English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For July 24/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews21/english.july24.21.htm

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006

Bible Quotations For today
A wife is bound as long as her husband lives. But if the husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes
First Letter to the Corinthians 07/36-40: “If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly towards his fiance’e, if his passions are strong, and so it has to be, let him marry as he wishes; it is no sin. Let them marry. But if someone stands firm in his resolve, being under no necessity but having his own desire under control, and has determined in his own mind to keep her as his fiance’e, he will do well. So then, he who marries his fiance’e does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better. A wife is bound as long as her husband lives. But if the husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, only in the Lord. But in my judgement she is more blessed if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 23-24/2021
Health Ministry: 744 new Corona cases, one death
Aoun signs decree for distributing municipal fund revenues, meets Minister Moucharafieh and British ambassador
Berri meets new British Ambassador, MP Teymour Jumblatt, Vice Speaker Ferzli
Bitar postpones Kahwagi’s interrogation until next week
Al-Kazemi asks Ghajar, Ibrahim to visit Baghdad to finalize fuel grant procedures
French Embassy announces new French humanitarian aid for Lebanon
Greek Deputy Foreign Minister visits University of Balamand
Geagea: We will not name a prime minister for designation during binding consultations
Port Victims' Relatives Slam Ferzli, Fahmi, Oueidat, Threaten Major Escalation
Wronecka Briefs Security Council on Implementation of Resolution 1701
U.N. Hosts Dialogue to Inform U.N. Summit on Future of Food in Lebanon
Mikati Awaits Answers to 'Fundamental Questions' Before Accepting Designation
Miqati Shows ‘Positivity’ toward Designation, Recognizes ‘Known Difficulties’
Lebanese Hospitals Warn Power Cuts Threaten 'Catastrophe'
Lebanon Water Supply Could Collapse in a Month
Lebanon faces paralysis as it runs out of electricity, water
Lebanon’s people line up in ‘queues of humiliation’ as their country unravels/Nabih Bulos/Los Angeles Times./July 23/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 23-24/2021
Iran has only repression to offer to the people of Ahwaz
US mulls crackdown on Chinese imports of Iranian oil
One dead in ‘riot’ in western Iran: State TV
Iran using unlawful force in water protest crackdown: Rights groups
Protests in Iran’s Khuzestan continue, spread to neighboring Lorestan
Iran opens new oil export terminal bypassing Strait
A New Test For Kadhimi’s Pragmatism In Washington
US set to formalize readjustment of troop role in Iraq
UN Security Council condemns Turkey leader Erdogan’s position on Cyprus: Statement
US top diplomat Antony Blinken to visit India, Kuwait next week
Iran opens oil terminal to bypass Strait of Hormuz, impact likely limited
Iraqi officials discuss US military presence on visit to Washington
New Covid Variant 'Probable' This Year, Says Top French Expert

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 23-24/2021
Question: "Why did Jesus instruct us to pray “lead us not into temptation”?"/GotQuestions.org/July 23/2021
Biden Needs a Long Spoon in Vienna/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/July 23/2021
The War That Made Our World/Ross Douthat/The New York Times/July 23/2021
In Washington, Who Decides the Next Intervention?/Robert Ford/Asharq Al-Awsat/July 23/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 23-24/2021
Health Ministry: 744 new Corona cases, one death
NNA/July 23/2021 
In its daily report, the Ministry of Public Health announced on Friday the registration of 744 new Coronavirus infections, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 553,615.
It added that one death was also recorded during the past 24 hours.

Aoun signs decree for distributing municipal fund revenues, meets Minister Moucharafieh and British ambassador
NNA/July 23/2021
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, signed Decree No.7998, dated July 23, 2021, which stipulates the distribution of revenues of the independent municipal fund for year 2019, to municipal unions and municipalities in all of Lebanon, in accordance with the criteria adopted in this regard.
The total value of these revenues amounts to 775 Billion Lebanese Pounds.
Minister Musharrafiyeh:
The President met Social Affairs and Tourism Minister, Dr. Ramzi Musharrafiyeh, today at the Presidential Palace.
Ministerial Affairs, the difficulties facing the tourism sector due to current fuel and electricity crises, and methods to address them were discussed in the meeting, in addition to the contacts made by President Aoun with competent departments to expedite the completion of arrangements which lead to the availability of fuel.
Statement:
After the meeting, Minister Musharrafiyeh made the following statement:
“I was honored to meet his Excellency the President. I briefed the President on latest tourism developments, and the new problem which this sector suffers from today. This is a problem of lack electricity.
Today, we face the problem of securing diesel, fuel and electricity at the level of the whole country. This strongly affects tourism, whether hotels restaurants or others, in addition to its impact on health, hospital and food sectors.
We had great expectations from the tourism sector during the current three months, since the country needs the funds of expatriates who bring US Dollars into Lebanon. Unfortunately, the electricity problem recently appeared. His Excellency the President assured me that the taken measures will be implemented within two days to resolve this crisis, in addition to Minister Ghajar and Major General Ibrahim heading today to Iraq to sign an agreement to import 500 Million Liters of fuel. This will provide a solution to the electricity crisis in Lebanon.
President Aoun was also briefed on the ministerial affairs, in terms of the financing card and the World Bank loan, in addition to the issue of the displaced Syrians”.
British Ambassador:
President Aoun met the new British Ambassador to Lebanon, Mr. Ian Collard, and deliberated with him general developments, and Lebanese-British relations.
Ambassador Collard assured the President that that Britain continues to support Lebanon and stand next to the Lebanese, in the difficult circumstances which they are witnessing. For his part, President Aoun thanked Ambassador Collard for the British interest in Lebanon, and the support provided in various fields.The British Ambassador was accompanied by Political Counselor at the British Embassy, Gavin Tench.
MP Abi Khalil:
The President met MP, Cesar Abi Khalil, and tackled with him governmental and general developments, in addition to the needs of Aleyregion.
Adha Feast Congratulations:
President Aoun received additional congratulation telegrams on the occasion of the blessed Al-Adha feast, most notably from Algerian President, Abdul Majid Tebboun.-- Presidency Press Office

Berri meets new British Ambassador, MP Teymour Jumblatt, Vice Speaker Ferzli
NNA
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Friday welcomed at the Second Presidency in Ein El-Tineh, the new British Ambassador to Lebanon, Ian Collard, who paid him a protocol visit upon assuming his diplomatic duties as his country's ambassador to Lebanon.
The visit had been a chance during which the pair discussed the general situation and the bilateral relations between the two countries. Speaker Berri also met with Democratic Gathering Chief, MP Teymour Jumblatt, in the presence of former Minister Ghazi Aridi, with whom he discussed the current general situation and the latest political developments. On emerging, MP Teymour left Ain el-Tineh without making any statement.
This afternoon, Berri received Vice Speaker, Elie Ferzli, in the presence of MP Ali Hassan Khalil.

Bitar postpones Kahwagi’s interrogation until next week
NNA/July 23/2021
Beirut port blast forensic investigator, Judge Tarek Bitar, on Friday postponed former army commander-in-chief General Jean Kahwagi’s interrogation until next week.
The judicial investigator also postponed until next week the interrogation of former army intelligence chief, General Camille Daher, due to the fact that his lawyer, Mark Habaka, was taking part in Beirut Bar Association’s strike.

Al-Kazemi asks Ghajar, Ibrahim to visit Baghdad to finalize fuel grant procedures
NNA/July 23/2021 
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi’s press office on Friday issued a statement saying that before heading to Washington, the Iraqi Prime Minister had asked of Lebanese Caretaker Minister of Energy, Raymond Ghajar, and Lebanon’s General Security General Director, Abbas Ibrahim, to visit Baghdad to finalize the fuel grant procedures, in a bid to swiftly resolve the electricity crisis in Lebanon. He also insisted that most of the oil that would be sent be distributed equally to power plants across Lebanon.

French Embassy announces new French humanitarian aid for Lebanon
NNA/July 23/2021
The French Embassy announced, in a statement this Friday that "a year after the tragic explosion of the port of Beirut, France remains fully committed to standing by the side of Lebanon and its people. Today, a new exceptional shipment of humanitarian aid arrived at the port of Beirut, in the presence of French ambassador, Anne Grillo.""This French aid (…) falls within the framework of a joint operation with the CMA CGM Foundation, coordinated by the Crisis and Support Center of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The ship, which departed from the port of Marseille, transports medical equipment to combat the coronavirus pandemic," the statement read. "The ship also carries a Smiths Detection portable scanner, which France provided to the Lebanese customs. This scanner will facilitate the detection of dangerous goods and the fight against smuggling. Thus, it will contribute to re-launching the Lebanese economy, as it will allow the Lebanese customs to regain their full capabilities," it added. "Finally, Aknoul is also providing several tons of humanitarian aid - medicines, medical equipment, computers, powdered milk for children - which are freely transported by CMA CGM for the benefit of ten NGOs and three Lebanese hospitals. (…) While France is organizing on August 4th a third international conference to support the Lebanese people, the in-kind assistance that arrived today at the port of Beirut translates once again the French commitment towards Lebanon and the Lebanese," the statement concluded.

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister visits University of Balamand
NNA/July 23/2021 
Greek Deputy Foreign Minister, Konstantinos Vlasis, on Friday visited the University of Balamand, accompanied by Greek Ambassador to Lebanon, Catherine Fountoulaki, and a delegation. Minister Vlasis discussed with the University’s President Dr. Elias Warrak, the means to bolster cooperation between the University of Balamand and the Greek government. .

