LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 19.2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.january19.20.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006
Bible Quotations For today
There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of
services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is
the same God who activates all of them in everyone
First Letter to the Corinthians 12/01-11/:”Now concerning spiritual gifts,
brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you
were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak.
Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God
ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by
the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and
there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of
activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To
each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is
given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance
of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of
miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another
various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these
are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually
just as the Spirit chooses.
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News & Editorials published on January 18-19/2020
Blinded Amal and Hezbollah terrorists and Thugs Are missing the Jerusalem road
and acting as if it passes through the Hamra and Al-Masraf Streets/Elias Bejjani/January
17/2020
Amnesty slams 'arbitrary arrests' of Lebanon protesters following violent
crackdown
Aoun asks Defense and Interior Ministers and leaders of security services to
maintain the security of peaceful demonstrators, prevent riots in downtown
Beirut
Hariri: Beirut will not be a mercenary square
Army Chief: We will defend our rights until the last breath, and we will
maintain utmost readiness to confront challenges
Church bells, prayer calls in downtown Beirut to stop the confrontations
Foreign Affairs: The Ministry’s work is inseparable from the essence of its role
in safeguarding the country’s supreme national interest
Protest stand by Nabatieh, Kfarreman activists, followed by the release of two
detainees
Masked men attempt to storm into Parliament entrance on Beirut Municipality
Street
Clashes escalate along Beirut Municipality Street
Sit-in outside BDL’s branch in Baalbek
Intense clashes in Central Beirut, arrival of security reinforcements, large
army unit
Security Forces: Those who burned tents in Riad El-Solh do not belong to ISF
Murad: Lebanon sad, Beirut weeps
Riots in Lebanon's capital leave more than 150 injured
Lebanon security forces face off against protesters near parliament building in
Beirut
Beirut in chaos as riot police use water canons to disperse Lebanon protesters
Jabak: Salameh broke the agreement
Fadlallah calls for investigating money transfers since the beginning of 2019
Lebanon police fire tear gas at protesters in violent 'week of rage/'Ben Wedeman
and Angela Dewan/CNN/January 18, 2020
Dozens Wounded as Lebanon Protesters Clash with Police
Protesters Hurl Eggs in Baalbek, Vandalise Banks in Dahieh
Berri Says Kubis’ Remarks Constitute 'Interference' in Lebanon Affairs
CLDH - Lebanese Center for Human Rights
Army Chief: Critique Won’t Affect Military
Reporter Hurt as Protesters Briefly Clash with Security Forces in Hamra
Dozens injured in violent crackdown on Lebanon anti-government protests
Lebanon protests turn violent as ‘one-sided’ government preps cabinet/Samar Kadi/The
Arab Weekly/January 19/2020
Chaos in Beirut as police and protesters clash/Sunniva Rose and James
Haines-Young/The National/January 18/2020
It is not just the West that is standing up to Iran – but also the people of
Lebanon and Iraq/Raghida Dergham/The National/January 18/2020
Lebanon’s next government is doomed to fail/Makram Rabah/The Arab Weekly/January
19/2020
Hezbollah’s support for Iran exposes its vulnerabilities at home and
abroad/Simon Speakman Cordall/The Arab Weekly/January 19/2020
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
January 18-19/2020
Trump gives dramatic account of Soleimani’s last minutes before death: Report
Pakistan FM, after visits, says Iran wants to de-escalate
Louvre reopens after being blocked by strikers
France’s Macron rushed from Paris theater during protest
Splits in France’s protest movement trigger fears of violence
North Korean foreign minister replaced: Report
Four dead, many injured in al-Shabaab car bombing near Somali capital
Sri Lanka lifts ban on drones imposed after Easter deadly attacks
Floods, road closures in Australia as storms lash some bushfire-hit regions
Taliban aim to sign deal with US by end of month: Report
Libya 'Needs Foreign Interference to Stop', Says UN Envoy
Syrian rebels seen on plane to Tripoli are ‘mercenaries for GNA’: Libyan
newspaper
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on January 18-19/2020
Why Laws Against Hate Speech Are Dangerous/Fjordman/Gatestone Institute/January
18/2020
Trump Had Right to Withhold Ukraine Funds: GAO is Wrong/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone
Institute/January 18/2020
The vice tightens on Iran with no sign of US sanctions easing/John Defterios/Arab
News/January 18/2020
History’s clues to Democrats’ nominee for the White House/Andrew Hammond /Arab
News/January 18/2020
We are all accessories in the spread of fake news/Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab
News/January 18/2020
Fears grow over Turkey’s transfer of jihadists, mercenaries to Libya/Lamine
Ghanmi/The Arab Weekly/January 19/2020
Details Of The Latest English LCCC Lebanese
& Lebanese Related News & Editorial published on January 18-19/2020
Blinded Amal and Hezbollah terrorists and
Thugs Are missing the Jerusalem road and acting as if it passes through the
Hamra and Al-Masraf Streets
Elias Bejjani/January 17/2020
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/82385/elias-bejjani-blinded-amal-and-hezbollah-terrorists-and-thugs-are-missing-the-jerusalem-road-and-acting-as-if-it-passes-through-the-hamra-and-al-masraf-streets-%d8%b4%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%ad%d8%a9-%d8%a7/
As always, the blinded and deceived Amal and Hezbollah Iranian thugs, and their
hired local mercenaries are deliberately once again missing the road that leads
to the liberation of Jerusalem.
Since yesterday these blinded terrorists are savagely portraying the Iranian
anti Lebanese schemes through ongoing barbaric attacks targeting both the Hamra
and banks streets in Beirut.
Apparently the ongoing evil big lie of liberation and resistance is overtly
exposing itself via the attacks targeting the central Lebanese bank and all the
other banks located in both Hamra and Bank streets.
According to the Iranian-Mullahs’ scheme, today the Jerusalem road passes
through the Hamra and Bank Streets, and only God my predict where it will be
tomorrow or after tomorrow.
In conclusion: Lebanon is an Iranian country through its terrorist armed proxy
that is falsely called Hezbollah (Party Of God).
In the midst of this mess that is forced on Lebanon and the Lebanese, definitely
there will be no solutions whatsoever in occupied Lebanon before the dissolution
of Hezbollah, dismantling of its mimi-state, putting on trial all its leaders
and the confiscation of all their property as well as that of Hezbollah, and
most importantly the strict and immediate implementation of the three UN
Resolutions that addresses Lebanon:
The Armistice agreement with the State of Israel
UN Resolution number 1559
UN Resolution number 1701.
Otherwise, Lebanon and the Lebanese will be facing more and more devastating
crisis in all domains and all levels.
Amnesty slams 'arbitrary arrests' of Lebanon protesters
following violent crackdown
The New Arab/January 19/2020
Lebanon's security forces on Thursday released most of the 100-plus
anti-government protesters detained in the past 48 hours, after two nights of
violent demonstrations in Beirut. Protesters gathered in Beirut again on
Thursday evening in front of the Central Bank and interior ministry, where
several hundred demonstrators denounced police use of force and outgoing
minister Raya al-Hassan. A protest movement that has rocked Lebanon since
October surged again from Tuesday, with a committee of lawyers defending
demonstrators saying 101 people had been detained, including 56 on Wednesday,
with five minors among them. The lawyers' committee announced on Facebook on
Thursday that "all those arrested have been released with the exception of seven
foreigners".The detained foreigners - six Syrians and an Egyptian - will be
brought before authorities, the committee added.
Lebanese security forces announced 59 people were arrested on suspicion of
vandalism and assault on Tuesday, when protesters angered by stringent informal
capital controls attacked banks in central Beirut. "Under popular pressure, the
detained have been released two days after a hysterical crackdown," Nizar
Saghieh, who heads the Legal Agenda non-governmental organisation, wrote on
Twitter. Amnesty International denounced what it said were "arbitrary arrests".
"What we have witnessed in the past couple of days is an alarming attack on
freedom of assembly and expression," said the watchdog's Middle East research
director Lynn Maalouf."Acts by a minority of protesters who vandalised banks or
threw stones is never a justification for such excessive use of force and
sweeping arrests by law enforcement."
Fresh protests
On Thursday, near parliament, hundreds of protesters massed to denounce
Lebanon's ruling class and delays in forming a new independent government. An
unprecedented nationwide movement of protests demanding an end to endemic
corruption and the wholesale removal of Lebanon's political elite broke out
nearly three months ago. With little change in sight, protesters also angered by
a financial crisis they blame on Lebanon's oligarchs and the central bank
resumed their rallies with renewed determination Tuesday after a holiday lull.
Protesters vandalised several banks on the central Hamra street on Tuesday
evening and hurled rocks at anti-riot police, who responded with volleys of tear
gas canisters. Gathered in front of the Central Bank again on Wednesday, the
protesters then moved to a police station where some of their comrades had been
detained the previous night, leading to clashes that left dozens lightly
wounded.
Outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri resigned under pressure from the street less
than two weeks into the wave of protests, but a new government has still not
been formed despite a stark and growing economic crisis. On Thursday, Hariri met
with Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh and caretaker finance minister Ali
Hassan Khalil to discuss the financial crisis and upcoming debt maturities.
Lebanon is burdened with debts of almost $90 billion, or more than 150 percent
of GDP. Over the past few months, the Lebanese pound - long pegged to the
US dollar at 1,507 - has slumped in value on the unofficial market to around
2,500. After a long search for a suitable candidate, former education minister
and university professor Hassan Diab was nominated as premier and tasked with
picking a new cabinet. Protesters have demanded a government of technocrats
excluding the household names that have symbolised Lebanon's sectarian-based
politics for generations. Local media reported a new cabinet could be named on
Friday, after thorny government formation talks prolonged the process despite
pressure from Lebanon's foreign partners and donors.
Aoun asks Defense and Interior Ministers and leaders
of security services to maintain the security of peaceful demonstrators,
prevent riots in downtown Beirut
NNA/January 18/2020
The President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, followed up on the
deteriorating security situation in Central Beirut this afternoon.
In this context, the President contacted the Caretaker Ministers of National
Defense, Elias Bou Saab, and Interior and Municipalities, Raya Al-Hassan, as
well as the Army Chief, General Joseph Aoun, and the Director General of the
Internal Security Forces, Major General Imad Othman, requesting that urgent
measures be taken to preserve the security of peaceful protesters, prevent
riots, ensure the safety of public and private property, and to impose security
in the commercial sector.
Hariri: Beirut will not be a mercenary square
NNA/January 18/2020
Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri denounced via Twitter "the scene of
confrontations, fires and acts of sabotage in the center of Beirut,” this
evening, deeming it “a suspicious and unacceptable scene that threatens civil
peace and warns of the gravest consequences.”
“Beirut will not be the arena for mercenaries and deliberate policies to attack
the peacefulness of popular movements," stressed Hariri. “Rafic Hariri's dream
of a unified capital for all Lebanese will not burn with the fires of outlaws
and those devouring from the peaceful movement. We will not allow anyone to
render Beirut, once again, an area of destruction, devastation and contact
lines,” he warned.Hariri urged “the military and security forces to protect the
capital and its role, and to rein in the abusers and infiltrators.”
Army Chief: We will defend our rights until the last
breath, and we will maintain utmost readiness to confront challenges
NNA /January 18/2020
Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, stressed Saturday on defending the Army’s
rights until the last breath, saying: “We will remain on highest alert to face
the challenges.”“Any criticism or infringement on the military institution will
not affect it any place, as it continues to protect Lebanon, in its land and
people," asserted Aou. Speaking during the opening of the office of the martyrs'
families and those with special needs at the military medical headquarters in
Badaro, the Army General deemed that “the interest in medicine is as important
as any other military part we seek to develop, to keep pace with modernity and
to provide the best medical services to our soldiers and their families, as well
the martyrs’ families.”“Medical service is not only by providing health care to
a patient, but is actually a process of attention and good treatment,” he said,
commending the "qualitative shift achieved by the military medical department,
thanks to its wise management.”"The development workshop is ongoing, and has
gained great confidence for its commitment to the standards of transparency and
self-monitoring, away from suspicions and liability," confirmed Aoun. He hoped
that "the policy adopted by the military medicine will be generalized in order
to prevent waste expenditure, save money and control the medical bill."
The Army Chief concluded by expressing a word of appreciation for the efforts
undertaken by Lebanese soldiers, wherever they are, in carrying out their duties
despite the magnitude of the pressures, especially at the economic level. “We
will remain loyal to our oath of honor, sacrifice and loyalty," vowed Aoun.
Church bells, prayer calls in downtown Beirut to stop the
confrontations
NNA /January 18/2020
Church bells are sounded at the moment, alongside the calls to prayer in mosques
in Central Beirut, in an attempt to stop the confrontations and restore the
peaceful nature of the popular movement, as more demonstrators arrived at the
entrance to the Riad El Solh Square, NNA correspondent reported.
Foreign Affairs: The Ministry’s work is inseparable from
the essence of its role in safeguarding the country’s supreme national interest
NNA /January 18/2020
In an issued statement by the Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Ministry this
afternoon, it stressed that “what the Ministry is doing is inseparable from the
essence of its role in safeguarding the supreme national interest.”"As the
provision of providing Lebanese concerned authorities with international data in
various fields, which may impact certain conditions in Lebanon, falls within the
jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which derives its information
from Lebanese missions abroad, as well as through its communication with all
foreign diplomatic missions accredited in Beirut, the Ministry wishes to clarify
that its undertakings are inseparable from the essence of its role in
safeguarding the supreme national interest, in terms of ensuring that no
information with content is withheld from any of the state’s institutions, each
according to its jurisdiction, so that its decision-making mechanism is based on
the correct evaluation of the surrounding conditions and factors, and to avoid
any negative repercussions on Lebanon,” the statement said.
