LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 08.2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus and John
the Baptist/Jesus and John the Baptist/The blind receive sight, the lame walk,
those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the
good news is proclaimed to the poor
Luke
07/18-30/John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them,
he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we
expect someone else?”When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist
sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect
someone else?’”At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses
and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the
messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind
receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy[a] are cleansed, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed
is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”After John’s messengers left,
Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the
wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to
see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and
indulge in luxury are in palaces. 2 But what did you go out to see? A prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is
written:“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way
before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than
John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (All
the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged
that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. But the
Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves,
because they had not been baptized by John.)
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News published on January 07-08/2020
The collapse and fall of the cartoony mullahs' system is Inevitable/Elias
Bejjani/January 07/2020
Lebanon's TV Stations Are Mere Iranian Mouthpieces/Elias Bejjani/January 06/2020
Nasrallah and Hezbollah Evil Organization are a cancer ravaging peace, and the
entity of Lebanon/Elias Bejjani/January 06/2020
Aoun Hopes Tensions Won't Spread to Lebanon
Lebanese President Hopes Regional Tensions Won’t Affect Home
President Aoun briefs Kubis on efforts to stabilize situation, meets UNIFIL’s
Del Col
Reports: Aoun-Diab Talks Positive, Foreign Portfolio Hurdle Resolved
Bassil briefs British, French, US ambassadors on Lebanon's stance in wake of
Soleimani's assassination
Bassil Says Technocrat Govt. Still Valid, Denies Obstructing Formation
Mustaqbal Warns of Return to 1998 Era, Urges Dissociation after Soleimani
Killing
Demonstrators Block Government Institutions
Justice Minister tells NNA Ghosn's presence on Lebanese territories 'legal'
Judge Releases Nancy Ajram’s Husband
Lebanon: Activists Chase Politicians in Restaurants, Events/Paula Astih/Asharq
Al Awsat/January 07/2020
Carole Ghosn: Wife of Fugitive Tycoon, and Now Wanted in Japan/Agence France
Presse/Naharnet/January 07/2020
Japan Says Lebanon Must Cooperate over Ghosn to Avoid 'Negative Repercussions'/Agence
France Presse/Naharnet/January 07/2020
Nissan says it will continue to pursue legal action against Ghosn/News
Agencies/Al Jazeera/January 07/2020
Ghosn saga: How strongly is Nissan going after its former CEO/Matthew Campbell,
Kae Inoue and Reed Stevenson/Bloomberg/January 07/2020'
Qassem Soleimani Is Dead… Mourn Khomeinism/Nadim Koteich/Asharq Al Awsat/January
07/2020
Lebanon’s Sa‘d al-Hariri is facing a growing credibility problem that may prove
to be fatal politically./Michael Young/Carnegie MEC/January 07/2020
The daunting task of fighting corruption in Lebanon/Samar Kadi/ The Arab Weekly/Januar
07/2020
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
January 07-08/2020
Iran launches missiles at US military facilities in Iraq: US official
Iran launches dozen missiles against two US bases in Iraq, says Pentagon
Pompeo, Esper arrive at White House following Iranian attack in Iraq
Soleimani's burial delayed after 50 killed, 213 injured in stampede
Iran Unlikely to Act Against Israel Over Soleimani Assassination, Defense
Officials Tell Ministers
Letter on Iraq pullout ‘genuine’ but sent by ‘mistake’: Top US general
US Air Force launches 52 f-35s in rapid succession as part of planned exercise
Soleimani’s death will put Iran’s proxy network to the test
US VP Pence to lay out Iran policy in upcoming speech: White House
Iran designates US forces ‘terrorists’ for killing general
At least 50 killed, 213 injured in stampede at Soleimani’s funeral procession
Zarif: Iran will respond ‘proportionately’ to US killing of general
Zarif: Dialogue, mutual understanding will achieve regional stability
US renews warning about threats from Iran to vessels in Gulf
Iran considering 13 ‘revenge scenarios’ after Soleimani killing
Iraqi president receives phone call from UN Guterres: Iraqi state TV
US interests in region ‘in danger’: Iran’s Rouhani tells Macron
Member of IRGC’s Quds Force killed in Yemen: Report
Iraq has received US letter regarding troop withdrawal: PM
Saudi Arabia's deputy defense minister meets with UK officials
Saudi Arabia's deputy defense minister meets with President Trump
Russia’s Putin makes rare visit to Syria, meets Assad
Iran summons Brazil’s charge d’affaires in Tehran after Soleimani comments
Egyptair suspends flights to Baghdad for 3 days
Zarif says informed by UN that US has denied him visa
UN says ‘no plan B’ to Syria cross-border aid system
Iran drops spy charge for detained French academic: Lawyer
Iran says nuclear deal ‘not dead yet’ despite commitment roll back
Philippines prepares to evacuate workers in Middle East on rising tensions
Four Kenyan civilians killed in al Shabab attack on telecom mast
Vladimir Putin meets Assad on rare trip to Syria
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on January 07-08/2020
Iranian Revenge Will Be A Dish Best Served Cold/The American Conservative/Scott
Ritter/January 07/2020
Europe Under Siege from People-Smuggling Gangs/Soeren Kern/Gatestone
Institute/January 07/2020
The Iranian Regime and the Pitfalls of Imperial Overreach/Charles Elias
Chartouni/January 07/2020
Stop giving modern Islam a free pass/Amir Taheri/New York Post/January 09/2015
Iran strategy of ‘maximum pressure’ continues after the killing of Qassem
Soleimani/Mark Dubowitz/FDD/January07/2020
An Iranian Attack On The U.S. Homeland May Already Be In The Works/MEMRI/January
07/2020
Increasing coal consumption a slap to Paris climate deal/Faisal Faeq/Arab
News/January 08/ 2020
Unpredictability may be Trump’s greatest strength/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Arab
News/January 08/ 2020
Yemen’s Houthis seek revenge on behalf of Iran/Fatima Abo Alasrar/Arab
News/January 08/ 2020
Seven Challenges Facing the European Role/Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy/Asharq Al Awsat/January
07/2020
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published
on January 07-08/2020
The collapse and fall of the cartoony mullahs' system is Inevitable
Elias Bejjani/January 07/2020
The Iranian mullahs' regime, that has failed to organize the funeral of
Soleimani, during which 40 were killed and 230 wounded because of the stampede,
is a fake and cartoony state.. Accordingly its fall is inevitable no matter
what.
Lebanon's TV Stations Are Mere Iranian Mouthpieces
Elias Bejjani/January 06/2020
The media facilities in Lebanon are totally deceptive and their owners have lost
all that is truth, righteousness, dignity and self respect. Sadly and because of
the Hezbollah oppression and terrorism these media facilities became Mere
trumpets, Cymbals, puppets and a bunch of hired mouthpieces
Nasrallah and Hezbollah Evil Organization are a cancer ravaging
peace, and the entity of Lebanon
Elias Bejjani/January 06/2020
Nasrallah's speech of today was a mere squawk, and a big bundle of
hallucinations, delusions, fallacies, advocacy for terrorism and an assault on
everything that is Lebanese, Arab world and peace in the Middle East.
Aoun Hopes Tensions Won't Spread to Lebanon
Associated Press/Naharnet/January 07/2020
President Michel Aoun says the country is working to prevent rising tensions in
the region from affecting stability at home. Aoun made the remarks on Tuesday
during separate meetings with the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon and the
commander of the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed along the border with Israel.
A statement by Aoun's office quoted him as saying it is important that calm
continues along the Lebanon-Israel border and to "prevent negative developments
from happening there." The leader of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hizbulah group has
said the U.S. military will pay a price for killing Iran's top general and Iraqi
militia leaders in Baghdad last week.
Lebanese President Hopes Regional Tensions Won’t Affect
Home
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 7 January, 2020
Lebanese President Michel Aoun hoped on Tuesday that tensions in the region
would not affect stability at home. Beirut is working to prevent rising tensions
in the region from affecting local security, he said during separate meetings
with the UN special coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis and the commander of the
UN peacekeeping force deployed along the border with Israel. A statement by
Aoun's office quoted him as saying it is important that calm continues along the
Lebanon-Israel border and to "prevent negative developments from happening
there."The leader of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group has said the US
military will pay a price for killing Iran's top general, Qassem Soleimani, and
Iraqi militia leaders in Baghdad last week.
President Aoun briefs Kubis on efforts to stabilize
situation, meets UNIFIL’s Del Col
NNA/Naharnet/January 07/2020
President Michel Aoun received the UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon, Jan Kubic,
at Baabda Palace.
President Michel Aoun informed the Special Coordinator of the UN in Lebanon, Jan
Kubic, that the work to stabilize the Lebanese situation is ongoing and that
there is no impact on the security situation in the country due to the recent
security developments. The President stressed the importance of continuing to
keep calm on the Southern Borders and preventing negative developments. During
the meeting which was attended by Minister of State for Presidential Affairs,
Salim Jreisatti, and Kubic’s accompanying delegation, President Aoun stated that
contacts are in place to fortify the political situation by accelerating the
formation of a new Government to strengthen national unity, and enabling the
executive branch to carry out the national tasks entrusted to it. President Aoun
stressed that “Lebanon maintains the safety of all its citizens, residing or
present on its territory, without discrimination”. The President affirmed that
work is in progress to prepare a plan for keeping pace with “Cedar” Conference
recommendations, so that work will commence upon the formation of the new
Government, in which President Aoun expressed hope that its formation will be
soon. Mr. Kubic had also conveyed, to the President, the results of his contacts
to maintain stability in Lebanon, especially after security developments which
took place in Baghdad, last Friday. President Aoun met the UNIFIL commander,
General Stefano Del Cole, and deliberated with him on the situation on Southern
Lebanese borders. The meeting also dealt with recent regional developments and
the coordination between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL, in addition to the
outcome of the tripartite Military Committee meeting, which included
representatives of the Lebanese Army, UN, and Israeli Army. During the meeting,
General Del Cole expressed satisfaction for the calm prevailing in Southern
regions in general and on borders in particular, and hoped that this positive
situation will continue, especially along the Blue Line. Del Cole also spoke
about the existing cooperation with the Lebanese Army, and the continuous
training with UNIFIL. President Aoun thanked Del Cole for the efforts made by
the international forces to maintain stability in the South, reiterating
Lebanon’s commitment to international resolutions, especially Resolution 1701,
in light of the stability of the Lebanese position regarding the need to
maintain calmness along the borders. The President warned that Lebanon would
continue to receive the side effects of wars in the Middle East, which reflect
negatively on the Lebanese situation, pointing out to the repercussions of the
Syrian displacement on various sectors in Lebanon, in this context, especially
the economic conditions which have worsened recently. President Aoun met the
Lebanese Ambassador to China, Melia Jabbour, and discussed with her the
relations between both countries.—Presidency Press Office
Reports: Aoun-Diab Talks Positive, Foreign Portfolio Hurdle
Resolved
Naharnet/January 07/2020
Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab held a “positive” meeting with President
Michel Aoun on Tuesday and the foreign affairs portfolio obstacle has been
resolved, TV networks said. “Aoun and Diab held a 45-minute meeting and the
atmosphere was positive,” MTV and al-Jadeed TV said. MTV quoted Baabda sources
as saying that an 18-seat technocrat government will be formed. “Diab carried a
list of names to Aoun and reports said that the obstacles related to the
foreign, justice and interior portfolios have been resolved as well as the
appointment of Demianos Qattar as a minister,” MTV added. Al-Jadeed meanwhile
said that Diab presented a “final line-up” to Aoun.
Bassil briefs British, French, US ambassadors on Lebanon's
stance in wake of Soleimani's assassination
NNA /January 07/2020
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Gebran Bassil, on Tuesday
held a series of diplomatic meetings with British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris
Rampling, French Ambassador to Lebanon, Bruno Foucher, and US Ambassador to
Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard. Minister Basil also met with United Nations Special
Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis. During these meetings, talks mainly focused
on the most recent developments in the Middle East region, especially in the
wake of Qassem Soleimani's assassination in Iraq. The Lebanese state had issued
a statement via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which it called for sparing
the region the ramifications of the aforementioned assassination. The statement
also encouraged the Lebanese to give precedence to the logic of dialogue,
restraint, and wisdom whilst thrashing out problems, instead of using force and
violence in regional and international relations.
In turn, the ambassadors praised the content of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs'
statement, which stressed the need to distance Lebanon from likely regional
repercussions and not to use the country as a field to respond to any sort of
negative development. The ambassadors also discussed with Minister Bassil the
best means to defuse the simmering situation in the region.
Bassil Says Technocrat Govt. Still Valid, Denies Obstructing Formation
Naharnet/January 07/2020
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil announced Tuesday that the formation
of a technocrat government is still an appropriate choice despite the escalation
in the region, as he denied that he is obstructing the formation of the new
Cabinet. “Our stance is what pushed for moving from a techno-political
government to a government of experts. It is normal to ask if a government of
this type is still valid for this stage, especially after Qassem Soleimani’s
assassination, and I believe that this format is still appropriate seeing as the
priority is for the financial situation,” Bassil said in an interview on al-Jadeed
TV. “No one is facilitating the formation of the government as much as me and
claims that I’m obstructing because I want the foreign affairs portfolio are
baseless,” Bassil added. Denying that he is orchestrating the government
formation process, the FPM chief said: “The government is being formed by the
PM-designate in consultation and agreement with the President and we are giving
our opinion like the rest of the blocs.”“The current plan is the formation of a
government that can prevent the collapse,” he said.
Mustaqbal Warns of Return to 1998 Era, Urges Dissociation
after Soleimani Killing
Naharnet/January 07/2020
Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday warned of a perceived attempt to
“repeat the experience of the year 1998 and its spiteful policies.” The bloc’s
warning refers to the year in which Rafik Hariri was replaced as premier by
Salim al-Hoss during Emile Lahoud’s term as president. “The endorsed course in
finding solutions for the political and economic crises, including the
government formation crisis, is a course that revolves in empty cycles and
strongly disregards the changes that the country witnessed after the October 17
uprising,” Mustaqbal said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.
“The bloc warns of the reported attempts to once again seize the one-third veto
power” in Cabinet, the statement said, adding that “parties from the (Syrian)
tutelage era are interfering in the formation process and are suggesting
candidates whose security and political backgrounds are well-known.”“This
indicates the presence of growing plots to repeat the experience of the year
1998 and its spiteful policies,” the bloc cautioned. Commenting on the U.S.
assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and its feared
repercussions, Mustaqbal stressed that Lebanon should “dissociate” itself and
“refrain from interfering in foreign conflicts.” Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah had hinted Sunday that his group might take part in attacks to avenge
Soleimani. “There is a responsibility on the shoulders of the axis of resistance
to retaliate… Qassem Soleimani is not a purely Iranian affair, Qassem Soleimani
concerns Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan and every country,” said
Nasrallah.
Demonstrators Block Government Institutions
Naharnet/January 07/2020
Protests against corruption and mismanagement continue in Lebanon amid ongoing
attempts of PM-designate Hassan Diab to form a much-delayed government and the
worst economic crisis since Lebanon's 1975-1990. Protesters continue to eye
state-institutions, and on Tuesday activists from Zahle and Bekaa rallied near
the Serail of Zahle and the Finance Ministry blocking access for employees with
a large Lebanese flag. “Today we are using the same method of protests that we
used before the holidays, we are targeting the government institutions. This
week our protests are against the finance ministry’s policies, LibanPost and the
unjustly levied taxes,” one protester standing outside the Serail told LBCI
reporter. Ongoing protests since October 17 eased during the holidays break but
resumed momentum after. Protesters also blocked the entrances to
telecommunications company OGERO and Liban Post. In the north region
demonstrators blocked major roads in Halba, al-Abdeh Square, al-Beddawi, al-Minnieh
highway.The Jounieh highway was blocked with burning tyres. According to the
National News Agency, the army reopened most of the international and major
roads that protesters blocked in the northern city of Tripoli yesterday night
and in the early morning hours with burning tires, concrete cubes, and garbage
containers. Only the main road in al-Beddawi and al-Nour Square remain blocked
since the protests erupted on October 17 last year. The protesters chanted
slogans calling for "civil disobedience" and paralyzing public institutions and
government departments. Unprecedented anti-government protests have gripped
Lebanon since October 17, in part to decry a lack of action over the deepening
economic crisis.
Justice Minister tells NNA Ghosn's presence on Lebanese
territories 'legal'
NNA/January 07/2020
Caretaker Minister of Justice, Judge Albert Serhan, on Tuesday told the National
News Agency that Carols Ghosn's presence on Lebanese territories was legal. "Ghosn
is a Lebanese citizen and has the right to be treated on such basis on the terms
of the competent judiciary and applicable laws," the Minister explained. He
added that the Lebanese state, represented by the Ministry of Justice, had not
yet received any arrest warrant against Ghosn's wife. "The Public Prosecution
has received the red notice issued by the Interpol's office in Japan against the
former director of "Nissan", Carlos Ghosn, and shall initiate with the required
action accordingly," Serhan added. As for the charges pressed by a number of
lawyers against Ghosn over the crime of normalization with the Israeli enemy
through the spread of pictures of him on social media sites, dating back to the
year 2008, meeting with the former Israeli president and prime minister,
Minister Serhan stressed that said file was under follow-up.
Judge Releases Nancy Ajram’s Husband
Naharnet/January 07/2020
Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun on Tuesday released Fadi al-Hashem,
the husband of Lebanese popstar Nancy Ajram, the National News Agency said. “The
judge decided to release al-Hashem after reviewing the entire file and
surveillance camera recordings and evidence, and after making certain that his
act was a legitimate self-defense,” said NNA, noting that Aoun will continue to
follow up on the case. Hashem has shot dead a burglar who broke into the
couple’s villa in the Keserwan area of New Sehayleh at dawn Sunday. He was taken
to hospital on Monday amid concerns about his mental health following the
shooting. NNA identified the masked and armed robber as 31-year-old Syrian
national Mohammed Hasan al-Moussa. Ajram’s agent, Jiji Lamara, said Ajram was
lightly injured in the incident.
Lebanon: Activists Chase Politicians in Restaurants, Events
Paula Astih/Asharq Al Awsat/January 07/2020
Former and current political officials in Lebanon are now trying to avoid any
presence in public areas, whether in a restaurant, a seminar, or an event, for
fear of embarrassment of being chased by activists through anti-corruption
slogans and hostile chants. The past few weeks have seen several incidents of
this kind. On Sunday evening in Gemmayzeh street, Beirut, a number of young men
and women gathered in front of a restaurant after they spotted Parliament Deputy
Speaker Elie Ferzli having dinner with two other people. They started shouting
slogans, accusing him of being part of the corrupt political class. “The one
hundred twenty-eight (the number of deputies) are a bunch of thieves,” one of
the chants said. “All of them means all of them; Elie is one of them,” the
activists kept repeating, until Ferzli left the restaurant, under the protection
of members from the Internal Security Forces (ISF).
