A window of opportunity for Europe after Qaddafi's fall


Faisal Al Yafai
  • English
  • Arabic

Italy's leaders have not found themselves on the right side of history over North Africa's revolts. While Europe's leaders were calling for "meaningful ... Libyan-led dialogue" and condemning the violence on the streets of Tripoli, Italy's foreign minister Franco Frattini was pondering what might come after Col Muammar Qaddafi.

"Would you imagine to have an Islamic Arab Emirate at the borders of Europe?" he asked. "That would be a really serious threat." This from a serving member of Silvio Berlusconi's government, a prime minister who, even as the Egyptian people were rising up against Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule, was praising Egypt's ex-president as "the wisest of men".

Fortunately, other European leaders have scented the jasmine and understood the public's mood rather better. Even Britain - a country that has not showered itself in glory over its dealings with Col Qaddafi's regime - has explicitly called for the Colonel to go.

The rest of Europe joined a unanimous United Nations vote to impose sanctions. By pushing for sanctions against the dying Qaddafi regime, Europe has shown it is willing to wield diplomatic force against Libya. Now to prepare for what comes next.

Over the past few years, Europe's relationship with Libya has largely been based on energy and migration, swelling the flow of oil and stemming the flow of immigrants.

Europe needs Libya's energy: according to figures from the International Energy Agency, it imports 85 per cent of Libya's crude oil. Libya is also a main staging post for refugees from sub-Saharan Africa desperate to make it to Europe. For too long, Libya has policed the border with Europe, brutally herding African refugees into camps and forgetting about them. This is Europe's problem, but Libya has played the guard without any oversight.

Neither the energy trade nor the migration challenges will change. But given the importance of just these two issues - migration and energy - to Europe, it would be understandable if the Continent's leaders let realpolitik rationalise their responses. If there is a lesson in the diversity of revolts still gripping the region, it is that security for some is no security at all. Doing what's right is often the same as doing what works, especially in the long term.

It is encouraging that this message is finally being heard in European capitals. Britain's foreign secretary William Hague called the Libyan crisis "an historic test" for the EU. "If we can succeed in bringing both more democracy and more stability to North Africa and to the wide Middle East then that would be the greatest achievement of the European Union since the enlargement of the EU."

That will be especially important in the direct aftermath of Libya's uprising. Col Qaddafi's regime cannot long survive the pressure being applied to it, from within and without. Whatever happens, the immediate aftermath is likely to be messy and incoherent.

Libya is not Egypt. Although wealthier and with fewer people, Col Qaddafi's long rule has brutalised Libyan society and ensured there are few surviving institutions to ease a transition. There is no organised opposition in Libya ready to take over and, unlike Egypt, no established middle-class.

In the hopefully brief chaos that follows, it will be too easy for European leaders to exert influence to protect their interests, deciding that as long as the flow of oil continues and the flow of migrants is stemmed, the rest is an internal Libyan problem. That would be a mistake. The EU will have to engage with whoever comes after, but it can shape that transition. Europe has a chance to be on the right side of history, to help the Libyan people gain their independence and thus secure a stable future for both shores of the Mediterranean.

Europe's experience should not be underestimated in this regard. As I wrote last week, Western Europe provided a model to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe after their liberation from communism. Building institutions and facilitating the transition to democracy post-1989 has been a success, one that will provide valuable lessons (if not necessarily a model) for Libya.

A significant reason for that success was the carrot of European Union membership. For the time being, that is off the table. Enlargement has been a mixed blessing for the Western European nations that dominate the EU and the union is struggling with the idea of admitting further countries.

The surrogate political framework has been the Union for the Mediterranean, in essence a club of the EU, Arab and North African countries and a few others, though this has faltered recently and may not have a future in its present state. Yet regardless of the nature of the ties, for Libya the expertise of European governments' machinery and access to its markets on preferential terms will be a sweetener to steer its new political order.

And the rewards to Europe will not simply be moral. An economically successful Libya would provide jobs and opportunities, not only for those North Africans already in Europe, but for Europeans too. There are already Spanish businessmen who commute to Morocco for work. There is good reason to believe Libya could fulfil a similar role, particularly for Italy.

Col Qaddafi is on his way out. What order comes next will probably get worse before it gets better. But Europe must not make the same mistakes it has made in the past. Rebuilding Libya will be difficult, for Libyans and for their neighbours, but Europe's stake is in Libya's human resources as much as its natural ones.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Xpanceo

Started: 2018

Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality

Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S

Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900

Engine: 937cc

Transmission: Six-speed gearbox

Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm

Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km

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TUESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY

Centre Court

Starting at 2pm:

Elina Svitolina (UKR) [3] v Jennifer Brady (USA)

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) v Belinda Bencic (SUI [4]

Not before 7pm:

Sofia Kenin (USA) [5] v Elena Rybakina (KAZ)

Maria Sakkari (GRE) v Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) [7]

 

Court One

Starting at midday:

Karolina Muchova (CZE) v Katerina Siniakova (CZE)

Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) v Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR)

Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) v Dayana Yastermska (UKR)

Petra Martic (CRO) [8] v Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE)

Sorana Cirstea (ROU) v Anett Kontaveit (EST)

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

Essentials

The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes. 
 

Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes. 


In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes. 
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Match info

Uefa Nations League Group B:

England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

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Army of the Dead

Director: Zack Snyder

Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera

Three stars

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950