English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 16/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.november16.20.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners/Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 09/09-13/:”As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 15-16/2020

The French initiative In Lebanon Aims To Rescue The Terrorist Hezbollah and Revive The Rotten Political Class/Elias Bejjani/November 15/2020
Health Ministry: 1163 new cases of Corona, 11 deaths
Al-Rahi Links Govt. Delay to 'Plot to Topple State of Greater Lebanon'
French Envoy Secured Phone Call between Hariri, Bassil
Bassil: Audit of BDL Accounts a National Duty, Ultimate Priority
Army Arrests Palestinian who Crossed into Lebanon from Israel
Geagea: Hariri Alone Trying to Improve Nature of New Govt.
Israeli Army Fires in Air after 'Suspects' Approach Border with Lebanon
Lebanon’s independent student campaign secures major wins against traditional parties
Lebanon's informal capital controls explained: Why can't Lebanese access their money?
Lebanon between an outgoing Trump and an incoming Biden administration/Hanin Ghaddar/Al Arabiya/November 15/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 15-16/2020

Azerbaijan vows to protect Christian churches ahead of takeover of Armenia-held areas
Trump Retracts Apparent Admission of Defeat
UAE-Israel relations: Dubai’s Fresh Market opens first-ever Israeli produce display
Trump Loyalists Mount Last Stand in Washington
Erdogan Says Cyprus Made Up of 'Two Separate States'
Israel Advances Plans for New Jerusalem Settler Homes
Israel Strikes Hamas Positions after Rockets Fired from Gaza
U.S., Israel Worked Together to Track and Kill Qaida No. 2 in Iran
Armenian Politician Arrested over Alleged PM Assassination Plot
Ethiopia's Tigray Region Claims Rocket Strikes on Eritrea Airport
World's Largest Free Trade Agreement Signed in Coup for China
Post-Brexit Talks Enter Crunch Week with Failure Looming

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 15-16/2020

Britain: Two-Stepping Toward Totalitarianism/Andrew Ash/Gatestone Institute/November 15/2020
Divided we Stand, Divided we Fall/Charles Elias Chartouni/November 15/2020
Showdown in the Western Sahara/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/November 15/2020
How Biden will benefit from some of Trump’s achievements/Raghida Dergham/The National/November 15/2020
rtsakh Territory Has Always Been Armenian/There was no country on the planet called Azerbaijan before 1918/November 15/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 15-16/2020
The French initiative In Lebanon Aims To Rescue The Terrorist Hezbollah and Revive The Rotten Political Class
Elias Bejjani/November 15/2020
المبادرة الفرنسية في لبنان ولدت ميتة
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/92382/elias-bejjani-the-french-initiative-in-lebanon-aims-to-rescue-the-terrorist-hezbollah-and-revive-the-rotten-political-class/

It is a horrible mistake and a mere political miscalculation to hail and build any hope on the French Initiative that is endeavoring to form what is called a “Mission Cabinet”.
Sadly the initiative although it sounds glamorous, it is in reality a mere reviving SOS means for both the occupier Hezbollah and the Iscariot, rotten and corrupt “Political Class”.
The initiative as officially declared is based on the following distorted and biased basis:
*The initiative is carried out by the French officials in a bizarre and bold coordination with the occupier and the terrorist Hezbollah.
*The initiative does not overtly or covertly address by any means Hezbollah’s weaponry, occupation, Ministate, wars, terrorism or its total affiliation to the Mullah’s Iranian dictatorship regime.
*The initiative keeps a complete blind eye in regards to all the UN resolutions that address Lebanon, namely the Armistice Agreement with the State of Israel, UN Resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680 .
In this regard it is really very suspicious and questionable how this initiative does not address the UN resolution 1701 in particular, while France is one of the major participates in the UNIFIL force that is assigned and entusted by the UN to safeguard the implementation of this resolution.
*The initiative in a dire bias has agreed that the Shiite Hezbollah and Amal Movement would retain their iron fist on the Ministry of Finance, which means that it has accepted to keep money, weapons and power under the control of Hezbollah, and thus blocking any reforms, no matter big or small.
*The initiative did not seriously call for any role for the uprising activists.
*The initiative supports strongly Mr. Saad Al Hariri in forming the new government despite the knowledge of French officials, especially President Macron, that this individual is a failure, lazy, corrupt, surrounded by crooked people, a servant to Hezbollah, easily manipulated by the House Speaker Nabih Berri and the Druze politician Walid Jumblat, and a key partner in the presidential deal plot that handed over the country to the terrorist Hezbollah.
*The initiative gave the Shiites (Hezbollah and Amal Movement) and the Druze (Walid Jumblat) the right to name their own representatives in the government to be formed by Al Hariri, while at the same time denied the Christians this right. It gave this right to Saad Al Hariri who is a loser and a mere corrupt politician.
*In conclusion, the French initiative, has ended from day one and apparently its main goal is not to help the Lebanese people, but to rescue and revive the roles of both the occupier Hezbollah as well as the rotten and corrupt “Political Class”.

Health Ministry: 1163 new cases of Corona, 11 deaths
NNA/November 15/2020
The Ministry of Public Health announced, on Sunday, the registration of 1163 new Corona cases, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 105,430.
It also indicated that 11 death cases were also registered during the past 24 hours.
 

Al-Rahi Links Govt. Delay to 'Plot to Topple State of Greater Lebanon'
Naharnet/November 15/2020
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday wondered if the ongoing delay in the cabinet formation process is “part of a plot to topple the State of Greater Lebanon” in order to “seize control of what remains.”“We cannot see another objective behind this persistent obstruction, which is accompanied by a systematic destruction of the financial and banking capabilities and by impoverishing the people… and forcing their vibrant sectors and educated youths to emigrate,” al-Rahi said in his Sunday Mass sermon. And calling for the formation of “a government that can pull the country from its dire financial, economic and social situations,” the patriarch said the people want “a government whose entire ministers are independent and not only a part of them.”“This is the only solution to resolve the crisis,” he stressed.

French Envoy Secured Phone Call between Hariri, Bassil
Naharnet/November 15/2020
French presidential envoy Patrick Durel managed to secure a phone call between PM-designate Saad Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil during his latest visit to Lebanon, media reports said. “The phone call lasted for seconds, without producing results that can contribute to speeding up the formation of the government,” political sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Sunday. The call “indicated that the problem between them is political and not personal,” the sources added. Most of the political forces that Durel met meanwhile held President Michel Aoun and Bassil responsible for the ongoing delay in the cabinet formation process, endorsing “Hariri’s viewpoint” in this regard, the sources said. “Hariri is insisting on consulting with Aoun, who should not allow another partner to interfere in these consultations,” the sources went on to say.The sources also revealed that Durel did not agree to Aoun’s suggestion that the latest U.S. sanctions on Bassil have “obstructed the cabinet formation  mission.”And denying that Durel has threatened French sanctions on obstructors during his visit, the sources said the French envoy did not visit Beirut seeking “the formation of a government at any cost,” noting that Paris still wants the formation of “a government of independents and specialists who do not belong to parties and who enjoy competency and integrity.”

Bassil: Audit of BDL Accounts a National Duty, Ultimate Priority
Naharnet/November 15/2020
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Sunday said a forensic audit into the central bank’s accounts is “a national duty and an ultimate priority.”In a tweet, he added that such a move would “allow the auditing of all public expenditure” and would also “highlight the financial gap, unveil violations and determine the fate of looted, donated and transferred funds.”“The government must impose the audit through the power of the existent laws, and parliament must support and immunize while Banque du Liban must respond immediately under the pressure of people’s rights,” Bassil added. He also noted that the FPM is “unified and decisive over this demand,” pointing out that “any talk of submitting an additional law if necessary reflects keenness on accomplishing the audit and not obstructing it.”

Army Arrests Palestinian who Crossed into Lebanon from Israel
Naharnet/November 15/2020
A Lebanese Army intelligence patrol on Sunday arrested a Palestinian who crossed into Lebanon from Israel, the Lebanese National News Agency said. NNA said the man, 43-year-old M. A. Abdul Qader, crossed the border into the Lebanese town of al-Dhayra. He has since been moved to a Lebanese Army intelligence post for interrogation.

Geagea: Hariri Alone Trying to Improve Nature of New Govt.
Naharnet/November 15/2020
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Sunday acknowledged that only Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is “trying to improve the nature of the new government.”“The other parties only care about their game, which is to defeat America, regardless of what citizens are going through. This is not important to them,” Geagea said during a meeting with a delegation from the LF’s doctors department. “Due to the fact that one of those allied with the Axis of Resistance, (ex-)Minister Jebran Bassil, is the one who was hit with U.S. sanctions, they want to compensate him through giving him gains in the cabinet formation process, which has impeded the formation of the government,” Geagea lamented. He added: “We are in dire need for a new government, but for the Axis of Resistance this issue does not matter. They also don’t care if the people will starve, seeing as their only important concern is the advancement of the Axis of Resistance.”Geagea's stance on Hariri's efforts comes despite the fact that their ties have been strained in recent weeks.

Israeli Army Fires in Air after 'Suspects' Approach Border with Lebanon
Naharnet/November 15/2020
Israeli troops fired shots in the air Sunday evening after two individuals raised suspicions on the Lebanese side of the border, the Israeli army said. Troops “fired in the air after detecting two suspects who approached the security fence with Lebanon,” Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on Twitter.
“The two suspects then left the area,” Adraee added, warning that the Israeli army “will not tolerate any attempt to breach the sovereignty of the State of Israel.”Lebanon’s National News Agency meanwhile reported that the Israeli soldiers fired “three shots in the air to terrorize two people who were on the Lebanese side of the town of Mays al-Jabal, after an (Israeli) military vehicle speedily arrived to an area near the electronic fence south of the (Israeli) settlement of Manara.”The development comes following two border-crossing incidents over the past 24 hours. On Saturday, a Lebanese national said to be mentally disturbed was arrested by Israeli forces after crossing the border from the al-Wazzani River area. Israel fired gunshots and several flares during the incident. And on Sunday, the Lebanese Army announced the arrest of a Palestinian man who crossed into Lebanon from Israel.
 