A similar incident took place in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, where
activists forced former MP and Minister Ahmad Fatfat out of a seminar in the
Chamber of Commerce and Industry following piercing debates. In mid-December, a
number of protesters ousted former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora from the
American University in Beirut, where he was attending a concert. This new
phenomenon has prompted Lebanese officials, whether former or current, to take
additional security measures. Those who used to move around without security
protection, are now accompanied by security members. Others have increased the
number of bodyguards, while the rest have decided to stay in their homes to
avoid any embarrassment by activists. Political activist Lucien Abu Rjeili
explained the aim of this move, saying: “Everyone, who was or is still present
in the parliament, the government or the presidency bears the responsibility for
the collapse of the country.”“In all countries of the world, officials are held
accountable for merely voting in a certain direction… This phenomenon may be new
to the Lebanese society, but the Lebanese have to cope with it because it is an
important escalation in the sense that the protesters are pouring their anger in
the right direction,” he underlined. A member of the Free Patriotic Movement
(FPM), who preferred not to be named, indicated that he had avoided leaving his
home except in cases of necessity, and that he had asked for security protection
near his house in order to avoid any harm to his family members. Another deputy
from the independents told Asharq Al-Awsat that he had thought more than once
about resigning from Parliament “to join the ranks of the revolution.” But he
added that he reconsidered his decision because he “is able to better support
the revolution” through his presence in parliament.
Carole Ghosn: Wife of Fugitive Tycoon, and Now Wanted in
Japan
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 07/2020
Carole Ghosn, who not so long ago was an influential but discreet figure in the
New York fashion world, has been thrust into the limelight by the arrest of her
tycoon husband Carlos, and his subsequent flight from Japan. The second wife of
the former Nissan boss, who like him also has Lebanese citizenship, vocally led
the campaign for her husband's freedom but what role she played in his epic
escape from Japan remains unclear. Carole was reunited with her husband last
week after he jumped bail in Tokyo, where he had been jailed and then held under
house arrest over several counts of financial misconduct. On Tuesday Japanese
prosecutors obtained a warrant for her arrest, accusing her of "false
testimony", without offering further details. Carole Ghosn has spent a large
part of her life in the United States. But over the past year, she has
criss-crossed the globe, spearheading a campaign to clear her husband's name.
She was not with him on November 19, 2018 when he was dramatically arrested
aboard his private jet at a Japanese airport, and was shocked to learn the news
thousands of kilometres away. She was prevented from seeing her husband during
his detention and initially kept largely silent about his case but was
ever-present after he was released on bail to a central Tokyo apartment in
March.
'Traumatised'
Carole appealed to French President Emmanuel Macron, complaining in an interview
with the newspaper Journal du Dimanche that the silence of French authorities in
the case was "deafening". She also contacted the White House and gave a tearful
interview to US media in which she said her 65-year-old husband was in poor
health, a state exacerbated by what she described as "mental abuse" while he was
detained. "During the month he was free, they tried to live normally, go for
walks, eat good meals," said a Tokyo-based friend of the couple. This was in
spite of the photographers who camped outside their residence -- to Carole's
visible annoyance. The respite was brief and Carlos was rearrested at dawn on
April 4 to answer further allegations -- an event that "traumatised" her,
according to her friend. In interviews she claimed that prosecutors scoured
their 50-square-metre (550-square-foot) apartment, searched her, took her
passport and even accompanied her to the bathroom. "It was a huge trial, among
the worst moments of her life," said the couple's French lawyer, Francois
Zimeray, who praised her for her "dignity" under pressure. Using another
passport, she then left Japan for France but returned a few days later to face
questioning and show "she had nothing to hide". The exact circumstances of
Carlos Ghosn's escape from Japan are unclear, but dramatic reports continue to
emerge, including that he was spirited out of the country inside a box that had
been smuggled onto a private jet. The former Nissan chairman insisted last week
that he had not received help from any government and had organised his escape
"alone", denying reports that his wife orchestrated the daring operation. He is
due to give a press conference on Wednesday.
'Beauty Yachts'
Born in 1966 in Beirut as Carole Nahas, the businesswoman has spent most of her
life in the US. She holds American nationality along with her three children
from her first marriage. Highly educated and successful in her own right, in the
2000s she founded a company selling luxury kaftans.
She met Carlos and the couple fell quickly in love, with Carole providing a
calming influence on the impulsive tycoon, according to one friend. They were
married in 2016 at the gilded Versailles Palace near Paris in a lavish ceremony
that has since caught the attention of authorities amid questions over how it
was funded. According to sources close to the case, she is named as president of
a company used to buy a luxury yacht that prosecutors suspect was purchased
partly with funds diverted from Nissan. Authorities have questioned her over the
British Virgin Isles-registered company "Beauty Yachts" but she has not been
charged and denies wrongdoing.
Japan Says Lebanon Must Cooperate over Ghosn to Avoid 'Negative Repercussions'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 07/2020
The Lebanese presidential palace said Tuesday that President Michel Aoun met
with Japanese Ambassador to Lebanon Takeshi Okubo, the first known meeting
between the president and a Japanese diplomat since the fugitive Carlos Ghosn
arrived in Lebanon on December 30.
A statement released by Aoun's office said Okubo called for more cooperation
from Lebanese authorities in order to avoid "negative repercussions" on
relations between the two countries. Okubo said the Japanese government and
people "are extremely worried" about the case, especially the way Ghosn left
Japan and entered Lebanon, according to the statement. Japan's chief government
spokesman said Japanese officials have told Lebanon that Ghosn left the country
illegally and that they are seeking cooperation in finding out what happened.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the situation must be handled
carefully.Ghosn escaped to Lebanon while he was out on bail awaiting trial for
alleged financial misconduct. Lebanon and Japan do not have an extradition
treaty. Japanese justice officials acknowledge that it's unclear whether Ghosn
and his wife Carole can be brought back to Japan to face charges. They said they
were still looking into what could be done.
Caretaker Justice Minister Albert Serhan told the state-run National News Agency
that Ghosn entered Lebanon legally and therefore his "stay on Lebanese
territories" is legal. Serhan added that Lebanon has not yet received any
requests from Japan regarding an arrest warrant for Carole Ghosn. Earlier
Tuesday, Ghosn's former employer, Nissan Motor Co., said it was still pursuing
legal action against him despite his escape. The Japanese automaker said in a
statement that Ghosn engaged in serious misconduct while leading the
Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance. "The company will continue to take
appropriate legal action to hold Ghosn accountable for the harm that his
misconduct has caused to Nissan," it said, without giving details. Ghosn managed
to skip bail and leave the country despite surveillance while he was staying at
a home in Tokyo.Japanese news reports Tuesday gave new details of that escape,
saying he left his residence alone, met two men at a Tokyo hotel, and then took
a bullet train to Osaka before boarding a private jet hidden inside a case for
musical equipment. Japanese major business daily Nikkei reported, without citing
sources, that dozens of people in various countries helped to plan Ghosn's
clandestine departure. The automaker and Japanese prosecutors allege Ghosn
misstated his future compensation and diverted company assets for personal gain.
He says he is innocent. Ghosn has not appeared in public since arriving in
Lebanon. He is expected to give his side of the story in a news conference
planned for Wednesday in Beirut. Earlier, he said the allegations against him
were concocted by Nissan, Japanese authorities and others who wanted to block
efforts toward a fuller merger between Nissan and its French alliance partner
Renault SA. Ghosn said in a statement last week that he wanted to escape
"injustice." Critics of the Japanese judicial system say his case exemplifies
its tendency to move too slowly and keep suspects in detention for too long.
Nissan said in its statement that an investigation is ongoing in France, and the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has found some wrongdoing. Ghosn has not
been charged in France or the U.S.Mori and other Japanese officials have
defended the nation's judicial system and denounced Ghosn's escape as an
"unjustifiable" crime. Mori said each nation's system has its own way of making
arrests and granting bail. Although Ghosn is unlikely to face trial in Japan,
Greg Kelly, another Nissan former executive, is still facing charges of
under-reporting Ghosn's future compensation. He says he is innocent.
Nissan says it will continue to pursue legal action against
Ghosn
News Agencies/Al Jazeera/January 07/2020
Carmaker stands by internal findings of Ghosn's alleged misconduct, says it will
continue to cooperate with authorities. Nissan Motor said on Tuesday that former
chairman Carlos Ghosn's flight from Japan would not affect its policy of holding
him responsible for "serious misconduct". "The company will continue to take
appropriate legal action to hold Ghosn accountable for the harm that his
misconduct has caused to Nissan," Nissan said in a statement. Ghosn became an
international fugitive after he revealed last week he had fled to Lebanon to
escape what he called a "rigged" justice system in Japan, where he faces charges
relating to alleged financial crimes. He is planning to hold a news conference
in Beirut on Wednesday to express his innocence and argue that his arrest for
financial crimes in Japan in November 2018 was part of a plot at the carmaker to
take him down. "The consequences of Ghosn's misconduct have been significant,"
the Nissan statement said.Japan said it is in contact with Lebanon regarding
Ghosn's departure.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that Japan
had told Lebanon Ghosn's flight was regrettable, and it would seek cooperation
to find the truth. Meanwhile, Nissan is dealing with multiple problems. With
profits at decade lows and its stock tanking, the carmaker is rife with internal
divisions over the removal of its former leader and the way forward. And Makoto
Uchida, who became CEO last month, has a long list of challenges. A top deputy
abruptly quit, some 12,500 jobs are on the chopping block, and Uchida needs to
refresh an ageing lineup of models.
"The internal investigation found incontrovertible evidence of various acts of
misconduct by Ghosn, including misstatement of his compensation and
misappropriation of the company's assets for his personal benefit," the
Yokohama-based carmaker said in the statement.
"Nissan will continue to do the right thing by cooperating with judicial and
regulatory authorities wherever necessary."
Ghosn was arrested slightly more than a year ago at Tokyo's Haneda Airport,
kicking off a legal saga that saw him detained for months in solitary
confinement before being released on bail, rearrested and bailed out again. The
former Nissan executive, who has Lebanese citizenship, plans to reveal the names
of people he believes are behind a "coup" to take him down, including those of
some in the Japanese government, at the anticipated press briefing, according to
Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo, who said she spoke to him last weekend.
In his first remarks since the escape, Ghosn reportedly said he would "finally
communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week".
Ghosn told Fox that he will say at the Beirut briefing that he is willing to
have his case heard by any court, aside from those in Japan. Nissan needs to get
its business in order fast, with autonomous vehicles and electrification poised
to disrupt the car industry in a once-in-a-generation shift. Ghosn's arrest also
hurt its alliance with top shareholder Renault SA, bringing long-standing
tensions between the companies to the fore. "Carlos Ghosn's escape to the
Lebanese Republic without the court's permission in violation of his bail
conditions is an act that defies Japan's judicial system," Nissan said. "Nissan
finds it extremely regrettable."
Ghosn saga: How strongly is Nissan going after its former
CEO?
Matthew Campbell, Kae Inoue and Reed Stevenson/Bloomberg/January 07/2020
The Japanese carmaker has spent more than $200m investigating its former chief
executive.
Nissan Motor Co. and Carlos Ghosn are back on a collision course.
The Japanese automaker is preparing for a renewed legal and public relations
battle against its former chairman and chief executive officer as Ghosn vows to
hit back at the company he turned around two decades ago, but which he blames
for engineering his downfall. Ghosn will hold a news conference Wednesday in
Beirut, where he fled to escape trial in Japan on charges of understating his
pay and misusing company money.
Nissan has already spent more than $200 million on lawyers, investigators, and
digital forensics in its investigation of Ghosn and former executive Greg Kelly,
people with knowledge of the matter said, asking not to be identified because
the information isn't public. Arrested in November 2018, Ghosn and Kelly -- who
both deny wrongdoing -- were set to stand trial this year. That's now looking
unlikely without the main defendant, thrusting the conflict into the public
arena and possibly the Lebanese courts. Ghosn is seeking to salvage his legacy,
while Nissan faces pressure to justify the turmoil brought on by its decision to
investigate its leader and try to help prosecutors convict him.
With Ghosn expected to name the people behind what he says was a plot to halt
his plans to more closely integrate Nissan with alliance partner Renault SA, the
Japanese company is going on the offensive, according to people familiar with
its intentions.
Nissan's first order of business may hit close to home for the fugitive Ghosn.
He still has access to an elegant pink villa in Beirut that Nissan purchased for
$8.75 million, renovated and furnished for him, according to a person familiar
with the matter. Nissan views Ghosn's continued use of the house as
illegitimate, and wants him evicted, the person said. Ghosn's representatives
have resisted efforts to dislodge him through the courts, arguing the house was
part of a retirement package to which he's legally entitled.
Legal action
The carmaker also is looking at bringing legal action against Ghosn in Lebanon,
the people said, to recover money it says he used improperly.
Nissan's capacity to retaliate against Ghosn is considerable. As well as the
millions spent on lawyers, it hired computer experts to sift through 6 million
emails -- stretching back to when Ghosn first came to Nissan in 1999 -- at the
request of Japanese prosecutors, a person with knowledge of the probe said.
The automaker also engaged private investigators in the Middle East, who have
been working for months to unearth potentially damaging material on the former
executive, according to people familiar with the moves, asking not to be
identified because the information isn't public.
"Ghosn's flight will not affect Nissan's basic policy of holding him responsible
for the serious misconduct uncovered by the internal investigation," the
Yokohama-based carmaker said Tuesday, in its first public statement since Ghosn
fled. Nissan "will continue to take appropriate legal action to hold Ghosn
accountable for the harm that his misconduct has caused."
Business crisis
Nissan is continuing to plow time and money into pursuing Ghosn even with its
business in crisis. Sales and profits have slumped, and the company is set to
axe 12,500 jobs as it tries to keep up with the dramatic shifts in the global
auto industry. Ghosn's arrest also hurt its alliance with top shareholder
Renault, bringing long-standing tensions to the fore.
Azusa Momose, a spokeswoman for Nissan, declined to comment on the company's
plans for Ghosn and whether it will take legal action in Lebanon.
Representatives for Ghosn didn't respond to requests for comment. Nissan said
Tuesday that its "internal investigation found incontrovertible evidence of
various acts of misconduct by Ghosn, including misstatement of his compensation
and misappropriation of the company's assets for his personal benefit."
Ghosn was arrested more than a year ago at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, kicking off a
legal saga that saw him detained for months in solitary confinement before being
released on bail, re-arrested and released again. Ghosn was facing trials that
could land him in prison for more than a decade when, on Dec. 30, he fled to
Lebanon to escape what he described as a "rigged Japanese justice system." The
country doesn't have an extradition agreement with Japan.
Name names
The former auto executive, who has Lebanese, French, and Brazilian citizenship,
plans to name the people he believes are behind a "coup" to take him down,
including some in the Japanese government, at Wednesday's press briefing,
according to Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo, who said she spoke with
Ghosn last weekend.
With its business in jeopardy and shares down almost 40% since Ghosn's arrest,
Nissan is rife with internal divisions over his ouster. Makoto Uchida, who
became CEO last month, has a long list of challenges. A top deputy abruptly
quit, the company withdrew its dividend outlook in November, and it is under
pressure to refresh an aging product lineup. Uchida declined to comment on Ghosn
or his escape at a New Year's reception in Tokyo Tuesday for Japan's major
business groups.
Nissan doesn't have time to spend more money pursuing Ghosn, said Koji Endo, an
analyst at SBI Securities Co. in Tokyo.
"Nissan's current focus should be to carry out major restructuring immediately
following a sharp earnings fall and a dividend cut," he said.
CEO letter
Ghosn arrived at Nissan when Renault took a one-third stake in the struggling
company. Dubbed "Le Cost Killer," he slashed jobs, cut expenses and restored
profitability, eventually becoming CEO of both Nissan and Renault and forming a
global auto alliance that now includes Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
In a letter to Nissan's employees Tuesday, Uchida urged workers to focus on the
job at hand.
"Unfortunately, media coverage on the past executive misconduct will continue
for a while," the CEO wrote in the email, which was seen by Bloomberg News. "We
can only revive Nissan by everyone contributing and working as one team."
--With assistance from Ayai Tomisawa, Tian Ying, Tsuyoshi Inajima and Dana
Khraiche.
Qassem Soleimani Is Dead… Mourn Khomeinism
Nadim Koteich/Asharq Al Awsat/January 07/2020
Qassem Soleimani was killed, three words that laid down the basis of this new
decade in the Middle East in its first few days. It is difficult to imagine an
event that will have more significant implications than Soleimani’s absence from
the scene, or the many scenes in the Middle East.
The man was more than a metaphor for Iranian imperial ambitions. He was no
longer the image of that project, and that has had nothing to do with the
position, privileges, or status that he had in the Iranian hierarchy.
The man was not only the leader of a mission. He was the mission. Soleimani was
the project itself, synthesizing the imperial with the religious and
ideological. He was the project; he was Khomeinism at its peak. What was killed
in Baghdad was the project, inside and outside Iran.
Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was accurate when surveying the
“Soleimani Atlas,” from Palestine to Afghanistan and Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and
Yemen in between. Nasrallah’s rashness led him to admit Iran’s direct role via
Soleimani in Yemen, and this is what all respectable international reports are
saying, and what official Iranian statements are denying.
This confession of Soleimani’s role will have special meaning the moment that
the role itself was assassinated. That role was based on Soleimani’s genius
theory to combine the militias and state institutions in every country that
Iranian devastation has caused, the prototypes of which were Hezbollah and the
Lebanese state institutions and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and the
Iraqi state. Among all of the influential countries in the Middle East, Iran has
an advantage. It is the only country that is present on all fronts without
having its army directly involved like Turkey, Russia, Europeans, the US, Saudi
Arabia, the UAE, and others! More than sixty Iraqi militias are funded, trained,
and devoted to Iran under the umbrella of the PMF. These have all been
legitimized and integrated into the state apparatus while maintaining extensive
independence on the field. On the other hand, hundreds of thousands of foreign
fighters in Syria are distributed among tens of Shiite militias.
This would not have been possible without Soleimani’s genius and professional
weaving of this carpet of militias, like fancy carpet from Kerman, his
birthplace. What Donald Trump’s decision killed was precisely that school. This
mystery that allowed Iran to be on all fronts and not be at the same time. Trump
targeted that ambiguity that gave Iran a large margin for denial. It was not in
response to Hezbollah calling for protests in front of the Iranian embassy and
did not target the PMF whose leadership clearly led the protests. He validated
the signature on the wall of his embassy in Iraq, saying, “My leader is Qassem
Soleimani,” pursued him and killed him.