In this connection, the Ministry expressed “its surprise at the criticism
directed against it in a recent article issued by “Al-Akhbar" Newspaper, the
content of which shows no delay by the Foreign Ministry in performing the
sovereign role assigned to it, within the limits of its competencies.”
Protest stand by Nabatieh, Kfarreman activists, followed by the release of two
detainees
NNA/January 18/2020
The Kfarreman and Nabatieh Popular Movements carried out a protest stand this
afternoon, in front of the Nabatieh Serail, to object against the arrest of the
two young men, Ali Bitar and Hussein Jaffal, at dawn today, for writing on the
walls of Nabatieh banks.
Participants raised the slogans of "rejecting oppression" and "denouncing the
policy of suppressing freedoms", during which they blocked Al-Sabah Street from
the northern entrance to the city of Nabatieh, chanting against the rule of
banks and calling for the freedom of Bitar and Jaffal, amidst security presence
by Army units.
The protesters confirmed that they would not leave the street "before the
release of their two arrested colleagues," noting that their stand was "to press
for the speedy release of both men."It was later reported that Bitar and Jaffal
were released at five in the afternoon.
Masked men attempt to storm into Parliament entrance on
Beirut Municipality Street
NNA/January 18/2020
The clashes in the Parliament vicinity intensified between the riot police and
masked young men who were pushing to pass the entrance of the Parliament on the
Beirut Municipality Street, as the riot police sprayed them with water cannons,
NNA correspondent reported from downtown Beirut. Meanwhile, activists in the
protest movement denied, via network sites they created on social media since
the beginning of their movement on October 17, "any responsibility by protesters
in the ongoing riots in downtown Beirut," describing the participants in these
actions as "infiltrating rioters who wish to sabotage and distort the image of
the revolution."
Clashes escalate along Beirut Municipality Street
NNA /January 18/2020
The confrontations facing the entrance to the Parliament House on the Beirut
Municipality Street escalated between the demonstrators and the Internal
Security Forces’ riot police this afternoon, NNA correspondent reported from
downtown Beirut. Young men threw heavy firecrackers, in addition to a Molotov
grenade, taking shelter in a glass façade which they removed from a store, and
with branches they pulled out of most trees in the vicinity. Meanwhile, teams
from the Red Cross and Civil Defense arrived at the scene, transporting a number
of injured to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Sit-in outside BDL’s branch in Baalbek
NNA/January 18/2020
Demonstrators staged a sit-in outside the Banque du Liban’s branch in Baalbek
this morning, to protest the poor economic and living conditions in the country,
preventing its employees from entering the building premises to tend to their
work, while chanting slogans against the adopted financial policies, NNA
correspondent in Baalbek reported.
Intense clashes in Central Beirut, arrival of security
reinforcements, large army unit
NNA/January 18/2020
The confrontations are still raging within the Parliament vicinity between the
demonstrators and the riot police, as protesters are throwing firecrackers and
stones towards the riot police, who are responding with heavy tear gas bombs,
NNA correspondent in downtown Beirut reported. Many casualties from both sides
have been reported, and the Red Cross teams are working to transport the injured
to nearby hospitals. Meanwhile, security reinforcements have arrived at the
scene to combat the acts of riot and infringement on public and private
property, joined as well by a large Lebanese army
Security Forces: Those who burned tents in Riad El-Solh do
not belong to ISF
NNA/January 18/2020
The Internal Security Forces’ General Directorate announced, via Twitter, that
those who burned the tents in Riad El-Solh Square today “were not among its
members, as it was mentioned by some media.”
Murad: Lebanon sad, Beirut weeps
NNA/January 18/2020
Caretaker State Minister for Foreign Trade Affairs, Hassan Murad, regretted via
Twitter the recent developments in downtown Beirut this evening, saying:
"Lebanon is sad and Beirut, the den of Arabism, weeps!"
Riots in Lebanon's capital leave more than 150 injured
Associated Press/January 19/2020
The Lebanese Red Cross said it took 30 people to hospitals, while 45 others were
treated on the spot.
BEIRUT: Police fired volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets in Lebanon’s capital
Saturday to disperse thousands of protesters amid some of the worst rioting
since demonstrations against the country’s ruling elite erupted three months
ago. More than 150 people were injured. Thick white smoke covered the downtown
Beirut area near Parliament as police and protesters engaged in confrontations
that saw groups of young men hurl stones and firecrackers at police who
responded with water cannons and tear gas. Some protesters were seen vomiting on
the street from inhaling the gas.
The violence began after some protesters started throwing stones at police
deployed near the parliament building, while others removed street signs, metal
barriers and branches of trees, tossing them at security forces.
The clashes took place with the backdrop of a rapidly worsening financial crisis
and an ongoing impasse over the formation of a new government after the Cabinet
headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned in late October.
Lebanon has witnessed three months of protests against the political elite who
have ruled the country since the end of the 1975-90 civil war. The protesters
blame politicians for widespread corruption and mismanagement in a country that
has accumulated one of the largest debt ratios in the world.
The protesters had called for a demonstration Saturday afternoon with the theme
“we will not pay the price” in reference to debt that stands at about $87
billion, or more than 150% of GDP.
As rioting took place in central Beirut, thousands of other protesters arrived
later from three different parts of the city to join the demonstration. They
were later dispersed and chased by police into nearby Martyrs Square that has
been a center for protests.
Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces called on all peaceful protesters to
“immediately leave the area of riots for their own safety.” It added that some
policemen who were taken for treatment at hospitals were attacked by protesters
inside the medical centers.
As clashes continued, some two dozen men believed to be parliament guards
attacked the protesters’ tents in Martyrs Square, setting them on fire. A gas
cylinder inside one of the tents blew up. The fire spread quickly and charred a
nearby shop.
The bells of nearby St. George Cathedral began to toll in an apparent call for
calm, while loudspeakers at the adjacent blue-domed Muhammad Al-Amin mosque
called for night prayers.
Later in the evening, hundreds of protesters chanting “Revolution” chased a
contingent of riot police near the entrance of the mosque, forcing them to
withdraw. Inside the mosque, several men were treated for gas inhalation and
some families were said to be hiding inside.
“We call on the security forces to be merciful with women and children inside
the mosque,” a statement blared through the mosque’s loudspeakers. President
Michel Aoun called on security forces to protect peaceful protesters and work on
restoring clam in downtown Beirut and to protect public and private propery. He
asked the ministers of defense and interior and heads of security agencies to
act.
“The confrontations, fires and acts of sabotage in central Beirut are crazy,
suspicious and rejected. They threaten civil peace and warn of grave
consequences,” tweeted Hariri, the caretaker prime minister, who lives nearb y.
He called those behind the riots “outlaws” and called on police and armed forces
to protect Beirut. The Lebanese Red Cross said it took 65 people to hospitals
and treated 100 others on the spot, calling on people to donate blood. As the
clashes continued, more ambulances were seen rushing to the area and evacuating
the injured.
Late on Saturday most of the protesters were forced out of the area by police
firing tear gas and sometimes rubber bullets. Still, security remained tight as
more reinforcements arrived.
Panic and anger have gripped the public as their local currency, pegged to the
dollar for more than two decades, plummeted. The Lebanese pound lost more than
60% of its value in recent weeks on the black market. The economy has seen no
growth and foreign inflows dried up in the already heavily indebted country that
relies on imports for most of its basic goods. mMeanwhile, banks have imposed
informal capital controls, limiting withdrawal of dollars and foreign transfers.
Earlier this week, protesters carried out acts of vandalism in a main commercial
area in Beirut targeting mostly private banks. Prime Minister-designate Hassan
Diab had been expected to announce an 18-member Cabinet on Friday, but last
minute disputes among political factions scuttled his latest attempt.
Lebanon security forces face off against protesters near
parliament building in Beirut
Reuters/Arab News/January 18/2020
BEIRUT: Security personnel fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters armed
with little more than tree branches and sign posts in Beirut on Saturday in
clashes near Lebanon’s parliament. According to a Red Cross statement issued on
Saturday, 75 protesters have been injured during the standoff with security
forces. The latest clashes come after a cooling of tensions in the Lebanese
capital, after largely peaceful protests which broke out across the country in
October over the state of the economy turned increasingly violent, but people
have filled the streets again this week.
They are furious at a ruling elite that has steered the country toward its worst
economic crisis in decades. Police wielding batons and firing tear gas have
wounded dozens of people at protests in recent days. Anger at the banks — which
have curbed people’s access to their savings — started to boil over, with
protesters smashing bank facades and ATMs on Tuesday night. Lebanon’s Internal
Security Forces said on Saturday that police in Beirut were being “violently and
directly” confronted at one of the entrances to the parliament. In a tweet, it
called on people to leave the area for their own safety. Witnesses said they saw
young men hurling stones and flower pots toward riot police, while protesters
tried to push through an entrance to a heavily barricaded district of central
Beirut, which includes the parliament. Hundreds of protesters marched and
chanted against in the political class in other parts of the capital. A large
banner at one of the rallies read: “If the people go hungry, they will eat their
rulers.” The unrest, which stemmed from anger at corruption and the rising cost
of living, forced Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri to resign in October. Feuding
politicians have since failed to agree a new cabinet or rescue plan.The Lebanese
pound has lost nearly half its value, while dollar shortages have driven up
prices and confidence in the banking system has collapsed.
Beirut in chaos as riot police use water canons to disperse
Lebanon protesters
The New Arab/January 19/2020
Tensions flared in Lebanon's capital on Saturday as angry protesters flung
stones, traffic signs and tree branches at security forces, who responded with
water canons and tear gas. The protest movement rocking Lebanon since October 17
has revived this week, over delays in forming a new cabinet to address the
country's growing economic crisis. No progress appears to have been made towards
a final lineup, which protesters demand be comprised of independent experts and
exclude all traditional political parties. On Saturday afternoon, demonstrators
set out from various spots in Beirut in a march towards the city centre under
the slogan "We won't pay the price". But before they all converged near the road
leading to parliament, dozens of protesters flung rocks and plant pots filled
with earth at the police guarding the institution, local television channels
showed.
Security forces sprayed young men with two water cannons and lobbed tear gas
over a metal fence to disperse remaining protesters on the wet tarmac.A direct
and violent confrontation is taking place with anti-riot police at one of the
entrances to parliament," the Internal Security Forces said on Twitter.
"We ask peaceful protesters to keep away from the site of the rioting for their
safety."An AFP photographer saw young men uproot parking metres. He also saw
around 10 people faint from the tear gas. A female protester named Maya, 23,
said she was attending the protest because politicians still seemed to be
ignoring demands for an overhaul of the old political class. "I'm here because
after more than 90 days in the streets, they're still squabbling over their
shares in government... It's as if they didn't see our movement," she told AFP.
"Popular anger is the solution," the young protester said.
Forming a new cabinet is often convoluted in Lebanon, where a complex system
seeks to maintain balance between the country's many political parties and
religious confessions. But protesters say they want to scrap the old system, and
demand only impartial technocrats staff a new government to address their
growing economic woes, including a severe liquidity crisis. The last government
stepped down under pressure from the street on October 29, but has remained in a
caretaker capacity until a new cabinet takes shape. The World Bank has warned
that the poverty rate in Lebanon could rise from a third to a half if the
political crisis is not remedied fast.
Jabak: Salameh broke the agreement
NNA/January 18/2020
Caretaker Public Health Minister, Jamil Jabak, said in a statement Saturday that
"since the beginning of the crisis in Lebanon, the required medical needs have
been assessed, on which basis an agreement was concluded with the Central Bank
Governor with the aim of securing the necessary financial amounts, but Salameh
revoked this agreement." "The solution to the issue of importing medical
supplies lies with the Central Bank Governor, and when he gives his instructions
to the banks, all will be resolved," Jabak underlined. He indicated that he will
discuss this issue with Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the earliest
opportunity. "A solution must be found because the status quo lacks the luxury
of time, for national responsibility entails working with utmost seriousness to
ward off the threat posed to the medical sector,” Jabak corroborated.
Fadlallah calls for investigating money transfers since the
beginning of 2019
NNA/January 18/2020
Member of the "Loyalty to Resistance" Parliamentary Bloc, MP Hassan Fadlallah,
called Saturday for launching an investigation into the money transfers that
occurred since the outset of the year 2019, “because some individuals knew what
was going to happen beforehand, so they escaped their money from the beginning
of the year…and the banks knew about this situation, so did the Central Bank.”
Speaking during a memorial ceremony held in the southern town of Qana this
morning, Fadlallah said: “We are facing an internal financial and economic
crisis, and we are always looking for solutions...We always say to officials
during the sessions that we hold in Parliament or with those concerned, that it
is not the job of the official to complain, for the citizen is the one who
complains, while the official is required to find appropriate solutions;
otherwise why would he be in a position of responsibility in the government,
bank, administration, or parliament?”He added: “One of the basic steps to tackle
the crisis lies in the existence of a government, because it is responsible for
carrying out the necessary procedures and managing the affairs of the country,
and without it we cannot take decisions nor make reforms.”
Fadlallah hoped that "the government would see the light soon, and agree on its
ministerial statement as soon as possible, since a general understanding of the
principles of the directions that will govern its work exists. Hence, it can set
its ministerial statement and gain confidence the soonest possible, in order to
start its work, because the priority is the financial situation and the economic
and daily living conditions that are depleting the country every day.” Over the
US sanctions’ issue, the MP considered that "the sanctions imposed on our
countries and the resistance movements are among the wars waged against us,”
stressing that “all these sanctions that come from the United States, its group,
and the countries in its orbit, cannot affect our resistance in its decision,
strength, immunity, and constant willingness to carry out its duties.”