Lebanon’s independent student campaign secures major wins against traditional parties
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/November 15/2020
Independent student bodies secured a landslide victory at the American University of Beirut on Friday, in unprecedented success against blocs aligned with traditional political parties.Student elections at AUB saw two independent lists win 65 seats out of 82 in the student council and 15 out of the 19 spots on the university’s Committee for Professors and Students. Activists and emerging political parties from the October 17 uprising supported the Campus Choice (AUB Secular Club) and Change Starts Here campaigns. Both campaigns adhered to what activists called the principles of the October 17 uprising, including fighting sectarianism and the enriched corruption by “establishment” political parties. This victory is the third win for the independent student movement in Lebanon after similar successes at the Lebanese American University and Rafik Hariri University. Last month, the independent student campaigns made significant gains at LAU’s Beirut campus, securing a majority in the student elections for the first time against traditional political parties. Leen El Harake, an activist student and co-manager of the independent campaign at LAU, said that leading the first student election after the nationwide anti-government protests, ensuing economic crisis and, most recently, the Aug. 4 Port of Beirut blast was both a challenge and a responsibility. “It was a responsibility because everyone in the country was desperately waiting for change. We had to make sure that we lived up to people’s hopes because we knew it would impact student voters in other universities,” she told Al Arabiya English. “After our elections, we started seeing a ripple effect, and we couldn’t be happier. From RHU to AUB and soon in [other Lebanese universities], independent councils are unstoppable today,” she added.
For Siba Mroueh, the VP of Communications and Political Identity at Change Starts Here, the student elections are always important because the university is “a microcosm of the Lebanese society.”She told Al Arabiya English that the student elections were “parallel” to all the political work done since the October 17 uprising. “The students who are voting now in these elections are the people who will vote later in parliamentary elections,” she said. Independent candidate Oussama Obeid said the win was not only about securing seats in university elections, but it was about showing people that there was hope for change. “The Secular Club’s discourse accumulated over the past few years after being involved in a set of political activities, including the 2015 anti-establishment protests during the garbage crisis, the 2016 Beirut Municipality elections, and the 2019 October uprising,” said Karim Safieddine, former president of the AUB Secular Club. Meanwhile, Hussein El-Achi from Minteshreen, a new youth-led political party that supported both campaigns at AUB, said student elections had always been crucial in Lebanon to determine shifts in public opinion among the youth.
He said this explains why traditional political parties expend significant resources and efforts during student elections to show that public opinion still supports each one of those parties. “This year, the elections had greater importance because they follow one of the most [significant] modern Lebanese history events: the October 17 uprising,” he told Al Arabiya English. “It is important to note that many traditional political parties avoided those electoral battles,” he said, explaining that the reason for this was an expected victory for independents.
 

Lebanon's informal capital controls explained: Why can't Lebanese access their money?
Fatima Al-Mahmoud, Al Arabiya English/November 15/2020
Transferring money abroad from Lebanon has become nearly impossible.
“They have found a way to put obstacles in our path in every way possible,” said a Lebanese final-year medical student while trying to transfer money abroad to cover his tuition and living expenses. Karim is one of hundreds of students who are pursuing degrees abroad and have hit hurdles while trying to transfer money out of Lebanon. Students aren’t the only people affected. Ad hoc – and illegal – capital controls have made a once mundane task burdensome as banks have put locks on depositors savings. The only people who don’t seem to be affected are politicians and the politically connected.
Capital controls are defined as lawful measures that are implemented to regulate the flow of foreign currency transactions in and out of a country’s domestic economy. They’re typically used during an economic crisis to prevent the extraction of remaining funds from a struggling economy. In 2015, during Greece’s economic crisis, the country implemented capital control measures that were not fully lifted until 2019.
Why does Lebanon need capital controls?
To protect the remaining dwindling foreign currency reserves and avoid further depreciation of the Lebanese lira in the parallel market, lawful capital control measures must be put in place, experts say. For many years now, Lebanon has followed a rentier model in which the ruling elite group lives off income from property and investments. The country highly relies on external sources for revenue and thus does not have a strong domestic productive sector. The Lebanese economy has been fueled by unsustainably high interest rates for years and has been boosted with the occasional injection of massive international funds, but this model is no longer feasible according to Finance 4 Lebanon, an expert-led blog on the Lebanese financial crisis. Where Lebanon imports a lot and exports a little, the country’s foreign reserves have dried up quickly as the main methods of cash flow have stopped. This imbalance contributed to the current dollar shortage, which triggered a public run on the banks in the last quarter of 2019. To regulate this outpour of foreign capital, the Lebanese ruling class should’ve quickly implemented capital control measures, experts say. Despite a much-awaited draft law for capital controls being presented in June 2020 and later in September 2020, it has yet to be passed. The law, presented by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a prerequisite for reform and a condition for aid, is still on the table. But as Lebanon’s economy slides further into the abyss, de facto capital controls are still in place.
Did Lebanon’s ruling class implement capital controls?
Legally, no.
These de facto measures illegally limit the public’s access to their own money and savings, while making exceptions for the powerful and politically connected.By early September 2019, as Lebanon began to feel the blow of its fast-coming economic downfall, Lebanese depositors were denied access to their dollars through ATMs, and banks had started imposing arbitrary cash withdrawal limits. Informal capital control measures persisted when Lebanese banks closed down mid-October after becoming the target of public rage in nationwide protests. When banks reopened at the beginning of November, depositors were left at the mercy of their discretionary choices in the absence of any parliamentary regulations. On the other hand, the ruling class and their in-crowd were merely one “wasta” – the Lebanese slang word for nepotism – away from moving their money as they please, said former chairman and CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Dan Azzi.
According to Azzi, one politically exposed person (PPE) was able to transfer $273 million from one of Lebanon’s top banks in December 2019, i.e. after de facto capital control measures were implemented. He explained that this is equivalent to the tuition of 27,000 students under the new Student Dollar Circular, which allows for a one-time transfer of $10,000 per year at the official exchange rate of 1,515 Lebanese pounds to the dollar; it applies only to students who began their studies abroad before the academic year 2020-2021. “Every person who blocked this law was on the wrong side of history and criminally negligent,” Azzi continued. Who blocked the capital control law? “Kellon ya3ne kellon,” said a confidential source from the Association of Banks in Lebanon in reference to the popular slogan of the October 17 revolution which translates to “all of them means all of them.”
“They all have a shared responsibility,” the source said. Despite the initial opposition of capital control measures for fear of harming Lebanon’s free economy, central bank Governor Riad Salameh later agreed to the de facto arrangements and tried to standardize them, issuing one central bank circular after the other. Many of the ruling parties also opposed capital control measures, explained Azzi, and despite a promise made by former Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government to legally impose capital control, it never happened.
But Lebanon never had the luxury of choosing whether or not capital controls would be implemented. It was inevitable, the ABL source said. “There’s a reality limitation,” he explained. “People have deposits but banks don’t have enough money to give back these deposits.”
What happens now?
Even if capital control measures are passed now, according to Azzi, it’s not enough. Without financial and economic reforms, capital control laws are not enough. Read more: Lebanon central bank governor says he hopes depositors will recuperate their money
According to the ABL source, capital control is merely a temporary fix to regulate the distribution of Lebanon’s scarce capital. They work as a “sedative,” rather than a long-term fix. But the source added that they must be in place to help pull Lebanon out of its rut. If capital controls are put in place, the next step would be to improve the economy and focus on creating a productive and more self-sufficient economy. However, without capital controls in place, ongoing abuse of the system, and a political class that shows no will to reform, Lebanese people will continue to bear the brunt of the crisis.
 