Soleimani’s death broke the fortress that Iran had protected itself with, the
fortress with which they had protected their expansionist and destructive
project in the region. His official position in the state did not make Soleimani
immune to being pursued and killed, just like Bin Laden, Baghdadi, or Abu-Musab
al-Zarqawi. This was a strategic violation of one of the pillars of dealing with
terrorism. A large part of Soleimani’s reassurance was precisely that ambiguity,
that statehood- that was new in his assassination by the US.
Soleimani was killed at the end of a trip that brought him to Beirut where he
had met Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, and then Damascus where he met whomever,
and then Baghdad where he was received by Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy
leader of the PMF, effectively its actual leader.
What is the Iranian general doing with all of these militia leaders in other
countries on non-Iranian grounds coming from meetings with militias leaders in
at least two different countries? In this context, this assassination takes a
new meaning, a renewal in the war against terrorism, and declares the beginning
of an entirely new stage.
As the Special Tribunal for Lebanon tells us, Iran, using its militias, killed
Rafic Hariri and did not admit having done so. On the other hand, Trump killed
the apparatus that in the least sponsored Hariri’s killers. He then held a press
conference and adopted this assassination, just like what happened when
Baghdadi, Bin Laden, and al-Zarqawi were killed, or when Saddam Hussein was
arrested. How does a country so easily and without fear of consequence by
international law or on international relations assassinate an official in
another country? Saying that it’s just America is not enough, the matter is much
more complicated and severe. Henry Kissinger used to say that Iran is a
revolution that needs to become a state. Trump modified this by deciding to
assassinate Soleimani. Through his transparent execution, he took it from the
academic domain to the domain of politics and policies. Trump says that Iran is
not only a state, it is also a gang, a gangster-state, so to speak. Or, a gang
with the capacities and qualifications of a state, and this is how he will deal
with it from now on. Ironically, the world did not object much, and if those who
did, did so merely to avoid being reproached.
Soleimani is the final face of the Iranian expansionist project, and
assassinating him will be taught as one of the most genius decisions in the
history of American foreign policy.
The US President raised the ceiling in the confrontation with Iran to a place
that the Iranian regime cannot meet him. His alleged irrationality will make
Iranian policies more and more rational, and this is demonstrated by the
responses so far, including Nasrallah’s weak speech, which was not satisfactory
to those who received his words. It is a new poisoned glass that Iran has to
drink just like Khomeini in 1988, and indeed it will.
Lebanon’s Sa‘d al-Hariri is facing a growing credibility
problem that may prove to be fatal politically.
مايكل يونغ: يواجه سعد الحريري مشكلة مصداقية قد تكون مميتة له سياسياً
Michael Young/Carnegie MEC/January 07/2020
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/82106/%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%8a%d9%83%d9%84-%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%86%d8%ba-%d9%8a%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%ac%d9%87-%d8%b3%d8%b9%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%85%d8%b4%d9%83%d9%84%d8%a9-%d9%85%d8%b5%d8%af/
These are not good times for Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Sa‘d al-Hariri.
In late October he resigned amid street demonstrations against the political
class. His unstated intention was to be renamed prime minister of a cabinet he
could better control, but the plan collapsed in mid-December when Hassan Diab
was tasked with forming a government. Today, Hariri has lost the financial
leverage he once enjoyed as well as the support of his political allies and
regional backers, and even of many within his own Sunni community.
It’s never wise to write off a Lebanese politician. Some have come back from
failure and ignominy to successfully revive their ambitions. Look at President
Michel Aoun. However, Hariri would have major hurdles to clear even if Diab
failed to form a government and the caretaker prime minister were asked to have
a go himself. In tracing Hariri’s decline, three major political errors he made
stand out.
The first is Hariri’s departure from Lebanon in 2011 and his absence from the
country for over five years. His exit took place not long after his government
was brought down by Hezbollah and its allies in January of that year. During his
long period away, Hariri’s patronage networks decayed, a situation exacerbated
by the financial problems faced by his Saudi Oger contracting company in Saudi
Arabia, which had served as his cash cow. For months and even years, many of his
Lebanese employees or associates, particularly in his social aid network and
media outlets, received no salaries or other payments, and the situation has
little improved since.
The collapse of Saudi Oger in July 2017 was a major blow to Hariri. Once one of
the largest contracting companies in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Oger had been the jewel
in the crown of the late Rafik al-Hariri, Sa‘d’s father. Through a combination
of factors, including mismanagement and the Saudi authorities’ failure to
reimburse debts owed to the company, Saudi Oger began having difficulties paying
employees by late 2015. The crisis soon extended to Hariri’s Lebanese
institutions. All this suggested that he had failed to give due priority to
preserving the real source of his power—his financial capacities.
Hariri’s disastrous five years away from Lebanon led to his second major error.
In attempting to organize a political comeback in 2016, he allied himself with
Michel Aoun and his son in law Gebran Bassil, and by extension with Hezbollah.
The quid pro quo was a simple one: Hariri would support Aoun’s bid to become
president, in exchange for which Aoun and Hezbollah would approve his return to
office as prime minister. To persuade his Saudi backers that the deal was worth
making, Hariri reportedly assured them that the opening to Aoun would draw the
soon-to-be president away from Hezbollah.
What happened was very different. It was immediately apparent to Aoun and
Hezbollah that Hariri was without leverage. He was the one who needed them—both
to return to office and revive his patronage networks—not them who needed him.
This meant that Hariri was much more liable to make concessions to preserve his
newborn partnership with the Aounists and Hezbollah than they were. Indeed,
Hariri went along with the outrageous demands made by Bassil during the
government-formation process, in which Bassil insisted on naming a lion’s share
of Christian ministers. By doing so, however, Hariri also angered his
traditional Christian ally, the Lebanese Forces Party, which had greatly
strengthened its relations with the Saudi regime in the months prior to that.
Very quickly, Hariri looked less like a partner of the Aounists than a façade
for the Aounist-Hezbollah alliance, one who bestowed a measure of Sunni
legitimacy on the government. This cost Hariri Sunni communal support, adding to
the discontent caused by the fact that Hariri’s institutions had still not paid
or compensated their many employees who were Sunnis. At the same time, Hariri’s
reputation was further damaged by an ambient sense that he had returned to
Lebanon to exploit the country’s financial and patronage networks. The ultimate
expression of the cynicism toward his motives (and that of others) was the
protests of 2019 against the political leadership.
Hariri’s third strategic mistake was that he allowed his relationship with the
Saudis to deteriorate to the point where they no longer viewed him as their main
representative in Lebanon. This culminated with his apparent sequestration in
the kingdom in November 2017, which let to global indignation at the way a
sitting prime minister had been humiliated. However, there was a more pernicious
outcome from that episode, namely that something had been broken between Hariri
and the Saudis. While both sides have preserved a public front of unity, the
reality is that Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries no longer appear to trust
Hariri, which has damaged him within his own community. If Hariri is not backed
by the region’s leading Sunni power, many Sunnis wonder, what is his value as a
communal leader?
The repercussions of this may have been the principal reason why Hariri opted
not to form a government in December. His excuse was that the Lebanese Forces
would not endorse him in parliamentary consultations to name a prime minister.
This would have denied Hariri vital Christian support (as the Aounists had
already made clear that they would not back him). That was the official story at
least. However, it is more likely that Hariri regarded the Lebanese Forces’
attitude as the result of a Saudi request, or a grasp of Saudi desires. Ignoring
it would have further impaired his ties with Riyadh.
When he inherited the political mantle of his father in 2005, Sa‘d al-Hariri had
it all: Saudi sponsorship, wealth, and a Sunni community desperately looking for
a new leader after the assassination of Rafik al-Hariri. He gradually bought his
siblings’ shares in Saudi Oger, gaining the financial means to advance his
political agenda. Now, fifteen years later, little is left. Many Lebanese
perceive Hariri as being part of the problem of a political class that has lost
touch with the population. While functioning in a system dominated by Hezbollah
was never going to be easy, Hariri further undermined his situation by making
unforced errors that may prove to be fatal politically.
The daunting task of fighting corruption in Lebanon
Samar Kadi/ The Arab Weekly/Januar 07/2020
BEIRUT - Fighting corruption that permeates all public sectors in Lebanon —
including the judiciary — is a formidable task that the new president of the
Beirut Bar Association has vowed to take on after a landslide victory against
the candidate backed by political parties accused of rampant malfeasance.
“Today the judiciary is in bad shape. The first thing we should do is to put an
end to political meddling and manipulation of the judiciary,” said Beirut Bar
Association President Melhem Khalaf. “We need to have an independent, honest and
effective judiciary which is vital for fighting corruption. No nation can be
built without justice.”
“Enough is enough we cannot go on like that. Politicians should understand once
and for all that they have no right to interfere in the judiciary,” Khalaf said.
“The judges should be totally free from any influence and any pressure in order
to be able to fulfil their mission properly. We have excellent judges but, in
many instances, their hands were tied down.”
Khalaf, a former Red Cross volunteer and vice-chairman of the UN Committee on
the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, is the first independent to head the
association in recent years.
“We hope this day will renew democracy within Lebanon’s institutions,” he said
after defeating Nader Gaspard, who was backed by the Free Patriotic Movement,
the Lebanese Forces, Future Movement and Progressive Socialist Party. Stressing
the vital role of the Beirut Bar Association in regaining public trust in the
judiciary, Khalaf said: “We will mobilise and push forward through parliament
for the introduction of reforms and laws that would reinforce the independence
of the judiciary.”
“This is our aim — strong and independent judicial authorities free from any
political influence.”Lawyers, backed by the bar association, have volunteered to
defend anti-government protesters who were arrested during demonstrations that
have swept Lebanon since October 17. Khalaf’s election in November was largely
seen as a first win for the protesters who blame the ruling elite of bankrupting
the country and shuttering the Lebanese economy.
“We have a national role in defending public freedoms, human rights and any
issue that is raised by the civil society. People are resorting to us to get
their rights. They feel that there is a party that is there to listen to them
and their problems and to try to find solutions,” Khalaf said.
Effective separation of powers is what the state lacks to function properly, he
said. “We have to safeguard the state and its institutions by reactivating
democracy in our political system through the separation of powers. The
parliament should reassume its responsibility in monitoring the performance of
the executive authorities, the government should stop being a small replica of
parliament and the judiciary should be totally independent,” he said.
The pressing need for judicial reform in Lebanon prompted Lebanese magistrates
and legal experts to establish the Lebanese Judges Association in October 2018.
The independent NGO is meant to act as an advocacy group against political
attempts to control the judiciary.
Judges demand the right to vote for all members of the High Judicial Council,
the highest judicial authority in the country. The High Judicial Council
includes ten judges: two elected from the Cassation Court, three designated
members and the other five appointed by the executive branch, which is
controlled by the political elite. Political bickering has often stalled
appointments to the body for several months, crippling the judiciary. The
judiciary has often been smeared as being biased but Khalaf said he is against
public slandering of the core institution of the state. “Defaming the judiciary
is not acceptable. Any investigation or purge of corrupt judges should be done
from within the judicial system. The judiciary has its own mechanism of
monitoring and accountability. This is how you consolidate the judicial
authorities,” he said.
Among Khalaf’s long list of things to do is restructuring the 100-year-old
Beirut Bar Association.
“We have a huge internal reform workshop to do that includes automation,
restructuring the committees, et cetera. It is our role to renovate the pillars
for the next 100 years for the sake of our people. We will be reviewing our
bylaws, which were set a century ago when the bar association had 3,000 members
whereas today we count more than 13,000.”Khalaf is co-founder of Offrejoie
(“Granting Happiness”), an apolitical and non-confessional NGO that brings
together volunteers from all faiths and regions, as well as friends of Lebanon
around the world, to participate in community services.
Offrejoie has helped reconstruct two villages in southern Lebanon, rehabilitated
eight prisons and renovated 14 schools. Since 2012, it is also located in Iraq.
Despite the difficult task awaiting him, Khalaf is assertive. “There is hope.
Even if we feel there is no hope, we have to create hope,” he said.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on January 07-08/2020
Iran launches missiles at US military facilities in Iraq: US official
ABC News/January 7, 2020
Iran launches missiles at US military facilities in Iraq: US official originally
appeared on abcnews.go.com
Iran fired multiple missiles into Iraq on Tuesday evening, targeting U.S.
military sites in what appeared to be retaliation for the recent American drone
strike that killed one of its top generals. The Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps
swiftly took credit, and one Iranian politician tweeted his nation’s flag -- an
apparent swipe at President Donald Trump who tweeted the American flag after the
U.S. killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. "We warn the Great Satan, the
arrogant American regime that any new invasions and aggression will result in
more painful and pounding responses," the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps stated.
The recent developments were expected to spark global fear of a U.S. war in the
Middle East. Iranian leaders had vowed revenge for the death of Soleimani, who
the U.S. has blamed for the recent death of an American military contractor as
well as being behind hundreds of roadside bombs.A Pentagon spokesman estimated
there were more than a dozen missiles total launched from Iran beginning at 5:30
p.m. EST. "It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted
at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition personnel
at Al-Assad and Irbil," wrote Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.
"We are working on initial battle damage assessments," Hoffman added. A senior
administration official told ABC News, "We are not seeing any American
casualties at this moment." However, the situation is still fluid and
assessments are ongoing. The administration official also said that about a
quarter of the Iranian ballistic missiles fired "failed" -- implying that they
were either intercepted by air defenses or missed their targets.The president
and congressional leadership were briefed immediately after the strikes. "We are
aware of the reports of attacks on US facilities in Iraq," according to a
statement from White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. "The President has
been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his
national security team."House Speaker Nancy Pelosi being handed a note in the
middle of a leadership meeting. Rep. Debbie Dingell, who was present during the
meeting, said Pelosi asked the other lawmakers to pray. Pelosi then spoke with
Vice President Mike Pence by phone, according to the two offices. "We must
ensure the safety of our servicemembers, including ending needless provocations
from the Administration and demanding that Iran cease its violence. America &
world cannot afford war," Pelosi tweeted.
Iran launches dozen missiles against two US bases in Iraq,
says Pentagon
Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 8 January 2020
Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against US military and
coalition forces in Iraq, the Pentagon said. “It is clear that these missiles
were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting
US military and coalition personnel at Al-Assad and Irbil,” according to a
statement from Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Jonathan
Hoffman At approximately 5:30 p.m. (EST). “We are working on initial battle
damage assessments. In recent days and in response to Iranian threats and
actions, the Department of Defense has taken all appropriate measures to
safeguard our personnel and partners. These bases have been on high alert due to
indications that the Iranian regime planned to attack our forces and interests
in the region,” he said. “As we evaluate the situation and our response, we will
take all necessary measures to protect and defend US personnel, partners, and
allies in the region. Due to the dynamic nature of the situation, we will
continue to provide updates as they become available,” Hoffman added. The attack
came in three waves just after midnight, the sources said.
Sirens were heard and American helicopters flew over the air base, and total
alert has been activated, according to Al Mayadeen TV. Ain Assad air base is
located in Iraq’s western Anbar province. It was first used by American forces
after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. It later
saw American troops stationed there amid the fight against the ISIS group in
Iraq and Syria. Iran State TV said the operation’s name was “Marytr Soleimani.”
It said the Guard’s aerospace division, which controls Iran’s missile program,
launched the attack“with tens of missiles” and promised “more crushing
responses” in case of further US attacks, the state-run PressTV said on Twitter
and via a statement carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. “We are
warning all American allies, who gave their bases to its terrorist army, that
any territory that is the starting point of aggressive acts against Iran will be
targeted,” The Guard said. It also threatened Israel. White House press
secretary Stephanie Grisham said the White House is aware of the reports.
President Trump briefed “The President has been briefed and is monitoring the
situation closely and consulting with his national security team,” she
said.President Donald Trump had visited the base in his December 2018 trip to
Iraq. The attack on the Ain al-Asad airbase came after pro-Tehran factions in
Iraq had vowed to join forces to “respond” to an American drone strike that
killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi top commander Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes
in Baghdad last week.
- With Agencies
Pompeo, Esper arrive at White House following Iranian attack in Iraq
Agencies/Wednesday, 8 January 2020
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper have arrived
at the White House following Iran missile attack on Iraqi air base. “The
President has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and
consulting with his national security team,” White House press secretary
Stephanie Grisham had said.
Soleimani's burial delayed after 50 killed,
213 injured in stampede
Reuters/January 07/2020
In each place, huge numbers of people filled thoroughfares, chanting "Death to
America" and weeping with emotion. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei shed tears
as he led prayers in Tehran on Monday. A stampede broke out at IRGC commander
Qasem Soleiman's funeral, killing 50 people and injuring about 213, the
semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing an emergency services official.
Iran's ISNA news agency said the burial of Soleimani had been postponed, but did
not say how long any delay would last. The death toll in a stampede during the
funeral rose to 50 on Tuesday, Iran's ISNA news agency reported. The news agency
was quoting the coroner's office for Kerman province, Abbas Amian. The funeral
was taking place in the city of Kerman, the hometown of Soleimani. Soleimani's
burial was postponed due to the deaths and injuries. Tens of thousands of people
had gathered in Kerman to pay tribute to Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone
strike in Iraq on Friday. "Today because of the heavy congestion of the crowd
unfortunately a number of our fellow citizens who were mourning were injured and
a number were killed," emergency medical services chief Pirhossein Kolivand told
state television. He did not give further details.The body of Soleimani, a
national hero whose death has united many Iranians, had been taken to Iraqi and
Iranian cities before arriving in Kerman for burial. In each place, huge numbers
of people filled thoroughfares, chanting "Death to America" and weeping with
emotion. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei shed tears as led prayers in Tehran
on Monday. In other developments on Tuesday, a senior Iranian official said
Tehran was considering 13 scenarios to avenge his killing.
In Washington, the US defense secretary denied reports the US military was
preparing to withdraw from Iraq, where Tehran has vied with Washington for
influence over nearly two decades of war and unrest. Soleimani was responsible
for building up Tehran's network of proxy armies across the Middle East and he
was a key figure in orchestrating Iran's long-standing campaign to drive US
forces out of its neighbor Iraq. US and Iranian warnings of new strikes and
retaliation have also stoked concerns about a broader Middle East conflict and
led to calls in the US Congress for legislation to stop US President Donald
Trump going to war with Iran. "We will take revenge, a hard and definitive
revenge," the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, General Hossein Salami, told
the crowds in Kerman prior to the stampede. Khamenei and military commanders
have said Iranian retaliation would match the scale of Soleimani's killing but
that it would be at a time and place of Tehran's choosing. Ali Shamkhani,
secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said 13 "revenge scenarios"
were being considered, Fars news agency reported. Even the weakest option would
prove "a historic nightmare for the Americans," he said. Iran, whose southern
coast stretches along a Gulf oil shipping route that includes the narrow Strait
of Hormuz, has allied forces across the Middle East through which it could act.
