LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 19/19

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11/27-32: “A woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!’ But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!’ When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, ‘This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgement with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on January 18-19/19
Arab States Lower Representation at Beirut Summit after Libya Boycott
Aoun to Propose Initiative to 'Rebuild Destroyed Arab Countries'
Abul Gheit: No Arab Consensus on Syria's Return to Arab League
Egyptian Foreign Minister: We Will Make the Economic Summit Succeed
Bassil Says Syria 'Biggest Gap' in Arab Summit, Regrets 'Absence of Any State'
Report: Hariri Prevents Bassil Letter to Abu el-Gheit on Syria
Report: ‘Poor’ Arab Representation at Beirut’s Economic Summit
Khalil: Berri Won’t Partake in Arab Economic Summit
Bassil, Geagea Stress Importance of 'Reconciliation'
Bassil Hits Back at Franjieh: 'Servile People are Stabbing Us in the Back'
Hariri: Success is in Holding Summit after Attempt to Thwart It
LRF's 2018 'State of our State' Index Exposes Lebanon's Bleak Situations
Syrian Refugees Wade Through their Worst Lebanese Winter

Litles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 18-19/19
Kurds Demand Damascus for Mutual Recognition
Turkey Says Syria Regime Forces Shouldn't Be Allowed in Manbij
Syria: Over 2,000 Evacuated From Final ISIS Holdout
Coalition Hits Mosque Used by IS in Syria
Israeli Reports on US Amendments of 'Deal of the Century'
Head of UN Monitor Team Survives Houthi Shooting in Hodeidah
Doctor, Child Killed in Khartoum Protests
Zarif Meeting Tribal Leaders in Iraq Provokes Ire, Criticism
EU-Iran Special Trade Mechanism ‘About to Become Operational’
Iran Funds Homes in Gaza
German Diplomat Warns Iran From Repercussions of Its Espionage
Trump Grounds House Speaker, Scraps Davos Trip amid Shutdown
Tony Blair: UK Muslim activist groups promote ‘extremist world view’

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 18-19/19
LRF's 2018 'State of our State' Index Exposes Lebanon's Bleak Situations/Naharnet/January 18/19
A War to Achieve Modernity/by Alia Al Ganis/Gatestone Institute/January 18/19
Three Necessary Steps to End Brexit Madness/Barry Ritholtz/Bloomberg/January18/19
France: I Am Angry, Therefore I Am/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/January, 18/19
Turkey and Russia must heed lessons from the war in Syria/Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/January 18/19
A stable, secure Europe is in America’s interests/Luke Coffey/Arab News/January 18/19

Latest LCCC English Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on January 18-19/19
Arab States Lower Representation at Beirut Summit after Libya Boycott
Beirut - Caroline Akoum/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 18 January, 2019/Many heads of state have informed Lebanon that they would not attend the Arab economic summit in Beirut despite earlier confirming their presence. Their decision stems from some Lebanese parties objecting to invite Libya that has decided to boycott the event. Only Mauritania and Somalia’s presidents are attending the two-day summit that kicks off on Saturday, while the rest of the 18 Arab states are sending delegations at ministerial levels. The first Arab Summit for Economic and Social Development was held in Kuwait in 2009. It was followed by Sharm El Sheikh in 2011 and Riyadh in 2013. Speaking after his meeting with President Michel Aoun on Thursday, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit praised Lebanon’s efforts in organizing the event. "I think this summit is successful... Let's wait and see how the representation of Arab countries will be," he said. Despite the absence of Syria, which Aboul Gheit said did not receive the needed Arab consent for its return to the Arab League, caretaker Lebanese Economy Minister Raed Khoury told Asharq Al-Awsat that Damascus will be present at the summit through Aoun’s proposal for a financial mechanism on the reconstruction of the war-torn country, in addition to the issue of refugees. Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali said he rejected the invitation to the summit due to the "inappropriate approach" of the Arab League towards Syria. As part of "protocol rules," Lebanon's foreign ministry has sent invitations to the accredited ambassadors, including Syria, to attend the opening of the summit. Sources said Arab states decided to lower the level of their representation to the summit as a message to Lebanon following developments linked to Libya’s invitation. Libya announced its boycott after Amal movement supporters took down a Libyan flag erected on the road leading up to the Biel center in Beirut, where the summit will be held, replacing it with their own. “How can Arab heads of state come to Beirut in light of this situation, which revealed the absence of effective state authority,” the sources said.
Amal objects that Lebanon builds ties with Libya due to the 1978 disappearance of the movement’s founder, Imam Mousa al-Sadr, and two of his companions during an official visit to the country.

Aoun to Propose Initiative to 'Rebuild Destroyed Arab Countries'
Naharnet/January 18/19/President Michel Aoun will on Sunday propose an initiative for rebuilding “destroyed” Arab countries, a minister from his bloc said. Caretaker Economy Minister Raed Khoury said Aoun will make the suggestion during his participation in the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit that Beirut is hosting. The president will call for “devising a mechanism for funding the reconstruction of the Arab countries that have been destroyed” during the Arab Spring uprisings, Khoury added. “The importance of President Aoun's four-year chairmanship of this summit lies in the fact that he will closely follow up with the Arab League in order to put the summit's resolutions into action,” the minister went on to say.

Abul Gheit: No Arab Consensus on Syria's Return to Arab League
Naharnet/January 18/19/Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit said Friday that the League's member states have not yet reached a consensus on Syria's return to the 22-member bloc. "When there is an Arab consensus, and when we are sure there is no objection from one side or the other, it will be as simple as putting it on the agenda of a meeting" of Arab foreign ministers, he said at a Beirut joint press conference with caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil. The press conference was held as part of the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit that Beirut is hosting. Bassil earlier on Friday called for the Arab League to readmit Syria, more than seven years after it suspended Damascus' membership. The issue of whether or not to invite Syria to the summit and Lebanese calls for reinstating its Arab League membership has stirred controversy in Lebanon. The issue of Libya's participation has also led to protests on the ground that involved the removal of Libya's flag from a pole near the summit's venue at the hands of AMAL Movement supporters. The Arab League suspended Syria in November 2011, as the death toll rose in the regime's brutal repression of anti-government protests. But in recent years, President Bashar al-Assad's forces have gained the military upper hand against rebels and jihadists, and efforts to bring his government back into the Arab fold appear underway. Syria's war has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since it started with anti-government protests.

Egyptian Foreign Minister: We Will Make the Economic Summit Succeed
Naharnet/January 18/19/Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri said from Baabda on Friday that efforts will be made to make the economic summit scheduled in Beirut “succeed,” after it has been marred by controversy days before delegates arrive. “We will make the summit succeed. The frequency of mutual visits at the bilateral level underscores the mutual interest in improving the relationship and contributing to the stability of Lebanon,” Shoukri said in remarks to reporters after holding talks with President Michel Aoun. The Egyptian minister expressed “Egypt’s full support for Lebanon, its stability and security in order to achieve this end,” he said. The two men discussed bilateral relations between the two countries, expressing mutual interest in strengthening them.

Bassil Says Syria 'Biggest Gap' in Arab Summit, Regrets 'Absence of Any State'
Naharnet/January 18/19/Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil has described Syria's absence as the “biggest gap” in the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit that kicked off in Beirut on Friday. “We must embrace Syria instead of throwing it into the hands of terrorism, without awaiting a permission from anyone for its return” to the Arab League, said Bassil at the summit's opening session at Beirut's Phoenicia Hotel. “Syria is the biggest gap in our conference today and we feel the heaviness of its absence,” he added. And thanking “every state that has attended, at any level, despite the bad circumstances surrounding our region and country,” Bassil lamented “the absence of any state” and regretted that “we, as Arabs, do not know how to preserve each other.” “We rather excel in alienating each other and weakening ourselves through losing each other,” the FM decried. “I thank you all because you are here and because you still believe in Lebanon and the Arab League despite the failure that is hitting us,” Bassil went on to say. At the opening of the session, the minister had asked his Arab counterparts to “observe a moment of silence in tribute to the souls of the martyr Rafik Hariri and all presidents, PMs and citizens in Lebanon and the victims of terrorism in the Arab world.”Marred by weak representation amid the absence of the majority of Arab heads of states, the summit has also been surrounded by controversy at the domestic Lebanese level in connection with the participation of Libya and Syria. Syria is not attending the summit seeing as its membership of the Arab League is still suspended. Libya has meanwhile decided to boycott it in protest at an “insult” addressed to its flag which was removed from a pole near the summit's venue and eventually burned at the hands of supporters of Speaker Nabih Berri's AMAL Movement. Threats were also addressed to the Libyan delegation and a number of Libyan businessmen were reportedly barred from entering Lebanon via Beirut's airport. Berri and AMAL have protested against the invitation of Libya in connection with the 1978 disappearance of AMAL founder Imam Moussa al-Sadr, a revered Shiite cleric. The former regime of slain Libyan leader Moammar al-Gadhafi is accused of kidnapping him. Berri and AMAL have argued that the new Libyan authorities have not exerted enough efforts to unveil his fate.