Lebanon between an outgoing Trump and an incoming Biden administration
Hanin Ghaddar/Al Arabiya/November 15/2020
The next couple of months will be a critical time, not only for the internal US political scene and national security, but also for US foreign policy, which could create decisive scenarios for the Middle East, some that might not be overturned when US President elect Joe Biden takes office in January.
Lebanon could be one of the scenes where these scenarios could unfold, seeing how the Trump administration immediately moved after the US elections to sanction Gebran Bassil, the president of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) political party and member of Lebanese Parliament, under the Global Magnitsky Act. It has become clear that the Trump administration is going to use the remaining few weeks of transition to escalate its maximum pressure campaign against the Iranian regime and its regional proxies. According to sources who spoke to Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, the Trump administration, in coordination with Israel and several Gulf states, “is pushing a plan to slap a long string of new sanctions on Iran in the 10 weeks left until Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.” The administration’s envoy for Iran Elliott Abrams arrived in Israel last week and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat to discuss the sanctions plan. He then traveled from Israel to Abu Dhabi and Riyadh to discuss the sanctions plan.
In the next few weeks, the Trump administration will probably use many tools as it seeks to achieve two goals: First, to make it difficult for the Biden administration to fulfill its own policy, mainly regarding walking back some of the sanctions. Second, Trump also would like to use these measures to strengthen his image and chances of winning the 2024 US presidential elections, now that he’s said that he intends to run again.
Of course, the question remains: Will there be more sanctions against Lebanese corrupt officials in the coming two months of transition, now that the Trump administration decided to escalate against Iran? And more so, will a Biden administration continue these efforts against Iran its Lebanese allies?
Sanctions placed on individuals are designed with the element of surprise as a key element to ensure that targeted officials have no time to sort out their finances. Therefore, it is unlikely that anyone would know beforehand who will be targeted with sanctions and when.
But we might assume that the escalation against Iran would target its support for terrorism in the region, especially that US efforts are coordinated with Israel and the Gulf states.
The Trump administration will probably sanction more Lebanese political and business figures in its last few weeks in power.
The US Department of the Treasury that is responsible for issuing sanctions has been working on targeting a vast list of Lebanese officials and businessmen – from all sects and political parties – and now would be the time to start rolling-out those sanctions.
It is important to note that Biden and his team will likely focus less on the Middle East compared to Russia and China. Even Iran is not at the top of the new administration’s list.
That being said, the Biden administration might not see sanctions as the most effective tool for its vision for Middle East policy.
Instead, they will rely on diplomacy and coordination with Europe. But that doesn’t mean that Biden’s administration won’t continue targeting corruption and terrorism in the region.
However, where Biden served as President Barack Obama’s vice president, it is important to note that Biden could very well adopt a different Iran policy as circumstances and priorities have shifted; Biden’s outlook on the region has also been different.
For example, Obama’s relation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was marked with tension and antagonism, and Obama’s outlook toward Israel in general was different from other Democratic presidents and officials.
However, Biden has been very clear on this issue. He considers Israel’s security as one of his priorities, and many in Israel are feel assured that a Biden administration policy on Israel will mean bilateral relations remain strong.
While Biden has said many times that he will seek to reinstate some form of nuclear deal with Iran, he has said Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal framework would be a starting point for negotiations with Iran, rather than the end goal. Biden is likely to include regional allies and other stakeholders in an Iran deal 2.0 and up pressure on Iran.
Biden’s Iran policy will probably be seen across the region. That is to say, where Iran and its proxies threaten US allies and interests, US policy on Iran will be implemented. Lebanon, as Hezbollah’s headquarters will be seen as one of these arenas, and Biden’s previous views on Lebanon will probably remain unchanged.
In May 2009, Vice President Biden visited Lebanon before the parliamentary election. Speaking to reporters back then, Biden warned that US aid to the country could be reevaluated in the event of a win by Hezbollah.
“I do not come here to back any particular party or any particular person. I come here to back certain principles,” Biden said. “We will evaluate the shape of our assistance programs based on the composition of the new government and the policies it advocates.”
These words still resonate, and Lebanon’s political elite must remember them well.
*Hanin Ghaddar is the Friedmann Fellow at The Washington Institute’s Geduld Program on Arab Politics, where she focuses on Shia politics throughout the Levant.
 

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 15-16/2020

Azerbaijan vows to protect Christian churches ahead of takeover of Armenia-held areas
The Associated Press/November 15/2020
The president of Azerbaijan is promising that Christian churches will be protected when the strongly Muslim country takes possession of areas formerly controlled by Armenians, as residents burned down their homes and fled in cars and trucks ahead of Sunday's expected takeover. President Ilham Aliyev’s office said he made the promise in a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is deploying peacekeeping forces in the areas under an agreement that ended six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Ethnic Armenian forces had controlled Nagorno-Karabakh and sizeable adjacent territories since 1994, after the end of a separatist war. Fighting resumed in late September and ended with an agreement that calls for Azerbaijan to regain control of the outlying territories as well as allowing it to keep parts of Nagorno-Karabakh that it seized during the recent fighting.The first of the territories, Kalbajar, was to be turned over on Sunday. But Azerbaijan agreed at the last minute to give Armenian forces and civilians until Nov. 25 to withdraw. Kalbajar is home to the well-known Dadivank monastery of the Armenian Apostolic Church. On Saturday, a day before the territory’s expected handover, workers removed many of the monastery’s sacred objects. Azerbaijani presidential spokesman Hikmet Hajiyev said Sunday that the delay was requested by Armenia and granted “taking into account the worsening weather conditions and the difficult mountainous terrain.”
Civilians fleeing the region caused huge traffic jams on the single road leading to Armenia. Ethnic Armenian Garo Dadevusyan wrenched off his home's metal roof in Kalbajar in the last few days, trying to figure out how to destroy it. “In the end, we will blow it up or set it on fire, in order not to leave anything to Muslims,” Dadevusyan said. He piled the roof and family goods onto an old flatbed truck but their final destination was unclear.“We are homeless now. We do not know where to go and where to live ... It is very hard,” his wife, Lusine, said, choking back tears as the couple gave their house a final look. Azerbaijan is about 95 percent Muslim and Armenians fear that churches would be damaged or closed when it takes control of the territories. "President Aliyev said that Christian churches in Azerbaijani territories, which are returned to Azerbaijan in accordance with the trilateral statement, will also be properly protected by the state. Christians of Azerbaijan will have access to these churches,” said the statement from his office. Hundreds, if not thousands, of combatants and civilians have been killed since fighting flared anew in late September.

Trump Retracts Apparent Admission of Defeat
Agence France Presse/November 15/2020
U.S. President Donald Trump appeared accidentally to admit his election defeat in a tweet on Sunday morning -- before reversing course to claim he won, and once again push unsubstantiated claims of mass fraud in the vote. Trump has refused to concede the November 3 U.S. election to challenger Joe Biden, and repeatedly said he intends to overturn the result through legal cases. His aides say he is preparing for a second term in office despite the vote count confirming Biden's clear victory. "He won because the Election was Rigged," Trump tweeted early Sunday. The phrasing -- coming two days after a slip in which he said "time will tell" if he remains president -- was immediately seized upon as one more step towards admitting defeat. But the president soon followed up with a sharp U-turn, tweeting "He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA. I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go." Thousands of Trump supporters rallied in Washington on Saturday, backing his claims of fraud, with clashes erupting in the evening with rival protesters. At least 20 people were arrested, reports said, including four for firearm violations and one for assault on a police officer.
Trump himself made a drive-past of the rally in his armored motorcade, on his way to play golf, smiling through his limousine window to wild cheers and signs saying "Best prez ever" and "Trump 2020: Keep America Great."
Large pro-Trump rally -
Many of Trump's tweets over the weekend alleging the election was rigged against him have been tagged by Twitter as containing "disputed" information.
John Bolton, Trump's former national security advisor, told CNN's "State of the Union" show on Sunday that "as every day goes by, it's clearer there isn't any evidence" of fraud. "Donald Trump lost... by a free and valid election," Bolton said, adding "I don't expect him to go graciously. I do expect him to go."
On Saturday, at least 10,000 people -- few wearing masks -- massed in Washington's Freedom Plaza before marching to the Supreme Court in a raucous atmosphere reminiscent of a Trump campaign rally. After dark, groups of Trump supporters and counter-protesters clashed on the streets, scuffling and throwing punches. Trump seemed to be following the evening's events, accusing the city's mayor of "not doing her job" and calling on the police to "get going -- do your job and don't hold back." The latest vote tallies gave the Democrat Biden a clear win in the state-by-state Electoral College that decides the presidency, with 306 votes against Trump's 232. Two hundred and seventy votes are required for election.
 

UAE-Israel relations: Dubai’s Fresh Market opens first-ever Israeli produce display
Al Arabiya English/November 15/2020
The Fresh Market in Dubai’s Ras al-Khor opened on Saturday its first ever Israeli produce display as part of the two countries’ efforts to establish diplomatic and business links, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported. The Fresh Market, an UAE-based grocery chain, plays a key role in positioning Dubai as a regional hub for trading and the sale of local and imported produce, according to WAM. “Together with our colleagues in Dubai, we are beginning to see the ‘fruits of peace’ today. The export of fresh agricultural products from Israel to the UAE market has a significant advantage because of the geographical closeness and the speed with which the products can be transported directly to markets in the UAE and beyond,” Shlomi Fogel, Chairman of Carmel Agrexco, told WAM. The United Arab Emirates and Israel in September signed a historic bilateral agreement, called the Abrahams Accord, at the White House in Washington. Along with establishing diplomatic relations, the UAE and Israel agreed to promote investment and tourism, as well as launch direct flights connecting the two countries. Direct flights between the UAE and Israel are set to start on November 26 through Dubai-based airline Flydubai.