Geagea: We will not name a prime minister for designation during binding consultations
NNA/July 23/2021 
“Lebanese Forces" party leader, Samir Geagea, on Friday said in the wake of the "Strong Republic” parliamentary bloc’s meeting that his political party will not name anyone to be designated as Prime Minister during the binding parliamentary consultations. “We are convinced that it is impossible to achieve reforms for as long as Aoun, Hezbollah, their allies are in power,” he added, deeming early parliamentary elections the sole solution. Geagea went on to dismiss as a “new crime” all the Beirut Port blast developments, describing as “the biggest fraud operation” the petition that was forwarded to the House of Parliament to lift immunities from a number of MPs. He went on to say that more damage had been done during Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s tenure than within the last 30 years “due to the vagueness that’s controlling the caretaker government.”

Port Victims' Relatives Slam Ferzli, Fahmi, Oueidat, Threaten Major Escalation
Naharnet /July 23/2021
The relatives of the Beirut port blast victims on Friday staged a sit-in outside the Justice Palace in Beirut under the slogan “The Blood of Out Martyrs is Above Your Immunities”, in which they lashed out at several officials and threatened a major escalation in their protests. “You must stop your political antics and you are requested to lift immunities immediately, seeing as there are no immunities above the blood of the 218 martyrs,” a spokesman for the families, Ibrahim Hoteit, said. “You will not be able to arrest a might people and August 4 has become very near,” Hoteit added, stressing that the blood of the victims will not go in vain and advising politicians not to “ruin the country.” Slamming Deputy Speaker Elie Frezli as a “fraudster,” Hoteit warned State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat against refraining from granting a permission for the prosecution of General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim. “The failure to give a prosecution permission would be a conspiracy against our blood and sons and consequently you would face our rage and fury, so beware of playing with fire,” the spokesman threatened. Noting that the families played a role in “preventing a major popular explosion” because they wanted to see tangible results in the investigation, Hoteit warned that the relatives are ready to “blow up the situation” if officials don’t cooperate with the probe.

Wronecka Briefs Security Council on Implementation of Resolution 1701
Naharnet/July 23/2021
Coordinator for Lebanon, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, and UNIFIL Force Commander Stefano Del Col have briefed the U.N. Security Council on the implementation of Resolution 1701, based on the latest report of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Focusing on the recent developments in Lebanon, Wronecka highlighted the country's multiple and accumulating socio-economic, financial and political difficulties and their impact on the people. Reiterating the U.N.'s calls for the formation of "a fully empowered government that can put the country on the path to recovery," the Special Coordinator said: “The United Nations is doing what it can to mitigate the situation, but ultimately the responsibility for salvaging Lebanon lies in the hands of Lebanon’s leaders.”Discussions at the Security Council also highlighted the importance of holding free and fair elections in 2022 within the constitutional timelines, as a key marker of democratic accountability and an opportunity for the people to articulate their grievances and aspirations. With the first annual commemoration of the tragic 4 August Beirut Port explosion less than two weeks away, Wronecka repeated the Secretary-General’s calls for an "impartial, thorough and transparent investigation. “The families of the victims and thousands whose lives have been changed forever by that terrible blast are still waiting. They deserve justice and dignity,” she said. Recalling the goal of Resolution 1701 to enhance Lebanon’s "security, state authority and sovereignty," the Special Coordinator hoped for "a real commitment for the implementation of that resolution in its entirety."She praised the role played by the Lebanese Armed Forces, in safeguarding the country’s security and stability, including its "close cooperation with UNIFIL," and called for "continued support to this key institution."In conclusion, the Special Coordinator welcomed the international community’s "continued readiness to help Lebanon."

U.N. Hosts Dialogue to Inform U.N. Summit on Future of Food in Lebanon
Naharnet/July 23/2021 
As food systems around the world continue to recover from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.N. in Lebanon has hosted a virtual Food Systems Dialogue to inform the first-ever U.N. Food Systems Summit, which will take place in New York in September, about the future of food in Lebanon. “This milestone Summit is drawing on the input of people all over the world to identify sustainable solutions for the future of food,” the U.N. said in a statement.
The dialogue was held under the patronage of Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Najat Rochdi, and Lebanese MP Enaya Ezzeddine, with the active participation of several U.N. agencies, funds, programs and regional commissions operating in Lebanon, including the World Food Program (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the U.N. Information Center in Beirut (UNIC Beirut), the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the U.N. Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Rochdi said that the Lebanese who have always been known for their rich hospitality and generosity, are today threatened by their basic right to food due to the continuous rise in commodity prices as a result of the successive crises in the country. “People are unable to provide their basic food requirements and are substituting healthy meals with unhealthy cheaper options, threatening their food security all of which risk a rise in levels of hunger. The U.N. in Lebanon is working on building food resilience to vulnerabilities at the individual, community, and system levels. An improved food system prevents conflicts and is vital to achieving Goal 2 of the SDGs: Zero Hunger,” Rochdi added. “A change in the food systems would support the extremely poor, and the ones depending on agriculture for their livelihoods,” Rochdi said.
The Dialogue brought together around 80 participants for a “lively and constructive discussion on how to make the food system in Lebanon safer, stronger, and more equitable.” It included a diverse array of perspectives, including stakeholders of the Lebanese Food systems, women cooperatives, research centres, students from the faculties of agriculture and food sciences, smallholder farmers and business leaders.
“Food security is an outcome of the food system. Our duty is to ensure that the food system is resilient to ensure sustainable access to safe and healthy food to those who live in Lebanon and not only for a few,” said MP Ezzeddine.
“Numerous integrated intersected strategies should be put in place to achieve this goal, and they should all rest on the inalienable right of all, especially the most vulnerable including women and children, to a healthy affordable diet,” she added.
Four separate discussions were conducted during the dialogue revolving around three tracks: ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all, advancing equitable livelihoods, and building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress and the role of youth in technology and innovation of the food systems. Rami Zurayk, professor at the American University of Beirut who moderated the opening and closing sessions, highlighted the importance of focusing on the obstacles that affect the functioning of food systems such as conflicts, pandemics, socio-economic crises, and the absence of technology and scientific development. Participants agreed on a number of ways that the food system in Lebanon can be strengthened, including: providing vouchers to farmers to buy agricultural inputs and increase production, developing and strengthening the skills of farmers and producers to use technology that can be more sustainable, and promoting low-cost entrepreneurship. Maurice Saade, FAO Representative in Lebanon, urged all actors to join forces and implement recommendations to avoid an acute food security crisis in Lebanon. The U.N. in Lebanon will now submit the outcomes of the Dialogue to the organizers of the U.N. Food Systems Summit. The information will be used by organizers to feed into the Summit’s five priority Action Tracks, as well as the preparatory work of its Scientific and Advisory Groups, Champions Network, and other Summit support structures.

Mikati Awaits Answers to 'Fundamental Questions' Before Accepting Designation
Beirut - Thaer Abbas/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 23 July, 2021
Efforts are underway to convince former Prime Minister Najib Mikati to accept his designation to form a new government, a well-informed source said, adding that the former premier was awaiting answers to “fundamental questions” to avoid going through the same obstacles that forced Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri to abandon the mission. The source, which is close to Mikati, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Mikati was showing a positive attitude, but was aware of the difficulty of the task, in which Hariri failed due to his disagreements with President Michel Aoun. In this regard, the political source underlined that Mikati “adheres to the same constitutional constants that Hariri refused to abandon during his designation.”The politician added that the former prime minister had rejected Aoun’s attempt to bypass the powers of the prime minister, stressing that his position had not changed.
Therefore, he will neither take any step before obtaining answers to the fundamental questions he raised, nor will he disregard the unanimous position of his colleagues of former prime ministers, according to the source. In the same context, Ahmad Hariri, Secretary-General of Al-Mustaqbal Movement, said that Aoun’s main goal was to secure the interests of his son-in-law, MP Gibran Bassil, in any new government. The formation of the government “will not be easy unless there is a change in the sick mind,” he noted. Hariri stressed that the parliamentary bloc would take the appropriate decision on naming the prime minister by Monday, noting that MP Faisal Karami was “not closer to us than MP Najib Mikati, and we contacted him to reflect on how to preserve the constitution.”On the possibility of re-nominating the head of Al-Mustaqbal Bloc, he said: “There is no point in designating Hariri again,” adding that Bassil had asked Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah to resolve the government nodes in order to hint that the problem lied with Hezbollah. Ahmad Hariri stressed that the country needed a fundamental dialogue about its future, with the participation of representatives of the uprising. Lebanon’s interest is to be part of the Arab system, he underlined, pointing out that it was too early to talk about any coalitions in the parliamentary elections, but asserted that there would not be any alliance with Bassil’s Free Patriotic Movement.
In the same context, MP Michel Daher expected that the designation would take place but not the formation of a new government. “President Michel Aoun will not offer to President Najib Mikati what he did not give to Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Mikati will not accept anything less than what Hariri requested. We will witness a quick withdrawal, followed by a sharp collapse of all the foundations of the state,” Daher warned. In turn, member of Bassil’s Strong Lebanon parliamentary bloc, MP Eddie Maalouf, said that the bloc would discuss all options to designate a new prime minister.
He pointed to the possibility of nominating candidate Nawaf Salam, saying: “The name of Salam was proposed last time, and we have not rejected it. Even if Hezbollah is opposed to it, we do not necessarily have the same opinion.”MP Wael Abu Faour, a member of the Democratic Gathering, which includes representatives of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and its allies, said that Mikati was among the serious names proposed to assume the premiership, but added that the latter was still hesitant because of his fear of going through the same obstacles that Hariri faced.
Abu Faour stressed that informal consultations were ongoing with the participation of local and external parties, to reach a minimum level of understanding. He noted that the PSP had no objection to naming Mikati, “but the problem lies in the form of the government, especially since previous experiences with Bassil are not encouraging.” The deputy said that Nawaf Salam could be among the names proposed for forming the government, especially as civil society groups are calling for his designation.The Strong Republic bloc is holding an extraordinary meeting headed by the head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, to discuss its decision on the designation.

