The visit of the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Libya, Mr. Jeremy Berndt, to Tripoli and his meeting with a group of young Libyans who are alumni of U.S.-sponsored cultural exchange programs, has ignited a broad and diverse range of reactions on the U.S. Embassy’s official and blue-badge verified Facebook page.
While a segment of commentators expressed their welcome and appreciation for these initiatives aimed at supporting Libyan youth and investing in their intellectual and cultural capabilities, another section of followers raised warnings about the intellectual and political agendas that might be associated with these Western programs, expressing concerns about their impact on local identity and values.
Among the flood of diverse comments, three examples stood out, reflecting this division in public opinion:
Magdi Ismail expressed his support, writing: “Our educated and cultured youth are truly our country’s pride, and they are a good example for others who recognize the value of knowledge and prefer to engage in hard work instead of falling into the clutches of unemployment and ignorance. My sincere greetings, appreciation, and respect to these young people, and I wish them all the best. And thank you, U.S. Embassy Libya, for your continuous support and constant commitment to investing in knowledge.”
In contrast, another follower using the pseudonym “Narmo Deer” adopted an opposing stance, commenting sharply: “The goal of creating youth groups saturated with Western thought is nothing but to turn them into pawns serving the interests of capitalism in our Islamic societies. We must always remember that Islam is a comprehensive social, religious, criminal, diplomatic, political, economic, financial, and monetary system, and it alone is capable of protecting the weak in society and protecting society as a whole from the tyranny of the bourgeois and extremist capitalist classes distorted by usury and the financial greed practiced by institutions like BlackRock and other entities similar to the likes of Larry King.”
Fatema Al-Ghazali expressed her outright rejection of cultural exchange with the United States by linking it to controversial U.S. foreign policies in the region, commenting angrily: “What American cultural exchange are you talking about? Does it mean exchanging their culture of bombing Gaza and killing innocent civilians, children, women, and the elderly? Or does it mean their absolute support for Zionist prisons and detention centers and their inhumane ingenuity in torturing, killing, and brutalizing Palestinian prisoners? I will suffice with this, because what you call American culture is nothing but a culture of terrorism and condemned violence.” This array of contrasting reactions to the U.S. Ambassador’s visit reflects a clear and deep division in Libyan public opinion. A broad segment supports and encourages academic and developmental cooperation with the United States as an opportunity to enhance the capabilities of youth and exchange experiences, while another segment views this cooperation with suspicion and concern, considering it an extension of U.S. foreign policies they deem controversial and negatively impacting the region and its issues.