Trump Loyalists Mount Last Stand in Washington
Agence France Presse/November 15/2020
Thousands of die-hard Donald Trump supporters rallied for a last stand Saturday in Washington, chanting "four more years" and blaming fraud for an election defeat that will force the president to vacate the White House after just one term.
Trump himself made a drive-past in his armored motorcade, on his way to play golf, smiling through his limousine window to wild cheers and signs saying "Best prez ever" and "Trump 2020: Keep America Great." "We wanted to show our support, we're feeling they are trying to steal the election," said Pam Ross, who drove eight hours from Ohio to join the rally, referring to the president's political opponents. The Republican incumbent is sticking to discredited claims of mass fraud and claiming he defeated President-elect Joe Biden in the November 3 vote, marking another unprecedented challenge to US democratic norms as his time in office runs down. Later Saturday, he took to Twitter with a series of tweets and retweets that included claims of voting machines potentially being hacked and complaints about news networks' coverage of the rally. Twitter slapped labels on at least eight of the posts as containing "disputed" information. At least 10,000 people -- few wearing masks -- massed on the city's Freedom Plaza before marching to the Supreme Court in a raucous atmosphere reminiscent of a Trump campaign rally. "President Trump deserves to see who's behind him, he deserves to feel the love," Kris Napolitana, from Baltimore, told AFP. "I believe that he's going to win when all the fraud and cheating is found out."
Tight security
With right-wing militia group the Proud Boys among those attending, a large security presence was deployed to prevent clashes with anti-Trump events outside the Supreme Court. As night fell, police formed lines on either side of a street leading to the White House, separating hundreds of rival protesters.
"We're just holding back people who want to fight," one officer told AFP. After dark, groups of Trump supporters and counter-protesters clashed on the streets, scuffling and throwing punches, video posted by the Washington Post showed. At least 20 people were arrested during the day, reports said, including four for firearm violations and one for assault on a police officer. Trump seemed to be following the evening's events, taking to Twitter to accuse the city's mayor of "not doing her job" and calling on the police to "get going — do your job and don't hold back."
- 'Whole system's rigged' -
The latest vote tallies gave the Democrat Biden a clear win in the state-by-state Electoral College that decides the presidency, with 306 votes against Trump's 232. Two hundred and seventy votes are required for election. But Margarita Urtubey, 49, a horse breeder from Miami, said the election was "so corrupt," adding, "Trump won by a landslide. We are here to march for the 'stop the steal' of this election, to make our voice heard." Trump tweeted that "hundreds of thousands" had turned out -- while his spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany made the greatly exaggerated claim that more than a million people were present.
But the turnout was undoubtedly high for a strongly Democratic city, boosted by protesters from around the country, from Florida to Pennsylvania to Colorado. Darion Schaublin, who drove from Columbus, Ohio, said "the whole system's rigged... in the way that the information is getting to the people."
"The truth never actually gets out," added the 26-year-old, who said he lost his job in a restaurant after refusing to wear a mask to help stop the spread of Covid-19. Kathlin Erickson, who said she flew from Colorado on a plane "filled with Trump supporters," kept alive hopes of a second Trump administration.
"A Trump victory? That's a long shot, but anything is possible with God," she said. Trump is impeding Biden's transition ahead of the inauguration on January 20 and has filed numerous lawsuits -- unsuccessfully -- to challenge vote counts around the country.
He said Friday "time will tell" if he remains president, in a momentary slip of his refusal to concede defeat.
Biden prepares for power
Despite his own intelligence officials' declaration this week that the election was "the most secure in American history," Trump and his right-wing media allies show no sign of giving up their quest to get the results overturned. After driving past the marchers in Washington, Trump headed to his golf club outside the capital as he kept to his regular weekend routine. Biden on Saturday went biking in a Delaware state park with his wife Jill and a security detail. When asked if he was closer to choosing his cabinet, he replied "yes."

Erdogan Says Cyprus Made Up of 'Two Separate States'
Agence France Presse/November 15/2020
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday he favors a permanent division of Cyprus into two states, during a visit to the breakaway Turkish-held north decried as a "provocation" by the internationally recognized Greek-speaking south. The comments marked a further setback to hopes for an eventual reunification of the Mediterranean island which is split between EU member the Republic of Cyprus, which controls the island's southern two thirds, and the north occupied by Turkey since 1974. "There are two peoples and two separate states in Cyprus," said Erdogan. "There must be talks for a solution on the basis of two separate states." During his visit, Turkish jets left vapor trails in the sky in the shape of the star and crescent of the Turkish flag -- mirroring a huge flag painted decades ago on a rocky mountainside in the north. Erdogan's visit to the Turkish-held statelet recognized only by Ankara comes amid heightened tensions on the island and in the Eastern Mediterranean and was condemned as a "provocation without precedent" by the Republic of Cyprus. His trip marked the 37th anniversary of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) where an estimated 30,000 Turkish troops are stationed. The Turkish president was later to attend a "picnic" in the disputed beachfront area of Varosha along the UN buffer zone that has divided the island since Turkey's invasion. Ghost town 'picnic' Varosha -- once the playground of celebrities and dubbed a "Jewel of the Mediterranean" -- has since been a fenced off ghost town, where former luxury hotels and restaurants have fallen into disrepair and overgrown by weeds. Turkish troops partially reopened the seafront of Varosha on October 8, sparking international criticism. The last U.N.-sponsored peace talks, based on a reunification of the island, failed in 2017. An eventual reunification has looked more remote since an Erdogan-backed Turkish nationalist, Ersin Tatar, was elected leader of the north last month. Unlike his predecessor, Mustafa Akinci, who advocated reunification in the form of a federal state, Tatar also favors a two-state solution. The 1974 Turkish invasion was launched in response to an Athens-engineered coup in Nicosia designed to unify Cyprus with Greece, and was followed on November 15, 1983 by the declaration of the TRNC. Erdogan insisted Sunday that "the only victims in the Cyprus issue are the Turkish Cypriots whose rights and existence have been ignored for years".His visit comes as Turkey has openly sparred with neighbors Greece and Cyprus over maritime territories believed to hold vast gas deposits. The Turkish leader stressed that "we will continue our seismic research and drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean until a fair agreement can be reached."Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades condemned Erdogan's visit, as well as what he called the historical "secessionist act of the declaration of the illegal regime" in the north. He said Erdogan's visit served to "torpedo" U.N.-led efforts to work toward resolving "the Cyprus problem" in talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Athens, Ankara and former colonial power London. Erdogan's increasingly assertive stance has sparked protests in the south -- but also in the north, where many Turkish Cypriots resent Ankara's interference in the island's politics. "No interference! Freedom for all!" hundreds of Turkish Cypriot protesters chanted in northern Nicosia on Tuesday to denounce Erdogan's visit.

Israel Advances Plans for New Jerusalem Settler Homes
Agence France Presse/November 15/2020
Israel has pushed on with plans to build a new Jewish settler neighborhood in east Jerusalem, a watchdog group said Sunday, warning such efforts were being stepped up before U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office.  The Trump administration has broken with decades of bipartisan U.S. practice by not opposing Jewish settlement activity in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. President-elect Joe Biden has said his administration will restore U.S. opposition to the settlements which are considered illegal under international law and that many governments view as an obstacle to peace. The latest move saw the Israel Land Authority issue construction tenders in Givat Hamatos, a currently uninhabited area of east Jerusalem next to the mainly Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Safafa. In February, Israel's right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the approval of 3,000 homes in the area. He said 2,000 would be allocated for Jews, and 1,000 for Arab residents of Beit Safafa. Last week, the Land Authority issued tenders for the construction of more than 1,200 mostly residential units in Givat Hamatos.  Ir Amim, an Israeli civil society organization that tracks settlements in Jerusalem and called attention to the tenders on Sunday, warned that the next two months in the lead-up to the change in Washington "will be a critical period." "We believe that Israel will attempt to exploit this time to advance moves that the incoming administration will potentially oppose," it said in a statement.
Ir Amim reiterated concerns that settlement construction in Givat Hamatos would be a devastating blow to peace negotiations because it would cut east Jerusalem off from Bethlehem, disrupting the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state. Nabil Abu Rudeina, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Givat Hamatos tenders amounted to an attempt by Israel "to kill the internationally-supported two state solution." The east Jerusalem tenders follow the approval of 96 new east Jerusalem settler homes in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood last week. Settlement construction approvals in Ramat Shlomo in 2010 caused a major rift between Netanyahu and former president Barack Obama and then vice president Biden. Israel took control of east Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War, before annexing it in a move not recognized by most of the international community.

Israel Strikes Hamas Positions after Rockets Fired from Gaza
Agence France Presse/November 15/2020
Israel's military said it struck Hamas positions Sunday morning following a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip overnight. Two rockets were fired into southern Israel from Gaza late Saturday, the Israeli army said, although there were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage. The Israeli army tweeted they had "struck Hamas underground infrastructure & military posts in Gaza.""The IDF (Israeli army) is conducting an ongoing situational assessment & remains prepared to operate against any terror activity," they added. An army source told AFP in a WhatsApp message that fighter jets, helicopters and tanks were deployed. Security sources in Gaza said there were a number of strikes overnight, including in Khan Younes, Rafah and Beit Hanoun, without reporting any casualties. Israeli media said the rockets from Gaza came down in uninhabited areas, but a military spokeswoman was unable to confirm the reports. Speaking at the opening of his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday afternoon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not tolerate such attacks. "I'm warning the terror organizations in Gaza, even during the coronavirus crisis -- don't try us," he said in remarks relayed by his office. "I never elaborate on our operational plans, but I'm telling you -- the price of continued aggression will be heavy, very heavy." The strike from Gaza -- which has not been claimed -- comes days after the anniversary of the assassination of senior Islamic Jihad leader Baha Abu Al-Ata, killed in a strike on his home in Gaza City on November 12 last year. Ahead of the anniversary, the Israeli military were reportedly on high alert within the Gaza Strip, where roughly two million Palestinians live.Sources close to Hamas indicated officials from the movement were expected in Cairo later Sunday.