Representatives from those groups, including the Palestinian group Hamas and
Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, attended the funeral events in Tehran. Despite its
strident rhetoric, analysts say Iran will seek to avoid any conventional
conflict with the United States but asymmetric strikes, such as sabotage or
other military actions via proxies, are more likely. Trump has promised strikes
on 52 Iranian targets, including possibly cultural sites, if Iran retaliates.
Iran Unlikely to Act Against Israel Over Soleimani
Assassination, Defense Officials Tell Ministers
Noa Landau/Haaretz/January 07/2020
Netanyahu tells security cabinet ministers Israel should be left out of regional
tension after Iranian general's killing, but urges them to support U.S.'s 'right
to self-defense'. Israeli defense officials told security cabinet ministers
Monday that the likelihood of an Iranian response on Israel is low as of now.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also told ministers during the cabinet meeting
that the Friday killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani was an American
event, and should be left as such, urging them to focus on supporting the
American argument of self-defense. Another security cabinet assessment meeting
of the situation is set to take place Wednesday. Some Israeli officials were
concerned after Tehran vowed "crushing revenge" for the killing, saying that the
assassination will double motivation to retaliate against the U.S. and Israel.
Israeli defense told Haaretz last week that the likelihood of a response
targeting Israel from north is small, after a U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria
killed fighters in an Iranian-backed Shi’ite militia organization, which they
said will not affect the Israel military. The United States Embassy in Israel
released a statement Monday alerting U.S. citizens of "heightened tension" in
the region, which may "result in security risks to U.S. citizens abroad.""Out of
an abundance of caution, the embassy strongly encourages U.S. citizens to remain
vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness, as
security incidents, including rocket fire, often take place without warning,"
read the statement.
Letter on Iraq pullout ‘genuine’ but sent by ‘mistake’: Top US general
AFP/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
An official US letter informing Iraq that American troops would begin pulling
out was “genuine” but not intended to be sent at this time, Pentagon Joint
Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley said Monday. “This was a mistake from McKenzie,”
Milley told reporters, referring to US Central Command commander General Frank
McKenzie. “It shouldn’t have been sent,” Milley said. A letter sent Monday to
the Iraqi government from a commander in Iraq said troops would be
“repositioning over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for
onward movement.”
US Air Force launches 52 f-35s in rapid succession as part of planned exercise
Ismaeel Naar, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
The US Air Force (USAF) launched 52 F-35s on Monday in rapid succession in a
show of military might as part of an exercise out of its Hill Air Force Base to
test combat readiness to deploy fighter jets en mass.
The exercise has been planned for months to test the capabilities in the areas
of personnel accountability, aircraft generation, ground operations, and flight
operations, according to a statement posted on the USAF 388th Fighter Wing’s
Facebook page. “The exercise, which was planned for months, demonstrated their
ability to employ a large force of F-35As – testing readiness in the areas of
personnel accountability, aircraft generation, ground operations, flight
operations, and combat capability against air and ground targets,” the statement
read. The fighter wings also performed an “elephant walk” before the launch of
the jets, a USAF term for the taxiing of military aircraft right before takeoff.
The delivery of a 78th F-35A to Hill Air Force Base last month completed the
planned roster of the installation in northern Utah, according to the Associated
Press. A day earlier, US President Donald Trump tweeted that the “United States
just spent Two Trillion Dollars on Military Equipment” and that if necessary he
would use it to hit Iran “very fast and very hard.” Tensions have been running
high across the Middle East after the US carried out a drone strike that killed
Iran’s top commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad on Friday. Iran has vowed
"severe revenge" for their top commander’s death while Trump said there would be
"major" retaliation if Tehran hits back.
Soleimani’s death will put Iran’s proxy network to the test
By Danielle Pletka/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Qassem Soleimani was relatively obscure before his demise at the hands of a US
drone last week. But as commander of the Quds Force, the outward facing arm of
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he was, more than anyone, the animating
spirit behind the Islamic Republic’s hugely successful regional strategy to sow
conflict across the Middle East. Soleimani epitomized the most successful aspect
of Iran’s foreign policy – the development of proxy forces – and defined
extremism long before al-Qaeda became a force to be reckoned with. The question
now is whether his demise means the beginning of the end of the Iranian model of
extremism he lead, or whether it can live beyond him.
Since September 11, 2001, the Western press has been far more concerned with the
extremism embraced by al-Qaeda and affiliates, as well as offshoots like ISIS
and al-Shabab. But the essence of terrorism and the use of asymmetrical proxy
forces today stems from Iran and the system that Soleimani perfected. From
Lebanese Hezbollah to the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Palestinian
Islamic Jihad, from the Hezbollah al-Hejaz to the Houthi militia, from Iraq’s
Popular Mobilization Units militias to other, less well-known groups in Iraq,
Iran’s Quds Force mastered the strategy of establishing terrorist proxy
movements.
Each group has its own purpose, but ultimately answers to Tehran. Each group has
genuine roots in its own nation and champions popular concerns. But their
leadership is funded, commanded and ultimately decided by Iran. Each group has
enabled the Islamic Republic to shape the conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and
Lebanon, and yet enjoys a façade of deniability that has frustrated efforts to
blame Iran directly.
The deaths that can be laid at Soleimani’s feet are legion. Hundreds, if not
thousands, of US troops fighting in Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians.
Scores of Lebanese, Israelis, Iraqis, Syrians, Yemenis, Saudis and so many more
would be alive today had he not been in command. But Soleimani had help – and
not just from the leadership in Tehran or the useful pawns who lead Hezbollah,
the Houthis, and others. No, Soleimani’s most useful dupes were in Europe and
the United States.
For every attack Soleimani ordered no matter what the territory, there were
those willing to question Iran’s responsibility. To be fair, the groundwork was
laid before he took over the Quds Force in the mid to late 1990s. But Soleimani
took the reins and built on the tradition that saw the assassination of Supreme
Leader Khomeini’s enemies in Europe after the revolution; the 1983 Marine
barracks bombing in Beirut; the attack on the Jewish Community Center in Buenos
Aires in 1994; and the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996. Yet the number of
governments willing to lay the blame directly at Iran’s feet is short.
Now that Soleimani is gone, will his successor enjoy the same success in
grooming proxies and destabilizing the Middle East? Iran’s model has worked so
well, it’s easy to imagine almost anyone keeping it going. But the truth is that
Soleimani’s minions have been having a rough time in recent months. Hezbollah
had to pressgang Lebanese Shia into fighting for Syria’s President Bashar
al-Assad in Syria. And Iran ended up dragging in a motley crew of Shia militants
from Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere to help. Demonstrators in Beirut have
challenged the pro-Iran politicians there, and took on Hezbollah thugs who tried
to oppose demonstrators. Similarly in Iraq, demonstrators outraged by corruption
and government incompetence took to the streets only to find themselves up
against Iranian-controlled militias. In each case, the government ultimately
fell notwithstanding the opposition of Iranian-backed terror groups,
notwithstanding the loss of life Iran was willing to inflict in order to protect
its friends. The truth is that over decades, Iran’s greatest asset has been the
willingness of supine regional governments and quiescent foreigners to go along
with its game. It is possible – not more than possible – that this game is
coming to an end. Soleimani was not the be-all and end-all of Iranian foreign
policy; but he wasn’t a nobody either. A credible and capable commander, with
determination and imagination, and a fixed malign agenda can do a great deal of
damage. And he is not easily replaced once dead. Perhaps Washington, London,
Paris and Berlin will gain some courage from his passing. And perhaps with them,
Baghdad and Beirut and others will too. The secret to defeating the Iranian
terror machine begins with a decision to no longer tolerate it. Let’s see how
long that resolve lasts.
US VP Pence to lay out Iran policy in upcoming speech: White House
Reuters, Washington/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
US Vice President Mike Pence will give a speech next Monday laying out the
government’s policy on Iran, a White House official said, after the US killing
of a top Iranian general sparked protests across the Middle Eastern nation.
Pence will make the remarks at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’
National Security Summit in Washington, and is expected to focus on differences
between the Iranian people and their government, the official said, declining to
offer further details on content and speaking on condition of anonymity.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have heightened since a US drone strike
killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani at the Baghdad airport on
Friday. On Friday, Pence praised the controversial move, tweeting that President
Donald Trump “took decisive action and stood up against the leading state
sponsor of terror to take out an evil man who was responsible for killing
thousands of Americans.”
Iran designates US forces ‘terrorists’ for killing general
AFP, Tehran/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Iran’s parliament passed a bill on Tuesday designating all US forces
“terrorists” over the killing of a top Iranian military commander in a US strike
last week. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ foreign
operations arm, was killed in a US drone strike outside Baghdad airport on
Friday, ratcheting up tensions between the arch-foes.
Under the newly adopted bill, all US forces and employees of the Pentagon and
affiliated organisations, agents and commanders and those who ordered the
“martyrdom” of Soleimani were designated as “terrorists”. “Any aid to these
forces, including military, intelligence, financial, technical, service or
logistical, will be considered as cooperation in a terrorist act,” parliament
said. Lawmakers also voted to bolster by 200 million euros the coffers of the
Quds Force – the foreign operations arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that was
headed by Soleimani.
The bill was an amended version of a law adopted in April last year that
declared the United States a “state sponsor of terrorism” and its forces in the
region “terror groups”. Iran’s top security body, the Supreme National Security
Council, said that blacklisting came after the US designated Iran’s
Revolutionary Guards a “terrorist organization”.
At least 50 killed, 213 injured in stampede at Soleimani’s funeral procession
Tommy Hilton, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
At least 50 people were killed and 213 others were injured in a stampede which
broke out at the funeral procession for slain Iranian commander Qassem
Soleimani, according to reports from Iranian state TV.
Reports of deaths were confirmed by the head of Iran’s emergency medical
services, Pirhossein Koulivand. Thousands of Iranians have taken part in funeral
processions to commemorate Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps - Quds Force, who was widely considered to be one of
the most powerful men in the Iranian regime. Soleimani was killed in a US
airstrike on Friday, prompting Iran to vow retaliation.
Zarif: Iran will respond ‘proportionately’ to US killing of general
Reuters, Washington/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
The killing of a top Iranian general by the United States was an act of state
terrorism and Iran will respond proportionately, Iranian Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an interview with CNN aired on Tuesday. “This is
state terrorism,” Zarif said of the killing of Qassem Soleimani in a US drone
attack in Baghdad last week. “This is an act of aggression against Iran, and it
amounts to an armed attack against Iran, and we will respond. But we will
respond proportionately.”
Zarif: Dialogue, mutual understanding will achieve regional stability
Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Stability in the region will be achieved through dialogue and mutual
understanding, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying on Tuesday.
Tensions have been heightened in the region after a US airstrike killed top
Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad on Friday.
Zarif’s statement comes a day after the White House is blocking Zarif from
entering the United States ahead of Thursday’s UN Security Council session and
barring him from speaking about the killing of IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani,
Foreign Policy reported citing three diplomatic sources. According to the
report, Zarif has requested a visa to enter the US several weeks ago to attend a
UN Security Council meeting planned for January 9. “The Iranian government was
awaiting word on the visa Monday when a Trump administration official phoned UN
Secretary-General António Guterres to inform him that the United States would
not allow Zarif into the country,” Foreign Policy said in its report citing one
diplomatic source.
US renews warning about threats from Iran to vessels in Gulf
Reuters, Dubai/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
The United States Maritime Administration website has renewed its warning about
threats to US commercial vessels from Iran and its proxies in the Gulf and
surrounding area. The notification, valid from Monday to January 13, is not
substantially different from an initial warning issued on Friday. “There remains
the possibility of Iranian action against US maritime interests in the region,”
both notices said.
Iran considering 13 ‘revenge scenarios’ after Soleimani killing
Reuters, Dubai/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Iran has been considering 13 “revenge scenarios” in retaliation for a US strike
that killed a top Iranian commander in Iraq, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme
National Security Council said on Tuesday, the semi-official Fars news agency
reported. “The Americans should know that until now 13 revenge scenarios have
been discussed in the council and even if there is consensus on the weakest
scenario carrying it out can be a historic nightmare for the Americans,” Ali
Shamkhani said.
In Washington, the US defence secretary denied reports the US military was
preparing to withdraw from Iraq, where Tehran has vied with Washington for
influence over nearly two decades of war and unrest.
The killing of General Qassem Soleimani, who was responsible for building up
Tehran’s network of proxy forces across the Middle East, has prompted mass
mourning in Iran. US and Iranian warnings of new strikes and retaliation have
also stoked concerns about a broader Middle East conflict and led to calls in
the US Congress for legislation to stop US President Donald Trump going to war
with Iran. “We will take revenge, a hard and definitive revenge,” the head of
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, General Hossein Salami, told tens of thousands of
mourners in Soleimani’s hometown of Kerman. Many chanted “Death to America” and
waved the Iranian flag. Soleimani’s body has been taken through Iraqi and
Iranian cities since Friday’s strike, with huge crowds of mourners filling the
streets. At least 35 people were killed and 48 others have been injured in the
stampede at the commander’s funeral.
Iraqi president receives phone call from UN Guterres: Iraqi state TV
Reuters, Cairo/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Iraqi President Barham Salih received a phone call from United Nations
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday in which they discussed regional
developments, Iraqi state TV and state news agency (INA) reported. Guterres
expressed concern over the escalation that threatens international peace and
security, and he stressed the necessity of self-restraint and wisdom in
resolving the crises, Iraqi state TV said.
On his side Salih affirmed in the phone call that Iraq is keen to become an
arena for regional and international peace, the state TV added.
US interests in region ‘in danger’: Iran’s Rouhani tells Macron
AFP, Tehran/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on
Tuesday that America’s interests in the region were “in danger," his office
said, after the US killed an Iranian general.
“The United States must know its interests and security in the region are in
danger and that it cannot escape the consequences of this great crime,” he said
in an hour-long telephone call with Macron, quoted in a presidency statement.
Friday’s killing of General Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in Baghdad on
the orders of President Donald Trump ratcheted up tensions between the
arch-foes. Iran vowed “severe revenge” before Trump warned that Washington had
lined up 52 targets if Tehran attacked American personnel or assets. Amid the
escalating war of words, France said on Monday that Iran must not retaliate for
Soleimani‘s killing. “It is essential that Iran renounce any reprisals or
retaliations,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, adding that
“there is still a place for diplomacy, fortunately.”
Member of IRGC’s Quds Force killed in Yemen: Report
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
A member of Iran’s Quds Force, the overseas arm of the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in Yemen on Friday, according to a report.
Mostafa Mohammad Mirzaei, 38, was killed on Friday, the semi-official Fars news
agency reported, without providing any information on where or by whom he was
killed. Prominent military commander Qassem Soleimani, who headed the Quds
Force, was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad on Friday. Iran has vowed
retaliation. Mirzaei was killed in one of the countries of the “Resistance
Front,” a term used by Iran to refer to its regional allies and proxies,
according to the official IRIB news agency, but did not give any further
details.
According to exile-run website IranWire, Mirzaei was killed in Yemen, which is
why Iranian state media is refraining from providing any information about him.
A funeral procession was held for Mirzaei in the Iranian city of Shahr-e-Rey on
Tuesday, Fars reported.Iran officially denies any direct involvement in the Yemeni conflict, however
its military commanders have admitted on several occasions to assisting the
Houthi militia.
Iraq has received US letter regarding troop withdrawal: PM
Reuters, Cairo/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Iraq has received a letter from the US army concerning the withdrawal of its
troops from the country, Prime Minister AdIl Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday. The
English and Arabic language versions of the letter are not identical, so Iraq
has requested clarifications, he added.
The Iraqi parliament backed a resolution requesting the withdrawal of all
foreign troops from the country after a US military drone killed Iran’s top
military commander last Friday, igniting a regional crisis.
Saudi Arabia's deputy defense minister meets with UK officials
Joanne Serrieh, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
The Saudi Arabian Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with the
UK’s Defense Minister Ben Wallace as well as the Prime Minister’s International
Affairs Adviser and Deputy National Security Adviser David Quarey, in the UK on
Tuesday.
Prince Khalid bin Salman discussed the strategic partnership between the two
countries, in addition to mutual efforts in the war against terrorist and
challenges facing the region, he said in a tweet on his official account.
Meanwhile, during his meeting with Quarey, Prince Khalid bin Salman discussed
regional and international developments, according to a tweet on Prince Khalid
bin Salman’s official Twitter account.
“Our strong partnership allows our countries to continue close coordination,” he
added.
Saudi Arabia's deputy defense minister meets with President Trump
Joanne Serrieh, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
The Saudi Arabian Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with US
President Donald Trump in the White House on Monday.
The meeting was upon directives from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, Prince Khalid bin Salman said in tweet on his official account on
Tuesday. “I had the pleasure of meeting with [Trump Monday] to deliver a message
from the Crown Prince,” read the tweet.
Prince Khalid bin Salman also said he reviewed with Trump aspects of the US and
Saudi Arabia’s bilateral cooperation, including “efforts to confront regional
and international challenges.”On his personal Twitter account, Trump said
Tuesday that he “had a very good meeting with [Prince Khalid bin Salman.]”He
said the two discussed trade, military, oil prices, security and stability in
the Middle East.
Russia’s Putin makes rare visit to Syria, meets Assad
Reuters, Beirut/MoscowTuesday, 7 January 2020
Vladimir Putin met Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, the Russian leader’s
second trip to Syria since Moscow intervened decisively on the Syrian
president’s behalf in a civil war.
Putin told Assad that much had been done to restore Syrian statehood, while
Assad thanked Putin for his assistance in restoring peaceful life in Syria,
Russia’s Interfax news agency reported, citing the Kremlin. Putin will visit
several facilities in Syria during the trip, it added.
Syrian state news agency SANA showed a photo of Putin smiling as he shook
Assad’s hand and said they had listened to a military presentation by the head
of Russian forces in Syria.
The visit comes at a time of heightened regional tension, when Assad’s other
main military ally Iran has said it will retaliate against the United States for
the killing of an Iranian general.
Qassem Soleimani, who was one of the key figures in Syria’s civil war as the
architect of Iranian military operations in the Middle East, had just arrived in
Iraq from Syria when he was killed by a US drone on Friday at Baghdad airport.
Russian and Iranian support have helped Assad win back nearly all territory from
rebels who tried to overthrow him during the civil war that began nearly nine
years ago. Putin’s previous trip to Syria was in 2017 when he visited Russia’s
Hmeymim air base.