Report: Hariri Prevents Bassil Letter to Abu el-Gheit on Syria
Naharnet/January 18/19/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has reportedly banned caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil from sending a letter to Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit requesting the return of Syria to the Arab League, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.
According to the daily, Bassil has prepared the letter requesting Abul Gheit to call the Arab League for an “urgent extraordinary” meeting for the return of Syria to the council. However, it said that Hariri has rejected Bassil’s request and prevented him from sending the letter. In 2011, Syria was suspended from the Arab League over its failure to end the bloodshed cause by brutal government crackdowns on pro-democracy protests in a move that aimed to increase the international pressure on President Bashar al-Assad. The daily said it was able to obtain a copy of the letter which read “today is the time to fix the mistake. We ask your Excellency to call for an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Arab Foreign Ministers for Syria's return to the Arab League, and invite Syria to the Beirut economic summit on January 20, 2019.”An Arab Economic and Social Development Summit, or AESD, that Lebanon is hosting this weekend has been marred by controversy days before delegates arrive. The question of whether to invite Syria, whose membership in the Arab League was suspended in 2011, quickly became an issue. Pro-Syrian groups led by Hizbullah have insisted that the Syrian government should be invited.

Report: ‘Poor’ Arab Representation at Beirut’s Economic Summit
Naharnet/January 18/19/The Arab Economic and Development Summit will take place on Sunday in Beirut amid “poor” Arab representation after the majority of Arab countries cut down their level of participation which made many describe the upcoming summit “a failure,” al-Joumhouria daily reported Friday. Beirut’s summit will be held in the absence of kings and state leaders (with the exception of the heads of Mauritania and Somalia), as well as in the “absence of prime ministers and even foreign ministers,” in an unprecedented “low level” of participation since the Arab league was founded in 1945. Lebanon had aspiration to showcase its role through the summit it is hosting, but the level of attendance revealed “meagre and failed” Lebanese diplomacy, in addition to its inability to convince any Arab country to attend this summit, added the newspaper. Visitors to President Michel Aoun said he was “surprised” at the series of apologies from kings, presidents and Arab princes, after they confirmed attendance at the summit. Aoun, who is following the ongoing preparations for the summit, was quoted as saying “Lebanon has presented everything it was asked to, to host a special summit,” but affirmed that the summit will be held on time. Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Jaber al-Sabah, on Thursday apologized for personally participating in the summit. Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are going to dispatch their prime ministers. Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, also apologized. For his part, the Syrian ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul Karim Ali said his country received Lebanon’s invitation to the summit but won’t be able to attend because the Arab League’s positions from Syria was “abnormal," since it was suspended from the Arab League in 2011. Libya, on the other hand, has officially decided to boycott the summit, after AMAL Movement supporters removed Libyan flags and addressed insults to Libya near the summit's venue over the disappearance of AMAL Movement founder Imam Moussa al-Sadr. AMAL accuses the former regime of slain Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi of kidnapping its revered founder, al-Sadr, during a visit to Libya in 1978.

Khalil: Berri Won’t Partake in Arab Economic Summit
Naharnet/January 18/19/MP Anwar al-Khalil, a member of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's AMAL Movement, revealed on Friday that Berri is not going to participate in Beirut’s Economic and Social Development Summit. In remarks he made to VDL radio (93.3), Khalil said the Speaker will not attend the summit: “Several state leaders have apologized for not being able to attend the summit, which is going to affect the attendance quality. The reasons are many, but the most important reason is that Lebanon still has no government.”Khalil added stressing the need to push the government formation process forward, saying “Lebanon’s failure to form the government affected the level of participation in the summit.”Earlier, Berri suggested the summit be postponed due to the absence of a fully functioning government. A lot of Arab countries have announced that their rulers will not attend the January 19-20 summit. Media reports said the summit will be attended by only four heads of states. And as Egypt said its prime minister will represent the country, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas apologized Wednesday for not being able to attend the summit and so did Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Libya has meanwhile decided to boycott the summit in protest at an “insult” addressed to its flag which was removed from a pole near the summit's venue and eventually burned at the hands of supporters of Berri's AMAL Movement. Threats were also addressed to the Libyan delegation and a number of Libyan businessmen were reportedly barred from entering Lebanon via Beirut's airport. Berri and AMAL have protested against the invitation of Libya in connection with the 1978 disappearance of AMAL founder Imam Moussa al-Sadr, a revered Shiite cleric. The former regime of slain Libyan leader Moammar al-Gadhafi is accused of kidnapping him. Berri and AMAL have argued that the new Libyan authorities have not exerted enough efforts to unveil his fate. Syria will not attend the summit seeing as its membership of the Arab League is still suspended.

Bassil, Geagea Stress Importance of 'Reconciliation'
Naharnet/January 18/19/Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday marked the third anniversary of the landmark Maarab reconciliation between their two parties. “In politics, several things change, but the reconciliation was a profound action that we carried out together with the LF and it is higher than all agreements,” Bassil tweeted. “We salute the souls of all martyrs and tell them that there will be no reversal of the reconciliation but rather a return to our agreement and its spirit,” the FPM chief added. “Democratic competition is necessary and it should strengthen rather than weaken us,” he went on to say. Geagea meanwhile posted on Twitter a picture of himself alongside President Michel Aoun, Strong Lebanon bloc secretary MP Ibrahim Kanaan and caretaker Information Minister Melhem Riachi. The picture carried the phrase “A Historic Reconciliation for the Sake of the Future”.Kanaan for his part tweeted that the FPM-LF reconciliation “has been and will always be a safety net for Christians and their national principles.”Both parties have sought to distance their historic 'reconciliation' from the political differences that have put an end to a political agreement signed between them in 2016 in Maarab. The two parties parted ways during the 2018 parliamentary elections and their ministers clashed several times in Cabinet over several files. They have also locked horns over their ministerial seats in the new government, which is yet to be formed, before a settlement was eventually reached over the LF's number of seats.

Bassil Hits Back at Franjieh: 'Servile People are Stabbing Us in the Back'
Naharnet/January 18/19/Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil on Thursday lashed out at Marada Movement leader ex-MP Suleiman Franjieh without naming him. “The difference has once again become clear between those who are independent and those who are servile,” Bassil tweeted. “Some are fighting to regain rights and some have surrendered and are totally submissive. They only fight the fighters. They are stabbing in the back and in the flanks, but they are not stabbing us but are rather stabbing people and their rights. Until when shall we remain silent and patient?” Bassil added, in an apparent jab at Franjieh. Earlier in the day, Franjieh had reiterated his rejection of granting President Michel Aoun and the FPM 11 ministers in the new government, or what constitutes a so-called one-third-plus-one veto power. “We, as a Christian group, are against granting the one-third-plus-one veto power for those who want to use it against the rest of Christians,” he said. The Bkirki summit on Wednesday had witnessed bickering between Franjieh and Bassil, who said that “the one-third-plus-one veto power would strengthen the country, the state institutions and the President.”Franjieh hit back, saying “the one-third-plus-one veto power will be used against the Lebanese Forces and Marada.”

Hariri: Success is in Holding Summit after Attempt to Thwart It
Naharnet/January 18/19/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Friday downplayed the absence of the majority of Arab leaders and senior officials from Beirut's Arab Economic and Social Development Summit, saying success lies in holding the summit despite the controversy that has surrounded it.
“Regardless of representation, success lies in holding this summit because there was an attempt to prevent it from taking place,” Hariri told reporters after meeting Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit. “What's important is that the summit has taken place and any present delegation is representing its country,” the PM-designate added. “I expect the summit to achieve positive results and its convention in Lebanon is a very good thing,” Hariri went on to say. Organizers of the summit initially said that seven Arab heads of state would attend Sunday's summit which is being held in Lebanon for the first time. But only two heads of state are now expected, the leaders of Somalia and Mauritania, after several others pulled out despite previously having confirmed their attendance. Their absence appeared to be a snub to Lebanon, where pro-Syrian groups led by the Iranian-backed Hizbullah have insisted that the Syrian government should be invited. The summit, which Lebanon had hoped would boost Lebanon's sinking economic credentials, has been marred by controversy days before delegates arrive. Inviting Syria was only one issue. A days-long debate raged over whether Libya should get an invitation, because of the unresolved mystery surrounding the disappearance of revered Lebanese Shiite cleric Moussa al-Sadr in Libya four decades ago. Libya decided to stay away from the meeting after Lebanese supporters of the cleric tore down a Libyan flag on a Beirut street. The AESD was formed in 2009 as an exclusively economic and development conference that tends to involve the private sector, including banks, chambers of commerce, industry and agriculture. The agenda does not include the reconstruction of Syria, much of it ruined in nearly eight years of civil war.