U.S., Israel Worked Together to Track and Kill Qaida No. 2 in Iran
Associated Press/November 15/2020
The United States and Israel worked together to track and kill a senior al-Qaida operative in Iran earlier this year, a bold intelligence operation by the two allied countries that came as the Trump administration was ramping up pressure on Tehran. Four current and former U.S. officials said Abu Mohammed al-Masri, al-Qaida's No. 2, was killed by assassins in the Iranian capital in August. The U.S. provided intelligence to the Israelis on where they could find al-Masri and the alias he was using at the time, while Israeli agents carried out the killing, according to two of the officials. The two other officials confirmed al-Masri's killing but could not provide specific details. Al-Masri was gunned down in a Tehran alley on Aug. 7, the anniversary of the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Al-Masri was widely believed to have participated in the planning of those attacks and was wanted on terrorism charges by the FBI. Al-Masri's death is a blow to al-Qaida, the terror network that orchestrated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S, and comes amid rumors in the Middle East about the fate of the group's leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. The officials could not confirm those reports but said the U.S. intelligence community was trying to determine their credibility. Two of the officials -- one within the intelligence community and with direct knowledge of the operation and another former CIA officer briefed on the matter -- said al-Masri was killed by Kidon, a unit within the secretive Israeli spy organization Mossad allegedly responsible for the assassination of high-value targets. In Hebrew, Kidon means bayonet or "tip of the spear."The official in the intelligence community said al-Masri's daughter, Maryam, was also a target of the operation. The U.S. believed she was being groomed for a leadership role in al-Qaida and intelligence suggested she was involved in operational planning, according to the official, who like the others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. Al-Masri's daughter was the widow of Hamza bin Laden, the son of al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden. He was killed last year in a U.S. counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. The news of al-Masri's death was first reported by The New York Times. Both the CIA and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, which oversees the Mossad intelligence agency, declined to comment.
Israel and Iran are bitter enemies, with the Iranian nuclear program Israel's top security concern. Israel has welcomed the Trump administration's withdrawal from the 2015 Iranian nuclear accord and the U.S. pressure campaign on Tehran.
At the time of the killings, the Trump administration was in the advanced stages of trying to push through the U.N. Security Council the reinstatement of all international sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the nuclear agreement. None of the other Security Council members went along with the U.S., which has vowed to punish countries that do not enforce the sanctions as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran.
Israeli officials are concerned the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden could return to the nuclear accord. It is likely that if Biden does engage with the Iranians, Israel will press for the accord to be modified to address Iran's long-range missile program and its military activity across the region, specifically in Syria and its support for groups like Hizbullah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. The revelations that Iran was harboring an al-Qaida leader could help Israel bolster its case with the new U.S. administration. Al-Masri had been on a kill or capture list for years. But his presence in Iran, which has a long history of hostility toward al-Qaida, presented significant obstacles to either apprehending or killing him. Iran denied the reports, saying the government is not harboring any al-Qaida leaders and blaming the U.S. and Israel for trying to foment anti-Iranian sentiment. U.S. officials have long believed a number of al-Qaida leaders have been living quietly in Iran for years and publicly released intelligence assessments have made that case. Al-Masri's death, albeit under an assumed name, was reported in Iranian media on Aug. 8. Reports identified him as a Lebanese history professor potentially affiliated with Lebanon's Hizbullah and said he had been killed by motorcycle gunmen along with his daughter. Lebanese media, citing Iranian reports, said that those killed were Lebanese citizen Habib Daoud and his daughter Maryam. The deaths of al-Masri and his daughter occurred three days after the catastrophic Aug. 4 explosion at the port of Beirut and did not get much attention. Hizbullah never commented on reports and Lebanese security officials did not report that any citizens were killed in Tehran. A Hizbullah official on Saturday would not comment on al-Masri's death, saying Iran's foreign ministry had already denied it. The alleged killings seem to fit a pattern of behavior attributed to Israel in the past. In 1995, the founder of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad was killed by a gunman on a motorcycle in Malta, in an assassination widely attributed to the Mossad. The Mossad also reportedly carried out a string of similar killings of Iranian nuclear scientists in Iran early last decade. Iran has accused Israel of being behind those killings. Yoel Guzansky, a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies and former analyst on Iranian affairs in the prime minister's office, said it has been known for some time that Iran is hiding top al-Qaida figures. While he had no direct knowledge of al-Masri's death, he said a joint operation between the U.S. and Israel would reflect the two nations' close intelligence cooperation, with the U.S. typically stronger in the technical aspects of intelligence gathering and Israel adept at operating agents behind enemy lines.
 

Armenian Politician Arrested over Alleged PM Assassination Plot
Agence France Presse/November 15/2020
An opposition leader in Armenia has been arrested and accused of preparing to kill the prime minister, his lawyer said, adding to the political turmoil created by a controversial peace deal with neighboring Azerbaijan. Artur Vanetsyan, head of the center-right Homeland party, was arrested on Saturday after being summoned to the headquarters of the Armenian security forces, his lawyers Lusine Sahakyan and Ervand Varosyan said. They called the detention a "persecution" and denied the allegations against their client -- that he was preparing to seize power after the murder of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Pashinyan has faced violent street protests and fierce criticism from Armenia's political opposition since he signed a peace deal with Azerbaijan to end fighting over the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh which erupted in September. Armenia faced heavy losses by technologically superior Azeri troops and Pashinyan agreed to cede large parts of the mostly Christian and ethnically Armenian region to Muslim-majority Azerbaijan in order to bring an end to the hostilities. Vanetsyan, a former boss of Armenia's security services known for his links to Russia, was also briefly detained last week along with other senior opposition figures during anti-government protests which saw the prime minister called a "traitor."Armenian security services announced the arrest late on Saturday of another unnamed man "with anti-government views" who was allegedly found in possession of a "large number of weapons."He was preparing "an assassination attempt against a public figure and the seizure of power" in step with "politicians with anti-government views and their supporters."

Ethiopia's Tigray Region Claims Rocket Strikes on Eritrea Airport
Agence France Presse/November 15/2020
The leader of the Tigray region of Ethiopia on Sunday claimed responsibility for rocket strikes on the airport in neighboring Eritrea's capital, a move that ratcheted up fears of a wider conflict in the Horn of Africa region. Diplomats told AFP Saturday night that multiple rockets had struck the capital, Asmara, landing near the airport, though communications restrictions in Tigray and Eritrea made the reports difficult to verify. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced November 4 he had ordered military operations in Tigray in a dramatic escalation of a long-running feud with the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). "Ethiopian forces are also using the airport of Asmara," TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael told AFP Sunday, saying this made the airport a "legitimate target" for the strikes. He added that his forces had also been fighting "16 divisions" of Eritrean forces in recent days "in several fronts". The TPLF has previously accused Abiy's government of enlisting military support from Eritrea, something Ethiopia denies.  There was no immediate response from the Eritrean or Ethiopian governments on Sunday. It was not clear how many rockets were fired on Saturday night, where in Tigray they were fired from, whether they hit their targets or what damage they inflicted. The United States embassy in Asmara posted an advisory to its website Sunday about "a series of loud noises" at around 7:50 pm Saturday night. "Unconfirmed reports indicate they may have been explosive devices believed to be in the vicinity of the Asmara International Airport. There are no indications the airport was struck," the advisory said. The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades and fought a brutal 1998-2000 border war with Eritrea that left tens of thousands dead. Abiy came to power in 2018 and won the Nobel Peace Prize the following year in large part for his effort to initiate a rapprochement with Eritrea.
- Fleeing refugees -
Hundreds of people are reported to have been killed so far in the conflict in Africa's second most populous country, some in a gruesome massacre documented last week by Amnesty International. Over 20,000 Ethiopians have fled as refugees into Sudan, a figure that continues to rise, Sudanese officials say.
Among them are Ethiopians returning to camps where they and their families sought refuge from devastating famine decades ago. To cross the river at the two countries' border, they climb into small boats crammed with other exhausted and terrified Ethiopians seeking safety. "I am filled with immeasurable sadness, because when I left, 20 years ago, I never thought that I would come back as a miserable refugee," said Gabriel, a 40-year-old farmer who arrived in eastern Sudan this week, asking to be identified by his first name because he feared for his safety. Back in Ethiopia, the UN is pushing for full humanitarian access to Tigray, where Debretsion says hundreds of thousands have been displaced internally by fighting that has featured multiple rounds of government air strikes. - Conflicting narratives - Ever since Abiy took power in 2018 on the back of anti-government protests, the TPLF has complained of being sidelined and scapegoated for Ethiopia's woes. The feud grew more intense after Tigray went ahead with its own elections in September -- defying a nationwide ban on all polls imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic -- and tried to brand him an illegitimate ruler. The immediate catalyst for the military operations in Tigray, Abiy has said, was a TPLF attack on federal military camps. The TPLF has denied the attack ever occurred, though Abiy's office has seized on a recent interview with Tigrayan media in which a senior TPLF official, Sekuture Getachew, said "it was imperative to take a thunder-like strike". "Had it not been for the mission maybe Abiy had a chance to command dictatorially for a short term," Sekuture said in the interview, adding that the TPLF now controlled most of the firepower of the Ethiopian military's Northern Command. Other TPLF leaders have not commented on the interview.
- No talks yet -
Ethiopian lawmakers have backed a plan to install a caretaker administration in Tigray, and officials have issued arrest warrants for Debretsion and other TPLF leaders. Abiy's government has said the TPLF needs to be disarmed before negotiations can begin, frustrating world leaders who are calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Meanwhile there continue to be fears the conflict could draw in other regions of Ethiopia. On Saturday the TPLF claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on two airports in Amhara region, which borders Tigray to the south.