Iran summons Brazil’s charge d’affaires in Tehran after Soleimani comments
Reuters, Rio de Janeiro/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Iran has summoned Brazil’s Chargé d’Affaires in Tehran after the government in
Brasilia expressed support for the United States in the “fight against the
scourge of terrorism” following the death of an Iranian general in a US drone
strike.
The killing of Qassem Soleimani, widely viewed as the second most powerful
figure in Iran and the architect of its efforts to extend influence in the
Middle East, has triggered a major escalation of tensions in the region.
Washington considered him a terrorist responsible for the deaths of many
Americans and others, but for many Iranians he was a national hero, and hundreds
of thousands of people attended his funeral on Monday.“We inform you that Brazil’s Chargé d’Affaires in Tehran, and representatives of
other countries that spoke about the events in Baghdad, were summoned by the
Iranian Foreign Ministry, within the usual diplomatic practices,” the Brazilian
Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The conversation was calm and
cordial, it said, adding it would not comment on the details of the meeting.
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday the country rejected all forms
of terrorism “anywhere in the world”. He also said Brazil would continue to
trade with Iran and that he would speak with the foreign minister about Tehran’s
decision to call in Brazil’s envoy. Bolsonaro, a right-wing former army captain,
has made forging closer ties with US President Donald Trump’s administration a
diplomatic priority. He has been dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics” due to their
similar ideas and populist style, and their disdain for conventional politics.
Egyptair suspends flights to Baghdad for 3 days
Reuters/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
EgyptAir, Egypt’s flag carrier, said on Tuesday it will suspend its flights to
the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, for three days starting from Wednesday because of
the unstable security situation in Iraq. The suspension, which will continue
until Friday, was taken “for the safety of our passengers and planes and until
the security situation stabilizes in the city,” the company said in a statement.
Zarif says informed by UN that US has denied him visa
AFP, Tehran/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Iran’s foreign minister said Tuesday he has been informed by UN chief Antonio
Guterres that Washington has denied him a visa for a trip to UN headquarters in
New York. “What we know is that the US State Secretary (Mike Pompeo), in a call
to the Secretary General of the United Nations, said: ‘We did not have time to
issue a visa for Mohammad Javad Zarif and we will not issue a visa’,” Zarif
said. “The Secretary General responded by saying that it is Iran’s right to take
part in this session,” Tehran’s top diplomat said, quoted by semi-official news
agency ISNA. So far there has been no official confirmation from Washington that
it has rejected Zarif’s visa application. Zarif was speaking to reporters in
Tehran at a gathering to promote an Iranian peace plan for the Gulf. His remarks
came as Iran held funeral processions on Tuesday for one of its top military
commanders killed in a US drone strike in Iraq. Zarif later took to Twitter,
saying the rejection violated the terms of a 1947 agreement on the travel of
representatives of UN members to and from the headquarters. But he said “denying
me a visa... pales in comparison to” US sanctions and threats, as well as the
“cowardly assassination” of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani last week.“What are they really afraid of? Truth?” he tweeted.
Soleimani’s killing in the US strike Friday in Baghdad has sparked a war of
words between the arch-foes, with Iran vowing “severe revenge” and US President
Donald Trump threatening to hit back hard for any retaliation. Trump warned on
Saturday that Washington had lined up 52 targets if Tehran attacked US personnel
or assets.
Zarif said the US visa decision was “a sign of the bankruptcy of the US
government and Trump’s regime”, according to ISNA.
The Iranian foreign minister said he had been planning to go to UN headquarters
on Thursday for an open debate on “Upholding the Charter of the United Nations”.
But he added that he had also intended to “raise America’s crimes” during his
visit to New York. It is not the first time that Iranian officials have
encountered problems when travelling to New York for events at UN headquarters.
In December, the UN General Assembly called on the United States to lift
restrictions on Iranian diplomats. Since mid-2019, Iranian diplomats and
ministers have been under strict movement restrictions when they are in the
United States. They are limited largely to the area around UN headquarters, the
Iranian diplomatic mission and the ambassador’s residence. In September, while
taking part in the annual General Assembly, Zarif complained he was unable to
visit the country’s UN ambassador in a US hospital.
UN says ‘no plan B’ to Syria cross-border aid system
AFP, Geneva/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
The UN on Tuesday urged global powers to renew a system for cross-border aid
delivery to Syria that is due to expire this week, saying there was no
alternative. “There is no plan B. There is this operation, which helps hundreds
of thousands of people and has done so for a very long time,” said Jens Laerke,
spokesman for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“It is the only viable, sustainable method that we have for reaching these
people in need so it is critical that we get renewal of the provisions,” he told
reporters in Geneva. Under the current system set up by the UN Security Council
in 2014, humanitarian aid is allowed into Syria through four border crossings
from Iraq, Jordan and Turkey. Laerke said around 30,000 UN aid trucks had gone
into Syria through the crossings since the operation began.The arrangement is
set to expire on Friday.
When the UN Security Council took up the matter on December 20, Russia and China
vetoed a resolution that would have allowed continued aid deliveries for a year.
Russia, a key supporter of the Syrian government, has said it would support only
a six-month extension, involving only two passage points on the Turkish-Syrian
border. Rounds of talks since then have failed to end the deadlock. Laerke said
some four million people in northern Syria were supported by UN cross-border
aid, including 2.7 million in northwest Syria who relied solely on it. The aid
is particularly important for Idlib, an embattled opposition stronghold that has
come under increasing bombardment from Syrian and Russian forces in recent
weeks. “The millions of people in Idlib, they are trapped,” Laerke said,
explaining that UN cross-border assistance could save lives by helping people on
the ground. The UN said at least 300,000 people have been internally displaced
by the fighting in the Idlib region since mid-December, bringing the total
number of displacements in the region to 700,000 over the last eight months.
Iran drops spy charge for detained French academic: Lawyer
AFP, Tehran/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Iran has dropped espionage charges that had been laid against an Iranian-French
academic detained in the Islamic republic since last year, her lawyer said on
Tuesday.
“The espionage charge has been dropped” for Sciences Po University academic
Fariba Adelkhah, Said Dehghan told AFP.
The lawyer welcomed the decision to lift the charge which carries the death
penalty. Adelkhah still faces two other charges: spreading “propaganda against
the political system” of the Islamic republic; and “conspiracy against national
security”.Dehghan said the prosecution had dropped its case against her for
“disturbing the public order”. Adelkhah, expert on Iran and Shia Islam, was
arrested in Tehran in June last year. Her Sciences Po colleague Roland Marchal
was arrested in the same month while visiting Adelkhah. Iran does not recognize
dual nationality and has repeatedly rebuffed calls from foreign governments for
consular access to those it has detained during legal proceedings. It accused
France of “interference” in December after the French foreign ministry summoned
Iran’s ambassador to Paris to protest the imprisonment of Adelkhah and Marchal.
Their detention added to distrust between Tehran and Paris at a time when French
President Emmanuel Macron has been seeking to play a leading role in defusing
tensions between Iran and the United States.
The French pair are not the only foreign academics behind bars in Iran.
Kylie Moore-Gilbert of the University of Melbourne is also imprisoned in the
country. Canberra expressed “deep concern” over the Australian academic’s case
when she reportedly began a hunger strike on Christmas Eve after losing an
appeal against a 10-year jail sentence.
Sciences Po said at the time that Adelkhah had also begun a hunger strike.
Iran says nuclear deal ‘not dead yet’ despite commitment roll back
Reuters, Dubai/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers has not been dissolved despite Tehran’s
decision to abandon limits on enriching uranium required by the pact, state news
agency IRNA quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi as saying on Tuesday.
Iran said on Sunday it was taking a further step back from its commitments,
although it also said it would continue to cooperate with the UN nuclear
watchdog. Its announcement coincided with a major escalation of tensions with
Washington following the US killing of top Iranian military commander Qassem
Soleimani in a drone strike on Friday in Baghdad. Iran, which says its nuclear
program is for civilian purposes, has already breached many of the restrictions
under the pact in response to Washington’s withdrawal from the accord in 2018
and its reimposition of sanctions on Tehran that have crippled the country’s
economy.
“The nuclear deal is not dead yet,” said Araqchi, who is also a senior nuclear
negotiator. “We are ready to come back to full compliance with the deal
depending on the ending of sanctions and gaining from the economic benefits of
the deal.”European parties to the deal could launch a dispute resolution process
this week that might lead to renewed UN sanctions on Tehran, European diplomats
told Reuters on Monday. Iran has criticized Britain, France and Germany for
failing to salvage the pact by shielding Tehran’s economy from US sanctions.
Philippines prepares to evacuate workers in Middle East on rising tensions
Reuters, Manila/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
The Philippines is preparing to evacuate thousands of Filipinos working in the
Middle East as regional tensions rise following the killing of a top Iranian
commander by the United States. About 2.3 million people from the Philippines
are working in the Middle East as domestic helpers, construction workers,
engineers and nurses.
President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the armed forces to prepare air and naval
assets for the evacuation of Filipinos in Iraq, Iran and nearby Arab countries,
his spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Tuesday.
Saying he was deeply worried about the prospect of a “protracted war”, Duterte
told reporters he sent a special envoy to Tehran and Baghdad to get assurances
that Filipinos would be provided safe passage in case of evacuation. “We have so
many Filipinos working mainly in the Middle East. I am nervous. Iran seems to be
hell-bent on a retaliation, which I think will come,” Duterte said in a speech
on Monday.
There are close to 7,000 Filipinos working and living in Iraq and more than
1,000 in Iran, according to government data.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who heads a newly created committee to
prepare the evacuation, said the government is readying aircraft to ferry
Filipinos in Iraq and Iran who wish to come home or be evacuated to safer areas.
“We can send transportation to fetch them,” Lorenza told reporters, adding that
hiring a cruise ship was among the things the government was considering to
safely evacuate those who would wish to be repatriated.
Iran is considering 13 scenarios to avenge Friday’s killing of Qassem Soleimani
by a US drone attack in Iraq, a senior Tehran official said on Tuesday as the
general’s body was brought to his hometown for burial.
Filipinos in the Middle East sent home $5.4 billion in remittances in January to
October last year, accounting for a fifth of total remittances for that period,
making the region a major source of foreign exchange inflows which help drive
growth in the consumption-ledPhilippine economy.
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah advised
Malaysians to defer nonessential travel to the region, “in particular areas
where the security situation is critical”, and for citizens in the region to
register with their nearest foreign mission. “The ministry advises all
Malaysians residing, or currently travelling to the region to be more vigilant
and take the necessary precautions to ensure their safety and security,”
Saifuddin told at a press conference.
Four Kenyan civilians killed in al Shabab attack on telecom mast
Reuters, Nairobi/Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Four Kenyan civilians were killed in a gunfight early on Tuesday when police
engaged al Shabab militants from neighboring Somalia who targeted a
telecommunications transmission mast, the police said in an internal report.The
United States has sent more troops to Kenya to reinforce security after al
Shabab militants killed three Americans during an attack on Camp Simba in Manda
Bay on Sunday. An unknown number of militants fired at a mast belonging to
Kenya’s leading operator Safaricom, police said. They also fired at police who
were guarding the mast at a nearby patrol base. “Officers manning the mast and
the base together with Special Forces were able to repulse them,” the police
said in the report. The raid took place in Garissa county, which neighbors
Somalia. The attackers managed to destroy the door to the area holding the mast
but did not cause damage to the telecom network, police said.
“During the attack, four civilians lost their lives,” they said, without
providing more details. A team of police officers were pursuing the attackers,
they said.
Vladimir Putin meets Assad on rare trip to Syria
Arab News/January 08/ 2020
DAMASCUS: Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Syria on Tuesday and met with
officials including President Bashar Assad, Syrian state media and a Kremlin
spokesman reported. Putin’s visit is the second to the war-torn country, where
his troops have been fighting alongside Syrian government forces since 2015. The
visit comes amid heightened tensions between Iran — a key Syrian ally — and the
United States, following the killing of a top Iranian general in a US airstrike
in neighboring Iraq. Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani’s death has
sparked calls across Iran for revenge against America.
US troops are based in eastern Syria, making the country a potential site of
conflict with Iran. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin visited the
Russian command post in Damascus and met President Bashar Assad there. The two
leaders were presented with military reports on the situation in different
regions of Syria. In his conversation with Assad, Putin said that “a huge
distance has been covered in terms of restoring Syria’s statehood and
territorial integrity,” Peskov said. State news agency SANA gave no further
details about Putin’s visit only saying that he met with Assad in a Russian
military base in the capital. The last time Putin visited Syria was in 2017 when
he declared that mission for Russian troops has been accomplished. Russia has
been a main backer of Assad and has tipped the balance of power in his favor
over the past four years with government forces now in control in most of the
country. Syria’s conflict that began in March 2011 has left more than 400,000
people dead. Last week US warplanes attacked bases of Iran-backed Iraqi fighters
in western Iraq and eastern Syria killing 25 and wounding dozens others. The US
government warned ships of an unspecified threat from Iran across all the
Mideast’s waterways, crucial routes for global energy supplies. Meanwhile, the
US Air Force launched a drill with 52 fighter jets in Utah, just days after
President Donald Trump threatened to hit 52 sites in Iran.
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on January 07-08/2020
Iranian Revenge Will Be A Dish Best Served Cold
The American Conservative/Scott Ritter/January 07/2020
But the time and place will be of their choosing, when the U.S. expects it
least.
The assassination by the United States of Qassem Suleimani, a senior Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps general and commander of the Quds Force, an Iranian
paramilitary force specializing in covert operations on foreign soil, has sent
shock waves through the Middle East and around the globe.
The Trump administration has justified its action, citing unspecified
intelligence that indicated Suleimani was in the process of finalizing plans for
attacks on U.S. personnel and interests in the region, claiming that Suleimani’s
death “saved American lives.” This narrative has been challenged by Lebanese
officials familiar with Suleimani’s itinerary, noting that the Iranian general
had been in Beirut on diplomatic business, and had travelled to Baghdad via a
commercial air flight, where he had been diplomatically cleared to enter. These
officials claim Suleimani was killed while riding in a convoy on his way from
Baghdad International Airport into the city of Baghdad.
In any event, Suleimani’s death resonates in a region already on edge because of
existing tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali
Khamenei, has announced three days of mourning for Suleimani, an indication of
his status as national hero. Khamenei also vowed revenge on those who
perpetrated the attack. Concern over imminent Iranian retaliation has prompted
the State Department to order all American citizens to leave Iraq, and for U.S.
forces in the region to be placed on the highest level of alert. Hundreds of
American soldiers have been flown into the region as reinforcements, with
thousands more standing by if needed.
For many analysts and observers, Iran and the U.S. are on the cusp of a major
confrontation. While such an outcome is possible, the reality is that the
Iranian policy of asymmetrical response to American aggression that had been put
in place by Qassem Suleimani when he was alive is still in place today. While
emotions run high in the streets of Iranian cities, with angry crowds demanding
action, the Iranian leadership, of which Suleimani was a trusted insider,
recognizes that any precipitous action on its part only plays into the hands of
the United States. In seeking revenge for the assassination of Qassem Suleimani,
Iran will most likely play the long game, putting into action the old maxim that
revenge is a dish best served cold.
In many ways, the United States has already written the script regarding major
aspects of an Iranian response. The diplomatic missions Suleimani may have been
undertaking at the time of his death centered on gaining regional support for
pressuring the United States to withdraw from both Syria and Iraq. Of the two,
Iraq was, and is, the highest priority, if for no other reason that there can be
no sustained U.S. military presence in Syria without the existence of a major
U.S. military presence in Iraq. Suleimani had been working with sympathetic
members of the Iraqi Parliament to gain support for legislation that would end
Iraq’s support for U.S. military forces operating on Iraqi soil. Such
legislation was viewed by the United States as a direct threat to its interests
in both Iraq and the region.
The U.S. had been engaged in a diplomatic tug of war with Iran to sway Iraqi
politicians regarding such a vote. However, this effort was dealt a major blow
when Washington conducted a bombing attack Sunday which targeted Khaitab
Hezbollah along the border with Syria, killing scores of Iraqis. The
justification for these attacks was retaliation for a series of rocket attacks
on an American military base that had killed one civilian contractor and wounded
several American soldiers. The U.S. blamed Iranian-backed Khaitab Hezbollah (no
relation to the Lebanese Hezbollah group), for the attacks.
There are several problems with this narrative, first and foremost being that
the bases bombed were reportedly more than 500 kilometers removed from the
military base where the civilian contractor had been killed. The Iraqi units
housed at the bombed facilities, including Khaitab Hezbollah, were engaged,
reportedly, in active combat operations against ISIS remnants operating in both
Iraq and Syria. This calls into question whether they would be involved in an
attack against an American target. In fact, given the recent resurgence of ISIS,
it is entirely possible that ISIS was responsible for the attack on the U.S.
base, creating a scenario where the U.S. served as the de facto air force for
ISIS by striking Iraqi forces engaged in anti-ISIS combat operations.
ISIS has emerged as a major feature in the Iranian thinking regarding how best
to strike back at the US for Suleimani’s death. The Iranian government has gone
out of its way to announce that, in the wake of Suleimani’s assassination, that
Washington would be held fully responsible for any resurgence of ISIS in the
region. Given the reality that Iran has been at the forefront of the war against
ISIS, and that Iranian-backed Iraqi militias such as Khaitab Hezbollah have
played a critical role in defeating ISIS on the ground, there is no doubt that
Iran has the ability to take its foot off of the neck of a prostrate ISIS and
facilitate their resurgence in areas under U.S. control.
Such an outcome would serve two purposes. First, U.S. forces would more than
likely suffer casualties in the renewed fighting, especially since their primary
proxy force, the Syrian Kurds, have been diminished in the aftermath of Turkey’s
incursion late last year in northern Syria. More importantly, however, is the
political cost that will be paid by President Trump, forced to explain away a
resurgent ISIS during an election year after going on record that ISIS had been
completely defeated.
But the real blow to American prestige would be for the Iraqi government to
sever relations with the American military. The U.S. bombing of the Iraqi bases
severely stressed U.S.-Iraqi relations, with the Iraqi government protesting the
attacks as a violation of their sovereignty. One of the ways the Iraqi
government gave voice to its displeasure was by facilitating access by
protestors affiliated with Khaitab Hezbollah to gain access to the highly secure
Green Zone in downtown Baghdad where the U.S. Embassy is situated, where they
set fire to some buildings and destroyed property before eventually dispersing.
While commentators and politicians have described the actions targeting the US
Embassy as an “attack,” it was a carefully choreographed bit of theater designed
to ease passions that had built up as a result of the U.S. attack.
Getting the Iraqi Parliament to formally reject the U.S. military presence on
Iraqi soil has long been a strategic objective of Iran. As such, Iran would be
best served by avoiding direct conflict with the US, and letting events take
their expected course.