Lebanon police fire tear gas at protesters in violent 'week
of rage'
Ben Wedeman and Angela Dewan/CNN/January 18, 2020
Beirut (CNN)Lebanese police fired tear gas and water cannons at hundreds of
anti-government protesters in downtown Beirut on Saturday, as the monthslong
demonstrations turned violent in what is being called a "week of rage."
CNN reporters on the ground near Martyrs' Square saw demonstrators throw molotov
cocktails, rocks and fireworks at police, and shine lasers at them to disrupt
successive rounds of tear gas, in a violent nighttime exchange that has been
going on for more than two hours.
Demonstrations over one of the country's worst-ever economic crises began in
mid-October and led to the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who is now
leading the country in a caretaker role.
Protests have been going on ever since, but had largely been peaceful. They
erupted in violence this week as demonstrators began smashing bank windows and
ATMs. Clashes with police have left dozens injured.
Protesters have grown increasingly frustrated as the country has been unable to
form a legitimate government for more than three months.
The banking system has all but collapsed and Lebanese citizens have a monthly
withdrawal limit worth around $200. The nation's currency has lost 60% of its
value in the months of tumult, as prices soar and people are left unable to pay
their regular bills.
Lebanese Interior Minister Raya Haffar El Hassan was forced to apologize after
security forces attacked journalists at protests on Wednesday, saying officers
were under stress and were struggling to keep up with the months of
demonstrations.
Reuters, Lebanon's MTV and Al Jadeed TV said members of their crews were injured
during clashes in central Beirut while they were covering protests outside the
Helou barracks, that belong to the Internal Security Forces.
"The [security forces] members are tired. They are very tired. They are worried
about themselves just as you are worried about yourselves. They are on alert.
They're not sleeping. They're being insulted. They're getting stones thrown at
them. They're getting [pieces of] metal thrown at them. So when they crack,
oppression [of protesters] is the result. Is it excusable? No, it isn't
excusable. But you have to put yourselves in their shoes for a minute," she told
reporters.
CNN's Ben Wedeman reported from Beirut and Angela Dewan reported from London.
Dozens Wounded as Lebanon
Protesters Clash with Police
Naharnet/January 18/2020
Dozens were wounded in Lebanon's capital on Saturday after police clashed with
protesters angered by delays in forming a government as anti-establishment
demonstrations enter a fourth month. The protest movement rocking Lebanon since
October 17 revived this week as a deepening economic crisis increases pressure
to form a new government. No progress appears to have been made towards
finalising the cabinet, which protesters demand be comprised of independent
experts and exclude all established political parties. On Saturday evening, fire
tore through protest tents in an iconic square in central Beirut. What caused
the blaze was not immediately clear. Earlier, marches converged on the city
centre from across Beirut, with demonstrators chanting "We won't pay the price".
Near parliament, dozens of protesters threw rocks and large plant pots at police
guarding the institution. Others charged police blockades with traffic signs and
metal barriers. Security forces behind the barricades responded with water
cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowds. The Red Cross said dozens were
wounded, with 40 people transported to hospital and 60 treated at the scene. "A
direct and violent confrontation is taking place with anti-riot police at one of
the entrances to parliament," the Internal Security Forces said on Twitter. "We
ask peaceful protesters to keep away from the site of the rioting for their
safety."They published photos of several wounded policemen and a video showing
pillars stripped of their tiles, reportedly to be thrown at security forces.An
AFP photographer saw young men uproot parking metres. He also saw around 10
people faint from tear gas inhalation.
'Popular anger'
A 23-year-old woman named Maya said she was protesting because politicians
seemed to be ignoring demands for an overhaul of the old political class. "I'm
here because after more than 90 days in the streets, they're still squabbling
over their shares in government... It's as if they didn't see our movement," she
told AFP. "Popular anger is the solution," she said. Forming a cabinet is an
often convoluted process in Lebanon, where a complex system seeks to maintain
balance between the country's many political parties and religious confessions.
But protesters say they want to scrap the old system, and demand a new
government of impartial technocrats to address mounting economic woes, including
a severe liquidity crisis. This week public anger has been directed at banks,
with branches in the capital's Hamra district vandalised following widely
unpopular limits on withdrawals and transfers. Dozens were detained for several
nights after clashes on Tuesday and Wednesday, before being released. Human
rights groups denounced the arrests and what they described as unacceptable
violence against largely peaceful protesters. The last government stepped down
under pressure from the street on October 29, but has remained in a caretaker
capacity until a new cabinet is formed. Political factions that agreed on
December 19 to appoint former education minister and professor Hassan Diab as
the new premier are now disagreeing over proposed ministers. The World Bank has
warned that the poverty rate in Lebanon could rise from a third to half of the
population if the political crisis is not solved quickly.
Protesters Hurl Eggs in Baalbek, Vandalise Banks in Dahieh
Naharnet/January 18/2020
Protesters hurled eggs and vandalized banks while others blocked several main
roads on Saturday as unprecedented demonstrations against a political elite
accused of corruption and incompetence entered their fourth month. In the city
of Baalbek, demonstrators hurled eggs at the central bank’s branch in the area
and prevented access for employees. Others sprayed graffiti and vandalised banks
in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahieh, a move unseen before in Hizbullah’s
stronghold. “Down with the dollar, down with the rule of the banks,” graffiti
sprayed on banks walls read. Protests this week saw angry demonstrators attack
banks following the imposition of sharp curbs on cash withdrawals to stem a
liquidity crisis. Lebanon has been without a government since Prime Minister
Saad Hariri resigned Oct. 29 amid nationwide protests against corruption and
mismanagement by a political class that has been running the country since the
end of the 1975-90 civil war. Panic and anger have gripped the public as they
watch their local currency, pegged to the dollar for almost three decades,
plummet, losing more than 60% of its value in recent weeks on the black market.
Meanwhile, banks have imposed informal capital controls, limiting withdrawal of
dollars and foreign transfers from the country. The economy has worsened since
mass protests began Oct. 17, turning violent in recent weeks as anger mounts.
Earlier this week, protesters carried out acts of vandalism, targeting mostly
banks. Protesters have already rejected the new Cabinet saying that although it
is going to be made up of experts, the ministers are named by the political
groups they blame for Lebanon's problems. The protest movement is insisting that
the government be made of independent technocrats.
Berri Says Kubis’ Remarks Constitute 'Interference' in
Lebanon Affairs
Naharnet/January 18/2020
Speaker Nabih Berri considered the latest tweets of the top UN official in
Lebanon as an “interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs,” al-Joumhouria daily
reported on Saturday. “With all due respect for all international delegates and
representatives in Lebanon, the statement of (Jan) Kubis is an interference in
Lebanon’s internal affairs and is not acceptable, not in form nor in content,”
Berri was quoted as telling his visitors. Jan Kubis, U.N. special coordinator
for Lebanon, on Wednesday denounced in a tweet acts of vandalism by protesters
targeting the country's banks a day earlier. But Kubis criticized the political
class' management of the country's deepening economic crisis, saying those
responsible for handling it “are watching it collapse. Incredible.” Also on
Friday, Kubis commented on the “use of force” against protesters and journalists
after meeting caretaker Interior Minister Raya el Hassan. “Excessive use of
force against protesters is unacceptable, action must be taken also to prevent
future excesses,” he said in a tweet adding that “anger of the people is
understandable, but it is different from vandalism of political manipulators,
that must be stopped.”
CLDH - Lebanese Center for
Human Rights
Saturday, 18 January 2020
Contrary to International treaties in which Lebanon is a signatory, members of
security forces attacked demonstrators from all over Lebanon on the 18th of
January, after detaining them at Helou police station in Beirut.
The Lebanese Center for Human Rights denounces these inhumane and illegal
actions, and demands in punishing perpetrators and holding the command of
Internal Security Forces accountable for covering for the excessive use of
violence against demonstrators.
Amnesty International
CNN International
EuroMed Rights
Human Rights Watch
#لبنان_ينتفض
Army Chief: Critique Won’t
Affect Military
Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun stressed on Saturday that the Lebanese
Armed Forces will not slack-off despite criticisms directed at the military
institution. “In parallel to carrying out the tasks entrusted to us, regardless
of the odd voices rising from time to time, any criticism directed at the
military institution will not affect us and we will keep on protecting Lebanon’s
people and land,” said Aoun. His remarks came at the inauguration of an office
at the military headquarters in Badaro for the families of martyrs and people
with special needs. Pointing out to the army’s role amid nationwide protests
gripping the country for over three months, he stated: “We appreciate the
efforts exerted by the military wherever they are, despite the magnitude of
pressures, especially economic ones. We will remain defenders of our rights
until the last breath, and we will remain high ready to face challenges and
loyal.”
Reporter Hurt as Protesters Briefly Clash with Security Forces in Hamra
Naharnet/January 18/2020
A brief confrontation erupted Friday evening between anti-government protesters
and security forces on Beirut’s Hamra Street. The skirmishes started after some
protesters hurled bottles, stones and firecrackers at security forces outside
the central bank, which prompted riot police to chase them to the end of Hamra
Street. Some protesters had earlier hurled “Molotov cocktails and rocks” into
the premises of the central bank as others removed the barbed wire. Al-Jadeed TV
reporter Adam Chamseddine was injured by a flying stone which struck his head as
he was covering the demo. Calm later returned to the street as protesters
gathered anew and chanted slogans outside the central bank.
Dozens injured in violent
crackdown on Lebanon anti-government protests
The New Arab/January 19/2020
Clashes between police and protesters in Lebanon angered by delays in forming a
government wounded more than 220 people on both sides Saturday as
anti-establishment demonstrations enter a fourth month.
The sound of ambulance sirens rang out across Beirut as the Red Cross reported
80 wounded had been taken to hospital and 140 more were treated on site. On
Saturday evening, fire tore through protest tents in an iconic square in central
Beirut. It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze.
The protest movement rocking Lebanon since 17 October revived this week as a
deepening economic crisis increases pressure to form a new government. No
progress appears to have been made towards finalising the cabinet, which
protesters demand be comprised of independent experts and exclude all
established political parties. Earlier, marches had intended to converge on the
city centre from across. But near parliament, dozens of protesters threw rocks
and large plant pots at police guarding the road leading up to the institution.
Others charged police lines with traffic signs and metal barriers.
Earlier, marches had intended to converge on the city centre from across
Beirut.But near parliament, dozens of protesters threw rocks and large plant
pots at police guarding the road leading up to the institution. Others charged
police lines with traffic signs and metal barriers.Security forces behind the
barricades responded with water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowds. "A
direct and violent confrontation is taking place with anti-riot police at one of
the entrances to parliament," the Internal Security Forces said on Twitter.
"We ask peaceful protesters to keep away from the site of the rioting for their
safety."They published photos of several wounded policemen and a video showing
pillars stripped of their tiles, reportedly to be thrown at security forces. An
AFP photographer saw young men uproot parking metres. He also saw around 10
people faint from tear gas inhalation.
'Popular anger'
A 23-year-old woman named Maya said she was protesting because politicians
seemed to be ignoring demands for an overhaul of the old political class. "I'm
here because after more than 90 days in the streets, they're still squabbling
over their shares in government... It's as if they didn't see our movement," she
told AFP. "Popular anger is the solution," she said. Forming a cabinet is an
often convoluted process in Lebanon, where a complex system seeks to maintain
balance between the country's many political parties and religious confessions.
But protesters say they want to scrap the old system, and demand a new
government of impartial technocrats to address mounting economic woes, including
a severe liquidity crisis. President Michel Aoun called on Twitter for the
security forces to protect peaceful protesters, but prevent "vandalism".
Outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri meanwhile condemned what he called a
"suspicious and crazy scene", blaming "infiltrators". This week public anger has
been directed at banks, with branches in the capital's Hamra district vandalised
following widely unpopular limits on withdrawals and transfers. Dozens were
detained for several nights after clashes on Tuesday and Wednesday, before being
released. Human rights groups denounced the arrests and what they described as
unacceptable violence against largely peaceful protesters. The last government
stepped down under pressure from the street on 29 October, but has remained in a
caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is formed. Political factions that agreed
on 19 December to appoint former education minister and professor Hassan Diab as
the new premier are now disagreeing over proposed ministers. The World Bank has
warned that the poverty rate in Lebanon could rise from a third to half of the
population if the political crisis is not solved quickly.
Lebanon protests turn violent
as ‘one-sided’ government preps cabinet
Samar Kadi//The Arab Weekly/January 19/2020
The protesters have escalated their action in the streets to express their
rejection of a partisan government, which they say is veiled by technocrats.
BEIRUT - Protesters returned to the streets of Lebanon in large numbers in what
they dubbed the “week of wrath” to vent anger and frustration at the country’s
economic downward spiral amid delays in the formation of an emergency government
capable of stemming the financial crisis. Protesters blocked roads around Beirut
and clashed with anti-riot police near Banque du Liban, the central bank,
smashing windows of banks and foreign exchange bureaus along adjacent Hamra
Street, a commercial and banking hub. The most violent clashes since the
anti-government uprising, which erupted October 17, occurred as protests, which
flared after a weeks-long lull during end-of-year holidays, followed by soaring
regional tensions between the United States and Iran, regained intensity despite
the reported imminent formation of a government.
Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab, who was nominated by Hezbollah
and its allies, the Shia Amal Movement and the Christian Free Patriotic Movement
of President Michel Aoun, reportedly reached a government lineup after
month-long thorny discussions.