Miqati Shows ‘Positivity’ toward Designation, Recognizes ‘Known Difficulties’
Naharnet/July 23/2021
According to an informed source, ex-Prime Minister Najib Miqati is showing openness and positivity concerning his possible appointment as PM-designate but fears repeating ex-PM Saad Hariri’s experience. The source told al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, in remarks published Friday, that Miqati is awaiting answers to "fundamental questions" before proceeding with the designation process in order to avoid repeating the experience of Hariri who stepped down from his assigned mission. The source said that Miqati is dealing positively with “attempts to persuade him,” based on his "constant bet on positivity." “But this does not mean that Miqati does not acknowledge the delicacy of the situation and the difficulty of the task, in which Hariri failed due to known circumstances,” the source added.

Lebanese Hospitals Warn Power Cuts Threaten 'Catastrophe'
Agence France Presse/July 23/2021
Hospitals in crisis-hit Lebanon have warned of a looming "catastrophe" as some were only hours away from running out of fuel to keep life-saving equipment on during endless state power cuts. Lebanon's worst financial and economic crisis ever is battering an already fragile health sector as it faces the latest wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The state electricity supplier has all but stopped supplying power in recent weeks, forcing homes, businesses and hospitals to rely on backup generators almost around the clock. But the syndicate of private hospitals on Thursday warned they were struggling to procure enough fuel to keep theirs on. "Hospitals are unable to find fuel oil to power generators during power outages of at least 20 hours a day," it said in a statement. "A number of hospitals risk running out in coming hours, which will put the lives of patients in danger," it warned, without specifying how many facilities were at immediate risk. The syndicate called on officials to "immediately work to solve the issue to avoid a health catastrophe."As foreign reserves plummet, the Lebanese state is struggling to buy fuel for its power plants, increasing electricity cuts to up to 23 hours a day in some parts of the country. The crisis has caused the local currency to lose more than 90 percent of its value, and forced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese with drastically reduced incomes to contend with shortages. Earlier this month, medicine importers said they had run out of hundreds of essential drugs because the central bank had not released the promised dollars to pay suppliers abroad.

Lebanon Water Supply Could Collapse in a Month
Naharnet/July 23/2021
The shortages and currency crunch in Lebanon could lead to a collapse of the mains water supply in Lebanon within a month, the U.N.'s Children Fund warned Friday. "More than four million people, including one million refugees, are at immediate risk of losing access to safe water in Lebanon," UNICEF said. The U.N. agency said that maintenance costs incurred in U.S. dollars, funding shortages and the parallel collapse of the power grid were rapidly destroying the water sector. "UNICEF estimates that most water pumping will gradually cease across the country in the next four to six weeks," it said. "A loss of access to the public water supply could force households to make extremely difficult decisions regarding their basic water, sanitation and hygiene needs," UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Yukie Mokuo said. Lebanon's meltdown, which started with a financial crisis caused by state corruption and mismanagement, is fast spreading to every aspect of daily life. The Lebanese pound, which for years was pegged to the U.S. dollar, has lost more than 90 percent of its value over the past 18 months. Electricity in most places is barely available an hour a day while the fuel needed to power generators is also in short supply. Basic medicines have been missing from pharmacy shelves for months and private hospitals warned on Thursday they were "hours away" from losing all power supply.

Lebanon faces paralysis as it runs out of electricity, water
The Arab Weekly/July 23/2021
BEIRUT--Besides chronic electricity shortage that could paralyse hospitals, Lebanon frets over the possible collapse of the mains water supply in Lebanon within a month. “More than four million people, including one million refugees, are at immediate risk of losing access to safe water in Lebanon,” the UN’s Children Fund (UNICEF) warned Friday. The UN agency said that maintenance costs incurred in US dollars, funding shortages and the parallel collapse of the power grid were rapidly destroying the water sector. “UNICEF estimates that most water pumping will gradually cease across the country in the next four to six weeks,” it said. “A loss of access to the public water supply could force households to make extremely difficult decisions regarding their basic water, sanitation and hygiene needs,” UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Yukie Mokuo said.
Generalised paralysis
Lebanon’s meltdown, which started with a financial crisis caused by state corruption and mismanagement, is fast spreading to every aspect of daily life. The Lebanese pound, which for years was pegged to the US dollar, has lost more than 90 percent of its value over the past 18 months. Electricity in most places is barely available an hour a day while the fuel needed to power generators is also in short supply. Basic medicines have been missing from pharmacy shelves for months and private hospitals warned on Thursday they were “hours away” from losing all power supply. Hospitals in crisis-hit Lebanon Thursday warned of a looming “catastrophe” as some were only hours away from running out of fuel to keep life-saving equipment on during endless state power cuts. Lebanon’s worst financial and economic crisis ever is battering an already fragile health sector as it faces the latest wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The state electricity supplier has all but stopped supplying power in recent weeks, forcing homes, businesses and hospitals to rely on backup generators almost around the clock. But the syndicate of private hospitals on Thursday warned they were struggling to procure enough fuel to keep theirs running. “Hospitals are unable to find fuel oil to power generators during power outages of at least 20 hours a day,” it said in a statement. “A number of hospitals risk running out in coming hours, which will put the lives of patients in danger,” it warned, without specifying how many facilities were at immediate risk. The syndicate called on officials to “immediately work to solve the issue to avoid a health catastrophe”. As foreign reserves plummet, the Lebanese state is struggling to buy fuel for its power plants, increasing electricity cuts to up to 23 hours a day in some parts of the country. The collapse in the value of the local currency has forced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese with drastically reduced incomes to contend with shortages. Earlier this month, medicine importers said they had run out of hundreds of essential drugs because the central bank had not released the promised dollars to pay suppliers abroad.

