely to criticise the Obama approach as weak and conciliatory and the Muslim Brotherhood and salafists as enemies of the United States. If Mitt Romney becomes President the Benghazi attack could shape his policy towards islamists and salafists who are taking part in the democratic process.in the Arab world.

The article concludes that it is important for the United States to continue to engage with and support Arab governments engaged in the democratic process whilst doing what it can to curtail the activities of extremists in America from endangering stability in the islamic world such as the film which caused the demonstrations in Cairo and the attack on the consulate in Benghazi. this will be a difficult balance to strike but it is essentail for the USA to achieve this.Arab governments together with the US administration need to act quickly to prevent the unrest in the islamic from escalating and thus prevent the Benghazi terrorists from dictating islamists relations with the West as Bin Laden did after 9/11.