“It is a one-sided government made up of Hezbollah and its allies. The so-called
technocrats are just a facade or masks behind which the politicians are hiding,”
said political analyst Rached Fayed. “The people are against such government
because they want a fully independent administration. There is a total divorce
between the Lebanese public and the political class.”Protesters have demanded a
government of technocrats excluding the well-known names that have symbolised
Lebanon’s sectarian-based politics for generations.
Nabil Bou Moncef, deputy editor-in-chief and leading columnist of An Nahar
newspaper, said a government of technocrats linked to specific politicians who
represent one camp (Hezbollah and allies) has little chance to succeed. “The
international community, namely the West, will tell you this is Hezbollah’s
government,” Bou Moncef said. “Any government today can only succeed in one of
two cases: If it stops the economic collapse by its own means, which no
government can do, or if it gains international support and financial aid… An
administration representing Hezbollah and company cannot get such assistance. It
might only buy some time,” he said.
The protesters have escalated their action in the streets to express their
rejection of a partisan government, which they say is veiled by technocrats.
“They cannot fool the people by bringing in their own consultants. That is not
an independent government. They are ignoring the people’s demand amid the
increasingly angry protests and free-falling economy,” Bou Moncef said. “In
addition to the Lebanese, they are alienating the international community, which
just cannot believe that there could be such careless and corrupt politicians
amid deepening economic crisis.”
UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis reflected the growing frustration
of the international community in a series of strongly worded tweets. “Another
day of confusion around the formation of a government, amid the increasingly
angry protests and free-falling economy. Politicians, don’t blame the people,
blame yourselves for this dangerous chaos,” Kubis posted on Twitter.
International donors have been demanding that Lebanon institute major economic
changes and anti-corruption measures and appoint a new government to unlock $11
billion in pledges made in 2018.
Violent demonstrators have mostly targeted central bank Governor Riad Salame and
banks, which have imposed capital controls on foreign currency accounts in the
highly dollarised economy. The local currency has lost more than 60% of its
value in just a few weeks and sources of foreign currency have dried up.
“The public at large has been harmed by the banks’ restrictive policies and
these constitute the majority of the people protesting against banks and the
central bank governor,” Bou Moncef said. “I believe that political parties
linked to the Syrian regime are manipulating the issue. Syria is even more
harmed than Lebanon by the banking restrictions because Salame’s measures curbed
drastically the smuggling of dollar banknotes to Syria. Among those arrested in
the protests and vandalism against the banks, there are several Syrian
nationals.”Police have been accused of excessive use of force against
protesters, including attacks on journalists and the detention of more than 100
people. However, people who fear their bank deposits are in danger are not
budging. “We are worried about losing our savings… Lebanon is not an easy
country to save in,” a protester who was among those demonstrating outside the
central bank told the Associated Press. “We don’t trust the banks here anymore.”
*Samar Kadi is the Arab Weekly society and travel section editor.
Chaos in Beirut as police and
protesters clash
Sunniva Rose and James Haines-Young/The National/January 18/2020
Lebanese President Michel Aoun orders army to restore order
Lebanon's President Michel Aoun asked the army and security commanders to
restore calm in central Beirut where security forces clashed with protesters on
Saturday night.
Mr Aoun called on them "to protect the safety of peaceful protesters and of
public and private property, and to restore calm to central Beirut," the
president's office said. Tear gas and smoke-filled central Beirut on Saturday
night as hundreds of protesters faced off with police around Parliament, which
has been sealed off with fencing and riot police. Protesters threw fireworks and
rocks at police who responded with tear gas and water cannon, in addition to
throwing rocks back at them. Former prime minister Saad Hariri called the scenes
“crazy” and “unacceptable” as he warned that “Beirut will not be an arena for
mercenaries and the deliberate attacks on the peaceful popular movements.” He
called on the security forces to protect the capital and restore calm. In scenes
reminiscent of riots against banks in a commercial street on Tuesday night,
protesters vandalised ATM machines and park meters near Parliament, smashing
them with metal rods. Shortly after the clashes erupted, dozens of young men
took refuge in the upscale mall of Beirut Souks, where all the shops were
closed. Some broke cement slabs covering a high-end fashion store to use as
projectiles against the police as they hurled insults towards caretaker Interior
Minister Raya Al Hassan.
The sound of ambulance sirens rang out across Beirut as the Red Cross reported
80 wounded had been taken to hospital and 140 more were treated on site. Eyes
running from the tear gas, Rabih Ezzedine, 21, said that they wanted to break
past the riot police blocking the street to Parliament. “We want a cabinet of
people who have no links with political parties. But they [politicians] are
ignoring us,” he told The National. Like other protesters, he believes that
despite Prime Minister designate Hassan Diab’s claims, the new government that
he is setting up will not be fully independent.
By early evening, police had pushed protesters back from the road leading
between the entrance to Nijmeh Square where the parliament building and Beirut
Souks are located.
But protesters remained in central Beirut, clashing with authorities in the most
intense evening of violence Lebanon has seen since the start of the nationwide
mass uprising against an economic crisis and the mismanagement of the
government. Protesters were equipped for violence, wearing sophisticated gas
masks and motorbike helmets. Many claimed to come from other regions of Lebanon.
In videos circulating online of the confrontation near parliament, Protesters
were heard chanting “shabiha” at police. The term refers to the violent
pro-Damascus militias in the neighbouring Syrian conflict who are responsible
for some of the attacks on demonstrators in the early days of the uprising in
2011 as well as for grisly tactics during the ensuing civil war.
Local television broadcast live footage of a mob of protesters attacking an
isolated policeman. Two men dragged him out and ran away, leaving him lying on
the road before other riot police helped him up. Anger increased after the ISF
entered Al Amin mosque, the biggest mosque in downtown Beirut where injured
protesters, women and children had taken refuge. Although the protests led to
the resignation of Mr Hariri’s government two weeks after it began, Mr Diab has
yet to form a new administration despite reports he was close over the last two
days.
Protesters are angered by the worst economic crisis since the end of the 1975-90
civil war that has seen banks implement capital controls to prevent withdrawals
over a few hundred dollars a week and the Lebanese pound plummet in value on the
black market despite it being officially pegged to the US dollar.
In the chaos in central Beirut on Saturday night, protest tents that have been
put up in above the central Martyrs’ Square, the epicentre of the movement, were
set on fire. While there were reports members of the Internal Security Forces or
Parliamentary Police were responsible, both forces denied that their officers
were involved.
Civil Defence teams moved in to extinguish the blaze as riot police used water
cannon to put out rubbish bin fires and barricades that had been set alight. The
ISF said in a statement on Saturday evening that officers injured in the clashes
were later attacked in hospital. The force said the incidents took place at the
American Hospital of Beirut in the western Hamra area as well as the Hospital
Wardieh in east Beirut’s Gemmayzeh.. Police wielding batons and firing tear gas
have wounded dozens of people at protests in recent days, alarming human rights
groups. Anger at the banks -- which have curbed people's access to their savings
-- boiled over, with protesters smashing bank facades and ATMs on Tuesday. On
Saturday, local televisions broadcast images of protesters injured by rubber
bullets. “Riot police firing rubber bullets on protesters indiscriminately, incl
while running away. UN standards state that such weapons should only be used on
abdomen/legs of violent individual & only with view to addressing imminent
threat of injury to police or public,” tweeted Human Rights Watch Lebanon
researcher Aya Majzoub. During the weekend, the protests swelled in size as
thousands take to the streets. At least three large marches set off around the
capital to converge on parliament on Saturday afternoon, demanding the formation
of a non-sectarian, non-political government capable to tackling the country’s
economic woes. The protests have deeply divided the Lebanese, with Iran-backed
Hezbollah and its allies accusing them of destabilising the country while their
supporters believe that a deep political change is necessary. This is reflected
in local media coverage. On Saturday evening, NBN, a television affiliated to
Hezbollah’s political ally Amal, called protesters “infiltrators”, while Al
Jadeed’s reporter asked those being dragged away by riot police to shout their
names to the camera so that their relatives would be informed of their arrest.
It is not just the West that
is standing up to Iran – but also the people of Lebanon and Iraq
Raghida Dergham/The National/January 18/2020
Ordinary citizens in both countries are seeing through the stunts of
politicians, especially those who answer to Tehran.
The US has stepped up pressure on Iran – together with America’s three European
partners in the nuclear deal that was signed in 2015 to keep Tehran’s weapons
partially in check. The Donald Trump administration had threatened to impose 25
per cent tariffs on European automobiles if Britain, France, and Germany refused
to activate the dispute resolution mechanism in the nuclear deal. This mechanism
allows parties to the deal to determine whether Iran is violating the terms of
the agreement, opening the door to the possibility of snapping back the United
Nations-led sanctions on Tehran, which had been lifted under the agreement.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has reacted with distress, having
lost his bet that the Europeans will help Tehran circumvent US sanctions through
a financial mechanism long demanded by the regime to allow it to sell its oil.
Addressing the Europeans, whom he accused of caving to US “bullying”, he
tweeted: “If you want to sell your integrity, go ahead. But DO NOT assume high
moral/legal ground.”
The deterioration of relations between Tehran and the European troika will
increase the anxiety felt by the regime and shrink its options amid its domestic
and regional crisis. Attempts to blackmail the European Union and provoke the US
have failed, with the regime blundering time and again, and further sliding into
quagmires in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. At the same time, ordinary Iranians
have erupted against the regime. Failed also is its bet on the impeachment of Mr
Trump or the premature defeat of his re-election bid.
For these reasons, Iran’s leaders have decided to relent in the region and
postpone their vengeance against America, while they regroup and contain
domestic trouble by cracking down on protests with orders to the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, this week by the top echelons to accomplish
the task. Yet the Trump administration will not sit idly by, especially after
Iran increased its uranium enrichment levels and decoupled itself from its
nuclear commitments. It is therefore preparing additional measures against
Tehran, which would include imposing a financial blockade on Iranian banks led
by its central bank. Sources in Tehran say that this could trigger another round
of retaliation two weeks from now.
Meanwhile, the regime is adopting a policy of “de-escalation for the sake of
dominance” in Lebanon and Iraq, while postponing further activities in Yemen and
closely watching what happens to its project in Syria. There are indications it
wants to cut its losses in the region and manage the different crises in the
interim.
For instance, it does not dare heat up the Lebanese and Iraqi fronts by
orchestrating crackdowns against protesters in either country. Distinct
uprisings are taking place right now yet they have one common characteristic:
their rejection of Iranian dominance, which is being exerted via its proxies.
The problem for Iran is that the protesters’ demands are in themselves a coup
against the systems of government upheld by Iran in these countries. This
translates to an existential battle for the regime’s logic.
In Iraq, the Quds Force – which is part of the IRGC – seems eager to restore its
prestige in the wake of the killing of its commander, Qassem Suleimani, by a US
drone strike in Baghdad earlier this month. Sources suggest that Mr Suleimani’s
successor, Esmail Qaani, intends to visit Iraq soon to establish continuity and
take over the regional missions assigned to the Quds Force in the region. But
Iran’s assessment of the situation in Iraq is that regrouping will take time.
For this reason, relenting is the name of the game for the moment, even as
Iran’s key policy remains the same: forcing the withdrawal of all foreign troops
from the region.
At the same time, the uprising there seems determined to hold its ground and US
troops appear to be staying put for now. The situation in Iraq therefore remains
fragile, without any indication that there might be light at the end of the
tunnel.
In Lebanon, the Iranian regime is refusing to surrender Hezbollah’s control –
either through the imminent government or on the ground against protesters. But
Iranian and Hezbollah leaders worry about the rapid deterioration of the
economic situation, affecting their popular base that could turn against them.
They are aware that pretending the uprising is against corruption only and not
the entire system of government in Lebanon is delusional. But paradoxically,
they know that forming a government comprising independent figures means
undermining their dominance over Lebanese politics. So they continue to
manipulate the form, nature, and orientation of the yet-to-be-formed government.
Their anxiety is justified because the situation is now clearer: there will be
no bailouts from outside countries unless the new government includes
independent ministers unlinked to the political class. On the other hand,
agreeing to form such a reformist government would mean Hezbollah can no longer
monopolise decision-making in Lebanon, and Iran’s most important ally in Lebanon
and the region would be weakened.
The Lebanese political class – led by Hezbollah’s allies the Free Patriotic
Movement, or FPM, and Shia group Amal – has been trying to sculpt a government
favourable to it but all attempts have been thwarted by the uprising. They
brought in Hassan Diab, a technocrat, to form a government outwardly of
reformists but actually comprising advisers and aides to the same politicians.
But this trick has backfired. Neither the Europeans have been fooled nor the
protesters have been intimidated by the tactics of the corrupt and sectarian
ruling class. The slogan of the uprising remains “all of them means all of
them”, meaning to get rid of the entire ruling elite.
The prime minister that Lebanon needs is someone who has experience in managing
major entities, a CEO or the chief of a major institution, not a goodhearted
person wanting to appease all sides. Lebanon needs a government that includes an
equal number of men and women, not a government infused with women who take
their orders from men. Lebanon needs a “dream team” that would be bold enough to
undertake radical reforms. Even respectable independents will not be fit for
purpose, if they are weak or malleable. The dilemma, however, is that such a
government will not be acceptable to the entire political class, led by
Hezbollah.
Hezbollah’s ally in government, the FPM, is caught between a rock and a hard
place. It is possible that it might come under sanctions if the situation
continues to hold or if the uprising is forced to turn violent. At the same
time, the FPM is losing support within its own base because of the arrogance of
some of its leaders. The uprising, meanwhile, continues against systematic
corruption. It is a multi-generational, multi-confessional uprising of people,
who have matured early and no longer care about the stunts of politicians, who
still think they can stay in power indefinitely. For this reason, it would be a
mistake for the army or the security forces to link their fate to that of the
political class. Their duty and interests require them to protect the uprising
and join hands with its men and women to shape a brighter future for all
Lebanese.