Lebanon’s people line up in ‘queues of humiliation’ as their country unravels
Nabih Bulos/Los Angeles Times.
لوس أنجليس تايمز: اللبنانيون يصطفون في “طوابير الإذلال” بينما تتفكك بلادهم
Fri., July 23, 2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/100831/los-angeles-times-lebanons-people-line-up-in-queues-of-humiliation-as-their-country-unravels-%d9%84%d9%88%d8%b3-%d8%a3%d9%86%d8%ac%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%b3-%d8%aa%d8%a7%d9%8a%d9%85%d8%b2-%d8%a7%d9%84/
Fill ’er up? Be ready to wait in line at least an hour — assuming the gas station is open, that is.
Need medication? Something as basic as aspirin could set you on a daylong hunt from pharmacy to pharmacy.
Even a grocery run is an ever-accelerating race against ballooning prices and a failing currency. And whatever you do, you’ll need to time it around power cuts that can last up to 23 hours a day.
This is life in Lebanon these days, where a 21-month-long, government-engineered economic implosion — the World Bank calls it “a deliberate depression” — has transformed everyday tasks into a gantlet of fuel, power, water, medicine and basic goods shortages that residents dub tawabeer al-thul, or “queues of humiliation.”
Those lines stretched long this week as the country geared up to celebrate Eid al-Adha, a festival during which Muslims sacrifice a sheep to commemorate Abraham almost sacrificing his son Isaac at God’s command. With the Lebanese lira’s street value down to less than 10% of its official value against the dollar, it’s a ritual few can afford.
“Every month it’s getting worse, so long as the dollar [rate] gets worse,” said Abbass Ismail, a 37-year-old computer repairman trudging home from Beirut’s Sabra market on the eve of Eid.
“This cost 100,000 lira,” he said, looking down at his four stuffed grocery bags. At the official exchange rate, that would have been $66. In reality, it’s about $4.50. Even then, “not everyone has this kind of money to spend. I don’t think there’s Eid. It’s only Eid for the haves.”
It was little better across town in Hamra, an upscale neighborhood with a usually bustling shopping thoroughfare.
“The days when people used to buy in large amounts, that’s gone,” said Sarah, an employee at a traditional sweets shop, who gave only her first name. The store had extended its hours to allow for Eid shoppers, she said, “but even if we stay open till 3 a.m., it won’t matter.”
Large round trays filled with desserts cover tables at a crowded market.
A boy stands amid a display of traditional Lebanese sweets at a market in Beirut in April. (Hassan Ammar / Associated Press)
Behind Lebanon’s financial crisis is a power-sharing political system that in 1990 corralled the country’s dizzying mix of sects and loyalties into ending the 15-year civil war. But it turned governance into a patronage game: Instead of rebuilding the country’s ravaged infrastructure, warlords-turned-statesmen used ministries as personal piggy banks to hand out favors to their allies.
The international community spoke vaguely of corruption but continued to pour aid into Lebanon with little regard for how it was spent. Girding everything was a once-inviolable currency peg that kept the lira at 1,507.50 to the greenback.
By 2019, after years of so-called financial engineering by Lebanon’s central bank — which tried to lure dollars from abroad with astronomical interest rates, in what critics likened to a Ponzi scheme — and a series of crises that constricted the flow of dollars into the country, the system crashed.
Banks stopped giving out money, instantly pauperizing hundreds of thousands of Lebanese, who couldn’t access their accounts even as they watched the value of their savings wither away. Angry protests drew a full quarter of the population onto the streets. Coronavirus lockdowns compounded the problem of what had become a cash economy with no way to get cash.
The coup de grâce came last August, when a cache of improperly stored explosive materials in Beirut’s port blew up, killing some 200 people and ravaging entire neighborhoods. The government immediately resigned; politicians have yet to form another ruling coalition, or to assign blame for the blast.
Since then, the country has unraveled to the point that traffic lights no longer function because the government hasn’t paid to repair them. Air conditioning and even some of the lights at Beirut’s airport have been turned off to conserve fuel. The price of flatbread, an essential staple, has been raised eight times this year.
Meanwhile, the army has gone vegetarian because it can no longer afford meat in its soldiers’ rations. It recently started offering civilians $150 joyrides on a Robinson R44 training helicopter to be able to pay for maintenance for its fleet.
A person in a mask holds up a sign that says "Our government did this."
A protester calls for official accountability in the massive blast in Beirut’s port last year that killed some 200 people. (Hussein Malla / Associated Press)
International offers of aid have made formation of a new government a condition of any bailout. But officials have done little more than enact temporary fixes while deflecting blame for decades of mismanagement.
Last week, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri gave up on the premiership after failing to agree on a Cabinet with other government leaders, plunging the lira to 22,000 against the dollar on the black market. That brought Lebanon’s minimum wage to the equivalent of $29 per month — the world’s lowest, according to CARE, an anti-poverty humanitarian agency.
“Lebanon’s political class has squandered the last nine months. The Lebanese economy is in free-fall, and the current government is not providing basic services in a reliable fashion,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said last week after Hariri’s resignation. “Leaders in Beirut must urgently put aside partisan differences and form a government that serves the Lebanese people. That is what the people of Lebanon desperately need.”
That desperation isn’t always obvious. Lebanon’s seaside resorts are booked till summer’s end. Upscale restaurants and cafes are overcrowded, as if in affirmation of the Lebanese cliche of partying while the world burns. Sellers of luxury items — including artwork and bespoke motorcycles — say they’ve never seen such business.
But much of it is an illusion buoyed by the Lebanese expatriates who have come home for the summer with dollars from abroad as well as by local residents racing to spend what money they have before it completely loses value. Besides, banks have restricted account holders from spending any of their deposits abroad; domestic expenditure is also restricted, though to a lesser extent.
“The sector is operating at a 70% loss,” said Tony Ramy, head of an association representing members of the hospitality industry, adding that, although prices have rocketed, real value has fallen.
“A drink that used to cost $15 now costs $3. A $60 cover charge is now $20. It’s like we’re holding a fire sale,” he said.
A crowd of men charges forward, some throwing rocks.
Supporters of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, who stepped down earlier this month, clash with Lebanese soldiers in Beirut. (Hussein Malla / Associated Press)
About 90% of Lebanon’s needs are supplied from abroad — grain, medicine, baby clothes, sanitary pads, spare parts for machinery — which the country, and its people, increasingly can’t afford. The price of food and beverages has shot up 670% between April 2019 and April 2021, and more than half of Lebanese have fallen into poverty, with 1 in 6 receiving assistance, said Abeer Etefa, the World Food Program’s Middle East spokeswoman.
Gasoline and diesel are perhaps emblematic of the perfect storm of adversity facing this Mediterranean country’s almost 7 million people.
The government pays dollars to import fuel, but prices it in lira at the pump using something close to the official — which is to say largely mythical — exchange rate. The effect is a massive fuel subsidy, a necessity in a country with no real public transport system and where people rely on diesel generators for electricity.
But it also means Lebanon is burning through its meager foreign currency reserves. In a bind, the central bank delayed paying fuel importers, causing an acute shortage, despite the tankers parked offshore. Queues of dozens of cars materialized outside gas stations. Even the rich — who had long been able to insulate themselves from Lebanon’s privations — have had to ration generator use.
Hoarding is now rampant. Importers estimate there to be 10 million gallons of excess fuel held in storage either by gas station owners or middlemen hoping to sell it at a higher price in the future.
Others say fuel has been smuggled from Lebanon to Syria, which is suffering its own extreme gas crisis as a result of a decadelong war, a failing currency and crushing sanctions. One top fuel supplier, who asked not to be identified so as to speak freely, estimated that 5% of Lebanon’s gas imports were sold across the border in Syria before a recent crackdown brought it down to about 1%.
Mohammad Assi, whose family owns a food store on the main drag of the Sabra market, almost shouted in frustration as he surveyed the sparse crowd of shoppers.
“Look around you,” he said. “Is this the atmosphere of Eid?”
His store, which set out bins overflowing with candies and pretzel-like breadsticks, was in a prime location, but there were few takers.
“People can’t buy anything. There’s no Eid. These last two years, it’s never been this bad,” he said.
“People are wishing for a war so something changes.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 23-24/2021
Iran has only repression to offer to the people of Ahwaz
The Arab Weekly/July 23/2021
It is not known whether there are any prospects for the protest movement of the people of the Ahwaz region in southern Iran. The only thing we know is that the current regime in Iran is incapable of dealing with its complex crisis, which is, before anything else, the crisis of the regime itself since its establishment in 1979.This is a regime that wants to play regional roles beyond the capabilities of the country, instead of paying attention to Iran’s own problems, including those of the citizens of the Khuzestan province, which used to be the Ahwaz region, home for both Arab Shia and Sunnis.
The people of Ahwaz have specific demands, especially over the issue of water scarcity. In addition, historically they have been subjected to injustice and discrimination due to their Arab origins by a regime that despises anything that is Arab in the region, based on its belief in the superiority of Persian civilisation. The Shah is gone but nothing has changed in the Iranian behaviour towards the entire Arab region. This is evidenced by Iran’s occupation of the three Emirati islands (Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb) since 1972. The protest movement of the Ahwazi Arabs has taken on a new dimension in recent days as demonstrations have raised slogans that are hostile to the “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei and to regime of the Vali-ye faqih established by Ayatollah Khomeini after the victory of the popular revolution against the Shah.
Sooner or later, the Revolutionary Guards will suppress the Ahwazi revolt in the Khuzestan province, which in the recent past was an Arab emirate independent of Iran.
As usual, the “Revolutionary Guard Corps”, which is under the command of the “Supreme Guide”, will use force without mercy against the people, without caring to ask the obvious question that cannot be answered by repression: why have the Ahwazis taken to the streets?
The movement of the Ahwazis reflects the failure of a regime that, since its inception, has set goals that it is has been unable to meet. One such a goal is to end Iran’s economic dependence on oil and gas. In the post-revolutionary era, Iran has actually become more dependent in its oil and gas income than it was under the Shah. The “Islamic Republic” decided to cover up its internal problems, including that more than half its people now live below the poverty line, by adventures abroad.
Wherever Iran goes, devastation and destruction follow. Whoever needs examples of this can look at what happened to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, where the sectarian militias affiliated with Iran operate freely. One has only to look at what happened in Gaza as a result of Iran’s missiles and its support over many years for the “Hamas” movement with money and weapons. What Ahwaz is experiencing these days is yet another episode in Iran’s endless series of failures. The people of Ahwaz did not turn against the regime when the war with Iraq took place between 1980 and 1988, although the Iraqi army was able at the beginning of that war to occupy large areas in Ahwaz, including Khorramshahr (Al-Muhammarah).
The Ahwazis did not turn against Iran despite all the injustices they were subjected to. It is the Iranian regime that has turned against the Ahwazis, a regime which has nothing to offer to its people. The regime will be able to control the Ahwazi anger despite its spreading to various other Iranian regions, reaching train stations in Tehran, where anti-Khamenei slogans were uttered by demonstrators. But then what? More than four decades have passed since the establishment of the “Islamic Republic” in Iran. Tehran has achieved dubious successes in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. These successes do not include any achievement, at the urban level, at the human level nor at the level of Iran’s reconciliation with its neighbours. All that Iran needs is reconciliation with itself. What we see now in the way Tehran deals with the Ahwazis reflects a failure to make peace with its own people. This inability has led to adverse consequences for the entire region, endangering the future of a place like Lebanon, which only a few tears ago was largely a prosperous country.