World's Largest Free Trade Agreement Signed in Coup for China
Agence France Presse/November 15/2020
Fifteen Asia-Pacific countries on Sunday signed the world's biggest free trade deal, seen as a huge coup for China in extending its influence. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) includes 10 Southeast Asian economies along with China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia, with members accounting for around 30 percent of global GDP. First proposed in 2012, the deal was finally sealed at the end of a Southeast Asian summit as leaders push to get their pandemic-hit economies back on track. "Under the current global circumstances, the fact the RCEP has been signed after eight years of negotiations brings a ray of light and hope amid the clouds," said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang after the virtual signing. "It clearly shows that multilateralism is the right way, and represents the right direction of the global economy and humanity's progress." The agreement to lower tariffs and open up the services trade within the bloc does not include the United States and is viewed as a Chinese-led alternative to a now-defunct Washington trade initiative. The RCEP "solidifies China's broader regional geopolitical ambitions around the Belt and Road initiative", said Alexander Capri, a trade expert at the National University of Singapore Business School, referring to Beijing's signature investment project that envisions Chinese infrastructure and influence spanning the globe. "It's sort of a complementary element." But many of the signatories are battling severe coronavirus outbreaks and they are also hoping the RCEP will help mitigate the crippling economic cost of the pandemic. Indonesia recently tumbled into its first recession for two decades while the Philippine economy shrunk by 11.5 percent on-year in the latest quarter. "Covid has reminded the region of why trade matters and governments are more eager than ever to have positive economic growth," said Deborah Elms, executive director of the Asian Trade Centre, a Singapore-based consultancy.
- India absent -
India pulled out of the agreement last year over concerns about cheap Chinese goods entering the country and was a notable absentee during Sunday's virtual signing. Signatories to the agreement said they hoped New Delhi would rejoin in the future, acknowledging its "strategic importance" to the deal which already covers more than two billion people. The pact should help shrink costs and make life easier for companies by letting them export products anywhere within the bloc without meeting separate requirements for each country. The agreement touches on intellectual property, but environmental protections and labor rights are not part of the pact. The deal is also seen as a way for China to draft the rules of trade in the region, after years of US retreat under President Donald Trump which have seen Washington pull out of a trade pact of its own, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Though U.S. multinationals will be able to benefit from RCEP through subsidiaries within member countries, analysts said the deal may cause President-elect Joe Biden to rethink Washington's engagement in the region.
This could see the US eye the potential benefits of joining the TPP's successor deal, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), said Rajiv Biswas, APAC chief economist at IHS Markit.
"However, this is not expected to be an immediate priority issue... given the considerable negative response to the TPP negotiations from many segments of the U.S. electorate due to concerns about US job losses to Asian countries," he added.

Post-Brexit Talks Enter Crunch Week with Failure Looming
Agence France Presse/November 15/2020
British and EU negotiators launched a desperate final stretch of trade talks Sunday, with both sides determined not to give ground, despite the looming threat of failure. Britain's David Frost returned to meet his EU counterpart Michel Barnier after a shake-up in Number 10 personnel left some wondering if the London might soften its stance. But there was no sign of that in the message that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's envoy tweeted as he headed back to Brussels. "We are working to get a deal, but the only one that's possible is one that is compatible with our sovereignty and takes back control of our laws, our trade, and our waters," Frost said. "That has been our consistent position from the start and I will not be changing it."On Friday, Johnson's senior aide Dominic Cummings -- one of the architects of the "leave" victory in the 2016 Brexit referendum -- was sacked, amid faction fighting in Number 10, but there has been no sign this will change the direction of trade talks. Britain left the European Union in January, but the full economic effect of the bitter divorce will be felt at the end of the year when an 11-month transition period closes. Relations between Britain and Europe could then be governed by a trade deal, but only if negotiations currently under way deliver, which is hardly guaranteed given still wide divergences. Frost said the parties now "largely have common draft treaty texts, though significant elements are of course not yet agreed. We will work to build on these and get an overall agreement if we can. "But we may not succeed," he warned. Officials on both sides of the Channel are looking to an EU leaders video summit on Thursday as the de facto last chance for a breakthrough, leaving just enough time for the EU Parliament to ratify an agreement. This gives Barnier and Frost four days and nights to bridge differences that have remained unchanged since March. "Logic and reason would all point to a deal," said one EU diplomat with a close eye on the talks. "But if anything became clear in the past three years, when it comes to Brexit, economic rationale and pure logic are not enough to explain what's happening," the diplomat said.
- 'Not great' -
Failure would see Britain's ties with the European economy governed by WTO rules, slapping high tariffs, quotas and other impediments to cross-Channel trade that flowed unencumbered for decades. Today's British economy, the sixth biggest in the world, was built on EU membership, with the London financial hub and a tapestry of car plants and multinationals enjoying access to the EU's 450 million consumers and complex supply chains. Given the danger, British big business implored the government to find middle ground and replicate the benefits of membership as closely as possible, even if this came with the condition that the UK align closely with EU rules. But, when the pro-Brexit Johnson became prime minister last year, London went the other way, asking for a zero-tariff deal on goods and services that must, he insisted, leave the country sovereign to make its own decisions. With positions starkly apart, the talks became bogged down on three core issues. Fishing has been the least economically significant but most politically explosive issue, with Europe eager to keep open access to the UK's bountiful waters. Fishermen in France, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands have trawled British waters for centuries, but London wants access rethought to satisfy Britain's coastal communities, which voted strongly for Brexit. Belgian Greens MEP Philippe Lamberts said, on fishing, Europeans giving ground was "inevitable" but that any trade deal agreed now "won't be great".
- 'Fall apart' -
The other obstacle is the lack of faith among the Europeans that once outside the EU single market Britain will play fair in terms of competition rules, even with a deal. This view sharpened when Johnson's government introduced a bill in parliament that effectively ripped up the terms of the divorce pact, potentially in violation of international law. Under the trade deal, will British companies enjoy easier rules on the environment or food safety only to sell their goods cheaply in the EU, where their rivals must abide by stricter measures? Seeking to maintain what it calls a "level playing field", the EU is demanding that Britain make a commitment to not backtrack on standards as well as to cooperate on how these evolve in the future. The EU is also worried about how Britain will subsidize companies. Too much taxpayer largesse could prove unfair towards firms in Europe, where state aid oversight is strict. To solve those problems, the EU is insisting that the deal hold some sort of emergency mechanism, that could swiftly inflict penalties if either side breaks the terms. "Either the British accept and we then move on to difficult negotiations on fisheries, or they refuse, and we will then be out of time and the negotiations fail," a senior European diplomat warned.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 15-16/2020