*Raghida Dergham is the founder and executive chairwoman of the Beirut Institute
Lebanon’s next government is
doomed to fail
Makram Rabah/The Arab Weekly/January 19/2020
The riots in Beirut and the resurgence of the revolution led the ruling
establishment to use the events to push through the cabinet formation.
Sunday 19/01/2020
One month has passed since Hassan Diab was designated by 69 members of
parliament to form the next Lebanese government.
Diab is a former minister of education and an engineering professor at the
American University of Beirut. His tasks at the head of the cabinet are not
short of herculean. He must handle many impossible feats, starting with a
full-fledged political crisis, a shattered economy and a nationwide revolt
asking for real and lasting political change.
Since his designation as prime minister, Diab has asked the public for time to
put together a roster of capable and seemingly independent technocrats who can
carry out much-needed reforms to salvage Lebanon and return it to normalcy,
whatever that might mean.
Diab, however, is running out of time. He has been unable to form a government
that could muster the required votes in parliament and, more important, to
appease and win the trust of the people on the streets.
He has insisted that his designation by the pro-Iran faction does not mean he
would do its bidding but, rather, that he is free to choose the members of his
cabinet. Initial drafts of his lineup indicated otherwise.
The public perception is that Diab is mostly indebted to Gebran Bassil, the head
of the Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah’s main Christian ally, and the
son-in-law of Lebanese President Michael Aoun.
While Bassil has been forced to sit out the next cabinet, mainly because of the
public’s insistence of a non-partisan and transparent government, this did not
prevent him from trying to hijack Diab’s government by proposing people who
seemingly have the necessary technical credentials but ultimately report to
Bassil. Bassil did not carry out that process subtly but made sure to leave his
fingerprints to clearly indicate he was the true powerbroker and that Diab was
only window dressing.
Perhaps more indicative of the deep political crisis is the shameful manner in
which the political elite deal with Diab and the process. Despite publicly
decelerating their willingness to expedite and facilitate the process, the
ruling establishment never misses a chance to use its sectarian power base to
veto a cabinet and remind the public of its aversion to surrendering even a
morsel of power.
Diab, as well as the people behind him, act as if the crisis is one of
inadequate or absent economic planning and that a few reforms are sufficient to
invite the international community to inject money into Lebanon’s ailing
economy.
Even before the ink dried on Diab’s decree, the international media branded him
a Hezbollah-backed prime minister, making his task to rally the support of the
international community next to none.
Soberly, Jan Kubis, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, posted on Twitter:
“Another day of confusion around the formation of a government, amid the
increasingly angry protests and free-falling economy. Politicians, don’t blame
the people, blame yourselves for this dangerous chaos.”
The riots in Beirut and the resurgence of the revolution led the ruling
establishment to try to use the events to push through the cabinet formation and
to claim that the only way to stop the violence, as well as the economic
collapse, was to endorse Diab’s feeble proposed government.
The proposed government lineup indicates that Diab’s government is a Trojan
horse for both Hezbollah and Bassil, each with their own intended goals.
Surprisingly, Hezbollah and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri prefer that former
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri form the next government. They would not
mind if Diab steps down or perhaps be forced by the street to resign.
The reality remains that Hariri is the only figure capable of giving Hezbollah
enough international protection for the militant movement to operate or so they
think.
Bassil, on the other hand, wants to personally return to government and ensure
that he is the only contender for the presidency when his father-in-law’s term
expires.
Diab might perhaps go to parliament to test whether his cabinet can win a vote
of confidence. If it fails, it will replace Hariri’s as the caretaker government
and force Hariri to concede to the terms of Hezbollah and its allies. Regardless
of the failure or success of the formation process, the Diab affair is proof
that the political elite and all of Lebanon are a sinking ship and, instead of
steering this ship to port and conducting essential repairs, the ruling clique
is using a thimble to bail out the water, confirming its ineptitude and
wickedness.
*Makram Rabah is a lecturer at the American University of Beirut, department of
history. His forthcoming book, “Conflict on Mount Lebanon: The Druze, the
Maronites and Collective Memory,” (Edinburgh University Press) covers collective
identities and the Lebanese Civil War.
Hezbollah’s support for Iran exposes its vulnerabilities at
home and abroad
Simon Speakman Cordall/The Arab Weekly/January 19/2020
Further exacerbating Hezbollah’s domestic challenges are protests that have
dominated public life across Lebanon since October.
Sunday 19/01/2020
TUNIS - With violence escalating on the streets of Lebanon, Hezbollah’s
commitment to supporting any potential Iranian response to the assassination of
Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani risks exposing the group’s
vulnerabilities at home and abroad.
All through its existence, Iran’s Lebanese ally has maintained a dual identity:
that of a powerful armed Shia group at home and an active agent of Iranian
foreign policy and member of the so-called axis of resistance abroad. This
apparently schizophrenic approach to its identity has not been without risks.
However, as Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah voices support for
Iran’s targeting of US military sites, he risks stoking resistance to his
group’s political power at home and alienating potential international help for
the failing Lebanese state.
Addressing supporters in Beirut on January 12, Nasrallah described Iran’s
limited strike against two US bases in Iraq as a “slap” and as a “first step
down a long path” that would eventually see US troops withdraw from the region.
However, as Nasrallah threatened bloody revenge abroad, Hezbollah’s position was
under increasing challenge at home. Across Lebanon, protesters vented their
anger at the Lebanese political class, in which Hezbollah and its allies in the
Amal Movement play pivotal roles.
Nasrallah maintained that “the Americans must remove their bases, soldiers and
officers and ships from our region. The alternative… to leaving vertically is
leaving horizontally. This is a decisive and firm decision.”He used part of his
90-minute address to highlight the message that Iran’s retaliation against US
bases intends for Israel, a country with which Lebanon remains in a state of
war.
“The attack on the American bases is also a strong message to the Zionist
entity, that is always planning to ‘play’ with Iran. [Israeli Prime Minister
Binyamin] Netanyahu always dreams of sending his air force to attack the
infrastructure or nuclear facilities in Iran,” Nasrallah said.
Elie Abouaoun, director of the MENA programme at the US Institute of Peace, said
Nasrallah reiterated that the US military in the region is the target but vowed
to end the US military presence in “days or weeks.” While Abouaoun said he
doubted that was achievable, he added: “Even if the US decides to withdraw, it
will take more than “days/weeks” to do it. “So the speech has to be looked at
from the two-pronged angle: clear rules of engagement that preserve the Iranian
regime and its allies from an all-out war that will be detrimental to Iran while
maintaining the thrust of their own constituency, especially at a time when
Iranians, thousands of Iraqi Shias — and part of Hezbollah base — are protesting
in the streets in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon,” he said. Along with the unrest in the
region’s Shia community are more prosaic domestic concerns. Lebanon is one of
the world’s most indebted countries, one ill-prepared to weather the push back
it might face should one of its most prominent political and military groups
escalate its regional adventurism in support of Tehran.
After years of financial decline, Lebanon is regarded as teetering on the brink
of bankruptcy, with a public debt burden equivalent to 150% and a budget deficit
equal to 11% of GDP. The cost of servicing its debt is reportedly almost $4
billion a year.
Potentially offsetting Lebanon’s dire financial circumstances is the $11 billion
in international pledges made at the 2018 CEDRE conference that were conditional
on internal reforms and anti-corruption measures. While even these have yet to
materialise, Hezbollah’s participation in a wider campaign of retaliation
against the United States and its allies in response to the killing of Soleimani
is unlikely to engender much goodwill in the international community. Further
exacerbating Hezbollah’s domestic challenges are protests that have dominated
public life across Lebanon since October. These took an ominous turn with
attacks on banks in the Beirut commercial hub of Hamra, highlighting public
anger at Lebanon’s political and financial elite. Anti-government protesters
said Lebanon’s commercial banks have retained the public’s deposits while
allowing politicians, senior civil servants and bank owners to move money abroad
despite restrictions on such transfers.Domestic concerns have yet to act as much
of a brake on Hezbollah’s international ambitions. There is no doubt that
Hezbollah will be part of the anti-US campaign in the region, Abouaoun said.
However, how close that may be to home remained uncertain. “The space to carry
out military actions in Lebanon will be limited given the fact that the US
military presence in Lebanon is very light and almost invisible,” he said.
*Simon Speakman Cordall is a freelance writer.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on January 18-19/2020
Trump gives dramatic account of Soleimani’s last minutes before death: Report
Reuters, Palm Beach/Saturday, 18 January 2020
US President Donald Trump gave a minute-to-minute account of the US drone
strikes that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in remarks to a
Republican fund-raising dinner on Friday night, according to audio obtained by
CNN. With his typical dramatic flourish, Trump recounted the scene as he
monitored the strikes from the White House Situation Room when Soleimani was
killed. The president spoke in a ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach,
Florida, at a Republican event that raised $10 million for Trump’s 2020
re-election campaign and for the Republican National Committee. Reporters were
not allowed in for the event. CNN said it obtained an audio recording of Trump’s
remarks. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The January 3 killing of Soleimani at Baghdad airport prompted Iran to retaliate
with missile strikes against US forces in Iraq days later and almost triggered a
broad war between the two countries. “They’re together sir,” Trump said military
officials told him. “Sir, they have two minutes and 11 seconds. No emotion. ‘Two
minutes and 11 seconds to live, sir. They’re in the car, they’re in an armored
vehicle. Sir, they have approximately one minute to live, sir. Thirty seconds.
Ten, 9, 8 ...’ ”“Then all of a sudden, boom,” he said. “‘They’re gone, sir.
Cutting off.’”“I said, where is this guy?” Trump continued. “That was the last I
heard from him.”It was the most detailed account that Trump has given of the
drone strike, which has drawn criticism from some US lawmakers because neither
the president nor his advisers have provided public information to back up their
statements that Soleimani presented an “imminent” threat to Americans in the
region. CNN said that in the audio, Trump did not repeat that Soleimani was an
imminent threat. Trump said Soleimani was “saying bad things about our country”
before the strike, which led to his decision to authorize his killing. “How much
of this …. do we have to listen to?” Trump asked in the audio. “How much are we
going to listen to?”
Pakistan FM, after visits, says Iran wants to de-escalate
AFP, Washington/Saturday, 18 January 2020
Pakistan’s foreign minister, who has shuttled between Washington and Tehran in
the course of a week, voiced confidence Friday that Iran was seeking to lower
tensions. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi discussed Iran and Afghanistan’s
peace process Friday with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, five days after
seeing Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.While stopping short of saying that he
was transmitting any message, Qureshi said he understood that the Iranians “did
not want to escalate things.”“They don’t want war, they don’t want further
bloodshed,” Qureshi told reporters in Washington. The United States on January 3
killed Iran’s most powerful general, Qasem Soleimani, in a drone strike as he
visited Baghdad. Iran responded with missile strikes on US forces in Iraq but
Qureshi, in line with many observers, believe that the reprisal was designed to
minimize casualties. Qureshi, whose country has strong relations with Saudi
Arabia, said that the Iranian leadership also signaled a willingness to ease
tensions with its Arab neighbors. The Iranians “highlighted the issues, the
differences, they have had with other important countries in the region,” he
said. “They said they are willing to engage at any level and in any format,”
Qureshi said. US President Donald Trump, who is closely allied with Saudi
Arabia, in 2018 withdrew from a nuclear accord with Iran and imposed sweeping
sanctions aimed at reducing Tehran’s regional clout. US officials blamed Iran
for a September attack on Saudi oil installations, although the Middle Eastern
powers since then have engaged in cautious diplomacy to ease friction.
Louvre reopens after being blocked by strikers
AFP, Paris/Saturday, 18 January 2020
The Louvre in Paris, the world’s most visited museum, reopened on Saturday after
being shut down by workers striking over government plans to overhaul France’s
pension system. On Friday, hundreds of disappointed visitors had massed outside
the Louvre, some hurling insults at strikers who had blocked the entrance. It
was the first time since the strike began on December 5 that the museum had shut
completely although it was forced to close some galleries last month. Union
leaders are seeking to widen opposition to the pension reforms proposed by
President Emmanuel Macron’s government, which have triggered the longest
transport strike in France in decades. The unions are looking for a second wind
as the movement starts to flag, with the proportion of striking workers at
national railway operator SNCF falling to less than five percent on on Friday.
The overhaul aims to forge a single pensions system from the country’s 42
separate regimes, which offer early retirement and other benefits to
public-sector workers as well as lawyers, physical therapists and even Paris
Opera employees. Critics say it will effectively force millions of people to
work longer for a smaller pension. The Louvre, which lies near the banks of the
Seine, received 9.6 million visitors last year, most of them foreigners
including Americans, Chinese and Europeans.
France’s Macron rushed from Paris theater during protest
AFP, Paris/Saturday, 18 January 2020
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife were rushed from a Paris theater
late Friday after protesters tried to burst in and disrupt the performance. Riot
police were out in force as dozens of people staged a demonstration outside the
theatre where Macron and Brigitte were watching “The Fly.”About 30 protesters
tried to enter the building housing the renowned Bouffes du Nord theater after
some people in the audience tweeted the presence of France’s first couple,
presidential staff said. The pair “were secured” for several minutes and later
returned to their seats to finish watching the play, they said. Police said they
prevented the protesters from getting into the theater in the 10th district of
Paris, which lies several kilometers from the president’s Elysee Palace’s
residence. The Macrons, who occasionally slip out to enjoy a dinner or play in
the French capital, finally left the theater under police escort. “All together,
general strike,” protesters shouted during the stand-off with riot police that
lasted around an hour. The demonstration took place on the 44th day of a
crippling strike against the Macron government’s proposed pension reforms.