If Iraq votes to expel American forces, the Trump administration will be tied up
trying to cope with how to manage that new reality. Add to that the problems
that will come in confronting a resurgent ISIS, and it becomes clear that by
simply doing nothing, Iran will have already gained the strategic upper hand in
a post-Suleimani world. The Trump administration will find it hard to sustain
the deployment of thousands of troops in the Middle East if there is no Iranian
provocation to respond to. Over time, the American presence will lessen.
Security will lapse. And, when the time is right, Iran will strike, most
probably by proxy, but in a manner designed to inflict as much pain as possible.
Trump started this fight by recklessly ordering the assassination of a senior
Iranian government official. The Trump administration now seeks to shape events
in the region to best support a direct confrontation with Iran. Such an outcome
is not in Iran’s best interests. Instead, they will erode Trump’s political base
by embarrassing him in Iraq and with ISIS. Iran will respond, that much can be
assured. But the time and place will be of their choosing, when the U.S. expects
it least.
*Scott Ritter is a former Marine Corps intelligence officer who served in the
former Soviet Union implementing arms control treaties, in the Persian Gulf
during Operation Desert Storm, and in Iraq overseeing the disarmament of WMD. He
is the author of several books, most recently, Deal of the Century: How Iran
Blocked the West’s Road to War (2018).
Europe Under Siege from People-Smuggling Gangs
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/January 07/2020
Current conditions in Hungary are ripe for a repeat of the migration crisis in
2015 and... the country is now in a "state of crisis".... More than 100,000
migrants are now gathered in the Western Balkans and although "the situation is
still under control," it is "beginning to look like the big crisis in 2015." —
Szilárd Németh, a senior official at Hungary's Defense Ministry, December 1,
2019.
Illegal immigration throughout Europe continues unabated. In France, for
instance, nearly 20,000 migrants have been arrested so far in 2019, according to
the police website France Bleu, which also reported that 189 people smugglers
have been arrested since January 1.
In Britain, The Telegraph newspaper reported that Albanian people smugglers were
posting advertisements on social media platforms, including Facebook, promoting
their ability to get people into Europe. The ads are accompanied by TripAdvisor-style
feedback comments from "satisfied" customers.... people smuggling gangs generate
profits of up to £6 billion (€7 billion; $8 billion) a year...
The light sentences reflect the leniency of the Spanish justice system, which
appears to encourage, rather than deter, people smuggling gangs.
People smuggling gangs generate profits of up to £6 billion ($8 billion) a year,
with migrants often paying more than £10,000 ($13,000) to secure illegal entry
into the UK, according to the deputy director of Britain's National Crime
Agency.
Hungarian police recently discovered two tunnels used to smuggle migrants into
Hungary from Serbia. The tunnels were found at the same time that Hungarian
police reported a five-fold increase in the number of migrants attempting to
enter Hungary.
Hungary is not alone: Border authorities in countries across the European Union
are struggling to stanch renewed flows of illegal migration. More than 126,500
migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East illegally entered the EU during
2019, according to the International Organization for Migration.
On November 29, Hungarian police detained 44 migrants who were found walking
along a highway near Ásotthalom, a village in southern Hungary. Police later
learned that the migrants had crossed into Hungary from Serbia by crawling
through a 34-meter (112-foot) hand-dug tunnel.
The oval tunnel, only 50 cm (20 inches) wide and 60 cm (24 inches) high, had
been dug as deep as six meters (20 feet) underground. It had gone undetected
because of thick foliage in the area and because the soil that was dug out of
the tunnel was dumped into a nearby canal.
A second tunnel was found in the village of Csikéria, around 40 km from
Ásotthalom. That tunnel was 21.7 meters (70 feet) long. No migrants were found
there. Police said they were deploying drones to search for other possible
tunnels.
At the height of the migration crisis in 2015, Hungary built two razor-wire
fences on its southern borders to stop or divert the flow of migrants making
their way to Western Europe. The newly-discovered tunnels were built underneath
those fences.
The number of migrants trying to enter Hungary illegally from Serbia increased
significantly in late 2019. Of the 11,808 people who attempted to enter Hungary
illegally during the first eleven months of 2019, 2,418 of those attempts were
made during just the month of November, according to Gergely Gulyás, Prime
Minister Viktor Orbán's chief-of staff. By comparison, 5,400 attempted to enter
Hungary illegally during the first eleven months of 2018.
On December 1, Szilárd Németh, a senior official at the Defense Ministry, warned
that current conditions in Hungary were ripe for a repeat of the migration
crisis in 2015 and that the country is now in a "state of crisis." Németh said
that more than 100,000 migrants are now gathered in the Western Balkans and
although "the situation is still under control," it is "beginning to look like
the big crisis in 2015." He added that if the migrants are "let loose" on the
Hungarian border, "there could be big trouble, and we must prepare for that
possibility."
On January 5, 2020, Németh announced that the Hungarian government would double
the number of soldiers patrolling the borders "in light of increasing migration
pressure."
Illegal immigration throughout Europe continues unabated. In France, for
instance, nearly 20,000 migrants were arrested in 2019, according to the police
website France Bleu, which also reported that 189 people smugglers were
arrested.
In Britain, The Telegraph newspaper reported that Albanian people smugglers were
posting advertisements on social media platforms, including Facebook, promoting
their ability to get people into Europe. The ads are accompanied by TripAdvisor-style
feedback comments from "satisfied" customers.
The Telegraph, citing police sources, also reported that people smuggling gangs
generate profits of up to £6 billion (€7 billion; $8 billion) a year, with
migrants often paying more than £10,000 (€12,000; $13,000) to secure illegal
entry into the UK.
In Italy, the newspaper Il Giornale reported that people smugglers were charging
up to €10,000 to bring Asian migrants to Europe on luxury yachts. The phenomenon
was described as "'first-class immigration': with no inflatable boats, no
dinghies, no people crammed and crowded en route to Lampedusa," but on real
yachts "in conditions considered decent."
Elsewhere in Europe:
Belgium
November 20. A dozen African migrants with spears and machetes attacked a
Romanian truck driver at a rest stop on the E40 motorway in Walshoutem. The
driver was sleeping in his truck when he was awakened by noise coming from the
back of his truck. When he went to investigate, the migrants attacked him. The
migrants had been trying to stow away in the truck in an effort to reach the
United Kingdom.
October 29. In Antwerp, 28 migrants were arrested at the Berchem railway station
after they failed to produce valid residence papers. Federal Police said that
the action was directed against illegal immigration and people smuggling and the
nuisance in and around the station that goes with it. Police said they were
focused on trains moving between Antwerp and Brussels. The arrested persons were
from Sudan (17), Eritrea (10) and Ethiopia (1). Eleven were minors.
Britain
December 31. At least 1,892 migrants successfully crossed the English Channel in
2019, according to the BBC. This represents a six-fold increase over 2018, when
283 migrants successfully crossed the Channel, according to the Home Office,
which also revealed that 130 people were convicted of people smuggling in 2019.
December 26. Approximately 50 migrants were rescued in the English Channel. The
migrants were intercepted while crossing towards the coast near Kent in four
small vessels at around 1.30 am. Two other boats were stopped by French
authorities and turned back. The migrants were said to be from Afghanistan, Iran
and Iraq.
December 5. Nineteen migrants were stopped while trying to cross the English
Channel on an inflatable boat. The migrants — eleven men, four women and four
children — were from Iraq and Iran.
December 4. Seventy-nine migrants crossed the English Channel in five small
boats. Three boats, carrying 48 people, were intercepted off the coast of Kent,
while eleven people were rescued from a fourth vessel. A fifth dinghy was found
abandoned on the beach in Kingsdown and 20 people were detained. It was believed
to be the second-highest number of migrants to cross the Channel in a single
day; 86 arrived on September 10.
November 26. Two people were arrested after ten migrants were found hidden in
the back of a truck while it was parked at a gas station on the A14 motorway.
Motorists watched on as the group were led out of the back of a truck by police
near a main road in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. At one point a swaddled baby
could be seen being cradled by its mother in the back of the vehicle.
November 25. Maurice Robinson, a 25-year-old truck driver from County Armagh in
Northern Ireland who is accused in the deaths of more than three dozen migrants
in Essex, pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to assist in illegal
immigration. The charges relate to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese people, including
children, who were discovered in the back of a refrigerated truck being driven
Robinson in what appeared to be a botched people-smuggling operation. One of the
victims, 26-year-old Pham Thi Tra My, sent distressed messages to family on the
evening of October 22. "I am dying, I can't breathe," the text read. Her family
said that they paid £30,000 (€35,000; $38,000) to people smugglers. Her last
known location was Belgium.
November 25. Three men were charged with using a camper to smuggle Albanian
migrants into the United Kingdom. Border Force officers at Dover said that they
found four migrants hidden inside the vehicle when it was stopped after crossing
from Dunkirk in France.
November 24. Thirteen migrants were rescued from a small boat crossing the
English Channel. The migrants were taken to Folkestone in Kent.
November 17. Four boats carrying 39 migrants arrived in Dover within three hours
of each other. The migrants claimed to be Iranian nationals.
November 10. Twenty-two migrants were intercepted off the coast of Dover.
November 9. Eight migrants were found on the back of a truck on the A14 motorway
near the village of Spaldwick.
November 8. Samyar Ahmadi Bani, a 35-year-old people smuggler, was sentenced to
six years in prison for attempting illegally to bring six Iranians into the
United Kingdom.
November 7. Mohammed Asif, a 34-year-old British-Pakistani from Oldham, was
sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for illegally obtaining
British passports for 11 migrants by using the stolen identities of deceased
people.
November 6. Fifteen migrants from Iraq and Iran were found leaving a
refrigerated truck on the A350 motorway near Chippenham. The driver, a man in
his 50s from Ireland, was arrested but later released on bail.
September 10. Border authorities intercepted 86 people in what was believed to
be the highest number of migrants arriving in a single day. The arrivals came
after warnings that the closure of a migrant camp in France could prompt a spike
in the number of attempted Channel crossings.
Cyprus
November 12. Cypriot authorities rescued 120 Syrian migrants from a boat adrift
off the island's southeastern coast. The Syrians were brought ashore in the Cape
Greco region after their vessel was sighted six nautical miles (11 km) off the
coast of Cyprus. Those on board said they had paid $4,000 each for the journey
to the smugglers, who managed to get away.
Finland
October 30. Two Iraqi residents in Finland were suspected of organizing the
illegal entry of individuals into the country. Finnish border guards found in
the men's possession several photographs of passports that had either been
reported stolen or missing. The offenses came to light when Russian border
officials barred an Iraqi man carrying a forged French passport from travelling
from St. Petersburg to Helsinki. Russian authorities later discovered that the
man had arrived in Moscow a day earlier, on an Iranian passport with an
authentic Russian visa. A preliminary investigation by the Finland Border Guard
unit determined that the Iraqi man had paid €4,500 euros ($5,000) for the French
passport.
France
December 31. At least 2,358 migrants were intercepted in the English Channel
while attempting to reach Britain in 2019, according to French police. This was
a four-fold increase compared to 2018, when 586 migrants were intercepted. In
2019, French police recorded a total of 261 crossings or attempted Channel
crossings, mostly involving small inflatable boats that were overloaded with
people. Approximately 45% of the crossings were successful, according to police.
December 30. Nineteen migrants were rescued off the coast of Dunkirk in the
north of France who were trying to reach Britain on a small pleasure boat.
December 29. A total of 31 migrants were rescued in two boats, one off the coast
of Calais and another near Dunkirk.
December 17. Ten migrants were intercepted off the coast of Cap Blanc-Nez.
November 24. Eleven migrants were rescued after their boat faced trouble nearly
seven miles west of Boulogne. They were suffering from hypothermia.
November 19. Four Iraqis and one Iranian were found in the back of a truck on
the A20 motorway near Argenton-sur-Creuse.
November 13. Three Syrians and a Sudanese were found in the back of a truck at a
Leroy Merlin depot in Valence.
November 6. Seven migrants in a vehicle were intercepted at a toll booth on the
A64 motorway in Hautes-Pyrénées. The driver, a West African with Spanish
residency, was also arrested on people smuggling charges.
November 2. Thirty-one Pakistani migrants were found in the back of a truck on
the A8 motorway during a police check at a toll booth near Nice. The migrants
were sent back to Italy.
October 31. Ten migrants, including from Eritrea, Pakistan and Somalia, were
found in the back of a truck at a rest stop on the A9 motorway in Fabrègues.
They had been trying to travel from Italy through France to reach Spain.
October 28. Eight Afghan migrants, including two children, were found with
hypothermia in a refrigerated truck at the port of Calais.
October 19. Thirteen migrants, including one child, were found in the back of a
cattle truck at the port of Calais. The British driver was detained by French
authorities. Four others were arrested by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA)
in a string of raids in Romford, London and Brentwood in Essex.
Greece
November 4. Greek police found 41 migrants, mostly Afghans, hiding in a
refrigerated truck at a motorway in northern Greece. Police stopped the truck
near the city of Xanthi for a routine check, arresting the driver and taking him
and the migrants to a nearby police station for identification.
Ireland
November 21. Sixteen migrants, believed to be from Iraq and Iran, were found in
the back of a truck travelling from France to the Irish port of Rosslare. They
were found in a "sealed trailer" on a Stena Line ferry ship sailing from
Cherbourg to Rosslare in County Wexford. The migrants reportedly believed they
were going to the United Kingdom.
Italy
December 10. Italian police dismantled an Asian migrant smuggling gang that
illegally brought thousands of Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis into Italy
and other European countries. Eight people were arrested in Italy and one in
France. It is estimated that in two years the group managed to move more than
1,000 migrants and made profits of over one million euros.
December 4. Italian authorities allowed two migrant rescue ships carrying a
total of 121 migrants to dock at ports in Sicily.
November 24. Italian authorities allowed the Spanish migrant rescue ship Open
Arms to disembark 62 African migrants at the southern Italian port of Taranto.
November 23. Five migrants died and 149 were rescued after their boat capsized
between Libya and the Italian island of Lampedusa.
November 3. An Italian offshore supply vessel Asso Trenta brought 151 migrants
to Sicily after rescuing them in waters off Libya.
November 1. A humanitarian rescue ship with 88 migrants aboard entered Italian
waters off Sicily to shelter from strong wind and waves. Sea-Eye said its vessel
Alan Kurdi was awaiting assignment of a safe port by Italy.
Slovenia
November 28. Two Syrians hidden in the trunk of a car died when the vehicle
carrying eight migrants crashed on a stretch of highway between Slovenia and
Italy.
Netherlands
November 19. Dutch authorities found 25 migrants stowed away in a refrigerated
container on a truck aboard a cargo ferry bound for Britain shortly after it
left the Netherlands. The vessel returned to the Dutch port of Vlaardingen. Two
of the migrants were taken to a hospital for treatment while the other 23
received a medical check-up at the port before being taken away by police for
processing. The Romanian truck driver was arrested and questioned for possible
involvement in people smuggling.
Macedonia
November 27. Twenty-five migrants, including seven minors, were injured when a
Bulgarian-registered truck in which they were riding overturned on a highway in
the northern town of Kumanovo. Police said 15 Afghans, nine Pakistanis and one
Iraqi were transferred to a local hospital. Police said that the migrants
entered Macedonia illegally from Greece.
Spain
November 30. Twenty-four migrants landed at Águila beach in the south of Gran
Canaria, in Spain's Canary Islands. The migrants had spent five days at sea.
November 29. Two Guinean migrants, aged 19 and 17, were found in a hidden
compartment of a vehicle that attempted to cross into the Spanish exclave of
Melilla from Morocco. Two Moroccan people smugglers were arrested.
November 27. Four migrants died and at least 10 more were missing after
attempting a sea crossing to Spain. The boat was found around 30 nautical miles
north of Melilla, a Spanish exclave city located on the northern coast of
Africa. Rescuers saved around 55 people, three of whom were in serious
condition.
November 18. A van carrying 52 migrants rammed at full speed a border fence at
the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. The driver, a 38-year-old Moroccan people
smuggler, was detained by Spanish police.
October 7. A Court in Teruel sentenced seven members of a people smuggling gang
to a cumulative total of ten years in prison. The group was found guilty of
trafficking persons between Iraq and the United Kingdom through Spain. The
scheme was discovered when police found 14 migrants inside two refrigerated
trucks on the A-23 motorway corridor between Sagunto near Valencia, Teruel and
Zaragoza. The ringleader, a 36-year-old Iraqi named Shwana Rafiq, was sentenced
to four years in prison; prosecutors had requested 14 years. His wife, Esperanza
Martínez, was sentenced to two years in prison; prosecutors had requested 12
years. The others involved were sentenced to six months each; prosecutors had
requested five years for each. The light sentences reflect the leniency of the
Spanish justice system, which appears to encourage, rather than deter, people
smuggling gangs.
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
© 2020 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
The Iranian Regime and the Pitfalls of Imperial Overreach
النظام الإيراني وعثرات تمدده الإمبراطورية المفرطة
Charles Elias Chartouni/January 07/2020
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/82101/%d8%b4%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%b4%d8%b1%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%86%d8%b8%d8%a7%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a-%d9%88%d8%b9%d8%ab/
By taking off Qassem Suleimani, President Trump has firmly put an end to the
skewed calculations of the Iranian regime predicated on unrestrained
discretionary power and unhindered movements throughout the larger Middle
Eastern spectrum. Once he apprehended that “ Khamenei thought Suleimani gave him
a competitive advantage, [he] took him off the board. With a drone not an
invasion force “ ( Michael Doran ). The message sent to Khamenei was
straightforward: as long as you are engaging a destabilization course by
fomenting regional wars and promoting terrorist activities, you are creating the
congenial embedding for a head on confrontation. The destabilization strategy
put forth by the regime has become too hazardous to be tolerated for a longer
period time, and the assassination of Qassem Suleimani is the outcome of this
destructive course and not its origin. The elimination of this key actor was
inevitable if the systematic unraveling of what’s left of the regional order is
to be contained with it’s attending cortege of civil wars, exponential
militarization of conflicts ( conventional, nuclear and Chemical ), and
politicized ethno-religious cleavages.
The ultimate wager of a discredited Islamic autocracy is to equate its survival
with the legitimate national security concerns of Iran. This has been its plea
throughout the last four decades and emergency exit, every single time its
survival collides with the endemic crisis of legitimacy. The emblematic figure
of Qassem Suleimani was paradoxically instrumentalized as a decoy to dispel
existential and strategic insecurities, whereas the overall recapitulation of
his murky records points towards the intricate conflicts induced by the
expansionism of an undermined Islamic revolution. The capitalization on his
assassination by the self defeating regime is another ploy to evade the mandated
reforms on the inside, and the critical diplomatic overtures on the outside. The
Mullah regime has an instinctive aversion towards any political, ideological or
strategic challenges which question its debunked credentials, failed governance
and conflict prone foreign policies.