LRF's 2018 'State of our State' Index Exposes Lebanon's Bleak Situations
Naharnet/January 18/19
The Lebanon Renaissance Foundation has released its 2018 version of the State of our State index, which points to further deterioration in the basic functions of the Lebanese state. “State of our State compiles, on annual basis, the observations of 13 people hailing from diverse backgrounds, and all ranking and senior members of the Foundation (civil society activists, former officials and business leaders) and whose profiles can be found on LRF’s website under About Us - Board of Directors and Senior Staff,” LRF said in a statement emailed to Naharnet. “Basic functions of a State are to provide physical security, efficient institutions and a capable administration. The Goal of this index is to evaluate Lebanon’s situation and share results with the Lebanese public in a succinct manner. It also enables us to prioritize initiatives that are to be addressed by our foundation,” LRF added. Inspired by similar approaches created by various research and analysis groups, 13 criteria have been specifically adopted to reflect the Lebanese conditions. Those same criteria are also evaluated for a model country, Norway, thus enabling the final Lebanese result to be compared to a benchmark would be model. Each of the following 13 criteria is evaluated on a 0 to 10 scale (worst to best) by the evaluators for both Lebanon and Norway and a simple arithmetic average for all evaluators comes out as the index figure for the elapsed year.
1. Stability over 3 years (LEB 4.1 - NOR 8.4)
2. Citizens’ personal security (LEB 4.2 – NOR 8.6)
3. Government control over territory (LEB 4.0 – NOR 9.2)
4. Capacity to resist foreign influence (LEB 2.0 – NOR 8.2)
5. Rule of law (LEB 2.9 – NOR 8.7)
6. Quality of political leadership (LEB 1.3 – NOR 8.1)
7. Freedom of speech (LEB 4.4 – NOR 8.4)
8. Cultural and religious tolerance (LEB 5.1 – NOR 7.6)
9. Efficiency of civil society (LEB 4.2 – NOR 7.9)
10. Limiting corruption (LEB 1.4 – NOR 8.1)
11. Confidence in public institutions (LEB 2.2 – NOR 8.7)
12. Economic transparency (LEB 2.4 – NOR 8.2)
13. Sovereign debt settlement record (LEB 4.4 – NOR 9.0)
Last year (2017) result:
Lebanon 3.4/10
Norway 8.5/10
The evaluation process is established in January on yearly basis, enabling the index release within the same period.
Minor improvements in the elapsed year were offset by the worst ever scores in the following criteria:
- Quality of political leadership
- Capacity to resist foreign influence
- Limiting corruption

Syrian Refugees Wade Through their Worst Lebanese Winter
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 18/19/Snowstorms and weeks of bad weather have turned Lebanon's lush Bekaa Valley into an unliveable swamp for tens of thousands of Syrian refugees. The Litani river flooded many of the fields stretching across the two majestic mountain ranges flanking the Bekaa after this year's second major storm hit on Wednesday. Some families had barely finished repairing their tents when the most severe winter they have faced yet unleashed another crushing night of snow, wind and flooding. "We spent all night emptying the tent but the water kept coming in," said Thaer Ibrahim Mohammed, a red and white headscarf wrapped around his head. "This is the worst winter," said the greying man. Gaggles of children made the most of the afternoon sun and pulled rubber boots on their bare feet to romp in the camp's sludgy alleys and have snowball fights. The shelters in "Camp 040", which lies on the edge of the village of Delhamiyeh and is one of the many informal settlements that dot the valley, are all the same. They were erected on concrete slabs and their roofs are held down with used tyres. Their tarpaulin walls provide a flimsy protection against strong winds and freezing temperatures. The camp looks like it could have sprung up just weeks earlier but many of its residents have lived there since 2012, when the Syrian conflict escalated.
Aid scramble
Abu Ahmad, a native of Homs spending his seventh winter in Lebanon, said aid was inadequate. "This year there was a lot of rain. But humanitarian organisations have reduced aid," he said, standing on a brick placed as a stepping stone in a muddy puddle. "You just need to look: do you think this sheeting keeps us warm or keeps the water out? They gave us nothing, no new tarps, no firewood, nothing," the young man said. Aid organisations say they are doing their best to distribute emergency aid to the most vulnerable among the estimated 340,000 refugees living in the Bekaa valley. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said close to 24,000 people were affected by extreme weather conditions. Some tents were destroyed by the storms that elsewhere in Lebanon have cut the main road to Syria several times, flooded the highway north of Beirut and forced schools to close. Relief agencies have had to relocate families who were left homeless, once again, in several feet of snow. Fatima, a 20-year-old refugee originally from the main northern Syrian city of Aleppo, had to leave her tent with her family but opted to squeeze in with neighbours. "The tent is totally flooded, we can't live in it. So we took our things and left, what else can we do?"

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on January 18-19/19
Kurds Demand Damascus for Mutual Recognition
London - Ibrahim Hamidi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 18 January, 2019/Syrian Kurdish officials have proposed a “roadmap” to the guarantor Russian State demanding a series of measures from the Syrian regime in exchange for recognizing it. In the 11-clause document, a copy of which was obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, Kurds requested that Damascus approves their self-rule in the northeast of the country. In return, they proposed to recognize “elected President Bashar Assad,” and the centralized state, along with its borders, flag and the army. An official told Asharq Al-Awsat that Kurdish officials have handed over to Russia a detailed proposal including the same principles listed by top commander of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) Sipan Hemo during his two-day unofficial visit to Damascus and Moscow at the end of last year. Kurds have demanded Moscow to act as the guarantor to any agreement with Damascus. Hemo had visited Damascus and Moscow to make a “secret offer” on the group’s approval to hand over the border area with Turkey to the “Syrian State” in exchange for forming a local administration under Russian guarantees. Days after US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull US forces out of Syria, Hemo traveled to the Russian military base in Hmeimim, then held a secret meeting in Damascus with Syrian intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk and Defense Minister Gen Ali Abdullah Ayoub, in the presence of a Russian military delegation. According to the Kurdish official, the “roadmap” stipulates that Syria is a unified and centralized state with its capital Damascus, and its current international borders. In the text, Kurds also admit that “Bashar Assad is the President of all Syrians in line with the elections held in 2014.”It also notes that the country’s natural resources are a national wealth shared by all Syrians. Around 90 percent of Syria's oil comes from the region that Kurds control. The text also noted that Kurds recognize a single army for the Syria state. But the Kurds have sought to negotiate a deal for the Syrian Democratic Forces, which has 70,000 to 80,000 fighters, to be integrated in the national army.

Turkey Says Syria Regime Forces Shouldn't Be Allowed in Manbij
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 18/19/Turkey on Friday insisted Syrian regime forces should not be allowed in Manbij as US troops withdraw, as proposed by a US-backed Kurdish militia viewed as terrorists by Ankara. The strategic northern city has been held by the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia since 2016 after they recaptured the territory from Islamic State jihadists. But Ankara, who says the YPG is a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), has repeatedly called for the militia to leave the city. "The YPG's efforts to stick the regime in Manbij must absolutely not be allowed," Turkish Foreign Ministry Hami Aksoy said during a press conference in Ankara. Backed by Washington, the militia has spearheaded the fight against IS but was taken aback when President Donald Trump made the shock decision to pull out 2,000 American ground forces from Syria. Four Americans, including two US soldiers, were killed this week in Manbij in a suicide attack claimed by IS. Turkey has repeatedly threatened to attack the YPG and said it would set up a "security zone" in northern Syria following a suggestion by Trump. Last month, the YPG called on the regime to "assert control" over areas the militia was to withdraw from, including Manbij, to stop a "Turkish invasion" and fiercely rejected a "security zone". Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that the Syrian regime must take control of the country's north. Turkey, which supports Syrian rebels and has called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster, has conducted two previous offensives in Syria against IS and the YPG in 2016 and 2018. In March last year, Turkish military forces supporting Syrian rebels recaptured the YPG's western enclave of Afrin in Syria. Turkey-US relations have been rocky in recent years over Washington's support to the YPG as well as the US failure to extradite a Pennsylvania-based Muslim preacher accused of ordering a failed coup in 2016. Aksoy said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu would go to Washington for a meeting of the US-led coalition against IS on February 6. And one day before Cavusoglu's visit, a Turkish delegation led by deputy foreign minister Sedat Onal will go to the US for discussions on Syria. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a loyal Trump supporter, was in Turkey on Friday for meetings with Turkish officials including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Cavusoglu.

Syria: Over 2,000 Evacuated From Final ISIS Holdout
Beirut, London- Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 18 January, 2019/More than 2,000 people including dozens of ISIS fighters left the group’s final holdout in eastern Syria in the past 24 hours, a monitor said Wednesday. US-backed forces are waging a final assault on the area east of the Euphrates river and have provided buses to evacuate civilians and fighters trapped inside. “In total, 2,200 people have left in the last 24 hours, including 180 ISIS fighters,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It said around 1,100 people, “mostly women and children as well as 80 ISIS members” had left in a convoy around noon on Wednesday. Traveling in private cars and buses provided by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), they were headed for camps run by the US-supported group, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. The SDF, backed by air strikes from a US-led coalition, in September launched an offensive to oust ISIS. Abdel Rahman said over 20,000 people have fled the area since the start of December, including Syria, Iraqi, Russian and Somali fighters. The United Nations said Friday that overall some 25,000 people have fled the violence over the last six months as the die-hard jihadists have battled to defend their dwindling bastions. Abdel Rahman said the outflow of evacuees had accelerated in recent days, with some 5,300 people including 500 ISIS fighters leaving since Friday, when the SDF-run evacuations started. Thousands of people had already fled on foot before that. The SDF has captured multiple districts in recent weeks, but ISIS still controls the village of Sousa, where the Kurdish-dominated force has been preparing for a final assault. US-led strikes against the militant group’s final positions intensified on Wednesday. That came after a suicide attack killed four US personnel in the northern town of Manbij, costing Washington its worst combat losses in the war-torn country since 2014 as it prepares to withdraw.

