Rupert Wieloch

It is nearly five years since the West turned its back on Western Syria.  Whatever happened to the Responsibility to Protect enshrined in International Law at the 2005 World Summit?  The United Nations should protect the brave humanitarians who are still putting their lives on the line.

We can expect some fireworks when the evergreen John Bolton takes over as US National Security Advisor on 9th April.  But does his appointment signal the end of Jim Mattis as Defense Secretary?

The coordinated approach between the Department of Defense, under General Mattis, and the State Department, under Rex Tillerson, has earned respect around the World.  At a time when international diplomacy is at an all time low, we need a moderating voice to prevent catastrophe.

See page 183 of Belfast to Benghazi for the story of the round table discussion, when John Bolton, as US Under Secretary of State after 9/11, delivered an uncompromising address on American Foreign Policy.

http://www.waterstones.com/book/belfast-to-benghazi/rupert-wieloch/9781861515667

Is Russia a distraction from Brexit, or a serious threat?  It is all very well for British politicians to express outrage after the Salisbury attack, but it is their policies that have divested the military of their key capabilities during the past seven years.  If we had a strong Army, Russian leaders would respect us more.  It is time to rebuild the British Armed Forces to the level maintained before the 2010 Security and Defence Strategic Review.

See Chapter 2 of Belfast to Benghazi for a description of military life in the Cold War

http://www.waterstones.com/book/belfast-to-benghazi/rupert-wieloch/9781861515667

An invitation from Al Jazeera to comment on what Britain should do with returning ISIS fighters.   The current international criminal justice system (CJS) is neither set up nor capable of dealing with ISIS soldiers, who have committed war crimes against civilians.  Britain is one of a few countries with a CJS that can deal fairly and transparently with war criminals, taking account of the needs of victims and the balance between punishment and rehabilitation.

The International Criminal Court earned a good reputation for its work in the Balkans, but it has failed the effectiveness test in Libya, where none of the crimes against humanity have been resolved.

 

 

 

An invitation to comment on the headline story on BBC Breakfast News about Russian military capabilities developed into an appeal to the Treasury to maintain spending levels on Britain’s Armed Forces.  As I explained on BBC Five Live Drive later in the day, it doesn’t take much for an army to blunt its blade.  Philip Hammond should know better, since he was Secretary of State for Defence in 2011, when he gave me a letter to hand to the new Defence Secretary in Tripoli.

 

BBC Breakfast News

An invitation to help Sky News and BBC Radio with their coverage of the latest Army Recruitment Campaign.  Live with Dominic Waghorn at lunch time and a separate interview for Alistair Bunkall’s evening news report.

The Army still needs robust young men and women, but has to reflect the society it defends.

Belonging is all about Teamwork

 

The Presidency Council has attempted to seize control of the main border point between Libya and Tunisia from the Amazigh, or Berber, tribe that has held it since the revolution.  The western military command, led by former Defence Minister Usama Juwaili, moved tanks and heavy artillery into the area at the end of last week and there is now an uneasy stand-off during the high-level negotiations.

Control of the border with its many smuggling routes, vital both for security and the economy, was one of our key concerns in 2011.  See Chapter 6 of Belfast to Benghazi for an assessment of the tribal rivalry and strategic risks in the North West of Libya.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/belfast-to-benghazi/rupert-wieloch/9781861515667

 

 

As we approach the New Year, there is renewed hope of prosperity in Libya.  The Libyan National Army has ended its  operations in Sidi Khreibesch.  The Presidency Council has announced that the long awaited return of Tawerghans to their homes will start on 1st February.  Ports and airports are re-opening and public pressure is increasing on the official bodies to move the political process forward.

However, with a terror attack reported on the oil pipeline network this week and food prices increasing, pressure on the Libyan economy remains tight.  See Chapter 6 of Belfast to Benghazi for the reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/belfast-to-benghazi/rupert-wieloch/9781861515667

 

 

 

 

East-West tension is increasing between Haftar’s Libyan National Army and Serraj’s UN backed Presidency Council.  The Libyan National Army has for weeks being indicating that it considered 17th December as a watershed date and that if no House of Representatives approved government were operating by then, it would move to save Libya.

Is the assassination of Mohamed Eshtewi, the moderate mayor of Libya’s third largest city, the start of this move?  Although several groups will profit from his removal, it is likely that the assailants who  dumped his body outside the Safwa Hospital in Misrata were local hard-liners, but what was their motive and are they linked to the LNA?

See Chapter 6 of Belfast to Benghazi for the background to the East-West tension and the pivotal role of Misrata and its neighbouring towns of Tawergha and Bani Walid in the revolution.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/belfast-to-benghazi/rupert-wieloch/9781861515667

Misrata 2011

Faiez Serraj and Salim Omeish met for talks this weekend as dozens of exiled Tawerghans demonstrated about their squalid living conditions pleading for the Presidency Council and the international community to organise their return home.

However, their safety and security depends totally on the Misratans.  They still have not forgiven the crimes committed by Tawerghan mercenaries during the 2011 civil war, with many hundreds of families grieving their martyrs and unaccounted-for sons and husbands.

See Chapter 6 of Belfast to Benghazi for the background to this shameful sore which needs the healing balm of a true peacemaker.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/belfast-to-benghazi/rupert-wieloch/9781861515667

Tawergha in April 2012