Destabilization and perpetuation of conflicts, ideological mystification and
psychotic walling of the National imaginary, State terrorism and the trivial
recourse to violence, are the repertoire it draws on to secure its survival and
maintain the foreclosures. The strategic boldness demonstrated by the American
President and the projection of toughness are essential to thwart the ongoing
destructive dynamic, preempt the scenarios of regional chaos and unraveling of
the interstate system, the energizing of Sunnite extremism ( in its State and
terror movement variants -Saudi and Gulf oligarchies, ISIS and its acolytes- )
and keep the reformist yearnings alive in a decaying country. Hopefully, the
frenzied lamentations of Shiite rituals are not going to trump the dispassionate
calculations of responsible statesmanship. This murderous dystopia should come
to terms with the limits of corrosive cynicism and the sway of blood, if
conflict are to be addressed rationally and solved amidst so much violence,
irrationality and subliminal hatred.
Stop giving modern Islam a free pass
Amir Taheri/New York Post/January 09/2015
‘Something has changed!” That phrase dominated conversation, including the
media, in much of France a day after the worst carnage the country has
experienced in peacetime.
Some labeled the attack in the heart of Paris, in which Islamist terrorists
assassinated 12 people including five prominent journalists, as “our 9/11.”
At first glance, it did seem something had changed.
Hours after the attack on Wednesday and throughout the next day, France saw
hundreds of marches and gatherings, including some in small towns and villages,
to show solidarity with the victims of the attack and voice support for press
freedom and democratic rights. Posters and buttons with the slogan “Je Suis
Charlie” (“I Am Charlie”) showing support for the satiric weekly Charlie Hebdo,
sold like hot cakes and adorned shop windows, walls and clothes.
President Francois Hollande called a national day of mourning, with a minute of
silence observed nationwide by church bells chiming across the land. This was
the fifth time in the history of the Fifth Republic that France observed a day
of national mourning; the last, on Sept. 14, 2001, marked the 9/11 attacks on
the United States.
There were other symbolic gestures. Christian and Jewish leaders visited the
main mosque in Paris to pray with its imam. Scores of associations issued
messages of sympathy for the victims and their families.
On closer examination, however, there was little sign that a genuine debate on
the roots of the tragedy might start anytime soon. Whenever the discussion edged
close to the core of the issue, the usual suspects of multiculturalism and
political correctness intervened to put it on a different trajectory.
It seemed almost mandatory to assert that the attack, carried out by a three-man
commando of French-born jihadists of Algerian origin, had nothing to do with
Islam. The obvious question went unasked: If so, then why did the president and
prime minister — indeed the whole political elite — keep reassuring the “Muslim
community?”
The self-styled spokesmen for Islam, including a string of imams in a variety
of folkloric garbs, played the same comedy by insisting that the three jihadists
represented only themselves and that Islam is a religion of love and peace.
On the “love and peace” note, it’s remarkable that none of the “community
leaders” and “spokesmen” was prepared to label the three murderers as
jihadists or even terrorists, let alone “enemies of mankind.”
Instead, echoing President Obama, they all described the killing squad as
“violent extremists.” Even Hassan Chalghoumi, a Tunisian-born cleric regarded as
France’s “most moderate imam,” would go no further than describing the killers
as “misguided individuals.”
Some “Muslim spokesmen” tried to spin a web of confusion by using words and
phrases many French adore — “alternative narratives,” “ historic concepts,”
“discourse.” They recalled France’s 100-year colonial presence in Algeria,
though the Charlie Hebdo attackers had never been to Algeria and made it clear
they were seeking revenge for the Prophet.
In a Europe 1 Radio interview, Tariq Ramadan, a former adviser on Islam to the
government, even insisted that the attack should remind the French that all
lives are of equal value, including those lost by Muslims in Syria and Iraq. In
other words, if France takes part in the fight against ISIS, it must expect
attacks on its citizens. Non-Muslim talking heads,
meanwhile, warned against racism and Islamophobia, praised religious tolerance
and dwelt on the merits of multiculturalism and alterite (otherness) for all
communities. Leftist commentators tried to inject a dose of class warfare into
the debate by harping on the poverty in heavily Muslim neighborhoods.
All of this demonstrates the confusion that grips France with regard to Muslims,
now almost 10 percent of its population.
First, there is no “Muslim community.” French Muslims are divided into numerous
different sects and “ways,” with little or no organic contact among them.
In the Rochechouart neighborhood of Paris, you find mosques within a few hundred
yards of each other that attract believers on the basis only of nationality;
Algerians shun the Moroccan mosque, and vice versa. In fact, France allows
rival Muslim sects, people who would kill one another in any Muslim country,
the rare opportunity of peaceful coexistence.
Nor is Islam a race. Walk in a Paris street and you’ll likely run into Muslims
from all races.
Islam cannot be regarded as an ethnicity, either, as more than 50 countries
across the globe have Muslim majorities. And at least a fifth of France’s Muslim
citizens are long-established Frenchies who converted to Islam.
Nor is Islam a “class,” let alone an underclass or neoproletariat, as leftist
star Jean-Luc Melanchon claims. There are many super-rich individuals and
families among French Muslims.
And, for a while, it was fashionable for the French glitterati to convert to
Islam (the mystical Sufi version, of course) to thumb their noses at the
“materialist civilization” of the West.
This, in fact, is partly the subject of Michel Houellebecq’s latest novel
“Submission,” which was on the cover of Charlie Hebdo’s issue the day its
editorial office was attacked. The “hero” of “Submission” is a university
teacher who ends up converting to Islam after the election of an Obama-like
character as France’s new president in 2022.
The multiculturalist position on Islam is equally open to question — because
Islam is not a culture. Ask an Algerian if his culture has anything in common
with a fellow Muslim from Nigeria, and you’ll be laughed out of the room.
Neither a community, nor a race, nor yet a culture, an ethnicity or social
class, Islam can and must be regarded as what it claims to be: a religion.
Yet, as such, it should behave as a religion. That is to say: develop a
theology, some sense of transcendence and a moral structure to advocate and
defend a set of beliefs. However, this is precisely what modern Islam is not,
perhaps does not want to be.
Unable to perform as a religion, modern Islam (in most of its varieties) acts
like a political movement. It is obsessed with jihad and martyrdom, Kashmir,
Palestine, world conquest, hijab, beards, uniforms and other paraphernalia of
totalitarianism.
In many mosques, including some in France, God is given no more than a cameo
role, as jihadists, suicide bombers, hostage-takers and ISIS-style
throat-cutters get top billing.
On Thursday, Iran’s minister of Islamic guidance, Ali Jannati implicitly
justified the murder of Charlie Hebdo staff: “Press freedom can’t justify
insulting religion,” he said. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham went
further: “Freedom of expression should not include disparaging what is sacred.”
Meanwhile, the British group “Love Muhammad” announced plans to expand its
operation to the rest of Europe to “unite Sunni and Shia in a common love of Our
Beloved Messenger.”
The real problem is that Islam, refusing to do the job of a religion and acting
as a political movement is simultaneously demanding the deference that was once,
in pre-democratic times, due to religious beliefs.
If France, indeed Europe, has a problem with Islam, it is partly because Islam
has a problem with itself.
Iran strategy of ‘maximum pressure’ continues after the
killing of Qassem Soleimani
Mark Dubowitz/FDD/January07/2020
President Trump has been remarkably consistent even if the rest of Washington
hasn’t
The lawful killing of arch terrorist Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s
Quds Force, should be welcomed by all who applauded the liquidation of Osama bin
Laden by President Barack Obama.
Soleimani, like bin Laden, murdered and maimed thousands of Americans. He also
destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Israel,
Gaza — and in Iran itself.
A debate about the wisdom of the strike has predictably erupted in Washington
along partisan lines. But the chatter obscures a crucial question. Does
President Donald Trump have a coherent Iran strategy?
He does. It’s called “maximum pressure.” It wields all instruments of national
power to weaken the Islamic Republic of Iran. For three years, this strategy has
relied primarily on sanctions. Those sanctions have precipitated a severe
recession in Iran, depriving the regime of the money it needs to destabilize the
region, as well as a political crisis with mass demonstrations against the
mullahs and their proxies in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.
For the administration, if that strategy led to negotiations that improved upon
the fatally flawed 2015 nuclear agreement (a deal that enriched the regime and
gave it patient pathways to nuclear weapons as restrictions disappeared) that
was desirable. If it led to regime collapse, and a less hostile government, even
better. If it simply weakened the regime, leaving it fewer resources to
perpetrate violence, that would be fine, too.
What the strategy lacked was military deterrence. The regime in Iran has been
wreaking havoc across the Middle East with impunity. But there was a logic to
Trump’s approach.
While wary of conflict, his red line was American blood. Tehran attacked U.S.
allies and global energy assets for the past year without a response. Then
Soleimani killed an American and wounded four others in Iraq, and was reportedly
plotting additional attacks. Trump responded unequivocally.
With the Islamic Republic on its back foot, there’s little doubt the regime will
escalate. Trump has warned, however, that shedding more American blood will
prompt direct strikes against 52 targets across Iran.
Maximum pressure continues. If the regime isn’t careful, Trump could further
escalate pressure and even threaten the survival of the regime.
Trump has been remarkably consistent even if the rest of Washington hasn’t. It’s
now Tehran’s move.
*Mark Dubowitz is CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
An Iranian Attack On The U.S. Homeland May Already Be In The Works
MEMRI/January 07/2020
Following the January 3 killing of IRGC Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani in
a U.S. airstrike, Iranian authorities and media were quick to warn of
retaliation. IRGC commander Maj.-Gen. Hossein Salami promised "a strategic
revenge which will definitely put an end to the U.S. presence in the region."
Former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaie and current secretary of the Iranian
regime's Expediency Council tweeted that Iran "will take vigorous revenge on
America." Former Iranian defense minister Maj.-Gen. Hossein Dehghan said that
Iran would "for sure" target U.S. military personnel and bases; Iranian Majlis
member Abolfazl Abutorabi noted, "We can respond to them on American soil,"
adding that Iran "can attack the White House itself." Soleimani's newly
appointed successor, Esmail Qaani, promised "to continue the martyr Soleimani's
path with the same strength, and his martyrdom will be reciprocated in several
steps by removing the U.S. from the region."
The possibility of a threat to the U.S. homeland already has authorities on high
alert in major U.S. cities, including Washington DC, where a range of security
precautions has been taken at government sites; Los Angeles; and New York City,
whose mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted that he had spoken with top law enforcement
about "immediate steps" to "protect key NYC locations from any attempt by Iran
or its terrorist allies against America." The Department of Homeland Security
warned the U.S. public that while there is "no specific, credible threat," the
Iranian leadership and several affiliated violent extremist organizations have
publicly stated their intentions to retaliate against the U.S. and have shown
the intent, and the capability, to conduct operations in the U.S. – on top of
previous plots against homeland targets that have included scouting and planning
against infrastructure targets and cyber-enabled attacks against a range of
U.S.-based targets. Something else not mentioned publicly in these warnings is
the threat of a drone attack as retaliation.
It must be noted that for several years now, U.S. National Intelligence
Worldwide Threat Assessments have noted the growing threat of Iranian elements
inside the U.S. According to the National Intelligence 2018 assessment, "Iran
will continue working to penetrate [the] U.S." as it "cultivate a network of
operatives across the globe as a contingency to enable potential terrorist
attacks." The 2019 assessment stated that Iran will increase its cyber espionage
and attacks and will continue to seek political, economic and military advantage
over the U.S. It added that Iran will almost certainly further develop and
maintain terrorist capabilities – likely already used in the foiled mid-2018
plot to bomb an Iranian opposition event in Paris that was attended by prominent
European and U.S. figures.
There is clear evidence that the warnings in the Threat Assessments are valid;
Iran has tried to infiltrate the U.S. and may have pressed militias it supports
to attack U.S. targets. One of the most prominent cases was in October 2011,
when U.S. officials accused elements of the Iranian government including
Soleimani himself of plotting to assassinate Saudi Ambassador to Washington Adel
Al-Jubeir, a key advisor to Saudi King Abdullah, at a restaurant in the U.S.
It should be noted that Soleimani also posted on his Instagram account a
personal threat to attack the U.S. – a graphic image of himself using a
walkie-talkie in front of the White House as it explodes. The text accompanying
the July 28, 2018 image, and the text in the graphic, reads "We will crush the
USA under our feet," along with a request to readers to follow his Telegram
channel.
Two days later, on July 30, 2018, Soleimani posted a photo of himself giving a
speech. The image included a quote from his July 26 speech: "Mr. Trump, the
Gambler! Don't threaten our lives! You are well aware of our power and
capabilities in the region. You know how powerful we are in asymmetrical
warfare."
Arrests Of Iranian Elements In U.S. – Ongoing For Over A Decade
Iranian elements inside the U.S. have been arrested for offenses including
espionage, cyber crime targeting individuals, groups, and companies, and
violating the U.S. sanctions on Iran. One of the most disturbing and telling
recent cases was last August. Two Iranians, one a dual citizen and one a U.S.
resident, were arrested in the U.S. and indicted for allegedly conducting covert
surveillance on behalf of Iran of Israeli and Jewish facilities in the U.S.,
including a Chabad House in Chicago, as well as for collecting identifying
information about U.S. citizens and nationals who are members of the group
Mujahedin-e Khalq. This, said a Department of Justice official, "demonstrates a
continued interest in targeting the United States, as well as potential
opposition groups located in the United States."
Most recent is the case of Amin Hasanzadeh, who in November 2019 was accused of
stealing sensitive technical data from his employer in Michigan and sending it
to his brother in Iran, who has connections to the Iranian military. He has been
denied bond.
Earlier, on September 24, Iranian national Negar Ghodskani was sentenced to 27
months in prison for her participation in a conspiracy to facilitate the illegal
export of controlled technology from the U.S. to Iran. She had pleaded guilty to
helping establish and operate a Malaysia-based front company for the Iran-based
Fana Moj company which provides microwave radio systems and wireless broadband
access in Iran. Fana Moj's primary client is the state-owned Islamic Republic of
Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) – and both Fana Moj and IRIB are U.S. Department of the
Treasury Specially Designated Nationals. It should be noted that IRIB was
designated for assisting or denying the free flow of information to or from the
Iranian people and was implicated in censoring multiple media outlets and airing
forced confessions from detainees.
On September 19, a New Jersey man, Alexei Saab, aka Ali Hassan Saab, was charged
in a nine-count indictment for offenses related to his support for Hezbollah
and, separately, for marriage fraud. A member of the IJO, the Hezbollah unit
responsible for external operations, he had, while living in the U.S., "served
as an operative of Hezbollah and conducted surveillance of possible target
locations" to help Hezbollah "prepare for potential future attacks" against the
U.S. and had '"allegedly used his training to scout possible targets throughout
the U.S." and "surveilled multiple locations in major cities."
Prior to that, on July 16, the FBI announced the extradition and indictment of
an Iranian citizen and the indictment of two others for exporting material that
can be used in enriching uranium from the U.S. to Iran. They are charged with
violation, conspiracy to violate, and attempted violation of the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
In June 2019, an Iranian citizen was charged with conspiracy to acquire
U.S.-origin aircraft parts and goods to supply to Iran. Months earlier, in
February, former U.S. counterintelligence agent Monica Elfreide Witt had been
charged with spying on behalf of Iran, and four Iranians were charged with
running a cyber campaign targeting her former colleagues – a major PR
achievement for Iranian efforts.
In 2018 there were many other cases of Iranians and others involved in plots
inside the U.S. In December, the CFO of Huawei was arrested for allegedly
violating the sanctions, as was an Iranian scientist, arrested in November as he
arrived in the U.S. for a position as a visiting scholar.
Also in November, two Iranian nationals were indicted for deploying ransomware
to extort hospitals, municipalities, and public institutions, causing over $30
million in losses. In April, a New Jersey woman was charged with $2 million in
illegal sales to Iran and violating the sanctions, and three Bay-area
businessmen were indicted for using an "elaborate system of international wire
transfers" to send automotive parts to Iran, also violating the sanctions.
Earlier, in March, nine Iranians were charged with conducting a massive cyber
theft campaign on behalf of the IRGC, and an Iranian national was arrested for a
scheme to evade the sanctions by illicitly sending over $115 million from
Venezuela through the U.S. financial system. Earlier, in 2016, four men were
indicted on charges of violating the sanctions, and a U.S. man was charged with
illegally funneling approximately $1 billion in Iranian financial translations
through the U.S. Additionally, in 2015, four companies and five individuals were
indicted for illegally exporting technology to Iran.
Iranian Loyalists' Subversive Activity In The U.S. – Including Illegally
Subleasing Studio In MEMRI's Office Building
Another incident highlighting Iran's subversive activity inside Washington, D.C.
was its state-run Tehran-based Press TV's illegal subleasing, from a production
company, of a studio in the building housing the MEMRI offices. Press TV's
parent company is the U.S. Treasury-designated Islamic Republic of Iran
Broadcasting organization. Press TV itself is one of the channels MEMRI
monitors; its sublease was discovered when its staff was observed broadcasting
live from in front of the building. Once MEMRI notified authorities, Press TV
quickly vacated the premises. Last January, Press TV's activity made news in the
U.S. when anchor Marzieh Hashemi was arrested by the FBI in St. Louis on a
material witness warrant.
All these are only one part of Iran's highly valued army of supporters outside
Iran – and in the U.S. and the West. The Iranian religious and government
establishments openly boast that there is support inside the U.S. to do Iran's
bidding. Iranian Supreme Council for Cultural Revolution member Hassan Rahimpour
Azghadi said on Iranian TV on December 21, 2018 that Iran's influence is
worldwide, that it "has forces that are willing to sacrifice their lives" and
"has bases from North Africa to East Asia... [and] supporters inside America and
Europe."
Backing up these statements, some Shi'ite mosques and cultural centers in the
U.S. openly support the Iranian regime. On February 20, 2019, the Islamic
Education Center of Houston, posted on its YouTube channel a video of a February
17 ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran,
showing children singing: "Allah Akbar! Khamenei is our Leader!... we are your
followers, you are our Leader. We are your followers, we are your soldiers, and
together we can all be your power."
A speaker at a May 31, 2018 Dearborn, Michigan rally for International Qods Day
expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and said: "Not only will we witness
the liberation of Palestine, but Allah willing, we are going to play an active
role in it with our own hands..." Qods Day is a 1979 Iranian initiative taking
place on the last Friday of Ramadan; it is now marked by annual events
worldwide. MEMRI has also published reports on Iranian funding of Shi'ite
mosques in France and Germany; a MEMRI TV clip of a ceremony at a mosque in
Muenster, Germany featured a recitation of an oath of allegiance to Iranian
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran's Ayatollahs And Military Figures Are Threatening The U.S.