Coalition Hits Mosque Used by IS in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 18/19/The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria destroyed a command center in a mosque in the war-torn country on Thursday, officials said. The strike is another indication that IS has not been "beaten" in Syria, as Trump claimed last month when he ordered the withdrawal of US forces from the country. Coalition aircraft "destroyed an ISIS command and control facility in a mosque in Safafiyah," a coalition statement read, using an alternate acronym for IS. "ISIS continues to violate Law of Armed Conflict and misuse protected structures like hospitals and mosques, which cause a facility to lose its protected status," the statement added. IS holdouts in Syria are mainly in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor. Four Americans, including two US soldiers, were killed Wednesday in a suicide blast claimed by IS in the northern city of Manbij.
It was the deadliest attack against US forces since they first deployed to Syria four years ago.

Israeli Reports on US Amendments of 'Deal of the Century'
Ramallah, Tel Aviv- Asharq Al-Awsat and Nazir Majli/Israeli political sources circulated reports about “improvements” made by the US Administration to the initial text of the Middle East peace plan, including “amendments that allow the Arabs to agree to negotiate”. The reports noted that while the Americans considered these amendments “necessary to guarantee balance” between the two sides, Israelis believed they were in favor of the Palestinians. Although the US presidential envoy for the peace process, Jason Greenblatt, said the reports were inaccurate, the Israeli sources replied that they relied on “a senior US official in the negotiating staff at the White House” and that there were “US bodies involved in the blackout on the plan on the eve of the Israeli elections.” The Israeli sources gave the exclusivity of broadcasting the news to Israeli Reshet TV. The channel revealed that the amended US plan was based on documents entitled, “The Century Deal to Consolidate Peace in the Middle East.” It talks about the establishment of a Palestinian state on 85-90 percent of the occupied West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its Arab neighborhood as the capital, excluding the city’s old town, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Resurrection and other holy places are located. The old town will be under Israeli control, but with a joint administration of Jordan and the Palestinian state. The report refers to a solution to the settlements based on dividing them into three categories: the first, including large blocs such as Gush Etzion (located on occupied Palestinian land stretching from Bethlehem to Hebron) and Ma'aleh Adumim (south of occupied East Jerusalem), and Ariel (in the Nablus area), and will be annexed to Israel in full, according to the US deal. The second includes a number of remote settlements, such as Itamar and Yitzhar, which accommodate a group of settlers of American origins known for their extremism and attacks on the Palestinians. They will remain in Israeli hands, even though they will be part of the Palestinian state. The third category of settlements, which include illegal outposts, will be evacuated. In exchange for the annexation of the settlements, Palestinians will be compensated by giving them land of the same size and value in the Triangle area - inhabited by Arab citizens (the Palestinians 1948) - adjacent to the West Bank. The reports noted that the US official did not address items in the US plan relating to the Gaza Strip and the refugee issue, and did not elaborate on whether the plan itself ignored the two issues or did not tackle them. In a Tweet, Greenblatt said the reports were inaccurate. He warned against issuing false or distorted information that would harm the peace process. For his part, Palestinian Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said in response to Israeli leaks that any peace plan “that does not include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders will be doomed to failure.”

Head of UN Monitor Team Survives Houthi Shooting in Hodeidah
London - Badr Al Qahtani/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 18 January, 2019/A United Nations report reaffirmed that the convoy moving retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert, who is leading the current UN ceasefire monitor team, has arrived at its destination safely after having come under Houthi fire. A car was hit with one round as they returned to the city center from a meeting with a delegation from the legitimate Yemeni government, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Iran-backed Houthis militants don’t run a clean record when it comes to attacking UN officials, with its most stark assault being the admitted assassination attempt on the life of former UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh, who at the time of the attack was trying to reach their Yemen bastion, Sanaa. The attack, which took place in May 2017, was officially labeled as an assassination attempt and marked the last visit for Ould Cheikh to the coupist stronghold. Houthis’ aggressive behavior towards international emissaries has spurred fears among Yemenis who are hoping for a solution to break off the violence ravaging their country. Before stepping down, Ould Cheikh said that Houthis were the sole pushback against a political solution and peace in Yemen. Cammaert appealed for calm and a strengthening of the ceasefire in Hodeidah by the warring parties. “All the parties in Yemen are responsible for the safety of all UN personnel,” Dujarric reaffirmed for his part. A Yemeni source in the Saudi-led coalition told Reuters the convoy was visiting an area under its control when Houthi fighters opened fire. A statement from a Houthi official sent to Reuters said coalition-backed forces in the eastern suburbs, a flashpoint, had fired on the convoy. Cammaert arrived in the Red Sea port city on Dec. 22 to head the committee overseeing implementation of a ceasefire and troop withdrawal deal reached at peace talks last month in Sweden between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. Cammaert has already met several times with representatives of the Yemeni government and Houthis in Hodeidah, however, Houthis have recently been refusing to meet him over alleged bias in favor of the internationally-recognized Yemeni government headed by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Saudi-led Arab Coalition.

Doctor, Child Killed in Khartoum Protests
Khartoum - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 18 January, 2019/As anti-government protests continued on Thursday in Sudan, security forces responded by firing live bullets at demonstrators, killing a doctor in a Khartoum hospital and a 14-year-old boy, and injuring 12 other persons.
Protesters organized small demonstrations in central Khartoum, while thousands of young people marched on internal streets because security reinforcements prevented them from gathering. Security authorities arrested unprecedented numbers of protesters, including at least seven journalists. A spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Gathering warned that the situation in the country was very dangerous and stressed that the security forces adopted extreme measures against the people, which led to the death of doctor Babeker Abdul Hamid and child Mohammed Al-Obeid, as well as the injury of more than 12 demonstrators, including eight in serious condition. Security forces deployed in large numbers since early hours on Thursday, firing gas on most of the streets leading to the presidential palace in Khartoum, and arresting citizens indiscriminately, while most of the streets of the city center saw chasing of protesters by security. In a move to absorb the anger of demonstrators, the cabinet on Thursday issued a decision to increase the wages of public sector workers. Meanwhile, the European Parliament (EP)Thursday “strongly condemned the excessive use of force by Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service during ongoing protests.” In a resolution adopted by a show of hands, the EP deplored “the ongoing general repression by the authorities in Sudan, which continues to target activists and human rights defenders, as well as lawyers, teachers, students and doctors.” It reiterated the demand that the Sudanese government complies with international law in accordance with the conventions and treaties to which the country is a party. The EP also requested “the immediate and unconditional release of Saleh Mahmoud Othman,” the Sudanese lawyer who in 2007 received the European Sakharov Prize for individuals or organizations making an exceptional contribution for human rights. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also expressed “deep concern” over the “excessive use” of force against demonstrators in Sudan, four weeks after the start of protests against the regime. The reported use of “excessive force”, against demonstrators across Sudan over food and fuel shortages, that has led to the deaths of at least 24 people is “deeply worrying”, UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said on Thursday. “A repressive response can only worsen grievances,” she added. “I am very concerned about reports of excessive use of force, including live ammunition, by Sudanese State Security Forces during large-scale demonstrations in various parts of the country since 19 December.”She called for the immediate release of “all those arbitrarily detained for the exercise of their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression”, stressing that the government “needs to ensure that security forces handle protests in line with the country’s international human rights obligations by facilitating and protecting the right to peaceful assembly.” Bachelet concluded by urging the authorities “to work to resolve this tense situation through dialogue and call on all sides to refrain from the use of violence”.

