Libya's leader, Muammar Qaddafi, recently described the likely break-up of Sudan as a disease that would spread through the region.

ECONOMIST: South Sudan and the Arab world

Arab leaders as diverse as Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal have decried South Sudan's independence.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Sudanese crossroads

Ever since Libya's leader was himself targeted for assassination by Muslim radicals (at least twice in the 1990s), he has been one of their keenest foes.

ECONOMIST: Libya and the United States