The Pact with the Devil

September 7, 2011

Published in Die Presse
(Austria) on 5 September 2011
by Wieland Schneider (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Sandra Alexander. Edited by Jessica Boesl.

Abdel Hakin Belhaj masters the art of warfare, and this expertise brings Libya’s rebels great advantage. In spite of this, the West is not thrilled that he, of all people, is Tripoli’s new military chief. Because he acquired his military training in the ranks of an Islamic group that fought in Afghanistan — from time to time even on the side of the terrorist organization al-Qaida.

According to British media, Belhaj was once so suspect that London and Washington entered a pact with the — present day — “devil” Moammar Gadhafi. At that time, Libya’s ruler was no less brutal than in the months of the revolution. However, that did not deter the British and U.S. secret services from collaborating with him to act against men like Belhaj.

To be sure, former CIA Director Michael Hayden assures that the agency only transferred prisoners to other countries if they would not be tortured there. Many things point to the fact that the unscrupulousness of the Libyan and other regimes was utilized to be able to “interrogate” suspects more intensively — a lapse after 9/11, when one believed above all in the U.S., to have to and to be permitted to do everything to fight terror, no matter if one threw one’s own principles of constitutionality overboard.

The case of Belhaj shows, moreover, how quickly alliances change. Only the nefariousness of the foes/friends of yesterday/today remains constant.

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Es war ein Sündenfall des Westens nach 9/11, die Brutalität von Diktaturen für Terrorbekämpfung zu nutzen.

Abdel Hakim Belhaj beherrscht das Kriegshandwerk. Und dieses Können bringt Libyens Rebellen großen Nutzen. Begeistert ist man im Westen trotzdem nicht davon, dass just er neuer Militärchef von Tripolis ist. Denn er erwarb sein militärisches Wissen in den Reihen einer islamistischen Gruppe, die in Afghanistan kämpfte – zeitweise sogar an der Seite der Terrororganisation al-Qaida.

Laut britischen Medien war Belhaj einst so suspekt, dass London und Washington einen Pakt mit dem – heutigen – „Teufel“ Muammar al-Gaddafi eingingen. Damals war Libyens Machthaber nicht weniger brutal als in den Monaten der Revolution. Doch das hinderte britische und US-Geheimdienste nicht daran, mit ihm gemeinsame Sache zu machen, um gegen Männer wie Belhaj vorzugehen.

Zwar beteuert Ex-CIA-Chef Michael Hayden, die Agency habe nur dann Gefangene in andere Länder überstellt, wenn sie dort nicht gefoltert wurden. Doch vieles weist darauf hin, dass man sich die Skrupellosigkeit des libyschen und anderer Regime zu Nutzen machte, um Verdächtige intensiver „befragen“ zu können – ein Sündenfall nach 9/11, als man vor allem in den USA glaubte, alles tun zu müssen und zu dürfen, um Terror zu bekämpfen, ganz gleich, ob man dabei die eigenen Prinzipien der Rechtsstaatlichkeit über Bord warf.

Die Causa Belhaj zeigt zudem, wie rasch sich Allianzen ändern. Nur die Ruchlosigkeit der Feinde/Freunde von gestern/heute bleibt konstant.

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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