US mulls crackdown on Chinese imports of Iranian oil
Reuters/23 July ,2021
The United States is considering cracking down on Iranian oil sales to China as it braces for the possibility that Tehran may not return to nuclear talks or may adopt a harder line whenever it does, a US official said. Washington told Beijing earlier this year its main aim was to revive compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and, assuming a timely return, there was no need to punish Chinese firms violating US sanctions by buying Iranian crude, the official said. That stance is evolving given uncertainty about when Iran may resume indirect talks in Vienna and whether incoming Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi is willing to pick up where the talks ended on June 20 or demands a fresh start. The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Iran - which has said it will not resume talks until Raisi takes over - has been “very murky” about its intentions.
“If we are back in the JCPOA, then there’s no reason to sanction companies that are importing Iranian oil,” the official told Reuters this week, referring to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action under which Iran curbed its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions.
“If we are in a world in which the prospect of an imminent return to the JCPOA seems to be vanishing, then that posture will have to adjust,” the official added.The Wall Street Journal first reported Washington was considering tightening enforcement of its Iran sanctions, notably against China.
Chinese refiners are the biggest importers of Iranian oil.China’s imports of Iranian crude have averaged between 400,000 and 650,000 barrels per day this year on a monthly basis, according to data intelligence firm Kpler, with May volumes spiking to nearly 1 million bpd. Reuters reported on Thursday that the Chinese logistics firm China Concord Petroleum Co has emerged as a central player in the supply of sanctioned oil from Iran and Venezuela. That US officials are hinting at a possible crackdown may be a veiled threat that Washington has ways to exact a price from Tehran, said Brookings Institution analyst Robert Einhorn. “It’s probably to send a signal to Raisi that if the Iranians are not serious about coming back to the JCPOA, the US has options and there will be costs,” Einhorn said. How Beijing, whose relations with Washington are strained over issues from human rights to the South China Sea, might react will depend on whether it blames Iran or the United States for the impasse in the talks, Einhorn said.
Waiting for new president
One Iranian official said it was up to Iran’s supreme leader when talks resume, suggesting this could happen when Raisi takes over on Aug. 5 or a few weeks later. He also said it was unclear if Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, would remain.
“We should wait for the new president to take office and decide whether he wants to change the nuclear team or not. It seems that Dr. Araqchi will not be changed, at least during the handover period,” this official said on condition of anonymity. A second Iranian official said Raisi and his nuclear team insist on starting from scratch and refuse to pick up the talks where they ended in June.“They want their own terms and conditions and they have more demands like keeping the 60% enrichment or chain of advanced centrifuges and not dismantling them as demanded by Washington,” the second Iranian official said. The uncertainty is forcing the United States to examine new approaches, even though US and European officials have said there are no good options to reviving the JCPOA. “If ... we were to conclude that the talks are dragging on for too long and we don’t have a sense of whether they are going to reach a positive outcome, then of course we would have to take a fresh look at our sanctions enforcement, including on Chinese entities that were purchasing Iranian oil,” the US official said, declining to predict the timing of any decision. “It’s not ... black and white,” he said. “We’ll make it based on the time it’s taking for Iran to come back and the posture they will take if and when they do come back.”

One dead in ‘riot’ in western Iran: State TV
AFP, Tehran/23 July ,2021
One person was shot dead when rioting erupted in western Iran late Thursday in sympathy with the drought-hit province of Khuzestan which has seen a week of protests, state television reported.
Two people also suffered gunshot wounds in the rioting in the town of Aligudarz in Lorestan province, which neighbors Khuzestan, the Irib news broadcaster reported on its website. “Yesterday evening, rioting broke out for several hours in some streets in Aligudarz,” it said, adding that people had taken to the streets “on the pretext of the water problems in Khuzestan.”“Shots were fired by unknown elements,” the broadcaster said, adding that the security forces had been deployed to tackle the rioters.
It was the first time state media had reported protests or casualties outside Khuzestan since protests broke out there over the drought, which has gripped the province since March. At least three people have been killed, including a police officer and a protestor, according to Iranian media and officials, who have accused “opportunists” and “rioters” of shooting at protesters and security forces. Farsi-language media based abroad have broadcast videos they said were of protests in several towns and cities, showing hundreds of marching people, chanting slogans against authorities, while surrounded by anti-riot police. AFP could not verify the authenticity of the videos. President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech on Thursday that Iranians have “the right to speak, express themselves, protest and even take to the streets, within the framework of the regulations”. Admiral Ali Shamkhani, secretary general of the Supreme National Security Council, said “the security forces had been ordered to immediately release those detained during the recent incidents in Khuzestan, who had not have committed a criminal act”. Khuzestan is Iran’s main oil-producing region and one of its wealthiest. But it is also home to a large Arab minority, and its people regularly complain of being marginalized by the authorities.In 2019, the province was a hotspot of anti-government protests that also shook other areas of Iran. Over the years, blistering summer heatwaves and seasonal sandstorms blowing in from Saudi Arabia and neighboring Iraq have dried up Khuzestan’s once fertile plains. Scientists say climate change amplifies droughts.

Iran using unlawful force in water protest crackdown: Rights groups
AFP, Paris/23 July ,2021
Iran is using unlawful and excessive force in a crackdown against protests over water shortages in its oil-rich but arid southwestern Khuzestan province, international rights groups said on Friday. Amnesty International said it had confirmed the deaths of at least eight protesters and bystanders, including a teenage boy, as the authorities resorted to live ammunition to quell the protests. Iranian media and officials have said at least three people have been killed, including a police officer and a protestor, accusing “opportunists” and “rioters” of shooting at protesters and security forces. “Iran’s security forces have deployed unlawful force, including by firing live ammunition and birdshot, to crush mostly peaceful protests,” Amnesty International said.Analysis of video footage from the protests and eyewitness accounts “indicate security forces used deadly automatic weapons, shotguns with inherently indiscriminate ammunition, and tear gas,” it said. Human Rights Watch meanwhile said in a separate statement that Iranian authorities appeared to have “used excessive force against demonstrators” and the government should “transparently investigate” the reported deaths.
“Iranian authorities have a very troubling record of responding with bullets to protesters frustrated with mounting economic difficulties and deteriorating living conditions,” said HRW’s Iran researcher Tara Sepehri Far. Rights groups have accused Iran of launching a ferocious crackdown against 2019 nationwide protests over fuel price rises that, according to Amnesty, left at least 304 people dead. “Iran’s authorities have a harrowing track record of using unlawful lethal force. The events unfolding in Khuzestan have chilling echoes of November 2019,” said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa. Amnesty said the teenage boy, Hadi Bahmani, was killed in the town of Izeh. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on rioters and Amnesty noted that the Fars news agency published interviews with relatives of two of the men killed distancing themselves from their actions. But Amnesty cited a source as saying that one of the families had been visited by plain clothes agents and “coerced them into reciting a pre-prepared script on camera”. Human Rights Watch said there had also been reports of internet shutdowns in the area, noting that “over the past three years, authorities have frequently restricted access to information during protests.”Khuzestan is Iran’s main oil-producing region, but has been struggling with an intense drought since March. The province is home to a large Arab minority, and its people regularly complain of being marginalized by the authorities.

Protests in Iran’s Khuzestan continue, spread to neighboring Lorestan
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/23 July ,2021
Protests sparked by a water crisis in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province continued for an eighth consecutive night on Thursday, spreading to the neighboring Lorestan province, videos posted on social media showed.
The protests, which began on July 15, were initially concentrated in Arab majority areas in oil-rich Khuzestan, which is home to ethnic Arabs who have long complained of discrimination in Iran. But the demonstrations have since spread to more cities in Khuzestan, as well as to the western Lorestan province.
Protests broke out in the city of Aligudarz in Lorestan with demonstrators shouting slogans against Iran’s highest authority, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, a video shared on social media showed. Security forces opened fire on protesters in the city, according to another video. “This is Aligudarz … security forces are shooting ordinary people,” a man was heard saying in one video circulating on social media.In Khuzestan province, the epicenter of the protests, demonstrations continued in multiple cities and towns, including the provincial capital Ahwaz and the port city of Mahshahr. Security forces opened fire on protesters in Mahshahr, videos shared online showed. Al Arabiya English could not independently verify the videos’ authenticity. There was a notable decrease on Thursday in the number of videos shared online from Khuzestan compared with previous days. Activists have attributed this to authorities disrupting internet access in the region. Global internet monitoring firm NetBlocks said on Wednesday mobile phone internet service in Iran had been disrupted from July 15, the first day of the protests. “Network data from NetBlocks confirm a significant regional disruption to mobile internet service in Iran beginning Thursday 15 July 2021, ongoing almost a week later as of Wednesday 21 July 2021,” it said.The effects represent “a near-total internet shutdown that is likely to limit the public’s ability to express political discontent or communicate with each other and the outside world,” NetBlocks added. In November 2019, Iran shut down access to the internet for several days amid widespread anti-government protests.
Iran has so far confirmed the death of two young men and a police officer in violence connected to the protests, blaming the three deaths on unknown “rioters.”Activists said the two young men, as well as more protesters, were killed by security forces. Iranian officials, who typically use the term “rioter” to refer to protesters, have blamed deaths in past protests on protesters.The Ahwaz Human Rights Organization, which monitors human rights abuses in Khuzestan, on Friday named seven citizens it said were killed by security forces in protests across the province. The rights group named 16 others it said were arrested in Khuzestan in connection with the protests. Iran’s outgoing President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday “people have the right to protest the current situation.”“Having to deal with water shortages and heat above 50 degrees Celsius is very difficult and exhausting, and people have the right to protest the current situation,” the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying. President-elect Ebrahim Raisi, who will take over from Rouhani on August 5, said on Thursday Khuzestan had been neglected and added that he will appoint a governor with “special powers” for the province to address its problems more effectively, IRNA reported. The water crisis has devastated agriculture and livestock farming in Khuzestan and caused power outages in other parts of the country, which sparked protests in several cities earlier this month. Authorities have blamed the water shortages on a severe drought, but protesters say government corruption and mismanagement, as well as “discriminatory” policies aimed at changing the region’s demography, are to blame. The protests in Khuzestan come as thousands of workers in Iran’s key energy sector have launched strikes for better wages and working conditions. Iran’s economy has been hit hard since 2018 when former US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and reimposed sweeping sanctions on the country. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the country’s economic problems.