Though it is now easing, the strike has snarled train and metro traffic and
caused misery for millions of commuters in Paris especially. Macron’s staff were
defiant after Friday’s events. “The president will continue to attend plays as
he is used to doing. He will watch out to defend creative freedom to ensure it
is not undermined by violent political acts,” a Macron aide said. Making few
public appearances for weeks, Macron last mixed with the crowds when he visited
the northern city of Amiens in November before his retirement reforms were
announced. The overhaul aims to forge a single pensions system from the
country’s 42 separate regimes, which offer early retirement and other benefits
to public-sector workers as well as lawyers, physical therapists and even Paris
Opera employees.
Critics say it will effectively force millions of people to work longer for a
smaller pension.
Splits in France’s protest movement trigger fears of
violence
The Associated Press, Paris/Saturday, 18 January 2020
A French government minister warned that seditious groups bent on violence were
hijacking the protest movement against pension reform that has gripped the
country, after a fire on Saturday damaged a renowned Paris restaurant patronized
by President Emmanuel Macron. The Paris fire service said the pre-dawn blaze
that singed a corner of the La Rotonde eatery was quickly extinguished. The
Paris prosecutor’s office launched an investigation to determine the cause of
the fire.
But Marlene Schiappa, the government’s secretary of state for equality, said the
blaze “probably” resulted from a criminal act. She described a climate in France
“of hate and of violence that is quite incredible,” citing the restaurant fire
among a list of examples. “Seditious groups want the law of ‘might is right’ to
reign, to impose violence on all people who think differently from them,”
Schiappa said on French news channel BFM-TV. “It is very alarming and unworthy
of a democracy like France.”After six weeks of labor strikes and nationwide
protests against government plans to overhaul France’s pension system, there are
mounting signs of splits within the movement. As some strikers return to work
and train services that have been severely disrupted by walkouts see notable
improvements, more radical protesters are trying to keep the movement going.
The fire at La Rotonde came just days after demonstrators shouting “Death to
Macron, death to La Rotonde” marched past the eatery, restaurant manager Gerard
Tafanel said. He said marchers wore the bright jackets of the ‘yellow vest’
protest movement that has demonstrated against the policies of Macron’s
government for more than a year. Tafanel said a yellow vest also was found by
police officers investigating Saturday’s fire. Macron’s name has been associated
with the restaurant since he celebrated there during the 2017 presidential
election, after qualifying for the second-round runoff that he later won. Macron
was a target of protesters himself on Friday night, too. Seemingly tipped off to
his presence by people inside, several dozen protesters converged on a Paris
theater where Macron was watching an evening performance with his wife. Video
showed protesters chanting “Macron resign” and some entering a door as surprised
police tried to hold them back. A black car reported to be carrying Macron then
sped away under a hail of boos. Earlier Friday, dozens of protesters also
blocked the entrance to the Louvre museum and forced the famous Paris landmark
to close. Transportation strikes against the pension overhaul began on December
5. Saturday marked their 45th consecutive day, although the job actions are no
longer as disruptive as they were earlier. Workers in other sectors of the
economy have held strikes, too, including at ports and oil refineries. On
Saturday, musicians, singers and other members of the striking Paris Opera drew
a crowd with a free concert in front of the Palais Garnier opera house.
North Korean foreign minister replaced: Report
Reuters, Seoul/Saturday, 18 January 2020
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has been replaced, Seoul-based NK News
reported on Saturday. Ri’s replacement has not been identified but Pyongyang is
set to reveal his successor about next Thursday, the report said, citing unnamed
sources. South Korea’s unification ministry, which is in charge of North Korea
affairs, has said that any change in Ri’s status should be assessed cautiously.
Born in 1956, Ri is the son of Ri Myong Je, former deputy director of the
Organization and Guidance Department (OGD), a shadowy body within the ruling
Workers’ Party that oversees the appointment of management positions within the
state, according to the South Korean unification ministry. His father was also
an editor at the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the state media body that
publishes Pyongyang’s propaganda statements. A fluent English speaker who
studied at Pyongyang’s prestigious University of Foreign Languages, Ri has for
years held a number of high-level posts dealing with the West. From 2003 to
2007, he was North Korea’s ambassador in London and served as vice foreign
minister, representing North Korea at six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear
program. Ri did not attend the annual gathering of world leaders at the United
Nations in September. He had attended the high-level meeting in New York for
three years from 2016 to 2018.
Four dead, many injured in al-Shabaab car bombing near
Somali capital
AFP, The Associated Press/Saturday, 18 January 2020
Four people were killed in a car bombing in Somalia on Saturday that apparently
targeted Turkish engineers working on a road near the capital Mogadishu, police
and witnesses said. The attack was claimed by the al-Qaeda-linked extremist
militant group al-Shabaab, which has stepped up its activities in Somalia and
neighboring Kenya in recent weeks. The bomb struck near the town of Afgoye about
30 kilometers (20 miles) west of the capital, killing four people and wounding
several others including several Turkish nationals, said local police officer
Abdirahman Adan. “The blast was huge, it destroyed a container used by the
Turkish engineers who work on the Afgoye road construction,” said witness
Muhidin Yusuf. “There were police who were guarding the Turkish engineers and
several other people gathering near the checkpoint where the temporary shelter
is located,” said another witness Ahmed Said. several (people) and Turkish
workers who were wounded in the blast.”The extremist group, which has fought for
more than a decade to topple the Somali government, has carried out a series of
attacks in recent weeks including a massive car bombing in Mogadishu on December
28 that killed 81 people. And on January 5, the extremists stormed a military
base used by US forces in Kenya’s coastal Lamu region, killing three Americans.
Last week, al-Shabaab warned that Kenya will “never be safe”, threatening
tourists and calling for more attacks on US interests. Kenya sent troops into
Somalia in 2011 as part of an African Union peacekeeping mission fighting
against al-Shabaab, and has seen several brutal retaliation attacks both on its
troops in Somalia and civilians in Kenya. Earlier reports said that at least two
people were killed and more than 20 others wounded when a suicide car bomber
targeted a construction site along a highway outside Somalia’s capital. Six
Turkish nationals were among the wounded, with two in serious condition, Turkish
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. The Turkish construction workers appeared
to be the bomber’s target, Somali police Col. Abdi Abdullahi said. Turkey has
invested heavily in Somalia, with technical and development assistance exceeding
$1 billion, according to the Turkish government. Turkish companies run the
international airport and seaport in Mogadishu, and in 2016 the Turkish
president inaugurated Turkey’s largest embassy complex in the world there.
Sri Lanka lifts ban on drones imposed after Easter deadly
attacks
The Associated Press, Colombo/Saturday, 18 January 2020
Sri Lankan authorities have lifted a ban on drones that was imposed after the
Easter Sunday attacks that left more than 263 people dead in the Indian Ocean
island nation. The lifting of the ban comes amid a growing demand for flying
drones from media institutions, foreigners, wedding videographers and
photographers, and commercial advertising companies. However, drone operations
will continue to be restricted in dangerous and restricted flying zones. All
civil drone operators will be required to obtain approval from the Defense
Ministry to fly drones, the ministry said on its website on Saturday. The
ministry said the ban was lifted on the instructions of President Gotabaya
Rajapaksa. Authorities imposed the ban last May, citing security concerns a
month after seven suicide bombers from a local Muslim group, National Thowheed
Jammath, blew themselves up at three churches and three luxury hotels in the
deadliest violence by ISIS group-linked militants in South Asia. The attacks
wounded about 500 people. Sri Lankan leaders and the security establishment have
been under fire for not acting ahead of the attacks on near-specific
intelligence information on possible attacks on churches. Government leaders
have acknowledged that some intelligence units were aware of possible attacks
weeks before the bombings. Following the attacks, national police chief Pujith
Jayasundara was suspended and former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando
resigned. Both were later arrested and are being detained after the presidential
commission found grounds to charge them with dereliction of duties and criminal
negligence.
Floods, road closures in Australia as storms lash some bushfire-hit regions
Reuters, Melbourne/Saturday, 18 January 2020
Thunderstorms lashed parts of Australia’s east coast early on Saturday, causing
road closures and flash flooding, but the country was still battling nearly 100
bushfires and some of the affected areas remained dry. Victoria, New South Wales
and Queensland, states hit badly by the bushfires that have so far killed 29
people, destroyed more than 2,500 homes and scorched millions of acres of land,
are now dealing with rain bucketing down. Major highways were closed in
Queensland early on Saturday, with the state getting some of the heaviest rain
Australia has seen for months, while power was cut in parts of New South Wales
after a stormy night. “Heavy, intense rainfall has eased, but showers and
thunderstorms still possible through the weekend,” the Bureau of Meteorology in
Queensland said on Twitter on Saturday. “Take care on the roads - if it’s
flooded, forget it.” Parts of Queensland’s south saw triple the monthly rainfall
overnight. No major damage has been reported, although some residential areas
were flooded and many of the state’s parks and tourist attractions were closed.
New South Wales fire services welcomed the rain, which they said on Twitter
would help to control the 75 fires burning in the state, of which 25 are yet to
be contained. But, they also said that some fire grounds have not seen any rain
yet. More benign storms were forecast for Victoria, which has been hit this week
already by severe storms and unhealthy smoke from the bushfires. Fears the smoke
would return on Saturday for the final round of the Australian Open qualifying
matches eased after environmental officials said air quality forecast in the
Melbourne area would be “moderate” rather than “very poor”. There were more than
a dozen of fires burning in Victoria on Saturday, but an evacuation order for a
fire in the mountain region was lifted. New Zealand Defence Force said on Friday
it was sending more reinforcements to Australia, including from Fiji, to join
contingents and specialists sent also by other countries, such as Japan and the
United States.
Taliban aim to sign deal with US by end of month: Report
AFP, Kabul/Saturday, 18 January 2020
The Taliban are aiming to reach a withdrawal agreement with the US by the end of
January and are prepared to “scale down” military operations ahead of signing
the deal, according to their chief spokesman. The statement by Suhail Shaheen to
Pakistani daily Dawn comes as the group and the US held discussions in Doha this
week, after insurgent sources told AFP they had offered to initiate a brief
ceasefire. “We have agreed to scale down military operations in days leading up
to the signing of the peace agreement with the United States,” Shaheen told Dawn
in a report published Saturday. He added that the Taliban were “optimistic” a
deal with Washington could be signed before the end of the month and that the
reduction in fighting across the country would also include the targeting of
Afghan forces. “It’s now a matter of days,” said the spokesman. Washington has
for weeks been calling on the militants to reduce violence, posing it as a
condition for resuming formal negotiations on an agreement that would see US
troops begin to leave the country in return for security guarantees, after a
near two-decade fight. The Taliban and the US had been negotiating the deal for
a year and were on the brink of an announcement in September 2019 when President
Donald Trump abruptly declared the process “dead”, citing Taliban violence.
Talks were later restarted between the two sides in December in Qatar, but were
paused again following an attack near the Bagram military base in Afghanistan,
which is run by the US. Any agreement with the Taliban is expected to have two
main pillars -- an American withdrawal from Afghanistan, and a commitment by the
insurgents not to offer sanctuary to jihadists -- and would ultimately have to
be given final approval by Trump. The Taliban’s relationship with Al-Qaeda was
the main reason cited for the US invasion more than 18 years ago. A deal would
hopefully pave the way for intra-Afghan talks. Many observers agree that the war
can no longer be won militarily, and that the only route to a lasting peace in
Afghanistan is for an agreement between the Taliban and the US-backed government
in Kabul. The Taliban have until now refused to negotiate with the Afghan
government, which they consider an illegitimate regime, raising fears that
fighting will continue regardless of any deal ironed out with the Americans.
Libya 'Needs Foreign Interference to Stop', Says UN Envoy
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 18/2020
International players must stop interfering in the Libyan conflict, the UN's
special envoy told AFP on Saturday, the eve of a summit of world powers to try
to end the fighting in the North African nation. "All foreign interference can
provide some aspirin effect in the short term, but Libya needs all foreign
interference to stop. That's one of the objectives of this conference," Ghassan
Salame said in an interview ahead of the Berlin summit.
Syrian rebels seen on plane to Tripoli are ‘mercenaries for GNA’: Libyan
newspaper
Arab News/January 18/2020
LONDON: A video has emerged showing dozens of what appear to be Syrian rebels on
an Afriqiyah Airways plane headed to Libya where they will allegedly fight
alongside the country’s Government of National Accord (GNA), Libyan newspaper
Al-Shahid has claimed. In the video, the men — three of whom were seen wearing
military uniforms — are on their way to Libya where they will reportedly fight
as mercenaries for the GNA’s militias.On Wednesday, British newspaper The
Guardian published an article suggesting that 2,000 Syrian fighters have
traveled to Libya from Turkey or will soon arrive in the war torn country to
fight for the GNA. The Guardian cited Syrian sources in all three countries. The
oil-rich north African state has been in turmoil since a 2011 NATO-backed
uprising that overthrew and killed dictator Muammar Qaddafi.Haftar, who backs a
rival administration in Libya’s east, launched a major military offensive to
capture Tripoli in April 2019. The military commander held talks in Athens on
Friday, two days ahead of a peace conference in Berlin which he and the head of
the GNA Fayez Al-Sarraj are expected to attend.
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on January 18-19/2020
Why Laws Against Hate Speech Are Dangerous
Fjordman/Gatestone Institute/January 18/2020
There is a tendency, to censor certain viewpoints because they might "offend"
others. The problem is, it is not the inoffensive things that need protecting;
it is only the offensive things that do.... Freedom of speech exists precisely
to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority.