Zarif Meeting Tribal Leaders in Iraq Provokes Ire, Criticism
Baghdad- Fadel Al-NashmiéAsharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 18 January, 2019/Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif meeting with Iraqi tribal leaders triggered a heavy backlash against Iran, as activists and politicians said the diplomat’s behavior wasn’t aligned with international and diplomatic conventions. Zarif had been engaged in shuttle diplomacy between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan since last Sunday, heading a delegation of political and economic representatives and making stops at each of Najaf and Basra. It is worth noting that no foreign official has spent that long in Iraq, with Zarif himself admitting to his Iraq tour being the “longest trip made this year”. The visit came just days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a surprise stop on his regional tour to urge Iraq to stop relying on Iran for gas and electricity imports. Zarif, citing Iran ‘support’, urged Iraq to give Iranian companies a leading role in its national reconstruction efforts. Former editor in chief of Al-Sabah newspaper Falah al-Mishaal said that Zarif's lengthy visit “goes beyond the economic goals”. Zarif means to reorganize tactics with pro-Iranian politicians in Iraq and seek insight into the aftereffects of Pompeo's visit.
“Zarif's meeting with a number of tribal sheikhs is an unprecedented step, not in line with diplomatic norms, because it is a tactical meeting and constitutes a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, a publicity stunt by Iran to unwarrantedly gain accesses to Iraqi tribes,” Mishaal told Asharq Al-Awsat. Iraqi activist and writer Nasser al-Yasiri agreed with Mishaal’s views on the subtext guiding Zarif’s visit, saying that Iran is hoping to rally “support from tribal sheikhs in the event of any possible confrontation with the United States.” “They think some tribal leaders are able to mobilize their followers against America if necessary and this is unlikely in my estimation,” Yasiri said. “It is expected from him (Zarif) as a foreign minister to seek opening up new horizons for political and economic cooperation with Iraq, not to care about clan affairs, which we always have and always will criticize,” he added.

EU-Iran Special Trade Mechanism ‘About to Become Operational’
London - Asharq Al-Awsat Friday, 18 January, 2019/A European Union official has reportedly said that a trade mechanism meant to circumvent reimposed US sanctions on Tehran is ready to be activated. The official news agency IRNA quoted an "EU spokesperson" as saying on Thursday that the Special Purpose Vehicle (SVP) for trade with Iran "is about to become operational." IRNA also quoted the anonymous spokesperson as saying that the "EU has firm solutions for saving the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action)," the official name for the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which US President Donald Trump withdrew from in May last year. "The SPV is currently at the last stages before becoming operational," said the alleged source, adding, "We have updated the European Investment Bank's regulations, and European parties to the JCPOA, France, Germany and the UK are committed to preserve effective financial transactions with Iran especially via the SPV."The EU hopes its SPV announced in September will keep the nuclear deal alive and persuade Tehran to stay on board by giving companies a way of trading with Iran without fear of US sanctions that were reimposed last year. The alleged spokesperson's remarks came after France on Wednesday condemned a failed Iranian satellite launch that it said used technology applicable to long-range missiles, hours after the United States accused Tehran of posing a missile threat. Iran's telecommunications minister said the country successfully launched the Payam satellite but that it failed to be placed into orbit. The European Union has not issued a statement regarding the launch.

Iran Funds Homes in Gaza
Gaza - Asharq Al-Awsat/January 18/19/Hamas said Thursday it had allocated new homes funded by Iran in the Gaza Strip to former Palestinian prisoners who had been held in Israeli jails. The prisoners ministry said 26 apartments in a new building in southern Gaza Khan Younes had been given out in a lottery between 125 former Palestinian prisoners, Agence France Presse reported. Officials from Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, said the program was the first of its kind funded by Iran. A second building will be constructed in northern Gaza, the ministry said, adding the project aimed to "reduce the suffering of our freed prisoners." Iran has long been a strong backer of Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad, providing them with funds, weapons and training.

German Diplomat Warns Iran From Repercussions of Its Espionage
London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 18 January, 2019/Iran is harming Europe's efforts to preserve the 2015 Iran nuclear accord with actions such as the case of suspected espionage involving a member of the German military, veteran German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger said on Thursday. But Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference, warned against any move by Europe to join Washington in withdrawing from the agreement, since the accord was intended solely to halt Iran's nuclear program and did not address other behavior in the region or spying, Reuters reported. Germany, which together with France has led efforts to keep the agreement in place, expressed grave concern this week to a senior Iranian diplomat about the case of an Afghan-German man who was arrested on Tuesday for suspected espionage. "The foreign ministry addressed the case unmistakeably with the manager of the Iranian embassy on Jan. 15 and expressed our grave concern about the suspected intelligence activities," a ministry source said. Ischinger, a former German ambassador in Washington, condemned Iran's actions, but said it was illusory to think that Iran or other governments would curb their espionage activities even if there was a formal agreement covering such actions. "Iran should be smart enough to realize that is shooting itself in the foot because it is harming the political mood surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) … but that is no reason to rip up the agreement," he said. Iran's actions in Germany and elsewhere were raising political concerns and overshadowing efforts to keep the Iran nuclear deal alive, he said.

Trump Grounds House Speaker, Scraps Davos Trip amid Shutdown
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 18/19/US President Donald Trump forced the cancellation Thursday of a trip to Afghanistan by his Democratic opponent Nancy Pelosi, and scrapped administration officials' travel to the Davos forum as a government shutdown plunged Washington deeper into deadlock. The mess in the US capital already verged on the surreal as Congress feuds with the White House over how to end an impasse now in its fourth week, with thousands of federal workers left unpaid. But now it is also getting increasingly personal between the two main antagonists. In a letter laced with sarcasm, Trump told House Speaker Pelosi: "I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over.""I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is appropriate," he wrote.
And in a move that appeared aimed at heading off Democratic criticism about non-essential administration travel during the shutdown, the White House announced the cancellation of a trip to the World Economic Forum by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and others "out of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay."Pelosi and her delegation had planned a non-publicized trip to Afghanistan -- an active war zone -- and were due to travel aboard a US Air Force plane. Her office said Egypt was not on the itinerary. According to a congressional aide, several lawmakers were already loaded onto buses preparing to leave the US Capitol Thursday when Trump pulled the plug. Rubbing it in, Trump said that Pelosi could still book her own non-government flights. "Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative," he wrote. The cancellation followed Pelosi's suggestion that Trump postpone his January 29 State of the Union address to Congress, or do it from the White House instead.  Although she cited the shutdown's effect on security, she appeared to want to deny the president one of his chief annual moments in the limelight.The White House denied that the travel blockage was payback, but few bought the argument.
'Sophomoric'
House Democrats who had been slated for the trip were left fuming, including freshman congresswoman Elaine Luria, a 20-year Navy veteran who said the purpose was to express appreciation to Americans in uniform and gain critical intelligence on the ground. "Oversight is the responsibility of Congress, and it is inappropriate for the President to interfere with our constitutional duties," Luria said in a statement. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who for weeks has served as a referee of sorts between Trump and Pelosi, accused the latter of "playing politics with the State of the Union." But he also hit out at Trump, saying "denying Speaker Pelosi military travel to visit our troops in Afghanistan, our allies in Egypt and NATO is also inappropriate.""One sophomoric response does not deserve another," Graham said. The government shutdown is due to Trump's refusal to sign off on funding for a host of departments, in retaliation for the Democratic-led House's refusal to approve his US-Mexico border wall project. The shutdown is leaving an increasingly deep impact across the country, where for almost a month FBI agents, museum workers, US Coast Guard personnel and other officials have been either ordered to stay home or forced to work without pay. Regular employees will get back pay eventually, while contractors will not. The Democrats and the White House blame each other for the impasse, with neither side showing signs of backing down. Trump critics quickly pointed out that he himself visited troops in Iraq during the shutdown. House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff said he believed cancelling a speaker of the House's fact-finding mission to a war zone was a first for a US president. "We believe this is completely inappropriate by the president. We're not going to allow the President of the United States to tell the Congress it can't fulfill its oversight responsibilities, it can't ensure that our troops have what they need whether our government is open or closed," he told reporters. "That work must go on and I think it's vitally important now, in particular that the president has announced withdrawals from Syria and Afghanistan, that we understand the situation on the ground."