Iran opens new oil export terminal bypassing Strait
Jennifer Bell, Al Arabiya English/23 July ,2021
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani announced Thursday the opening of a new oil export terminal on the Gulf of Oman that will allow shipments to avoid the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Speaking on live television, Rouhani said Iran had inaugurated a 1,000 kilometer (600 mile) pipeline and started “the operation of the export terminal” at Jask in the Makran region. About $2 billion in investment was plowed into the project with the aim of creating a daily export capacity of one million barrels of crude oil through the new Jask terminal. In the project’s first phase it will carry 300,000 barrels of oil per day, Iran’s oil ministry’s news agency Shana reported. This capacity will increase to one million barrels in the near future, it said. More than 250 contractors and domestic manufacturers were involved in the project, which took about two years to complete.
To reach its current stage, this project has created 5,000 direct and 15,000 indirect jobs, Shana said. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital waterway in which a fifth of world oil output passes. The new export terminal comes amid a pause in negotiations to salvage Iran’s nuclear deal. An Iranian official announced Saturday that talks in Vienna on Iran’s nuclear deal will not resume before a new government takes office in August, following presidential elections last month won by ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raisi.
A deal could lead to sanctions relief and Iran exporting an extra 1 million barrels per day, or 1 percent of global supply, for more than six months from its storage facilities.
With AFP

A New Test For Kadhimi’s Pragmatism In Washington
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 23 July, 2021
Acting US Assistant Secretary of State Joey Hood spoke during a virtual forum last week about the complexities of consolidating stability in Iraq with the presence of Iranian-backed militias, saying "they have to leave us, and the Iraqis, alone.” Hood further stressed that his country “is not at war” with Iraq. The concept that Hood promotes about the partnership with Iraq is to some extent used by the Iranians to describe their relationship with the country, which they say is based on common interests primarily focused on “opposing the American project in the region.”This raises more pressure on the Baghdad government and reduces its chances of adopting an independent strategy on the regional and international situation.
With the publication of this news analysis, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi would be on his way to Washington to meet with US President Joe Biden and to complete the fourth round of the strategic dialogue, which includes a varied schedule, including discussions over the controversial withdrawal of combat forces from the country. When the two presidents meet, they will have to talk frankly about the two countries’ intersecting paths regarding the conflict with Iran and the changes that have occurred in Iraq since Kadhimi met with former President Donald Trump in August 2020. The Iraqi premier heads to the White House leaving behind a heated scene with armed factions rapidly gaining field and political influence, without any indications of a clear government policy to deter outlaw groups and impose the authority of government institutions on vital state facilities.
Last week, Asharq Al-Awsat quoted US officials close to the Biden administration as expressing disappointment with the performance of the Iraqi prime minister, as he “must do more to deter the armed factions.” Decision-makers in Baghdad, however, say that Kadhimi was a very realistic person, and his containment policy was more effective than opening a broad front of violence. The fact is that the Iraqi premier and his government team are based in a small area of influence within the country’s political arena. A senior Iraqi officer told Asharq Al-Awsat that confrontation between the two parties was not possible, as “the influence of the factions literally starts from the Green Zone.”It seems that the Americans are fully aware of the difficult equation in Iraq. General Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of the US Central Command, was closely monitoring the field developments and provided a flood of data and information about Iraq’s struggle with the armed factions. But Baghdad continues to bet on the “principle of dialogue” to achieve the minimum level of calm. In this regard, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein called on Iran to intervene to stop the attacks on diplomatic missions.
“This doesn’t seem enough,” a Western diplomat told Asharq Al-Awsat, noting that Kadhimi must “devise other solutions and be more courageous.”Nonetheless, the position of the White House tends to continue to support Kadhimi, for objective considerations, the most important of which is that the Iraqi premier is “an independent person who is not loyal to Iran,” and that the opportunity to achieve a more stable equation is still available, according to US diplomatic sources.

US set to formalize readjustment of troop role in Iraq
Reuters/23 July ,2021
The US and Iraq are expected to formalize the end of Washington’s combat mission in Iraq by the end of the year and continue the transition toward training and advising Iraqi forces, US officials said on Thursday. There are currently 2,500 US troops in Iraq focusing on countering the remnants of Islamic State. The move is not expected to have a major impact since the US has already moved toward focusing on training Iraqi forces. But the announcement, set to come after President Joe Biden meets his Iraqi counterpart in Washington next week, will be at a politically delicate time for the Iraq government and could be seen as a victory domestically in Baghdad. “The key point that you’re going to hear conveyed and I think is just incredibly important, is that the Biden administration wants to stay in Iraq because the Iraqi government has invited us and requested that we continue to do so,” a senior defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said. “The mission doesn’t change ... how we support the Iraqi security forces in the defeat ISIS mission is what we’re talking about,” the official added. The official said there would be a focus on logistics, maintenance of equipment and helping Iraqi forces further develop their intelligence and surveillance capabilities. At home, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi faces increasing pressure from Iran-aligned parties and paramilitary groups who perceive him as siding with the US.

UN Security Council condemns Turkey leader Erdogan’s position on Cyprus: Statement
AFP, United Nations, United States/23 July ,2021
The UN Security Council on Friday condemned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’scall for two states in Cyprus and a move to reopen a resort emptied of Greek Cypriots, calling for a “just” settlement with a united country under a “bizonal” federation, diplomats said. “The Security Council condemns the announcement in Cyprus by Turkish and Turkish Cypriot leaders,” said the statement, obtained by AFP and which diplomats said was agreed upon. The Council was to formally adopt it later in the day, diplomats said.“The Security Council expresses its deep regret regarding these unilateral actions that run contrary to its previous resolutions and statements.”

US top diplomat Antony Blinken to visit India, Kuwait next week
Reuters, Washington/23 July ,2021
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to India next week, the State Department said on Friday, the top US diplomat’s first visit to the world’s largest democracy and an important US ally in Asia. Blinken will also visit Kuwait and meet senior officials there at the end of the July 26-29 trip. In New Delhi on Wednesday, Blinken will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Among the subjects on the agenda will be “Indo-Pacific engagement, shared regional security interests, shared democratic values, and addressing the climate crisis” as well as the response to the coronavirus pandemic, a statement said. Blinken is likely to discuss plans for an in-person summit of the Quad group of countries -- Indian, Japan, Australia and the United States -- that is seen as a counter to China’s rising influence. The meeting later this year is expected to focus on ways to develop regional infrastructure in the face of China’s massive Belt and Road Initiative. The United States hosted a virtual summit of the Quad countries in March at which they agreed that Indian drugmaker Biological E Ltd would produce at least a billion coronavirus vaccine doses by the end of 2022, mainly for Southeast Asian and Pacific countries. However, India, the world’s largest vaccine producer, was subsequently hit by a catastrophic wave of COVID-19 infections and halted vaccine exports amid intense criticism of Prime Minister Modi’s domestic vaccination efforts.
Washington sent raw materials for vaccines, medical equipment, and protective gear to India after the spike. Blinken’s trip will follow a visit by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to China and coincide with a visit to Southeast Asia by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Iran opens oil terminal to bypass Strait of Hormuz, impact likely limited
The Arab Weekly/July 23/2021
TEHRAN/ LONDON--Iran has opened its first oil export terminal that does not require tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint patrolled by warships of its arch foe the US. However, many experts are sceptical about the impact of the move.
Rouhani hailed as an “historic day” the inauguration of the new terminal located at Jask on the Gulf of Oman, which will allow tankers headed into the Arabian Sea and beyond to avoid the narrow waterway. But many experts dismissed the move as merely symbolic and not changing much in the geostrategic realities of Gulf waterways. It does however demonstrate an intent by Tehran to recalibrate its relations with Western nations and Arab Gulf neighbours and prepare for more exports of Iranian oil if US sanctions are lifted. Iran’s other major oil terminal is located at the Gulf port of Kharg, accessed through the Strait of Hormuz, which is less than 40 kilometres wide at its narrowest point and where US and Iranian naval vessels have faced off in the past. “We had a terminal and if there was a problem, our oil exports would be cut off,” Rouhani said, adding that “today is a great, historic day for the Iranian nation”.
According to analysts, the new Iranian move is aimed at reducing the potential for tensions between Iran and the West over the Strait of Hormuz which Tehran has threatened to close in the past. The new terminal could serve as an insurance policy against Iran’s own miscalculations if it decides to disrupt oil export traffic through the strategic waterway. Experts see no realistic possibilities for Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, as it is very aware of the repercussions of that action on its weak economy and that such a step would cause problems and reactions that may threaten the survival of the regime itself. On top of its tense relations with the West, Tehran struggles with internal social and economic problems, the latest of which is the widespread protests in Ahvaz over the water crisis.
International affairs researcher and former adviser at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Salem bin Askar Al-Yami, told The Arab Weekly that Iran’s resorting to the Jask port will not ease the tensions that affect the oil industry and exports from the Arab Gulf countries, because it adds a new element to the control of waterways through which this vital commodity passes. Waddah Al-Taha, an economic analyst and member of the advisory board at the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment, stressed that this is more symbolic and propaganda-geared step than a realistic and practical move because the Jask port, earmarked for exports, needs a huge infrastructure capable of accommodating an export capacity of up to one million barrels per day.
Taha pointed out to The Arab Weekly, that if Iran ever tries to close the Strait of Hormuz and seeks to use Jask as an alternative or emergency export terminal to protect its oil exports, sanctions will still affect any countries importing Iranian crude.
Iran has been under punishing US sanctions since then president Donald Trump more than three years ago unilaterally withdrew from the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal, heavily impacting Iranian energy exports. “The oil industry is very important for us and it is also important for the enemy,” Rouhani said in televised comments. Iran has also built a 1,000 kilometre pipeline to carry its oil from Goreh in the southwestern Bushehr province to the new Jask terminal in the country’s southeast. Rouhani estimated at $2 billion the value of the new project which, according to Iranian media, has been under way for some two years. The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf to the Arabian Sea, is the main shipping lane linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe and North America. The location of the new terminal will also save tankers headed into the open seas several days’ sailing time.
Calculations
Iran and the United States have been on the brink of war twice since June 2019 amid tensions in the Gulf and over the nuclear deal, which has been hanging by a thread. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh proclaimed at the launch of the project that it would aid exports and was therefore “a manifestation of the breakdown of sanctions”.The official IRNA news agency had said Wednesday that the new pipeline and terminal would help Tehran “win back the Iranian oil market from rival countries”. The project also helped ensure the country’s “energy security”, because it is located outside the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, IRNA added. Given the US sanctions, Tehran is discreet about its shipments of crude to the few customers who still dare to buy it. The United States has accused Iran of trying to circumvent the sanctions by exporting oil to countries including China, Venezuela and Syria. Washington has repeatedly announced the seizure of tankers allegedly carrying Iranian oil. According to Iranian officials, the Islamic Republic aims to eventually pump “one million barrels per day” through the pipeline to Jask. At the moment, the project allows exports of 350,000 barrels per day, they said. Iran produced 2.47 bpd in June, according to latest available figures from OPEC, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Zanganeh said in May it was a “priority” for Iran to nearly triple its current crude production, in order to boost the nation’s “power”.

