Banking on a New Authority: Power grabs at the Central Bank of Libya

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast we're looking at the recent troubles surrounding the Central Bank of Libya. 

In August, gunman surrounded the Central Bank in Tripoli, forcing the bank's governor, Sadiq al-Kabir, to flee the country, fearing for his safety. Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh was seen as the architect of the efforts to remove the governor.

In response to the events at the Central Bank, eastern forces shut down the country's lucrative oil fields, sending output plummeting and threatening the vital oil revenues. 

Why is Dbeibeh seeking control of the bank? What does it mean for the country's oilfields to be shutdown, and how will it impact the economy? What can the interim Governor of the Central Bank do, and will anyone listen to him? And is there a path to stability?

Joining us to talk Libya, the Central Bank, and oil revenues, we have Jalel Harchaoui (@JMJalel_H),  Associate Fellow with the Royal United Services Institute (@RUSI_org) in London specialising in North Africa, with a specific focus on Libya; and Tarek Megerisi (@Tmegrisi), a senior policy fellow with the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations (@ecfr).

This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). 

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com