Tony Blair: UK Muslim activist groups promote ‘extremist world view’
LONDON: Former British prime minister Tony Blair has accused some Muslim organizations in Britain of spreading views that often mirror those of extremists.
While they are non-violent, such groups stir up resentment by portraying Muslims in Britain as victims, alienated from British society and in constant conflict with the non-Muslim world.
Most disturbingly, they “promote a worldview that significantly overlaps with that of a proscribed Islamist extremist organisation, Al-Muhajiroun” - a banned group which does espouse violence.
The allegations appear in a report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change - the think tank Blair founded after leaving office - and names four groups: CAGE, Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK and Islamic Human Rights Commission.
Narratives of Division: The Spectrum of Islamist Worldviews in the UK
Some activist groups in the UK perpetuate narratives that promote a divisive view of how Muslims should see their place in Britain. Political leaders must challenge these divisive narratives, enhance...
The report identifies six “key themes” shared by all four groups: Victimization, opposition between “good” and “bad” Muslims, opposition between Islam and the West, a delegitimization of the government, making Islam central to national politics and justification of violence.
“There is a range of views on these six themes, with differing degrees of severity from mainstream to extreme,” the report says. Of the four, Hizb ut-Tahrir comes close to sharing Al-Muhajiroun’s stance on violence.
Banned since 2000, Al-Muhajiroun notoriously dubbed those behind the Sept. 11 attacks “the Magnificent 19” and several of the group’s adherents have perpetrated other atrocities.
The report warns that such a “corrosive narrative” promoting divisiveness between Muslims and non-Muslims can only embolden the far right and calls on the UK government to establish “a working definition of extremism” by identifying the key ideas that would “flag up” potential danger. “Divisive ideas about the place of Muslims in the West are threatening social cohesion in Britain today,” said the former prime minister, who went on to serve as a special Middle East envoy. “Countering and recognizing this is an essential part of fighting extremism because - let us be clear - there is nothing incompatible between being British and being Muslim. But too many people, Muslims and non-Muslims, actively push messages that suggest otherwise.”
The result, he said, was a “skewed discourse” in which fringe views dominate because moderate voices are afraid to speak out. Blair also accused UK politicians of giving up on the discussion.
“Many Muslims in the UK hear more from divisive groups about how there is a security state set up to oppress them than they hear from our national leaders about how communities and policymakers can work together to build a thriving, inclusive Britain,” he said.
“Often when people think of this challenge, they focus entirely on violent, jihadi groups. Yet, as this report shows, many of the central ideas that British Muslims are hearing today from some activist groups are worryingly similar to the ideology of violent extremist groups.”
The Home Office (interior ministry) of the UK government describes Hizb ut-Tahrir as a “radical, but to date non-violent Islamist group” that “holds anti-semitic, anti-western and homophobic views.” Almost all the articles on the Hizb ut-Tahrir website portray Muslims as oppressed and bullied. Some articles are clearly anti-Saudi in tone and content. CAGE was founded as an advocacy service to raise awareness of the plight of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay during and after the War on Terror. Its outreach director, Moazzam Beg was himself held in Guantanamo Bay for two years before being released without charge. However critics have labelled CAGE “apologists for terrorism,” a “terrorism advocacy group,” propagators of a “myth of Muslim persecution” and “a front for Taliban enthusiasts and Al-Qaeda devotees that fraudulently presents itself as a human rights group.”
The British-born Daesh extremist Mohammed Emwazi, nicknamed Jihadi John, who was filmed beheading hostages had been in contact with CAGE while in the UK, complaining that he was being harassed by British intelligence agencies.
Responding to the Blair Institute report, CAGE called it “an academically flawed attempt to remould Islamic belief and silence Muslim voices that challenge repressive state policies,” and dismissed the former prime minister as “commonly known for being funded by despots.”
CAGE research director Asim Qureshi said: “It’s unsurprising, considering Tony Blair’s penchant for misinformation that his organization would use seriously flawed methodology in order to draw false conclusions.”
Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has held consultative status with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs since 2007. However it has also been described as “a radical Islamist organisation that uses the language of human rights to promote an extremist agenda including the adoption of sharia law” and “neo-Khomeinist.”
The Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK encourages tactical voting in elections to dislodge members of parliament who support policies which it considers not be in Muslims’ interest. In 2005, the MPACUK targeted Lorna Fitzsimmons, a Labour MP for Rochdale, a town in north-west England with a large Muslim population, printing leaflets that claimed she had done nothing to help the Palestinian cause because she was Jewish. She is not and the group later apologized. Former home secretary Jack Straw, whose parliamentary seat in Blackburn also has a large Muslim population, called the group “egregious” after it campaigned for Muslims to oust him.  Azmina Siddique, policy adviser at the Tony Blair Institute, said: “The groups studied in this report don’t represent what most British Muslims think…This isn’t about violent extremism but about sowing division. This ‘us versus them’ rhetoric is becomingly increasingly visible across our society, including from the far right. Policymakers and civil society must start to challenge rhetoric that falls into this grey space between activism and extremism so that we can tackle the increasingly toxic climate that is feeding into extremism.”
Arab News asked the three other UK groups to comment on the report but none of them responded.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 18-19/19
A War to Achieve Modernity
by Alia Al Ganis/Gatestone Institute/January 18/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13571/modernity
I longed for a revival of a golden age when Muslims were mighty and triumphant, ruling large parts of the world, fighting victoriously in the name of God. I gloried in this past. Reviving medievalism, these fantasies were a way to escape modern life. I dreamed of a past and future glory, like many in their dogmatic slumber. I was entrapped in the golden cage of Islamism. I was a bird of paradise that did not want to escape.
There is an increased fear, and rightly so, about the free expression of extremist ideas and opinions that are polluting our social, cultural, economic and political orders in the Arab world, which is why Jamal Khashoggi stands as an enemy to free thinkers. "There can be no political reform and democracy in any Arab country without accepting that political Islam is a part of it," he wrote.
Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammad Bin Salman is in the throes of a war to achieve modernity. We want our independence from religious extremism, the ills of our society; and "MBS," as he is called, is leading the reform in order to fight it and move his country away from its temptations. He needs to go ahead with his reform and do his good works. Because Khashoggi wanted an uprising against the Saudi royal family, the Prince was facing the fears and possibly the threats of being assassinated by those opposing his reforms.
The assassination of Khashoggi was a horrible mistake. There is a way of curbing religious extremists without violence. We must address the political aspects in the Quran that are at times interpreted with hate, instead of our always turning a blind eye to these verses. This study alone would stop religious extremists from having the means of justifying their crimes.
This article is not for the faint-hearted. I do not share a single sentiment with a single religious extremist, Jamal Khashoggi included. My heart is closed to them.
As a Muslim woman, my anger against them became especially determined when three of my relatives in Yemen, young brave, men, had left their homes and families to protect them. They joined the Saudi-backed Yemeni military to fight against Iranian imperialism, to fight for Yemeni independence, to fight for love and freedom. One was killed by a bullet; the other two on sand dunes when they stepped on landmines. Their bodies were so dismembered by explosions that it was difficult to identify them. Their families had to flee their homes; one woman, also terrified of stepping on a landmine, carrying a newborn baby in her arms. This episode was all the more affecting as the youngest of the three men, Abdullah, wanted to marry me. Therefore, when a religious extremist such as Khashoggi is lost on the front line, my thought to him is: You got what you deserved.
When the night is quiet, in my mind, I see the symbol of France, "Marianne", as she is known, in Delacroix's painting, Liberty Leading the People, raising a blue, white and red flag and standing on the corpses of fallen enemies. She encourages me to hope.
But how does one go from darkness to hope?
In the painting, Liberty, looking back over her shoulder reminds me of my past, a past I so tried to suppress. I find this hard to admit, but I had a radical moment, my time of Islamism. I longed for a revival of a golden age when Muslims were mighty and triumphant, ruling large parts of the world, fighting victoriously in the name of God. I gloried in this past. Reviving medievalism, these fantasies were a way to escape modern life. I dreamed of a past and future glory, like many in their dogmatic slumber. It never seemed like darkness; it seemed like a pearl of light. I was entrapped in the golden cage of Islamism. I was a bird of paradise that did not want to escape.
Then it dawned on me: the way to hope is change and reform. Islam is the only religion which has not gone through reform. I am not afraid of speaking the truth, but religious extremists, especially, despise women who use their voices against them.
There is an increased fear, and rightly so, about the free expression of extreme religious ideas and opinions that are polluting our social, cultural, economic and political orders in the Arab world, which is why Jamal Khashoggi stands as an enemy to free thinkers -- Muslims and states that turned against politics disguised as religion. "There can be no political reform and democracy in any Arab country without accepting that political Islam is a part of it," Khashoggi wrote.
Religious liberals make up the minority in Arab countries. An alarming 84-86% of Muslims in Egypt and Jordan support the death penalty for Muslims who leave the religion, and 82-70% support stoning for adultery. Jordan and Egypt also happen to have a significant percentage of Muslim Brotherhood adherents in seats of power in parliament. Many of these extremists are gaining momentum, destabilizing the region through proxy wars.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman is currently in the throes of a war to achieve modernity. We want our independence from religious extremism, from the ills of our society; and "MBS," as he is called, is leading a reform in order to fight it and move his country away from its temptations.
Khashoggi's assassination was not an attack on Western values. I can understand how Americans feel about an American resident who wrote for a major American newspaper and was murdered for expressing his opinions. Yet he did not seek to put the truth above his self-interest and agenda. His first loyalty was not to American citizens, but as critics have said, to spreading the ideas of his Muslim Brotherhood.
I do not endorse the assassination, although my fears and anger had pushed me for a time into feeling so, but such is not the way to making a worthwhile life. It is urgent, however, to stop extremists from silencing the free expression of ideas that they suspect might slow down or prevent radicalization. Many of their ideas lead to fundamentalism, anti-Semitism, violence and terrorism. We need to block their attempts to intimidate us when they call us names designed to stop us from honestly analyzing the ideology behind their soft and hard religious aggression. Standing up to their threats would send a strong warning to the Islamists to stay out of our governments.
The assassination of Khashoggi was a horrible mistake. There is a way of curbing religious extremists without violence. We must address the political aspects in the Quran that are at times interpreted with hate, instead of us always turning a blind eye to these verses. That study alone would stop Islamists from having the means of justifying their crimes.
I still believe in Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, although he needs to save himself from himself before leading Muslims to do the same. He needs to go ahead with his reform and do his good works. I do believe in his core willingness to change our fears into hope, but not until he begins to face his own fears in the process. Because Khashoggi wanted an uprising against the Saudi royal family, the Prince was facing the fears and possibly the threats of being assassinated by those opposing his reforms.
To make the assumption that his call for an assassination was based on the stereotype of a reckless and barbaric Arab is racist.
Nonetheless, the American stance of opposing the assassination is applaudable, but would be counterproductive for the future of the Middle East if it were allowed to damage US-Saudi relations. Essentially, we are friends and allies. It is my deepest hope that politicians begin to mend US-Saudi relations as soon as possible. Saudi Arabia stands at the forefront of protecting the Middle East from the aggression coming from the mullahs in Iran; for this, as a neighbor living in the smaller Gulf next door, I and others would be immensely grateful.
As the religious horizon unfolds, be aware that religious extremists know how to exploit democracy. Note how they rose swiftly in Egypt and Turkey and led a massive public demonstration to topple an elected Christian mayor in Indonesia. Many want expansion and supremacy. Many also want death to America, death to Israel, and death to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
I dream that we Muslims break free from the entrapments of the controlling forms of religion. At times, it feels like a disease that has been tolerated for too long. It has caused us so much pain and isolation: be gone.
There is only one way to defeat it: push for a victory with Prince Mohammad bin Salman as he takes on Iran, Turkey, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood.
His historic role is to fight the most violent and reactionary interpretation of this religion, its individuals and organizations, and to lead reform and deradicalize societies. Extremism has no place in our world.
Change will come. The souls of my loved ones will not go in vain. As is asked in your Christian and Jewish Bible, "Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon?" (Isaiah 51:9)
Who will pierce our dragon?
Alia Al Ganis is based in the Middle East.
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Three Necessary Steps to End Brexit Madness
Barry Ritholtz/Bloomberg/January18/19
The first time we discussed the UK leaving the European Union (EU), the momentum looked like it was behind Team Exit. But the Brexit negotiations proved problematic, in part due to the oversimplified promises made during the lead-up to the referendum vote.
Then, the last time we discussed Brexit, I violated one of my favorite principles, when I made this prediction: “No Brexit! In other words, the UK will not exit the European Union. By 2023, we will look back at the entire ridiculous affair as if it were a rediscovered lost episode of ‘Fawlty Towers.’”
Before this issue can be resolved, a brief caveat for investors: The time to read the emergency card in the seat pocket in front of you is before the plane takes off. With one engine on fire at 36,000 feet, the best opportunity to think calmly and clearly about your options has passed.
What is true for investors is also true for politicians and policy wonks.
Since we are not passengers on this mad flight (don’t worry, we have our own headaches on this side of the Atlantic), let’s try to consider what can be done about this mess:
1. Recognize your opponents’ beliefs: In any negotiation or debate, each side needs to acknowledge the views of the other side. Failure to do so leads to stalemate and gridlock. That’s why hardcore partisans typically fail to govern well.
Those who support “stay” shouldn’t be so glib as to declare the “leave” crowd devoid of merit or virtue. Sure, the leave side exaggerated and lied while campaigning for the referendum (see this, this, this, this, this and this); they also used racist scaremongering and fear of foreigners to unnerve voters (sound familiar?). But once you strip away the inciteful rhetoric and excesses, at its core the primary issue is the right of any sovereign nation to engage in international relations, control its borders and determine who may become a citizen. These are real and complex issues, and the EU and the remain crowd have not always deal with them in a frank and forthright manner.
The leave supporters need to acknowledge that their claim that an exit would be fast, cheap and easy was at best, wishful thinking and at worst, delusional. The intervening two-plus years have revealed exactly how complex and expensive leaving will be. The leave crowd, by refusing to acknowledge this, has contributed to the current impasse. 2. Reboot the debate: All of that hard work crafting a credible Brexit? Throw it away, and recognize that it was wasted effort. It’s a sunk cost.
Prime Minister Theresa May had the impossible task of coming up with something feasible; given the promises made, that was doomed from the start. Not surprisingly, she has failed to accomplish anything; therefore, for the good of her country, she must go, regardless of the outcome of any vote of confidence or not. A new prime minister needs to acknowledge what each side has to offer, perhaps even calling for a new referendum. Only instead of a straight up and down vote, it needs to reflect the complexities and realities of the real world. Hence, any referendum shouldn’t be just a binary choice between stay or leave, but must acknowledge two very real things: the actual price tag of leaving and the long-term economic harm, and an explanation of what the EU must do to address genuine issues of national sovereignty if the UK stays.
Regardless, the nation must confront the pre-referendum promises made by leave advocates, strip out the ones that have since been proven false, and work with what’s left.
3. Improve the European Union: Game theory explains in part why the EU had to draw such a hard line with the UK, lest other member countries see advantages in leaving. But that point has been made, and second-order thinking provides another opportunity: to use the Brexit mess to address the legitimate challenges of foreign affairs, sovereignty and security that affect all EU member nations. What might that look like? Reaffirm the commitment to NATO and its shared obligations; address the refugee crisis from Africa and the Middle East on an EU-wide basis; consider ways to deal with the Russia security threat and the economic challenge posed by China. All of these represent both a danger and an opportunity. The bottom line remains this: The British population has learned that Brexit will be neither cost-free nor easy; numerous credible issues have been raised that the EU needs to resolve for the good of the entire union. And so I am sticking with my prediction that another solution beckons. A fresh start will help.