"[T]he freedom of Speech may be taken away, and, dumb and silent we may be led,
like sheep, to the Slaughter." — US President George Washington, 1783.
How come it is all right to publish the original source, prescribing murder, but
that it is "hate speech" to point out that quote?
"Sometimes, when one points out these rules, people will respond: 'Well, the
Bible says such-and-such.' The point is not that these things are written in
Islamic scripture, but that people still live by them." — Bruce Bawer, February
8, 2018.
Restrictions against "hate speech" often do not really ban hate speech; instead
they may actually be protecting certain forms of hate speech against legitimate
inquiry.
"For if Men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter,
which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences... reason is of no
use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and, dumb and silent we may
be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter." — US President George Washington, 1783.
(Original Artwork: Engraving by Nathaniel Currier, circa 1780.
In November 2019, Germans celebrated the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the
reunification of Germany 30 years earlier. That same month, Chancellor Angela
Merkel, in a speech to the German federal parliament (Bundestag), advocated more
restrictions on free speech for all Germans. She warned that free speech has
limits:
"Those limits begin where hatred is spread. They begin where the dignity of
other people is violated. This house will and must oppose extreme speech.
Otherwise, our society will no longer be the free society that it was."
Merkel received great applause.
Critics, however, would claim that curtailing freedom in order to protect
freedom sounds a bit Orwellian. One of the first acts of any tyrant or
repressive regime is usually to abolish freedom of speech. Merkel should know
this: she lived under a repressive regime -- in the communist dictatorship of
East Germany, where she studied at Karl Marx University.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects freedom of
speech, specifically speech critical of the government, and prohibits the state
from limiting free speech. The First Amendment was placed first in the Bill of
Rights because the American Founding Fathers realized that freedom of speech is
fundamental to a free society. US President George Washington said:
"For if Men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter,
which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences... reason is of no
use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and, dumb and silent we may
be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter."
Without freedom of speech, you cannot truly be free. Freedom of speech exists
precisely to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority.
What exactly is "hate speech," and who gets to define it? Those who love justice
usually also hate injustice. But what is justice? Social justice? Economic
justice? Ecological justice? Religious fundamentalist justice? Climate justice?
Hate may be a negative emotion, but you cannot ban emotions. Envy and jealousy
are also widely considered negative feelings. Yet we do not ban them. Envy of
people who are wealthier than you is arguably a component of Socialist and
Marxist political parties everywhere.
The concept of a "hate crime" is also flawed. If you rob, assault or murder
people, that is equally injurious regardless of the motivation of the assailant
or of who the victim is. We should not have different penalties depending upon
whether the victim is a gay black man, a straight white man, a Muslim woman or a
Christian nun, or we will end up with a kind of a legal caste system.
Although the legal system should not be based on feelings or emotions, we see an
increasing tendency toward this subjectivity. There is a tendency to censor
certain viewpoints because they might "offend" others. The problem is, it is not
the inoffensive things that need protecting; it is only the offensive things
that do. When, in the US, the National Socialist Party of America wanted to
march though Skokie, Illinois, home to many Holocaust survivors, the Supreme
Court decided that the Nazis' right of free speech overrode suppressing the
marchers. According to the Bill of Rights Institute:
"In these cases, National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie
(1977), and Brandenburg v. Ohio (1968), the Supreme Court held that the First
Amendment protects individuals' rights to express their views, even if those
views are considered extremely offensive by most people...
"American writer Noam Chomsky said 'If we don't believe in freedom of expression
for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.' Individuals who express
unpopular opinions are protected by the First Amendment. The First Amendment
prevents majorities from silencing views with which they do not agree—even views
that the majority of people find offensive to their very core. "
Possibly many things people say will be considered offensive to somebody,
somewhere. In 1600, Giordano Bruno was burned alive at the stake as a heretic
for saying that the universe has no center, and stars are suns, surrounded by
planets and moons. The findings of Charles Darwin were challenged by the "Scopes
Monkey Trial" in 1925, when a high-school teacher in Tennessee, John T. Scopes,
was charged with violating state law by teaching the theory of human evolution.
Just a few years ago, it was uncontroversial to state that there are only two
biological sexes. After all, this is a fact that would seem pretty
straightforward. Yet recently, even this simple statement has become explosive.
When the tennis champion Martina Navratilova questioned the fairness of having
transgender men compete in sports again women, but was eventually driven to
"apologize."
In the UK, a physician, David Mackereth, recently lost his government job as a
medical assessor after more than three decades for refusing to renounce his view
that gender is determined at birth.
People who claim to combat "hate" often seem to be quite full of hate
themselves. Some Americans claim that US President Donald J. Trump is a racist,
yet themselves express open hatred toward Trump, and those who vote for him.
They do not object to hating. They just seem to believe that their hate is the
only legitimate one. In 2013, the American scholar Robert Spencer was banned by
British authorities from entering the UK. Spencer the author of many books about
Islam and runs the website Jihad Watch.
The Koran sura 9:5 has verse stating:
"When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them.
Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent
and take to prayer and render the alms levy, allow them to go their way. God is
forgiving and merciful."
The exact translation of this verse can be debated, but the Arabic verb qatala
generally means to kill, slay or murder somebody. How come it is all right to
publish the original source, prescribing murder, but that it is "hate speech" to
point out that quote?
Robert Spencer and others have observed, for instance, that verse 9:5 and other
intolerant verses in the Koran have been quoted repeatedly by militant Muslims
to justify jihad attacks and violence (for instance here, here and here).
Although other religious books also contain violence, as the scholar Bruce Bawer
points out: "Sometimes, when one points out these rules, people will respond:
'Well, the Bible says such-and-such.' The point is not that these things are
written in Islamic scripture, but that people still live by them."
Muslims in Britain and other Western nations are free to spread teachings that
are hateful towards non-Muslims. Yet because non-Muslims such as Robert Spencer
pointed out that some teachings are hateful and have inspired actual atrocities,
UK authorities banned Spencer for spreading "hate."
One sees, then, that restrictions against "hate speech" often do not really ban
hate speech; instead they may actually be protecting certain forms of hate
speech against legitimate inquiry.
Laws against "hate speech" and "racism" always lead to political censorship,
because the definition of what constitutes "hate" is always influenced by
politics and ideology. Laws against hate speech or racism should therefore be
removed. No person has the right "not to be offended." Freedom of speech means
saying and hearing things with which you may disagree. What remains important is
to be able to say and hear them.
© 2020 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Trump Had Right to Withhold Ukraine Funds: GAO is Wrong
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/January 18/2020
The Constitution allocates to the president sole authority over foreign policy
(short of declaring war or signing a treaty). It does not permit Congress to
substitute its foreign policy preferences for those of the president.
To the extent that the statute at issue constrains the power of the president to
conduct foreign policy, it is unconstitutional.
Even if the GAO were correct in its legal conclusion — which it is not — the
alleged violation would be neither a crime nor an impeachable offense. It would
be a civil violation subject to a civil remedy, as were the numerous violations
alleged by the GAO with regard to other presidents.
If Congress and its GAO truly believe that President Trump violated the law, let
them go to court and seek the civil remedy provided by the law.
The Constitution allocates to the president sole authority over foreign
policy... It does not permit Congress to substitute its foreign policy
preferences for those of the president. (U.S. National Archives and Records
Administration, Wikipedia Commons)
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has gotten the constitutional law
exactly backwards. It said that the "faithful execution of the law" — the
Impoundment Control Act—"does not permit the president to substitute his own
policy priorities for those congress has enacted into law ." Yes, it does — when
it comes to foreign policy. The Constitution allocates to the president sole
authority over foreign policy (short of declaring war or signing a treaty). It
does not permit Congress to substitute its foreign policy preferences for those
of the president.
To the extent that the statute at issue constrains the power of the president to
conduct foreign policy, it is unconstitutional.
Consider the following hypothetical situation: Congress allocates funds to Cuba
(or Iran or Venezuela). The president says that is inconsistent with his foreign
policy and refuses to release the funds. Surely the president would be within
his constitutional authority. Or consider the actual situation that former
President Barack Obama created when he unilaterally made the Iran deal and sent
that enemy of America billions of dollars without congressional approval. I do
not recall the GAO complaining about that presidential decision, despite the
reality that the Iran deal was, in effect, a treaty that should require senate
approval that was never given.
Whatever one may think about the substantive merits of what President Donald
Trump did or did not do with regard to the Ukrainian money— which was eventually
sent without strings —he certainly had the authority to delay sending the funds.
The GAO was simply wrong in alleging that he violated the law, which includes
the Constitution, by doing so.
To be sure, the statute requires notification to Congress, but if such
notification significantly delays the president from implementing his foreign
policy at a time of his choice, that too would raise serious constitutional
issues.
Why then would a nonpartisan agency get it so wrong as a matter of
constitutional law. There are two obvious answers: first, in the age of Trump
there is no such thing as nonpartisan. The political world is largely divided
into people who hate and people who love President Trump. This is as true of
long term civil servants as it is of partisan politicians. We have seen this
with regard to the FBI, the CIA, the Fed and other government agencies that are
supposed to be nonpartisan. There are of course exceptions such as the inspector
general of the Department of Justice who seems genuinely non-partisan. But most
civil servants share the nationwide trend of picking sides. The GAO does not
seem immune to this divisiveness.
Second, even if the GAO were non-partisan in the sense of preferring one
political party over the other, it is partial to Congress over the president.
The GAO is a congressional body. It is part of the legislative, not executive,
branch. As such, it favors congressional prerogatives over executive power. It
is not surprising therefore that it would elevate the authority of Congress to
enact legislation over that of the president to conduct foreign policy.
In any event, even if the GAO were correct in its legal conclusion — which it is
not— the alleged violation would be neither a crime nor an impeachable offense.
It would be a civil violation subject to a civil remedy, as were the numerous
violations alleged by the GAO with regard to other presidents. Those alleged
violations were barely noted by the media. But in the hyper-partisan impeachment
atmosphere, this report received breathless "breaking news" coverage and a
demand for inclusion among the articles of impeachment.
If Congress and its GAO truly believe that President Trump violated the law, let
them go to court and seek the civil remedy provided by the law. But let us not
continue to water down the constitutional criteria for impeachment by including
highly questionable, and on my view wrongheaded, views about violations of an
unconstitutional civil law.
*Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law Emeritus at
Harvard Law School and author of the book, Guilt by Accusation: The Challenge of
Proving Innocence in the Age of #MeToo, Skyhorse Publishing, November 2019. He
is a Distinguished Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2020 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
The vice tightens on Iran with no sign of US sanctions
easing
John Defterios/Arab News/January 18/2020
For the Middle East as a whole, especially here in the Gulf, the start of 2020
could not be more of a high-wire act. The killing of Iranian Quds Force General
Qassem Soleimani, followed by Iran’s retaliation against US military
installations and the downing of a Ukraine jetliner, has given all of us a true
sense of not knowing what could possibly transpire next.
One thing seems for certain, however: Don’t expect a reversal of US economic
sanctions policy — aka the maximum pressure campaign — anytime soon by the Trump
administration.
“I think it’s effective in terms of the effort to deprive Iran revenue. We’re
seeing more Iranians, as well as the people in other states in which Iran has
had a heavy hand, speaking up, and it is about time,” said Francis Fannon, US
Secretary of State of Energy Resources.
Fannon was speaking at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi
about that campaign, triggered in May 2018 as the US exited the JCPOA, to put
continuous economic pressure on Iran.
Don’t expect a reversal of US economic sanctions policy — aka the maximum
pressure campaign — anytime soon by the Trump administration.
It started with an effort to stymie Iran’s number one export earner, crude, but
the economic vice continues to tighten. On Jan. 11, the Trump administration put
forward another round of sanctions targeting senior Iranian officials, plus the
country’s construction, textile and steel making sectors. The move was in
response to the attacks on bases in Iraq hosting US military personnel.
The maximum pressure campaign is a three-pronged strategy that includes
diplomatic isolation, military deterrence and economic pressure, Fannon told me
during our on-stage, one-on-one session.
To most everyone’s surprise, the US effort to get Iran to nearly zero oil
exports has worked in less than a two-year period. Under the lifting of nuclear
sanctions, Iran was exporting 2.7 million barrels a day. Those who track Iran’s
energy movements say that the figure is now well below a half million barrels a
day.
Sara Vakhshouri, a former executive at Iran’s state oil company, said the figure
has been hovering between 250-300 thousand barrels a day for months. Japan,
South Korea and India have taken imports from Iran down to zero. China, which
initially resisted pressure from Washington, is now receiving the balance, but
it is an oil repayment swap between Tehran and Beijing for past debts.
“The situation in Iran is really dire; economic pressure is one of the major
grievances but there are also many other factors,” said Vakshouri.
The other factors swing in importance depending what Iranians are faced with on
the ground. The lack of food, medicine and other day-to-day staples of life are
blamed on the US due to the rigor of the sanctions regime. Prior to the intense
spat in 2020 and the horrific downing of the Ukrainian jetliner, Iranians were
on the streets in their thousands protesting against gas price hikes which
financially squeezed the average consumer.
During background briefings at the Atlantic Council meeting, former US
administration officials said the Trump White House should begin sending signals
to Iran that point to a diplomatic off-ramp to get out from underneath the
sanctions regime.
At this juncture and after the latest round of sanctions, Fannon, the US
Assistant Secretary of State, would not stray from the official line of the
Trump administration — there is a 12-point plan for Iran to meet to normalize
relations; until then don’t expect any easing of sanctions.