Iraqi officials discuss US military presence on visit to Washington
The Arab Weekly/July 23/2021
The talks on the US military presence in Iraq come at a politically delicate time for the Iraqi government.
WASHINGTON--Senior officials from Baghdad were in Washington Thursday for preliminary talks on the US military presence in Iraq, ahead of an upcoming meeting between leaders of the two countries, the Pentagon said in a statement. US President Joe Biden is set to host Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House on Monday and Kadhimi is expected to push for a concrete timetable of foreign troop withdrawal. On Thursday Mara Karlin, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs, hosted Iraqi National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji and a military delegation, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. Both sides “reaffirmed the importance of the US-Iraq bilateral security relationship” as well as “the long-term US-Iraq security cooperation partnership and areas for cooperation beyond counterterrorism.”Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin joined the group to repeat his support for “the US-Iraq strategic partnership.” Talks are set to resume on Friday. Some 3,500 foreign troops are in Iraqi territory, including 2,500 Americans, who have been deployed to help fight the Islamic State group since 2014. The implementation of their withdrawal could take years but experts say the move will not have a major impact since the United States has already moved toward focusing on training Iraqi forces. The talks on the US military presence in Iraq come at a politically delicate time for the Iraqi government and any agreement on the issue could be seen as a victory domestically in Baghdad.“The key point that you’re going to hear conveyed and I think is just incredibly important, is that the Biden administration wants to stay in Iraq because the Iraqi government has invited us and requested that we continue to do so,” a senior defence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said. “The mission doesn’t change … how we support the Iraqi security forces in the defeat of ISIS is what we’re talking about,” the official added. The official said there would be a focus on logistics, maintenance of equipment and helping Iraqi forces further develop their intelligence and surveillance capabilities.
Iraq, long an arena for bitter rivalry between the United States and Iran despite their shared enmity towards ISIS, has seen growing numbers of rocket and drone attacks on US targets in recent months. Last week Iraq’s leader met visiting US envoy Brett McGurk in Baghdad to discuss foreign troop withdrawal, his office said in a statement.At home, Kadhimi faces increasing pressure from Iran-aligned parties and paramilitary groups who perceive him as siding with the United States.

New Covid Variant 'Probable' This Year, Says Top French Expert
Agence France Presse/July 23/2021
The French government's top advisor on Covid-19 warned Friday that a new variant of the disease would "probably" emerge in the winter months this year. The country is currently battling an unprecedented spike in new cases caused by the more infectious Delta variant, which was first recorded in India. "We will probably have another variant arrive during the winter," Jean-Francois Delfraissy, head of the French government's scientific council, told the BFM news channel. He said that he could not predict the consequences, or whether it would be more dangerous, adding that Covid-19 had "relatively limited" capacities to mutate. The infectious diseases specialist urged French people to return to social distancing and mask-wearing, and said a "return to normal" would probably be in 2022 or 2023. "The big challenge for the next couple of years will be how are we going to co-exist, with two worlds: countries that are vaccinated and those that are not," he said. The government's strategy to contain the current fourth wave of cases is based on the introduction of a "health pass" system that requires people to show proof of vaccination or a negative test when entering public venues.
Since Wednesday, cinemas, museums, swimming pools and sports venues have been required to ask patrons for their health credentials, leading to criticism from some that it restricts the freedoms of the non-vaccinated. The lower house of parliament approved a draft law early Friday morning that will extend the system to cafes and restaurants from next month, and make vaccinations mandatory for health and social care workers from September. The legislation will now be examined during an emergency session by the upper house senate, with the government hoping for approval by the end of the weekend.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials published on July 23-24/2021
Question: "Why did Jesus instruct us to pray “lead us not into temptation”?"
GotQuestions.org/July 23/2021
Answer: We know from James 1:13 that God does not tempt us to sin. If God did tempt us to sin, He would be acting contrary to His holy nature, against His desire for us to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16), and against all other commandments in Scripture that tell us to avoid sin and flee temptation. In the Lord’s model prayer (Matthew 6:9–13), Jesus says, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (verse 13). The inclusion of a request for God not to lead us into temptation teaches us that avoiding temptation should be one of the primary concerns of the Christian life.
The idea of God leading His people is a main theme of Scripture. The book of Psalms especially is filled with pleas for God to lead us in His ways (Psalm 5:8; 27:11), by His truth and righteousness, and in “the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:24). Along with leading us toward good, we understand that we are asking God to lead us away from evil. The petition in the Lord’s Prayer not to be led into temptation reflects the believer’s desire to avoid the dangers of sin altogether. This phrase, then, must be understood in the sense of “permitting.” Jesus taught us to pray, “Do not ‘allow’ us, or ‘permit’ us, to be tempted to sin.” This request implies that God has such control over the tempter as to save us from his power if we call upon our Heavenly Father.
There is another sense in which we are to plead with God not to lead us into temptation. The word temptation can also refer to trials. We know from 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God will not test us beyond our ability in Christ to bear it and will always provide a way out. But God sometimes subjects us to trials that may expose us to Satan’s assaults for His own purposes, as in the cases of Job and Peter (Luke 22:31–32). If the temptation in the Lord’s Prayer refers to trials, then the meaning of Matthew 6:13 is, “Do not afflict or try us.” It is not wrong to pray that we may be delivered from trials and suffering, as long as we submit ourselves to the will of God, no matter what it is. The believer can rightly ask to be delivered from testing as well as ask for the strength to endure it if it does come.
We might illustrate Jesus’ words “Lead us not into temptation” like this: a mother takes her young children grocery shopping with her and comes to the candy aisle. She knows that taking her children down that aisle will only stir up greediness in their hearts and lead to bouts of whining and pouting. In wisdom, she takes another route—whatever she may have needed down the candy aisle will have to wait for another day. In this way the mother averts unpleasantness and spares her children a trial. Praying, “Lead us not into temptation,” is like praying, “God, don’t take me down the candy aisle today.” It’s recognizing that we naturally grasp for unprofitable things and that God’s wisdom can avert the unpleasantness of our bellyaching.
Whether we are asking for God to lead us away from sin or from difficult trials, our goal is found in the second part of verse 13: “Deliver us from the evil one.” A petition similar to this is offered by David in Psalm 141:4: “Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.” In all things, God is our deliverer, and we are wise to seek His power over sin.

