Saturday, October 20, 2012

New Benghazi Books, from Exit the Colonel, a Guardian Short and Shalgam, Long: of Tony Blair and German Solar


By Matthew Russell Lee
 
UNITED NATIONS, October 20 -- Benghazi being one for the books, it has seemed time to cite some recent publications on and from Libya.

  Ethan Chorin's "Exit the Colonel," due for publication on October 23, is surprisingly light on the process at the UN, not even mentioning Resolution 1970 which referring Gaddafi & Co. to the International Criminal Court.

  But Chorin does recount how France "jumped the gun" after Resolution 1973 and began bombing with some eight Rafale jets in what they called Operation l'Harmattan.

 And, to his credit, Chorin critically memorializes that "as of 2008, [Tony] Blair was hired by the US bank JPMorgan to undertake business development in Libya." Blair, of course, continues as representative of the Quartet, while wheeling and dealing in Gaza.

   Chorin also offers this explanation of Germany's abstention on Resolution 1973: "German firms had already begun negotiations with the Libyans to create a vast solar power array in the Libyan desert capable of supplying up to 20 percent of Europe's industrial energy needs." Where is that project now?

  Inner City Press last week asked Libyan Ambassador Abdelrahman Shalgam if he was aware of Chorin's book. He was not, but recounted to Inner City Press anecdotes from his own 559 page book published by Dar al Madarek in Cairo year, about Gaddafi's people.

  Shalgam did not address the conflict in his mission, this time when an underling spoke about the the "siege" of Bani Walid and got fired for his advocacy.

  "He broke the chain of command," another Libyan diplomat told Inner City Press. But didn't Shalgam?

  Nor does "Exit the Colonel" mention Shalgam's deputy Ibrahim Dabbashi, still more active around the UN. It does, however, cite Chris Stevens in the Acknowledgments, as well as Shalgam and his book, several times.

  "Exit the Colonel: The Hidden History of the Libyan Revolution" has been praised by Joe Wilson and Libya uber-pundit Dirk Vandewalle, who was hired by the UN's Ian Martin to help whip up his oft-changed plan for a UN Mission in Libya.
 
The Guardian has put out a "short" by Martin Chulov and Luke Harding, "Libya: Murder in Benghazi and the Fall of Gaddafi." It seems an interesting format, with the Guardian reportedly considering like others dispensing entirely with a printed version. ""Exit the Colonel," too, is available as an e-book from Public Affairs. The hardcover lists at $29.99, so you might want to stay digital. Watch this site.