France: I Am Angry, Therefore I Am
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/January, 18/19
“We are angry!” This is the sentence that I have repeatedly heard from Gilets-Jaunes (Yellow Waistcoat) demonstrators during the past three weeks while taking the political temperature in France. The assertion seems to refute my first diagnostic in a column last month that the movement reflected boredom rather than anger. Having talked to dozens of rioters and observed some of their shenanigans including burning car tires, overturning parked cars and smashing shop-windows in posh streets, I am prepared to admit that both anger and boredom might be involved.
The first thing to note, though, is that this is not an uprising of the starving poor and homeless masses, supposing such strata exists in one of the world’s most prosperous countries. The rioters we met were mostly apparently well-fed and eloquent middle and lower middle class in their mid-life. Mostly live in the provinces, especially Brittany, in mid-size towns and villages. Many are early retirees, in their 60s, with nothing exciting to do.
The rioters seem to be bored on their own behalf but angry on behalf of “the left-behind masses” they believe exists somewhere in France. Last Saturday, the total number rioting in Paris and 12 other cities was put by the police at 50,000, a sharp fall compared to nine weeks ago when the fireworks started. But what do they actually want? It is hard to tell. Since there is no leadership structure and no spokespersons are allowed one must do with anecdotal evidence. My reporter’s notebook includes some of their demands including a call on President Emmanuel Macron both to provide “true answers to our questions” and to resign. They also want “matters of public importance “to be decided through a referendum, or “direct democracy” as some call it, rendering the National Assembly (parliament) irrelevant. As for the upper chamber, the Senate, we heard calls for its outright abolition.
Another demand was for a mechanism that would allow citizens to dismiss Cabinet ministers and members of parliament with petitions at any time rather than waiting for elections.
One demand was for the establishment of a “subsistence income” of no less than 1700 euros a month which would mean raising the current minimum wage by 300 euros. Many interviewees genuinely believed that “the rich”, never defined, get an easy ride as far as taxation is concerned.
They want this corrected by a massive extension of the public sector despite the fact that, compared to other major industrial democracies, the French state controls the highest portion of the gross domestic product (GDP) through a variety of direct and indirect taxes and levies.
Then, we had single issue militants including those opposed to gay marriage, those who wish the death penalty restored and those who want to ban all immigrants. A few, describing themselves as “Frexiteers”, want France to exit the European Union.
The nationwide movement is a challenge to representative democracy in France Aiming to replace institutions such as the presidency, the parliament, political parties, trade unions and the media with “direct street action” they promote the notion that complex political and economic problems have simple answers.
Sadly, President Macron, a novice in politics who like most technocrats, regards politics as a hindrance, may have fallen into their trap. He is trying to play his version of street politics by organizing what he grandiloquently calls “the Grand National Debate” outside the interface institutions of the republic.
Contempt for politics and politicians may be fashionable these days. But it doesn’t make it right. Nor should one be misled by the label “populist” given to often small but loud groups of bored and/or angry bourgeois and looters and wreckers who operate in their shadow.
In modern France, the theme of “popular anger” is older than the republic itself. French politics have always vacillated between two rival temptations: Bonapartism and anarchy. Ironically it is only in the past two decades or so that French democracy has started to mature. The parliament has become more assertive, the judiciary more independent and the media less servile.
The claim that there is a hidden “suffering France” on whose behalf one is authorized to demean if not sabotage democracy is not new. Francois Mitterrand claimed he was speaking for “the left behind” (laisses-pour-compte in French). Jacques Chirac promised to heal “the social fracture”. Nicholas Sarkozy cast himself as a champion of “silent majority”. Francois Hollande was to be “an ordinary president” representing “the excluded ones”. At another level, we have had Jean-Marie Le Pen beating the drum for “the forgotten” (les oublies in French), and Segolene Royale promising proto-Maoist “citizen committees”.
Even if “Yellow Waistcoats" form a party there is no guarantee that their cocktail of bourgeois boredom and anger would do better than Syriza in Greece, Podemus in Spain and half a dozen similar outfits in other European democracies.
The beauty of capitalism is in its ability to make money out of anything. On Saturday, as all cafes in the Champs-Élysées were shut for fear of attack by “Yellow Waistcoats”, mobile kiosks appeared selling espresso and croissant at double the price. We had to retreat to Palais Royale, a mile away, to have lunch leaving behind the Champs-Élysées battleground.
One of the few shops open away from the battlefield offered a designer version of the “Yellow Waistcoat” at 125 euros apiece compared of just 20 euros for the shabby original. So far no “Yellow Waistcoat” T-shirts, posters and mugs. But we expect some next Saturday.
We saw a new book with the title “The Depth of Sky is Yellow” by a lady journalist who must be the fastest pen alive producing a tome about riots that started only five weeks before she hit the keyboard. The restaurant in the Intercontinental Hotel was packed but we found a table in a bistrot a bit further. There were many suffering “Yellow Waist-coaters” having lunch in preparation for the big fight with the anti-riot police scheduled for five or clock at Arc de Triomphe. We asked a lady in the next table what she would recommend from the day’s menu and she suggested “Aligot sausage with mashed potatoes”. We took her advice and were delighted by our meal. Which shows “Yellow-waist-coaters” might have good ideas when they know what they are talking about. Trouble is they often don’t.

