As the battle between militias rages on, the Libyan state and its institutions struggle to survive.
![The government lacks a national security apparatus and commands no real respect, writes Mezran [AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/201472814048877734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)

Karim Mezran is a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East and an adjunct professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
As the battle between militias rages on, the Libyan state and its institutions struggle to survive.
![The government lacks a national security apparatus and commands no real respect, writes Mezran [AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/201472814048877734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)