Britain: Two-Stepping Toward Totalitarianism
Andrew Ash/Gatestone Institute/November 15/2020
It has become an almost daily occurrence to find news stories of parents being 'called out' by their newly politicised children for expressing on social media 'wrong', 'unwoke' views, or of people being fired for something they may or may not have said years ago.
This sense of entitlement has come to characterise a group whose younger demographic seem to have no comprehension of the horrors of a war -- or indeed, of many authentic hardships -- in their own relatively comfortable lives.
This lack of respect for, or understanding of, history, along with an apparent need to invent, import, or re-animate grievances from the past, then lead these protestors to advocate inflicting what they decide is the appropriate revenge for a grievance on people who have had no part in causing it.
Tolerance is to be expected only from others.... One man's freedom, it seems, has become another man's cause for resentment.
The protestors' dismissal of British heritage, a bid to 'cancel' history, appears a threat to the nation. We supposedly have nothing to be proud of. Our achievements have presumably been little more than the spoils of an evil, bigoted patriarchal system. These malcontents, by pledging allegiance to the Marxist architects of that narrative, not only insult the memory of those who have fought and died for the freedoms we now take for granted; they are also two-stepping towards totalitarianism.
When the statue of Winston Churchill in London's Parliament Square was vandalised, the police, evidently held hostage to political correctness, stood by and watched as their role was publicly undermined by open disregard for the law.
There was a time when the British were known for their stoicism, their ability to battle through hardship, no matter the odds. The so called 'blitz spirit' of eighty years ago, that saw the nation 'pull together and carry on', regardless of the Nazi bombardment of our cities, characterised a generation that had suffered two world wars yet could not be bowed.
During the Covid pandemic, however, this 'blitz spirit' has been noticeably absent. There has been certainly very little in the way of a nation pulling together; in its place, there has been just a lot of bickering, mud-slinging and name calling-among politicians, activists, and the increasingly fragmented populace.
Predictably, Covid-19 was quickly turned into a divisive political issue by many in the oppositional media. The assertion now -- that anyone against face coverings, vaccines, or testing is assumed to be on the extreme right, while those obeying the safety rules, are on the left -- is as simplistic as it is loopy. One might have imagined that a deadly pandemic would act as a great uniter, finally bringing an end to the squabbling that has characterised UK (and US) politics for the last few years. Instead, we have been baked in identity politicking, making an already turbulent time more turbulent than ever.
Some malcontents have taken their vitriol to new levels of malice, publicly hoping, for instance, that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson would not recover from the coronavirus. No pulling together there. No blitz spirit. No compassion. Just bitterness, feuding and ever-deepening separation.
The fertile, if airy, 'soil' of cyberspace has become the perfect breeding ground for radicals of every stripe to spread their doctrines of division amongst the young, politically ripe millennials during lockdown. Pitching everyone against everyone -- left against right, young against old, black against white, women against men, trans (seemingly) against everyone -- appears to be the aim. All of that successfully seems to be driving a wedge of seething resentment between communities.
It has become an almost daily occurrence to find news stories of parents being 'called out' by their newly politicised children for expressing on social media 'wrong', 'unwoke' views, or of people being fired for something they may or may not have said years ago. Anyone who openly dares to emphasise the 'Great' in 'Great Britain' is simply asking to be labelled a 'racist'. For those naïve enough to believe in basic biology -- that the anatomy of women and men are different – the gulag awaits you. If you dare to utter the unthinkable, that 'all lives matter', prepare to leave town.
Many agitators --- unconcerned by either civility or tolerance -- continue perpetuating the notion, developed by precocious two-year-olds, that if you shout for long enough, your wishes might be served up. This sense of entitlement has come to characterise a group whose younger demographic seem to have no comprehension of the horrors of a war -- or indeed, of many authentic hardships -- in their own relatively comfortable lives. This lack of respect for, or understanding of, history, along with an apparent need to invent, import, or re-animate grievances from the past, then lead them to advocate inflicting what they decide is the appropriate revenge for a grievance on people who have had no part in causing it. Tolerance is to be expected only from others. For many 'progressives', there is no such thing as a two-way street. Agitators now seem to put their energy and focus into prioritising pet causes to which they feel everyone else ought to acquiesce. These might include men who have changed gender competing in female sports; defunding the police so that the most disadvantaged communities will be even further unable to protect themselves; expanding censorship in academia and Big Tech, or paying billions in taxpayer funds to other countries for promises to stop using fossil fuels at some far-off date and with no means of enforcement. Oh, and by the way, there is no debating anything. Just do what you are told.
While the Remainer-disruptors dragged out their opposition to Brexit as long as they could, seeing off two different prime ministers in the process, they may have relished their power. It was only after the Tories' landslide victory in December 2019, that they finally let go of their dream of overturning Brexit – but not before having branded all those in favour of leaving the EU as bigoted xenophobes.
That slur is a particular slap in the face to the people of this patient nation. For decades, they have done their best to move in step with the creeping, 'progressive' times in which we live. The acceptance of a variety of often controversial societal changes, such as the ever encroaching desires of various sexual lobbies, ushered in under the banner of 'human rights', seems lost on the liberals, so intent are they on pushing their identity politics agenda. If this is how appreciation is shown for the British public's quiet, respectful acceptance of often controversial, 'tipping point' changes within society, then no wonder much of the public may have decided that they have had enough of this new orthodoxy.
Although the coronavirus outbreak, with its restrictions of movement, briefly muted woke activism for a short time, it was not long before the extreme, activist milieu became restless. Until the death of George Floyd, a black American seemingly killed by a white policeman, these individuals had been busy berating figures on the right for not taking Covid-19 seriously enough. Suddenly, none of that mattered anymore. A frenzy of orchestrated Black Lives Matter protests erupted across Britain, despite the incident bearing absolutely no similarity to anything happening on Britain's streets, and despite the relative anonymity of the BLM movement in Britain until that point.
Many in the media, nevertheless, made sure that the message was loud and clear: protesting against perceived racism -- even if on another continent -- was more important than any pandemic.
Thus, after months of being told we would be prosecuted for breaching the Covid rules, we then had to observe on television thousands of protestors, not just flouting the safety rules, but tearing down historical monuments -- all off the back of a grievance that felt largely imported.
Even as the protests turned violent, no one was arrested. Up until this point, the government had made clear that any breach of lockdown rules would be met by the full force of the law -- no caveats, no exceptions. Probably no one was happy about it, but still we complied -- for the greater good.
Then, all of a sudden, chaos was erupting in towns and cities across the UK. There on the news, amidst the violence of civil unrest, not only were the lockdown rules being flouted, but, under the banner of Black Lives Matter, a raft of widespread anti-social behaviour was being tolerated. When the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square was vandalised, the police, evidently held hostage to political correctness, stood by and watched as their role was publicly undermined by open disregard for the law.
The protestors' dismissal of British heritage, a bid to 'cancel' history, appears a threat to the nation. We supposedly have nothing to be proud of. Our achievements have presumably been little more than the spoils of an evil, bigoted patriarchal system. These malcontents, by pledging allegiance to the Marxist architects of that narrative, not only insult the memory of those who have fought and died for the freedoms we now take for granted; they are also two-stepping towards totalitarianism.
While the rights of sexual and ethnic minorities appear to be immovably written in stone, the freedom to visit our families, the pub, or the library can be withdrawn by the state at a moment's notice. Thousands of protestors marching through cities on the same day: no problem. Crowds flocking to the seaside on a summer day: the risk of arrest. One man's freedom, it seems, has become another man's cause for resentment.
So what will we be left with, as we try to reclaim our post-Covid lives in a not yet post-woke world? An increasing atmosphere of distrust and walking on eggshells. People are increasingly afraid to speak their minds. Even law enforcement is in a state of politically correct paralysis (here, here, here and here) .
While the UK was busy promoting multiculturalism and demoting choices such as Christianity, the nuclear family and a cultural heritage caringly assembled by people frequently written off as white and dead, we seem have failed to notice the societal divisions it has caused. According to reports, for example, about 19,000 of our children have been groomed and gang raped. The coronavirus pandemic, rather than bringing us together, has served to highlight divisions that are transforming the United Kingdom into something regressive, unevolved, and unrecognisable. Sadly, the United Kingdom is anything but united at this time.
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Divided we Stand, Divided we Fall
Charles Elias Chartouni/November 15/2020
The statement of a disgruntled Democrat and an Abraham Lincoln Republican *
The electoral outcomes of the late Presidential and Congress elections in the US have displayed the ever widening rifts of a Nation that has not yet reckoned with its deeply seated cleavages. The pending electoral counts controversies, the thin margins in both chambers, the growing cultural wars chasms, and the the lingering disputes over the constitutional transition, testify to the depth of the divides that weigh on the course of political life. The appeal unto unity and healing of divisions, sounded by President-Elect Joseph Biden, are still without echoes not only on account of ongoing Republican electoral auditing and deliberate hobbling, but on the inability of Democrats to overcome their moral and political self righteousness, and readiness to engage Republicans on the basis of a bipartisan platform which enables the US to overcome the state of bilateral obstructionism.
This childish and perverse messianic overtones of the Democratic celebrations betray moral arrogance and political oversight, insofar as, the ongoing cultural wars playing out for decades, and their incidence on national cohesion and foreign policy projections. It’s a monumental misread when the rickety political consensus amongst Democrats deals with the forthcoming transition as a conventional constitutional procedure, and overlooks the lingering political divisions and their incidence on constitutional deadlines and controversies. Donald Trump was barely defeated on account of his style of governance and its roller coaster tectonics, the overall disparaging effects of the pandemic and the yearning for more political stabilization, and not as an endorsement for the Democrats ideological planks, and that will soon resurface in the wake of the transition and its aftermath. The rifts between the aspirational statement and the discretionary unilateralism flaunted by President-elect, Joseph Biden, and his forthcoming administration and its projected political program, is far from assuaging the disagreements and normalizing the future political course.
Swaying Republican obstructionism should get us into a renewed political consultation, in a country where a long hauled cultural war has been going on for the last three decades, on account of seminal normative, political, economic, social and environmental differences. When the national narrative and the basic covenant have no more incidence on the nuts and bolts of political life, and the constitutional debates around originalism and pragmatism are taken over by ideological polarization and political self righteousness and inhibit the political conversation, something must be wrong and needs to be addressed on due time. The strident political polarization and standoff should invite both parties to tame their extremes, tone down their ideological differences, and reengage each other on the basis of their covenantal commitments and eagerness to search for a common ground. The voluntarism displayed by President Trump, in multiple regards, has proven instrumental in many respects, however controversial might have been its implements and legal framing, therefore the blanket sanctioning doesn’t seem appropriate or helpful mending the rifts, and bringing back the civic and political dialogue unto the political foreground.
The replay of the dismissive arrogance of Hillary Clinton towards Trump’s electoral base, or the vindictive postures of Nancy Pilosi and Chuck Schumer, and the ideological diktat of the identitary left, have provided over the years the carburant for an offensive nativism and rekindled the post civil war cleavages, and the inceptive controversies between Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The political stonewalling across the divide is a fact, principled statements are not sufficient, and political condescendence is far from being the good answer. It takes leadership, political acumen and civic commitment to reopen the channels of communication and reach an understanding over the incoming transition, restore bipartisanship, and prepare the way for an open-ended dialogue around the issues of a transforming world.
*I pity the Democratic Party actual predicament when I think of the older generation: the Kennedy’s ( John, Robert, Edward ), Lyndon Johnson, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Thomas O’Neill, Claiborne Pell, Lee Hamilton, George Mitchell, Robert Drinnan SJ,..... Thirty years after being a registered Democratic and an Abraham Lincoln Republican.
 

Showdown in the Western Sahara
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/November 15/2020
Presently, the Polisario Front appears to be trying to create "facts on the ground" outside of any legal framework, presumably in the hope that the international community will view them as irreversible.
International help would be greatly appreciated to prevent this showdown in the Sahara from escalating further.
A member of the United Nations peace mission MINURSO at a UN base in Bir-Lahlou, in the Western Sahara, on March 5, 2016. While much of the world was looking the other way, distracted by China's coronavirus and its economic aftermath, a separatist militia group backed by Algeria, the Polisario Front, have been militarily exploiting the crisis. For weeks, the Polisario Front have blocked the only road leading southward from Morocco to Mauritania in the buffer zone of Guerguerat. Currently, around 200 trucks find themselves stranded there, while UN peacekeepers (MINURSO), on whom Morocco relies to enforce the tense 30-year ceasefire, apparently feel overwhelmed. Ever since Spain withdrew from its former colony in the Western Sahara in 1975, the Polisario Front have been trying to claim the territory, rich with phosphates and fishing rights, as an independent state for themselves. Since that time, however, Morocco has served as the sole sovereign, offering the Western Sahara autonomy but not independence.
Last week, on Thursday night, Morocco finally responded to the Polisario Front's roadblock at Guerguerat by creating a security cordon and promising to "restore free circulation of civilian and commercial traffic" between Morocco and Mauritania -- an act that the Polisario Front called a "provocation."
The Polisario Front had announced the Monday before that any movement of troops by Morocco to the buffer zone area "will be considered as a flagrant aggression to which the Sahrawi [Polisario] side will respond vigorously in self-defence and to defend its national sovereignty. This will also mean the end of the ceasefire and the beginning of a new war across the region."
"The Sahrawi government," they warned, "also holds the United Nations and the Security Council in particular responsible for the safety and security of Sahrawi civilians."
Presently, the Polisario Front appears to be trying to create "facts on the ground" outside of any legal framework, presumably in the hope that the international community will view them as irreversible.
As a result of the Polisario Front's blockade, and in a move likely intended as a blow to Morocco, all traffic has been prevented from transporting goods not only to Mauritania, but to all of sub-Saharan Africa. Morocco, especially since it joined the African Union, has enjoyed warm, strong relations with other countries on the continent. Until now, Morocco has avoided conflict by relying on UN Security Council and its MINURSO. The Polisario Front nonetheless on Friday claimed that Morocco had broken the ceasefire and "ignited war." Morocco, for its part, insists that there have been no armed clashes and that the ceasefire still stands. The UN Security also recently strengthened Morocco's stance by not only demanding that the Polisario Front honor the terms of its ceasefire, but the UN also designated Algeria as a stakeholder in the dispute. On Friday, Saudi Arabia as well openly supported Morocco's refusal to have its territory seized by force. An open conflict at this time would be immensely damaging for all the parties involved as well as for Europe -- particularly France, always deeply immersed in African policy. International help would be greatly appreciated to prevent this showdown in the Sahara from escalating further.
*Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem, is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
 