Turkey and Russia must heed lessons from the war in Syria
Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/January 18/19
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will meet on Jan. 23 to discuss Syria ahead of an upcoming summit on the country. Turkish officials this week confirmed that there are plans for Turkey, Russia and Iran to hold talks on Syria in the coming weeks, though a date has yet to be set. Prior to this trilateral summit, it seems that the Russian and Turkish leaders have decided that they need to get together to discuss a number of issues, including the safe zone, the Syrian Kurds and the recent decision by the US to withdraw from Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stated that Moscow will take into account the interests of all parties in Syria, including Turkey, when planning the proposed 20-mile safe zone that is under consideration for northern Syria.
Recent developments in the war-torn country have paved the way for Russia to strengthen its position as the dominant actor in Syria, which has prompted Ankara to pin its hopes on Russia to resolve the problems that will result from US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American forces from the country. Russia has been a close partner of Turkey since early 2017 thanks to the Astana peace process, which led to the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria. Russia, Turkey and Iran are the guarantors of the Astana process, and the leaders of the three countries have met frequently as a result.
Ankara is well aware that the US has been facing complications in implementing its decision to withdraw. For this reason, Turkey has been looking to the other two countries with whom it has been engaged in deep negotiations. “Whether you like it or not, Iran is an actor in Syria,” said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. “Thus, we need to work in a constructive manner with the present actors.”
Of all the nations with a vested interest in Syria, Turkey is one of the most concerned about the aftermath of the US withdrawal, as the decision is likely to shift the balance of power in the country. Given the complexity of the situation there, Turkey, along with other parties, is keen to heed the lessons learned during one of the fiercest wars in the Middle East.There are many lessons from the eight-year war in Syria but three are particularly significant. The first, and perhaps most crucial, is that before expecting a major change to happen in a country, it is important to know the strength of commitment of those who want that change (in this case the Syrian opposition and its allies, namely Turkey, the US and so on) and of those who want to preserve the status quo (the Syrian regime and its allies, namely Russia and Iran).
Turkey and Russia have rolled up their sleeves to prepare for the aftermath of the US departure.
During the early months of the conflict, dozens of countries called themselves “Friends of Syria,” supported the Syrian opposition, held meetings and made bold statements. However, the past eight years have shown that despite the vocal calls for the downfall of their ally in Damascus, Bashar Assad, Russia and Iran never wavered and stuck to their cause until the end. Now those two countries, though failures in the ethical aspect of the war, seem to be the winners of the conflict, at least in preserving the position of Assad. The second lesson is how alliances can change depending on developments on the ground. As has been proven in Syria several times, yesterday’s enemy can be tomorrow’s ally. The shifting realities in Syria have pushed countries to put aside historical bonds or alliances for the sake of their own national security interests.This has certainly been the case with Turkish-American relations. Washington bluffed the Syrian opposition and its allies several times over the past seven years and bears one of the greater responsibilities for the deaths of thousands of Syrians. The recent decision by the US to withdraw its forces after creating serious havoc in the country is the last straw. In addition, the proxy nature of the war has prolonged the conflict and caused a great deal of damage to the country and suffering to its people. The third major lesson that must be learned from the Syrian war is how the international community failed to respond to the refugee crisis. The huge number of Syrians who fled the fighting has severely tested the international refugee system. Women and children, who comprise 80 percent of refugees, have been the most vulnerable during the war, and the horrific ways in which so many of them have been killed will forever label Syria as one of the world’s most shameful conflicts.
It is with these lessons, and others, in mind, that Turkey and Russia have rolled up their sleeves to prepare for the aftermath of the US departure.
*Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkey’s relations with the Middle East. Twitter: @SinemCngz

A stable, secure Europe is in America’s interests
Luke Coffey/Arab News/January 18/19
The New York Times recently reported that ahead of the NATO Summit last summer, President Donald Trump was seriously questioning why the US was in the organization. For those who have been following his rhetoric since the early days of his presidential campaign, news that he was questioning the value of NATO is no big surprise. When it comes to the alliance, there are two Donald Trumps. “Campaigning” Trump uses NATO in his stump speech to beat up on allies and give the impression that Americans are getting duped by the alliance because many of its members are not pulling their weight. Meanwhile, “presidential” Trump stated during a speech at the Pentagon as recently as this week: “We’re going to be with NATO 100 percent.”
There are four very good reasons why it is in America’s interests to stay engaged in European security and remain supportive of NATO. The first reason is normative. Through two world wars and the Cold War, the American family and taxpayer have sacrificed greatly to keep Europe free and democratic. Some of America’s oldest and closest allies are found in Europe today. America shares with these countries the same beliefs and ideas in economic freedom, the rule of law, freedom of the press and democracy. Therefore, it is in America’s interests that it aligns itself with a group of like-minded countries such as those in NATO. The second reason is about economics. Europe and the US are each other’s No. 1 trading partner. They are each other’s No. 1 source of foreign direct investment. Combined, they account for almost half of the world’s gross domestic product. Whether it is BMW in South Carolina or Ford in Germany, they are the source of millions of jobs for each other. This economic relationship is only made possible by the stability and security that NATO, and America’s role in the alliance, have brought to Europe since World War II.
Now is not the time for the US to turn its back on an alliance that has been so good to it.
The third reason has very little to do with Europe itself, but instead the region around it. From North Africa to the Levant, the Caucasus, through Russia and into the Arctic, Europe is surrounded by a zone of unpredictability and instability. Passing through this area are some of the world’s most important shipping lanes, rail links, fiber-optic cables, oil and gas pipelines, and other trade routes. It is in America’s interests to have military forces near this region in order to give policymakers options in the event of a crisis. The large Cold War garrisons in Europe of the 20th century are now the forward operating bases of the 21st century. It is true that a large number of US forces in Europe also provide security to Europeans, but this is a consequence of, not the reason for, America’s military presence on the continent.
Finally, NATO countries have sacrificed greatly for the US. Article 5, which is NATO’s mutual security clause, has only been invoked once, and that was after the Sept. 11 attacks. Since then, tens of thousands of European soldiers, serving under the NATO flag, have fought in Afghanistan. More than 1,000 have made the ultimate sacrifice. Thousands more have been wounded.
Therefore, Americans should not ignore how important Europeans have been in supporting the US over the years. As former US Defense Secretary James Mattis said during his Senate confirmation hearing in 2017: “History is clear. Nations with strong allies thrive, and those without them wither.”
The importance of NATO and continued engagement with Europe is vital for America’s larger strategic interests. This is why Trump needs to make crystal clear that his administration will unconditionally support the alliance. Merely questioning America’s commitment to it is enough to tempt Moscow. Any equivocation or ambiguity can open the door for Russian aggression.
Perhaps one of the greatest ironies about Trump’s views on NATO is that he has been very good for the alliance and very tough on Russia. Even with his legitimate complaining about Europeans not spending enough on defense, his administration has increased US funding for Europe’s defense by 40 percent compared to the Obama administration. The Trump administration has provided advanced weapons to NATO partners under Russian threat such as Ukraine and Georgia, something the Obama administration refused to do.
Since its creation in 1949, NATO has done more to promote democracy, peace and security in Europe than any other multilateral organization. A stable, secure Europe is in America’s interests. Now is not the time for the US to turn its back on an alliance that has been so good to it.
*Luke Coffey is director of the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy at the Heritage Foundation. Twitter: @LukeDCoffey