The anniversary of the September 11 attacks has spawned such a deluge of reminiscence and polemic that it is likely to overwhelm almost anyone. Instead of looking at the whole decade, it may be more useful to narrow the focus and concentrate on the experience of a single man.
That man is Abdul Hakim Belhaj, a former fighter in Afghanistan and victim of CIA rendition who is the hero of the liberation of Tripoli. His life story bears the scars of the mistakes of the post-September 11 decade, but also it might provide a hopeful sign for the future.
As commander of the Tripoli military council Mr Belhaj (he has not so far given himself any military rank) does not have time to dwell on the significance of anniversaries. His office is besieged by citizens who view him, in the absence of any meaningful government in Tripoli, as the man who can get things done.
Mr Belhaj's biography is extraordinary. He joined the US-backed rebellion against the Soviet-installed government in Afghanistan in 1988. He returned to Libya in 1994 where he joined the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, an organisation dedicated to killing or overthrowing Col Muammar Qaddafi, and was later acclaimed as its emir.
This group was penetrated by Libyan authorities, forcing Mr Belhaj to flee. He made his way back to Afghanistan, and after the US bombed the Taliban government out of Kabul after the September 11 attacks, he wandered the world. In 2004 he was arrested by the CIA in Malaysia as a suspected Al Qaeda terrorist following a tip-off from British intelligence. He says he was tortured by the CIA for a few days and sent back to Libya, where he spent six years in solitary confinement.
While in jail he took part in a jihadist rehabilitation programme fronted by Col Qaddafi's son and putative heir, Saif Al Islam. The dialogue resulted in a document entitled "Corrective Studies on the Doctrine of Jihad" in which the detainees renounced the right to use violence against a government they felt was insufficiently Islamic. Mr Belhaj was released along with hundreds of other prisoners.
This was not a unique phenomenon. In Egypt in 1998, 2,000 members of Al Gamaa Al Islamiya were released from prison after the group renounced violence, although this led to a split with diehard factions.
With such a biography, it is hardly surprising that Mr Belhaj has set alarm bells ringing in the western countries backing the anti-Qaddafi uprising. There is a theory going around security-focused websites that the US is nurturing a new Osama bin Laden in Mr Belhaj. Just as US dollars funded the Afghan mujahideen who went on to harbour bin Laden, the argument goes, so western support for the Libyan rebels is going to turn that country into a jihadist-led state.
This is simplistic: the original sin of the US campaign to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan was letting Pakistan control the flow of money and arms. Pakistan insisted that it should be an exclusively Islamic jihad, and channelled the arms to the factions which best suited its interests. Nothing of the sort is happening in Libya. This was a spontaneous uprising, involving a broad section of the population in the east of the country.
Mr Belhaj captured the Qaddafi headquarters at Bab Al Aziziya for a simple reason: his Tripoli Brigade consisted of disciplined fighters with experience of war in Afghanistan, unlike the common run of Libyan revolutionaries, who brought only bravery and enthusiasm to the battle.
This is not to dismiss the very real tensions both inside the National Transitional Council, headed by exiles and former members of the Qaddafi regime, and between it and the fighters in Tripoli. Every day that the council delays establishing itself in Tripoli will tilt the balance of power further in favour of the men who captured the city.
Mr Belhaj's style is to speak slowly and deliberately and not to say very much. After four decades of empty rants from the deposed dictator, his tone and natural authority are a welcome change.
In speaking to the foreign media he says he is a democrat, and insists he never allied himself with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, although he admits to fighting alongside its forces. His only interest, he says, is toppling the Libyan regime and setting up a constitutional government, not killing Jews and Christians as part of a bin Laden-style global jihad.
For years Mr Belhaj has been tagged with the "Al Qaeda affiliate" label, but that was a label that Qaddafi would often stick on his opponents as a way of gaining favour with the Americans.
The first lesson of September 11 is surely that President George W Bush's division of the world into those "with us" and those "against us" only served to create more enemies. It certainly turned Mr Belhaj, who at the time of his arrest was applying for asylum in Britain, into an enemy. He says that is all in the past, and now he is a grateful ally of the Americans.
The second lesson is that the Nato alliance cannot choose the next leader of Libya. Washington's record of picking leaders - Ahmad Chalabi in Iraq, Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan - is poor. As this choice is going to be watched closely throughout the whole Arab world it is more important than ever that the leadership emerges in a transparent way.
Finally, this weekend we should be studying not the post-September 11 wars but the Arab world's experience of social engagement with jihadists. This is not a panacea - it has not worked infallibly. But the history of the past two decades will show that the engaging with jihadists, and drawing out through dialogue the lessons of their failure, has had more positive effect than the $4 trillion (Dh14.7 trillion) spent on war.
If Mr Belhaj can prove a worthy addition to the Libyan leadership, it will show what a terrible mistake it was for the US and Britain to go around the world turning such people blindly into enemies. But we should be looking forward, not back.
aphilps@thenational.ae
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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FULL%20FIGHT%20CARD
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Calls
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Karen Gillian, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
4/5
England squad
Joe Root (captain), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes (vice-captain), Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Toby Roland-Jones, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
more from Janine di Giovanni
Andor
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THE BIO
Favourite author - Paulo Coelho
Favourite holiday destination - Cuba
New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field
Role model - My Grandfather
Dream interviewee - Che Guevara
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