Another theme, however, emerges during many conversations and interviews with
leading Iranian observers and from my own experiences in Iran over the last few
years. The 2003 US invasion of Iraq and subsequent ouster of Saddam Hussein left
the people in the country without power, water, medicines and often lacking
food. It took a decade to rebuild the country, a process which still has not
finished. What has transpired in Syria and Libya since then, strategists rightly
say, could make Iranians hesitant to seek radical change.
“It is very hard to predict because people in Iran have seen their neighbors.
They are worried, if they change the government, what the alternative is,”
concluded Vakhshouri.
*John Defterios is CNN Business emerging markets editor and anchor based in Abu
Dhabi. Twitter: @JDefteriosCNN
History’s clues to Democrats’ nominee for the White House
Andrew Hammond /Arab News/January 18/2020
With US President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial now underway in the Senate,
the Democratic presidential candidate nomination contest is entering maximum
velocity, with the Iowa caucuses on the horizon. While the outcome of the race
remains highly uncertain, with several candidates who could still win, history
indicates there are patterns to previous races that favor Joe Biden or Bernie
Sanders.
The past few decades of US political history suggests the victor in nomination
contests for both major parties frequently leads national polls of party
identifiers on the eve of the first presidential nomination ballot in Iowa,
which for the Democrats is this year on Feb. 3, and/or also raises more campaign
finance than any other candidate in the 12 months before election year.
From 1980 to 2016, for instance, the eventual nominee in about half the Democrat
and Republican nomination races contested (that is, in which there was more than
one candidate), was the early front runner by both of these two measures. This
was true of Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016; George W. Bush, the Republican
candidate in 2000; Al Gore, the Democrat nominee in 2000; Bob Dole, the
Republican candidate in 1996; Hillary’s husband Bill Clinton, the Democrat
nominee in 1992; George H.W. Bush, the Republican candidate in 1988 and 1992;
Walter Mondale, the Democrat nominee in 1984; and Jimmy Carter, the Democrat
candidate in 1980.
Moreover, in at least four partial exceptions to this pattern, the eventual
presidential nominee led the rest of the field on one of the two measures. This
was true of Republican nominee Trump in 2016; Republican Mitt Romney in 2012;
Democrat Michael Dukakis in 1988; and Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.
For instance, in the race for the 2016 Republican nomination, Trump led a
majority of national polls of Republican identifiers from summer 2015 into
election year in 2016. While he was not the leading fundraiser from external
donations among the Republican field, he was well positioned on the money side
of the ledger too, because the billionaire businessman self-financed much of his
campaign before becoming the official Republican nominee in July 2016.
Turning to the Democratic contest in 2020, Joe Biden led nationwide polls for
much of 2019, into the new year too, and also raised a lot of money — as would
be expected of a former vice president with extensive political connections
right across the US. But it was socialist Senator Bernie Saunders (who was often
second in national polls, and is also leading in a number of recent state-wide
polls in Iowa) who appears to have raised the most money overall in 2019, edging
Biden into second place on this measure.
One of the key reasons that the age of Biden and Sanders has not been a bigger
issue in the campaign thus far is that, unless Trump is unexpectedly convicted
and removed from office after his impeachment trial, they will be running
against a president (aged 73) who is only a few years younger.
On both the fundraising and national poll measures, this points to Biden and
Sanders as the early favorites. However, both have some key potential
weaknesses, not least their respective ages of 77 and 78, and the race is
therefore much more fluid at this stage than in 2016, which was Clinton’s
contest to lose.
If either Biden or Sanders is selected, they would be the oldest presidential
nominee in US history, and Sanders had a heart attack last year too. This is one
reason there is some speculation that if either wins the presidency they may
seek the White House for one term only, and/or announce much earlier than normal
in the campaign cycle their preference for a (younger) vice-presidential running
mate.
One of the key reasons that the age of Biden and Sanders has not been a bigger
issue in the campaign thus far is that, unless Trump is unexpectedly convicted
and removed from office after his impeachment trial, they will be running
against a president (aged 73) who is only a few years younger. So the age issue
may therefore be neutralized in this election, and there is a real possibility
of the first ever clash of septuagenarian Democrat and Republican candidates in
US history.
While Sanders (who ran in 2016) and Biden (who ran in 1988 and 2008) are, by
some measures, the early front runners, they are not the prohibitive favorites
that Clinton was in 2016, and the tide could yet turn decisively against them.
Other Democrats who could yet break out decisively from the remaining pack in
the forthcoming contest are Senator Elizabeth Warren, 70, Mayor Pete Buttigieg,
37, Senator Amy Kobuchar, 59, and businessmen Michael Bloomberg, 77, Tom Steyer,
62, and Andrew Yang, 45.
One of the key factors that will influence Democratic prospects of defeating
Trump will ultimately be whether, and how quickly, the party can unite around
its eventual nominee given the still significant number of contenders, and
continuing debates within the party between centrists/moderates such as Biden
and Bloomberg and those favoring a more radical path to power in 2020, such as
Sanders and Warren.
While the circumstances of 2020 will be different from 2016, it is nonetheless
the case that a drawn-out, divisive Democratic nomination contest may only
benefit, Trump presuming he is the Republican nominee again. Indeed, this may
even prove the key tipping point in another tight general election contest in
which the president already has the political tail winds of an economy now in
its longest ever growth cycle.
*Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics
We are all accessories in the spread of fake news
Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/January 18/2020
When reality, facts or truth are inconvenient, people can now simply pay to
change them. Disinformation, which became mainstream during the 2016 US
presidential election, has spawned a worldwide black PR industry that
manipulates data to sell more products, generate votes and, ultimately, change
perceptions.
Numerous companies, brands, political campaigns and even governments are pushing
spurious claims, bad science, bad faith and outright lies. These are then
dressed up on pseudo news websites, legitimized by stunted polls and spread
across various platforms by millions of fake accounts, resulting in an
unsettling reality in which “truth” is simply a matter of perspective — up for
debate.
Disinformation goes far beyond “fake news,” spam or the obvious products of
internet troll farms. It is a deeply insidious operation designed to mimic
reality so well that even attuned researchers or investigators can struggle to
identify the real amid a torrent of deception. Last year alone, there were 19
major disinformation operations, compared with only eight between 2011 and 2018.
Pending US elections, heightened tensions in the Middle East, protests in South
America, China’s domestic woes and a looming Brexit will probably generate even
more disinformation and influence campaigns this year.
Although the concept itself is not new, Russia, China and Iran’s information
operations have supplied a playbook of sorts to groups and individuals who have
the financial means and resources to repackage such offensive capabilities
around consumer-friendly business models. In addition, the controversial
influence operations in Iraq and South Africa run by the now defunct London PR
firm Bell Pottinger may also have laid the groundwork for disinformation
becoming mainstream. The firm stoked racial divisions in South Africa to divert
attention away from a wealthy family’s close ties to former president Jacob Zuma.
In Iraq, the Pentagon paid the firm over half a billion dollars to generate
media content for Arabic TV stations, much as another defunct PR firm, the
Lincoln Group in Washington, placed articles in Iraqi newspapers on behalf of
the Pentagon.
Unchecked, nothing is spared. Electronic PR firms can meld harmless, readily
available online marketing tools and strategies with web crawlers and
deep-learning algorithms to create AI-based deception engines that generate and
spread deceptive content far faster than any person can. That is why an Israeli
disinformation-for-hire firm could operate Facebook accounts, pages and groups
targeting political campaigns in Mali, Nigeria and Tunisia. Similar black PR
firms in Puerto Rico, Brazil, Poland, Ukraine, Egypt, Indonesia, the Philippines
and Taiwan operate fake social media accounts, chat groups and websites, which
are used to manipulate discourse, change perceptions and even launch coordinated
harassment campaigns. In cases where automation is not feasible or affordable,
some firms resort to manual labor, often targeting the vulnerable (the disabled
or unemployed) seeking to make a little extra income, working remotely by
posting on pre-made accounts to push content and narratives that favor client
goals.
Russia, China and Iran’s information operations have supplied a playbook of
sorts to groups and individuals who have the financial means and resources to
repackage such offensive capabilities around consumer-friendly business models.
It is not all doom and gloom, however. Social media platforms and PR industry
groups are fighting back. The former have entire teams dedicated to monitoring
“coordinated inauthentic activity,” shutting down accounts and blocking anyone
seeking to profit from the platform by pushing deceptive content. The latter is
relying on more nuanced tactics based on the International Communications
Consultancy Organization’s Helsinki Declaration, which cautions PR professionals
never to engage in creating or knowingly circulating disinformation. Members of
this umbrella organization run the risk of being ostracized should they be found
using deceptive tactics or actively seeking work that does not adhere to the
declaration’s principles.
Unfortunately, it may all be too late. Electronic PR companies are shifting
strategies, running legitimate campaigns while also operating in a grey area
because the growing demand creates a substantial financial upside to engage with
work that demands little to no manual labor. Sooner or later, deceptive tactics
and disinformation will eventually transit from the underground, de-stigmatized
by the respectable, professional jargon used by legitimate PR firms, and carve
out a permanent seat in corporate boardrooms around the world. Already,
LinkedIn, which loathes political content, is seeing a significant increase in
inauthentic activity and the manipulative dissemination of deceptive content. As
a professional networking platform, content posted and shared widely on LinkedIn
has a veneer of credibility and authenticity.
Fake news websites are designed to look like authentic news sources, which PR
firms use to publish articles that are picked up by mainstream media outlets and
then spread even wider. The result? What we see today — a growing cesspool of
deception and misinformation, curated to trigger a reaction from just a cursory
glance so we share or retweet in an instant, either to fight back or simply
confirm our own biases. Either way, the creators of such content will benefit,
whether it is an enterprising individual or a sophisticated state-sponsored
operation, because the ultimate goal of disinformation is to change narratives,
manipulate perceptions and drive us further and further from the truth. Every
like, share or retweet of online content without examining its sources or
veracity makes the average internet user an accessory to coordinated efforts
that just cripple informed decision-making in everything from what to purchase
to how to vote.
*Hafed Al-Ghwell is a non-resident senior fellow with the Foreign Policy
Institute at the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International
Studies. He is also senior adviser at the international economic consultancy
Maxwell Stamp and at the geopolitical risk advisory firm Oxford Analytica, a
member of the Strategic Advisory Solutions International Group in Washington DC
and a former adviser to the board of the World Bank Group. Twitter: @HafedAlGhwell
Fears grow over Turkey’s transfer of jihadists, mercenaries
to Libya
Lamine Ghanmi/The Arab Weekly/January 19/2020
In Europe and the Maghreb, there is concern the inflow of Syrian fighters could
widen regional insecurity.
TUNIS - The quickening pace of international mediations in the Libyan conflict
reflects increasing wariness over the risk of the war morphing into a regional
conflict with unpredictable repercussions after Turkey started transferring
jihadists and mercenaries to the strife-stricken North African country,
officials and experts said. “Several thousand fighters have left the Syrian area
of Idlib through the northern border with Turkey and have ended up in Libya,”
Jordanian King Abdullah II said earlier this month.
French President Emmanuel Macron told France 24 that “if this information is
confirmed, this is very worrisome” as it “connects two theatres of operations” —
North Africa and the Middle East — and would facilitate the emergence of
“terrorist hubs” in Africa’s Sahel region and Libya.
A report by the Guardian newspaper stated that “2,000 fighters had moved from
Turkey or will arrive imminently to fight on the battlefields of Libya.”
The newspaper said 650 Turkey-funded “Syrian National Army” fighters arrived in
Tripoli at the end of December. Another contingent of 1,350 men crossed into
Turkey on its way to Libya and Islamic militants from the “Sham Legion” were
expected to be sent to the North African country.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the figure of transferred
mercenaries at 1,750 and said an additional 1,500 were being trained in Turkey.
The Guardian reported that the mercenaries were to be paid $2,000 a month and
were promised Turkish nationality.
More concern was voiced in Libya’s immediate neighbourhood. Tunisian terrorism
expert Alaya Allani said the intrusion of fighters from Syria would prolong war
in Libya, “allowing [the Islamic State] ISIS and al-Qaeda members to widen the
scope of security chaos, which can affect Libya’s neighbours.”
Algeria’s military, which is on alert at the border with Libya, staged a major
drill January 14, combining air and land forces simulating tactical responses to
a jihadist attack on an oil facility.
“The neighbouring countries like Chad, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, fellow AU
members and beyond are suffering the consequences” of the crisis, said Ebba
Kalondo, a spokeswoman for the African Union (AU).
Many experts said the transfers would lead to additional turbulence in Libya as
pro-Turkish factions have been suspected of abuses in Syria.
Claudia Gazzini, a senior Libya analyst with the International Crisis Group,
noted that “anti-Turkish sentiment is already strong because of Ankara’s
intervention and could grow as a result of this, playing in Haftar’s favour,”
referring to Libyan National Army Field-Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
Experts said Turkey is trying to bolster Islamist forces and their faltering
militant allies in Tripoli but Seth Frantzman, a fellow with the Middle East
Forum in Philadelphia, said Ankara also seeks additional benefits. Turkey can
use its “mercenary army” to “wring deals from Russia” or just keep the Syrian
fighters “distracted by a new jihad so that they don’t make trouble in Syria for
Turkey.”
The major risk is that “this will transform the war in Libya from internal
strife into a national war of liberation against a foreign presence and will
make the search for a political solution more difficult,” said Allani.
In the immediate term, more bloodshed is feared. In unfamiliar terrain, the
mercenaries could be war fodder. The Syrian Observatory said 19 mercenaries from
various pro-Turkish Syrian factions were killed in Libya.
*Lamine Ghanmi is a veteran Reuters journalist. He has covered North Africa for
decades and is based in Tunis.