How Biden will benefit from some of Trump’s achievements
Raghida Dergham/The National/November 15/2020
The world is almost unanimously convinced that there is no path left for US President Donald Trump to secure a second term in the White House following the presidential election earlier this month. But many of the world’s leaders may be feeling unsettled by his refusal to concede defeat to Joe Biden, and by the tactics he may or may not use to remain in power beyond January 20, when his first term comes to an end. Some leaders may be assessing the cost of their position vis-a-vis the Trump administration, while others are probably figuring out how Mr Trump will shackle Mr Biden’s hands during this period of political transition in Washington.
One country whose leadership will be anxiously waiting and watching is Iran.
Lame duck period as this may be, the Trump administration might consider slapping more sanctions on the regime in Tehran, as well as on its allies and proxies elsewhere in the Middle East. The scope of these sanctions may be widened to target the regime’s ballistic missile programme, support for terrorism around the world and domestic repression. The calculus behind this likely decision could be that, while the incoming Biden administration may be able to roll back sanctions on Tehran’s nuclear weapons programme, it will be hard-pressed to limit others, especially if they are backed by the US Congress. These punitive measures would make it very difficult for Mr Biden to revive American-Iranian relations that had improved during the presidency of Barack Obama and vice presidency of Mr Biden, and culminated in the 2015 nuclear deal.
Such speculation comes at a time when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on a seven-nation tour of Europe and the Middle East. Mr Pompeo's primary objective may be to assess the readiness of the countries he is visiting for if and when sanctions are announced against Iran. Could the Trump administration be contemplating military strikes on Iranian targets as well? While this seems highly unlikely, given that there is so little time left between now and January 20, don’t rule out the possibility.
At the same time, it is not a foregone conclusion that a Biden administration will be all that eager to reactivate the nuclear deal, which Mr Trump walked out of in 2018. This is in part because, despite providing indications that the Biden team might be willing to reach out to the Iranian regime, it is not clear with whom exactly it will get in touch with – the civilian camp led by President Hassan Rouhani, or the increasingly powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Interestingly, the Biden team has spoken about the need for Iranian “compliance” in the context of the nuclear deal as a precursor to talks. In September, Tony Blinken, the former deputy secretary of state and an adviser to Mr Biden, said: “If Joe Biden is president, if Iran returns to compliance with the nuclear agreement, we would do the same. But then we would use that as a platform, working with our allies and partners to try to strengthen and lengthen it.”
Could the words “allies and partners” be instructive? Where does that leave Russia and China, who are no allies or partners of the US but, nonetheless, joint signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal?
Let's talk about the allies first. A Biden presidency will no doubt please the European Union. The President-elect will work towards reducing tensions in transatlantic relations and within Nato – tensions that existed due to Mr Trump’s lack of interest in sustaining age-old alliances that have underpinned the global security architecture for decades. There is also a common interest in the West to renegotiate the terms of the nuclear deal with Iran to cover its ballistic missile programme and regional expansionist agenda as well. In other words, the emphasis could be on securing a new deal, rather than reviving the original one.
The good news for the outgoing and incoming administrations is that this would receive bipartisan support in the US. And yet, unsure of Mr Biden’s actions, the Trump team seems determined to double down on Tehran.
But what about the Russians? From my conversation with Fyodor Lukyanov, research director at the Valdai Discussion Club and Chairman of the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, it seems to me that Moscow is concerned about deliberately being excluded from any future US-Iran negotiations. Mr Lukyanov, who does not see a return to the 2015 deal, said: “It would be very interesting to see whether Russia will be invited to participate [in future discussions] or not, because I don’t believe Biden’s administration will be very keen to do it.”
This, according to Mr Lukyanov, could have an impact on Russia-Iran relations, although he added that “when there are interests which coincide, then Russia and Iran find ways how to do it”. Both countries have an interest in securing the future of the Syrian regime led by Bashar Al Assad. And both countries will be right to worry about a continuation of the Caesar Act under a Biden administration, which currently sanctions the Syrian government as well as its allies and partners at various levels.
While Mr Biden is likely to be tougher on Russia than Mr Trump was, on China, a Biden presidency will certainly not divorce itself from the Trump doctrine. The latter is especially of consequence, not just because of blossoming China-Iran relations but Beijing's rising power on the world stage.
It seems that Mr Biden will broadly pursue the following plan with Beijing: the appointment of a special envoy to China in order to ensure that dialogue is not dependent exclusively on high-level summit meetings; political and military de-escalation of tensions; a gradual resumption of trade negotiations; and a greater focus on China’s internal matters, including the future of its territories such as Hong Kong.
In short, in some regards there won't be a radical departure in US policy from one president to the other.
*Raghida Dergham is the founder and executive chairwoman of the Beirut Institute and a columnist for The National

Artsakh Territory Has Always Been Armenian/There was no country on the planet called Azerbaijan before 1918
Պատմություն Արվեստ Մշակույթ
ارتساخ أرمنية منذ آلاف السنين في حين أن أذربيجان لم تكن موجودة قبل العام 1918
November 16/2020

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/92417/artsakh-territory-has-always-been-armenian-there-was-no-country-on-the-planet-called-azerbaijan-before-1918-%d5%ba%d5%a1%d5%bf%d5%b4%d5%b8%d6%82%d5%a9%d5%b5%d5%b8%d6%82%d5%b6-%d5%a1%d6%80%d5%be%d5%a5/

*If Azerbaijan claims that Artsakh has been its territory – Why did they built Armenian churches in a Muslim country?
*There was no country on the planet called Azerbaijan before 1918.
*Where was Azerbaijan when a monastery was built in Artsakh in the 4th century?
Who built Tigranakert founded in the 80 BC ?
*Gandzasar Monastery (4th century) and St. Hovhannes Mkrtich church (1216-1238)
*Dadivank (4th century) and Catholic (9-11th century)
*Amaras Monastery (4th century)
*St. Gevorg of Tsitsernavank (4-5th century)
*Gtchavank (4-13th century)
Yeghishe Apostle Monastery (Jrvshtik) (5th century), Mataghis
*Vankasar White Cross (5th century)
*Qataro Monastery of Dizapayt and St. Mary (5th century)
*Bread Bri (7-17 century)
*Mokhrenis Okht door monastery (7-17th century)
*St. Hakobavank of Kolatak (9th century)
*The Holy Savior of Zori (9th century)
St. Stepanos of Tsmakahogh (9-10th century)
*Spitak cross monastery of Hadrut Vank village (10th century)
*Chartari Yeghisha Kusi desert (12th round)
*St. Gevorg of Zankatagh (12th century)
*Khotavank (12-13th century)
*St. Mary’s virgin desert of Karvachar (12-13th century)
*Saint Paul’s Savior (12-13th century)
*Miss Shoshkavank St. Mary (13th century)
*Horeka Monastery (13th century)
*Kavakavank (14th century)
*Gospel St. Gayane’s desert (1616)
*The Holy Resurrection of Hadrut (1621)
*Pirumashen (1641)
*St. Mary of the Gospel (1651)
*St. Stepanos of the Cross (1654)
*Shoshi New Church (1655)
*St. Pandaleon of Berdadzor (Parin Pij) (1658)
*Ghevondyants desert of Moshmhat (1658)
*Haki St. Minas (1673)
*St. Grigoris church of Herher (1676)
*Tsakuri Tsakhkavank St. Mary’s (1682)
*Yeritsmank monastery (1691)
*Kashunik Masrik church (1694)
*Desert Saint the Savior (Napat) (17th century)
*Saint Stepanos (17th century)
*Bovurkhan Monastery Complex (17th century)
*St. Hovhannes Mkrtich of the line (1736)
*Holy Mother of God (1740)
*St. Stepanos of Padara (18th century)
*St. Mary of Mushkapat (18th century)
*St. Mary of Dashushen (1843)
*St. John the Baptism of Shushi (1847)
*St. Mary of Nngi (1853)
*St. John Karapet of Martakert (1857)
*St. Mary of Aygestan (1860)
*St. Mary’s Stone (1862)
*Holy Savior of Shushi (1868-1887)
*St. Mary of Ashan (1896)
*St. Gevorg of Astghashen (1898)
*St. Gevorg of Mataghis (1898)
Posting Footnotes: 1.) I am not the originator of this content as it can be found in other FB postings (H/T to Ara Topouzian) , but it is intriguing and important for context. 2.) The photos are of an Ancient Map of Armenia, Colchis, Iberia, Albania, showing that the border between Caucasian Albanian and Armenia follows the Kur River; and a map of where some of the Artsakh/NKR monasteries can be found in the region.