The MEMRI Iran Media Studies Project, which maintains the largest archives of
translated Farsi content from the past two decades, has documented Iran's
ayatollahs' and military figures' open threats to attack U.S. interests, made at
Iranian religious, political, academic, and media venues. The threats are coming
from, inter alia: Iran's Supreme Leader and defense minister and their
representatives; commanders, deputy commanders, and generals in branches of
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), including its Qods Force; top
Iranian Army officials, including the chief of staff and ground forces
commander; and regime officials, including members and former members of the
Majlis Foreign Policy and National Security Committees, the Assembly of Experts,
the Expediency Council, and the Supreme Council For Cultural Revolution. Regime
officials have not just threatened to attack the U.S. – they claim that there is
support within the U.S. to carry out attacks inside it.
Iran's top military and religious echelons are not only calling for, describing,
and orchestrating simulations of attacks on the U.S.; their speech is infused
with the language of annihilation and genocide, broadcast live on state
television, used in military drills, in Majlis sessions, and in sermons. This
constant stream of incitement from Iran's highest-ranking officials must be
denounced.
On September 26, Iran's Ambassador to Iraq Gen. Iraj Masjedi, formerly of the
IRCG, warned that "if the Islamic Republic is threatened," "the Americans'
locations, wherever they may be... may be bombed, anywhere in the world" and he
added, "This can be (in) America itself..."
Iran's Ofogh TV aired, on June 1, 2019, a documentary about a village event in
which a crowd of villagers gathered to watch as "missiles" were sent down
ziplines toward structures representing a U.S. naval vessel, the U.S. Capitol,
and other targets. The men punched their fists in the air and the women and
girls shrieked with delight and took pictures. The crowd chanted "Allah Akbar!
Death to America!" The event was attended by IRGC Officers College Commander
Gen. Ali Fazli and IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
An October 2018 video on Iran's Channel 5 showed Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei
with military leaders including Soleimani inspecting an IRGC foot drill
depicting the collapse of the White House with a Star of David atop it, as the
drilling soldiers sang "America, America, death to your deception!"
And, in a January 2019 threat against the White House, Ayatollah Lotfollah
Dezhkhan, Khamenei's representative in Fars Province, said in a Friday sermon in
Shiraz: "Until we turn the White House into a Hussainiya [Shi'ite Islamic
center], we will all continue to shout: 'Death to America!'"
Calls For Attacking And Destroying The U.S.
Senior Iranian military officers openly call not only for attacks inside the
U.S., but for its destruction. IRGC deputy commander Gen. Hossein Salami said in
a speech aired February 19, 2019 on IRINN TV (Iran): "We have plans to defeat
the world powers... We are planning to break America, Israel, and their partners
and allies. Our ground forces should cleanse the planet from the filth of their
existence."
In a March 24, 2018 Tasnim news agency interview, Iranian Army chief of staff
Abdolrahim Mousavi said: "We will be able to crush the murderous America at the
height of its power." Additionally, IRGC Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior
spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, said in an April 25, 2019 address: "We
courageously say, in obedience to the late imam [Khomeini], and out of respect
to our Leader [Khamenei]: We have powerfully, decisively, and actively proven
that we will squash America under our feet... Our front with America is never
defensive... We will squeeze America's throat until it chokes, so that humanity
is saved from America. This is our mission. This is our responsibility... In the
next 40 years, we must act quickly and powerfully to bring an end to America's
life."
*Steven Stalinsky is executive director of the Middle East Media Research
Institute and the author of "American Traitor: The Rise And Fall Of Al-Qaeda's
U.S.-Born Leader Adam Gadahn."
Increasing coal consumption a slap to Paris climate deal
Faisal Faeq/Arab News/January 08/ 2020
Despite international efforts to decrease dependence on coal to produce
electricity, the International Energy Agency (IEA) revealed that global coal
consumption was 65 percent higher today than it was in 2000. The news was
released immediately after the conclusion of the UN Climate Change Conference
(COP25) in Madrid last month, and it was significant that the Paris-based body
waited until the event had finished before releasing this singularly unpalatable
statistic to the public.
This means that global demand for coal is progressively increasing to meet the
growing demand for electricity.
So should we be applying our scrutiny of all fossil fuel carbon emissions
equally (coal, oil and gas) when it is demonstrably coal that is responsible for
most carbon emissions? Coal is the elephant in the room of carbon emissions,
with the elephant-sized carbon footprint to boot.
Increasing coal consumption is a solid slap to the face of the Paris Climate
Change Agreement and everything that it aspres to.
Coal remains the largest single source for generating electricity in the world,
particularly so in Asia with countries such as India, Indonesia, and Vietnam not
to mention China, relying heavily on the fossil fuel.
Coal is the elephant in the room ... with the elephant-sized carbon footprint to
boot.
When we consider how the Paris Agreement has failed to reduce coal consumption
in the largest consuming nations, it seems particularly hard to swallow all the
regulatory scrutiny that oil and gas continues to receive from both regulatory
institutions and the world’s media.
Over the last three years, $745 billion has been loaned to companies planning to
build new coalfired power plants, which we should remember, will be operational
for decades.
As the world continues to demonize oil, it may be time to refocus our attention
elsewhere and think seriously about dethroning old king coal.
• Faisal Faeq is an energy and oil marketing advisor, formerly with OPEC and
Saudi Aramco. Twitter: @faisalfaeq
Unpredictability may be Trump’s greatest strength
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Arab News/January 08/ 2020
Here’s a question: Would the world be a better place if the precedent
established by the assassination of Qassem Soleimani was the normal way of
settling disputes between military rivals? Instead of tens or hundreds of
thousands of civilians or young foot soldiers dying for the political ambitions
of some militant or regime, generals could just assassinate among themselves and
let the rest of us live our lives in peace.
But that is not what is going to happen next. Soleimani brutally abused
civilians across the Middle East for decades. He lived by the sword and it is
only fitting that he died by the sword. But, in Iran and among many of its
supporters in the region, he was celebrated as a war hero. This goes all the way
back to the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s — a war where up to 1 million people,
mostly civilians, died.
The US has, in one act, assassinated the most recognized war hero of the Shiite
resistance against “American imperialism” in the Middle East, as well as the
second most powerful man in the second largest country in the region. The regime
in Tehran and its Shiite proxies across the Middle East will have no choice but
to seek to avenge the killing, at least symbolically.
However, the Shiite radicals, at least for the time being and unlike the Sunni
Al-Qaeda and Daesh, do not have the same ability to organize significant attacks
outside of the Middle East. Up until now, they also did not have much
inclination to do so. This means that they do not have the capacity to strike
back at American political and military leaders, like Donald Trump just did to
Soleimani. Therefore, the brunt of any revenge attacks, if they come, will
likely be borne by ordinary servicemen in operations or in military bases across
the Middle East, by American civilians in the region who have traveled for
business, research or tourism and, most likely, by American diplomats and
embassies. Trump has demonstrated he is a “tough guy,” but he will not be the
one suffering the consequences.
A war with Iran would be catastrophic for America’s standing and influence in
the region and the wider world, which would move more countries into embracing
China and would have similarly disastrous effects on America’s fiscal position.
But Iran and their Shiite allies in the Middle East have no prayer of ever
threatening the American core. This may well be a war with no winners — but the
Islamic Republic in Tehran is guaranteed to be a loser.
Perhaps Trump hopes this will deter Iran from responding or escalating. If he is
willing and able to seemingly randomly assassinate people who should have been
untouchable, does Iran really want to provoke him any further? Or perhaps he is
only concerned with the domestic convenience of a war with Iran in the context
of his impeachment trial and the presidential election in the US this year, so
he is actively inviting Iranian escalation to position himself as standing up
for the US national interest.
This may well be a war with no winners — but the Islamic Republic in Tehran is
guaranteed to be a loser.
Perhaps Trump believes conflict is a price worth paying if it helps bring about
the collapse of the Iranian regime. But then what? Will the new Iranian
government be any friendlier to America? Does anyone expect this will quell any
of the fires that are raging in the Middle East? Does anyone expect that the
continued chaos in the region will not have repercussions farther afield,
including in the US?
Tehran knows that Trump may not have fully contemplated the implications of
these various scenarios. He is, after all, the president that offered Tehran
unconditional talks while at the same time threatening to overthrow the regime.
This may sound paradoxical and alien to foreign policy pundits, who are used to
seeing a clearly articulated “grand strategy” from every administration, but
there is reasoning behind the poker face approach. Candidate Trump made it clear
that he intends to be as unpredictable as possible, calling it the “doctrine of
unpredictability,” giving him the leverage to negotiate and navigate without
constraint.
For Tehran, this is a terrifying prospect. But, for Trump, unpredictability may
be his greatest strength at this stage.
*Dr. Azeem Ibrahim is a research professor at the Strategic Studies Institute at
the US Army War College, and Director of the Displacement and Migration Program
at the Center for Global Policy in Washington DC. Twitter: @AzeemIbrahim
Yemen’s Houthis seek revenge on behalf of Iran
Fatima Abo Alasrar/Arab News/January 08/ 2020
While the assassination of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani has unleashed
anger, turmoil and uncertainty in Iran, Iraq and the US, the chances are that
Yemen will also stand to be affected by his death. With Iran vowing to avenge
the killing of Soleimani by attacking US strategic interests and possibly
America’s allies, it will undoubtedly turn to the Houthis to answer the call.
Although Soleimani might have never visited Yemen, or even met with the leader
of the Houthi militia, Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi, the latter pledged to avenge the
“martyr” and vowed that his blood “will not be wasted.” On Monday, the Houthis
organized a rally, in which crowds carried pictures of Soleimani and Abu Mahdi
Al-Muhandis, the Iraqi Hashd leader who died with him. The rally condemned the
US airstrike and called for an end to the American intervention in the region.
The Houthi rhetoric around avenging Soleimani’s death is worrying, not only
because it risks entangling the group in the Iranian regime’s quest for a
vendetta against the US, but also because it risks causing further instability
by crushing the prospects of a negotiated peace settlement for Yemen as well as
between Yemen and its neighbors.
The relationship between the regime in Tehran and the Houthi militia has often
been underestimated and misunderstood. Much of this was because Iran preferred
to support the Houthis covertly, hiding behind plausible deniability for its
malign actions in Yemen.
Although Soleimani was not a household name in Yemen in the same way he was in
Iraq or Lebanon, he played a critical role in advancing Iranian interests there
and ensuring the Houthis maintained their power by training them in
unconventional methods, connecting them with the militias in the region, and
giving them experience in asymmetrical warfare — tactics that he was all too
familiar with. Soleimani left a cadre of militiamen from both the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah to train the Houthis, chief among them
being Quds Force commander Abdul Reza Shahla’i, who is wanted by the US
Department of Justice and is currently operating with the Houthi militia in
Sanaa.
Undoubtedly, Soleimani’s tactical and strategic talent boosted the position and
stature of the Houthis in Yemen by developing their military expertise,
providing political strategy, and supplying them with Iran’s latest weaponry. As
a mastermind devoted to serving his country’s nationalistic and expansionist
objectives, Soleimani ensured that the Houthis had the means by which they could
remain in power, including through UN-sponsored peace processes, which the
Houthis meticulously negotiated.
For his efforts and support, the Houthi leadership treated him with a great
sense of gratitude and loyalty. They fulfilled his vision by becoming one of the
main players in the “Axis of Resistance” network, which is made up of a
transnational alliance of pro-Iranian militias in Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and
Syria. The problem, however, is that this alliance regards the West and all of
its affiliates as a coalition that needs to be expelled. This does not stop at
the US or Israel, but rather includes Saudi Arabia and the UAE due to their
cooperation with the US.
This strict ideology, which the Houthis have endorsed, jeopardizes any
opportunities for peace and reconciliation within Yemen and the region. It is
difficult to see the Houthis seeking genuine peace within the country or with
Saudi Arabia while they continue to endorse a belief system that is based on the
idea of overthrowing the existing order in the Arabian Peninsula and replacing
it with a geopolitical alliance and sectarian doctrine that is absolutist in
nature.
Although Soleimani might have never visited Yemen, or even met with the leader
of the Houthi militia, Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi, the latter pledged to avenge the
“martyr” and vowed that his blood “will not be wasted.”
Ironically, the Houthis have always boasted that their movement is sovereign,
claiming that their internal affairs are free from foreign interference. In
reality, however, they are pursuing objectives that serve their Iranian patrons
and not their own people.
Under these circumstances, finding a peace agreement will be difficult if the
international community does not acknowledge the obstacles that stand in the way
of a resilient peace process. To be able to negotiate peace amid the current
toxic attitude of revenge, the UN will have to address the challenges in the
Houthis’ ideological dogma and acknowledge the excessive influence that Iran
covertly exerts on the Houthis. It is paramount that the UN mitigates these
challenges in order to achieve a realistic idea of how peace can be secured
while one side is under the influence of a reckless spoiler.
Overall, the UN special envoy to Yemen will have to work twice as hard as he did
last year to ensure that the Houthis do not escalate their conflict with Saudi
Arabia as a result of Soleimani’s death. Ultimately, the Houthis will need to
make a decision on whether they want to remain a militia with a narrow vision
and objectives or a state actor with a Yemeni identity, capable of governing
their country. This will be the ultimate test of their sovereignty and
independence.
*Fatima Abo Alasrar is a Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute in
Washington. Twitter: @YemeniFatima
Seven Challenges Facing the European Role
Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy/Asharq Al Awsat/January 07/2020
Given the close proximity of the Middle East to Europe, which in theory, should
offer a multitude of reasons to foster interdependence in many fields, it is,
therefore, only to be expected that the EU have an interest to play an important
role in helping the countries of the region overcome the crises and festering
problems that have held back the region for so long.
With the advent last December of a new political leadership at the EU, there
appears to be a heightened interest in an invigorated role on the world stage,
particularly in the Middle East. This becomes all the more important because of
the confusion reigning in US foreign policy. A fact that is expected to continue
for the foreseeable future.
Hopes are pinned on Europe to help solve the various crises that have plagued
the region. Whether it is in Syria, Lebanon, Libya or Iran. The efforts to solve
the Israeli-Palestinian problem, however, have been monopolized, lately, by the
US. With the talk of the “Deal of the Century”, Europe has all but, at least for
now, totally conceded to the US. No possible European role can be envisaged
until the US decides that it’s efforts have reached a dead end.
Regrettably, the EU has in the past focused its attention on short term rather
than strategic interests. This has been largely due to domestic political
reasons. The only exception is the JPCOA, but even that is now in jeopardy due
to the Trump administration’s policies. Europe’s policies for the past years
gave precedence to the issues of combatting terrorism, managing refugee inflows
and securing access to energy. This took precedence over efforts at resolution
of conflicts that are the underlying causes of instability. Europe merely
contented itself with a policy of containment. Even when it comes to energy,
Europe emphasized securing access to oil and gas, without help in creating a
comprehensive framework of interdependence, which would include, among other
matters, the issue of migration. To reflect this heightened interest, reports
have been produced in the last few weeks that dealt with how Europe can better
engage in the Middle East to secure its long-term interests.
The European Council for Foreign Relations (ECFR), while acknowledging that
despite Europe’s considerable economic and political partnerships with regional
players, “it is has been unable to influence the major shifts that have taken
place in the region” and “essentially is nowhere to be seen on the series of
interlinked regional crises that have such a powerful impact on their
interests”. It goes on to suggest how the EU can play a better role in securing
its long-term interests. It is without question that Europe possess the
political and diplomatic tools as well as the economic and financial resources
that make it possible to play a role in help dealing with root causes of
instability in the region.
The International Crisis Group (ICG), on the other hand, recommended that the
newly appointed High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Josep Borrell, focus the European Council’s attention on conflict prevention.
But there are raging conflicts that deserve the urgent attention of Europe. They
cannot be ignored. Four out of the seven priority areas designated by the ICG
are in the region: Sudan, Libya, Iran and Syria. The others being: Venezuela,
Bolivia and Ethiopia.
I have no doubt that the professionals, both at the EU, as well as in the
foreign policy institutions in the various European countries, will respond
positively to these recommendations. The question is whether European
politicians will act on the them. It is here where disappointments may well lie.
After a series of interactions with European political and business elites, I
have come to the conclusion that it is highly doubtful that Europe will take any
serious and sustainable initiative towards resolution of conflicts in the Middle
East in the near future.
There are a number reasons that lead me to this conclusion. First, Europe is
suffering from a crisis in leadership. The German-French axis that has provided
leadership in Europe is in abeyance for the time being. With Chancellor Merkel,
practically a lame duck, President Macron on his own cannot provide the kind of
leadership to address the threats and challenges Europe is facing.
Second, there is also a crisis in European institutions: with Brexit around the
corner, the EU needs to concentrate on how to adapt to this new reality, and it
also needs to deal with what appears to be an impending breakdown of the
international trading system. This will take up the most efforts of the EU
institutions.
Third, there are divisions among EU members on a variety of issues, both on the
Middle East and beyond. On the Middle East, there are divergent views on Libya,
Iran and Syria. Fourth, the EU is still incapable of decoupling from the US,
especially when it comes to military matters. That is clear when it comes to
Syria, but also on salvaging the JCPOA.
Fifth, at this point of time, and given the transition of the global
international system, Europe is focused on what it believes are existential -
security and economic - threats emanating primarily from Russia and China.
European political elites are now focused on how to protect the political system
from interference in elections and, maintain economic competitiveness by
ensuring that they do not lag behind in artificial intelligence and G5
technology, both of which it believes are in jeopardy due to Russian and China’s
policies.
Sixth, decision-making is further complicated by the fluidity in a political
system resulting from the rise of nationalistic populist parties that are
reshaping the political scene and may well lead to undermining the very
foundations of liberal democracy in Europe. This is a direct consequence of the
phenomena of migration and terrorism. Seventh, interestingly, what further
complicates Europe’s reaction to such threats and challenges is the divergent
positions taken by the political and economic elites. The former see a direct
threat from China, whereas the latter take the position that they cannot afford
to not cooperate with China if they want to maintain their future
competitiveness.
In short, there are many reasons that curtail Europe’s ability to take, and then
pursue, any serious or meaningful initiative in the Middle East for sometime to
come. This, however, does not mean Europe is incapable of contributing to
resolving and or preventing conflicts in the region. It is my view that Europe
cannot but respond, actively and constructively, to any meaningful initiative in
this regard. The question then is: from where does this initiative come? I
believe that any initiative needs to come from within the region itself. Whether
that is on Libya, Syria or Yemen.
In order to arrive at such an outcome, Arab countries need to agree on their
common priorities, and present initiatives that can attract interest by major
international players.