Biden Needs a Long Spoon in Vienna
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/July 23/2021
To talk or not to talk? For Joe Biden’s administration in Washington this is the question with regard to “frozen” negotiations with Iran over its so-called “nuclear ambitions”. Initially, Biden appeared keen to team-roll the process so that he could revive what his former boss Barack Obama still presents as his greatest foreign policy achievement, thus loosening the lasso that Donald Trump has tightened around the mullahs in Tehran.
On the way to the forum, however, two things happened.
First, the so-called “moderates” in Tehran who have always talked like people from the fringes of the US Democratic Party were booted out of the Islamic power banquet and replaced by a coterie that says it wants to turn the White House into a Hussyeniah once global Khomeinism has seized control of the United States.
Next, the FBI threw a bombshell by reporting a plot to kidnap Massih Alinejad, a US citizen and a campaigner for human rights in Iran, and whisk her from New York to Tehran via Venezuela. This was all the more disturbing as Ms. Alinejad who has a vast following in cyberspace works for Voice of America, an organ of the US government. That made Biden’s plan to re-open the cash taps for Tehran all the more difficult.
So, to talk or not to talk?
The answer is the Japanese “mu” which means “un-ask” or “re-ask” your question beyond a simple yes or no. Re-asking the question the Japanese way could give us this: whom to talk to and on what subject? Only an arch-ego centrist like Obama might think that as long as he is doing the talking it doesn’t matter who he is talking to and on what subject.The answer to our re-asked questions could only be yes. Thus Biden must begin by finding out who he would be talking to: puppets of a star in the darkest recesses of the Islamic Republic or the puppet-master himself.
Next, and more importantly, he should decide what he needs to talk about. As we have often argued the so-called “nuclear issue” has always been a diversion designed to focus attention on a phantom while the living monster, wielding blood-soaked dagger, goes around spreading mayhem and murder. The same technique is used by circus wizards who attract attention to one hand while the other hand pulls the rabbit out of the hat.
Obama roared in triumph because he supposedly persuaded the mullahs stop enriching uranium above five percent, something that they didn’t need, couldn’t use and, couldn’t financially afford. But he failed, or refused, to ask the real questions: is the Islamic Republic not a threat to regional peace and the global rule of law with or without its ridiculous uranium enrichment show?
Hasn’t the Islamic Republic been the world’s number one sponsor of international terrorism for four decades with or without enriching uranium? Was the seizing of over 600 hostages from 32 countries, including the US and all major European states, ever linked to uranium enrichment? In fact, for the past four decades the Islamic Republic has not spent a day without holding some hostages. What about raiding the embassies of 17 countries in Tehran and terrorist raids on US and French embassies and military bases in Lebanon?
Were the hundreds of US troops who lost their lives in Iraq to roadside bombs from Tehran victims of enriched uranium? What about the assassination of 118 dissident Iranians in 20 world capital including Washington, Berlin, London and Paris, and Dubai? Ms. Alinejad is not the first target of Khomeinist kidnapping gangs. By best accounts, over the past 40 years, the Khomeinist regime has abducted over 50 opposition activists without using enriched uranium.
The Jewish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires was not blown up with enriched uranium, nor was the Saint-Michel metro station in Paris. Terror attacks on a residence of US contractor in Khobar and a number of targets in Thailand, Pakistan and Kuwait did not involve enriched uranium either.
The Islamic Republic pushed Lebanon to the edge of national catastrophe by dragging it into deadly adventures that have nothing to do with Lebanese national interests. Tehran’s policy of prolonging the war in Yemen, fomenting trouble in Bahrain, weakening the authority of the Iraqi government by sponsoring mercenary units, and acting as foot soldier for Russia in Syria have also no connection with the uranium issue. And what about trying to prop up the Taliban in Afghanistan in the hope of proving that, as the daily Kayhan says the US has sustained “another defeat”.
The irony in all this is that the US has tried to talk to the mullahs about enriching uranium, something which is perfectly legal within the parameters set by the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and is routinely done by at least 18 other nations across the globe while never raising the illegal, not to say criminal, activities they foster in defiance of international law- activities such as blowing innocent people up in London or Paris and kidnapping people in Washington and Istanbul.
A global map of terrorism in the past four decades would show that the Islamic Republic has been involved, directly and indirectly, in more attacks in more countries than its ideological siblings from Al-Qaeda and Taliban to ISIS and Boko Haram.
The mullahs assume that as long as they can hoodwink the world, notably the Americans who are suckers for self-deception, by propelling the “nuclear” phantom they could have a free hand to kill and kidnap and destroy the very fabric of statehood in several regional countries while receiving cash rewards from the US and its major allies who pretend to be guardians of global law and order.
It may take a few more weeks before Tehran can deploy its new negotiating team which may or may not include the flatter-in-chief Muhammad Javad Zairf. That gives the Biden administration time to obtain a long spoon before returning to the banquet in Vienna. That long spoon could be made of a simple reversal of the order in which the talks are held. First, let’s talk about terrorism, exporting revolution, money laundering, kidnapping and hitmen without frontiers. Only then we could talk about uranium enrichment and the unfreezing of assets. There is even no need for Biden and allies to talk about “human rights” and things like that which have become a staple of hollow global diplomacy because those who demand respect for such rights don’t really mean it and those who hear them know that they don’t. So, by all means, do talk to the mullahs in Tehran but make sure the talk is about something relevant with a clear message: cease and desist!

The War That Made Our World
Ross Douthat/The New York Times/July 23/2021
Two hundred and sixty-six years ago this month, a column of British regulars commanded by Gen. Edward Braddock was cut to pieces by French soldiers and their Native American allies in the woods just outside today’s Pittsburgh. The defeat turned into a rout when Braddock was shot off his horse, leaving the retreat to be managed by a young colonial officer named George Washington, whose own previous foray into the region had lit the tinder for the war.
This was the beginning of the French and Indian War (also known, much less poetically, as the Seven Years’ War), which I thought as a boy was the most interesting war in all of history. I had encountered it originally through a public television version of “The Last of the Mohicans,” but I soon found that the real conflict exceeded even James Fenimore Cooper’s romantic imagination: the complexity of forest warfare and the diversity of the combatants on both sides, colonial, European and Native; the majesty of the geographic setting, especially the lakes, mountains and defiles of upstate New York; the ridiculous melodrama of the culminating battle at Quebec, with a wee-hours cliff-scaling that led to a decisive showdown in which both commanders were mortally wounded, James Wolfe in victory and Louis-Joseph de Montcalm in defeat.
In school the war faded into the background of my history classes. In world history it was folded into the larger categories of colonial warfare and endless Anglo-French conflict; in American history it was treated mostly as a prelude to the real business of the American Revolution. (Not only Washington but also Ben Franklin and a long list of future Revolutionary-era officers, from Daniel Morgan to Charles Lee, played roles in Braddock’s doomed campaign.)
But returning to the 1750s as an adult reader of history — and as a columnist trying to offer constructive thoughts about the history wars in K-12 education — I think my childhood self was basically correct. The war that evicted the French from North America was not only incredibly fascinating but also one of history’s most important wars. Indeed, from a certain perspective, it was more important than the American War of Independence: The Revolution merely determined in what form Anglo-America would spread to embrace continental empire and global power, while the French and Indian War determined whether that continent-spanning America would come into being at all.
As a kid, I — a good patriotic American and stalwart New Englander — naturally rooted for the British and the American colonists, from their early string of setbacks at the hands of Montcalm and other canny French commanders through their eventual triumphant invasion of New France. It was particularly easy to identify with the neurasthenic Wolfe, the victor at Quebec, whose self-dramatization and battlefield martyrdom fit with a 9-year-old’s idea of generalship.
For an adult, though, reading books like Fred Anderson’s “Crucible of War,” the best 21st-century history of the conflict, or Alan Taylor’s “American Colonies” for the bigger picture of North American empire, it’s easy enough to end up rooting for the French.
First, because they were obvious underdogs — New France had less than a fifteenth of the population of the 13 colonies, it was constantly being cut off from its motherland by the British Navy, and it’s something of a miracle that it lasted for as long and won as many victories as it did.
But also because the French empire in North America represented an unusual model of European colonization: The combination of the smaller, scattered population, the harsher climate and the distinctive vision of figures like Samuel de Champlain and the French Jesuits all contributed to a friendlier relationship with Native American populations than obtained in the English colonies. (For a Francophilic supplement to Anderson and Taylor, I recommend David Hackett Fischer’s “Champlain’s Dream” and Kevin Starr’s “Continental Ambitions.”)
So a world where the French somehow held on to their territories might have been more Catholic (obviously a good thing) while offering more possibilities for Indigenous influence, power and survival than the world where England simply won the continent.
There’s a terribly poignant moment at the end of Anderson’s “Crucible,” when tribes of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley, under the Ottawa leader Pontiac and others, begin to rise against the British shortly after the French retreated from North America. The British imagine that French agents must still be around stirring up trouble, but the reality is that the Native Americans still understand themselves to be in a relationship with the French king and imagine that their war can help bring France back to their aid. But no: They’re alone now with Anglo-America, and foredoomed.
Imagining an alternative timeline, a history in which New France endures and a more, well, “French and Indian” civilization takes shape in the Great Lakes region, isn’t exactly the stuff of the patriotic American education that I wrote about last weekend.
But it also makes a poor fit with contemporary progressive pieties, in which organized Christianity is a perpetual scapegoat for the mistreatment of Native peoples — since it was arguably the power of the church and the Catholic ancien régime in New France, relative to the greater egalitarianism, democracy and secular ambition in the English colonies, that helped foster a more humane relationship between the French colonizers and the Native American population.
Once you recognize that kind of deep historical complexity, you can go in two directions. Along one path lies a kind of cynicism about almost every aspect of the past, where the reader of history is encouraged to basically root for nobody, and the emphasis is always on the self-interest lying underneath every expression of idealism. The French might have modeled what seemed like a kindlier form of colonization, but they were only following their own self-interest as greedy traders and proselytizing Catholic zealots. The New England colonies might have pioneered what seemed like an impressive form of egalitarian democracy, but they achieved their wide distribution of property by ruthlessly crushing the Pequot and the Wampanoag.
This is the mood that I sense, for instance, in Taylor’s “American Colonies” and its sequels, “American Revolutions” and “American Republics” — the last out just this year, and much praised for its disenchanted view of the early-1800s United States. These books are capacious histories, remarkable works of synthesis, in which you sometimes get the sense that apart from the occasional sympathetic victim, the author finds very little in hundreds of years of history to actually admire.
That mood has its place in historical analysis. But continuing my attempts to propose solutions to our current K-12 history wars, I want to suggest a different path, in which the kind of patriotic spirit that made me root for the British at Fort William Henry as a child and the kind of speculations about a Catholic-Huron imperium that I can entertain as an adult are both appropriate.
The first, the patriotism, is a form of gratitude for the particular goods that the American Republic ended up embodying — the initial goods of greater equality, liberty and prosperity for many ordinary people, and then the gradual extension of those goods to people once subjugated and excluded.
The second, the speculation, is a recognition of contingency and complexity — the reality that although the United States we have is good and great in many ways, along another timeline there might lie other goods, other civilizations, that would have been different from our democratic empire but also admirable, and whose real and imagined histories can be usefully contrasted with our own.
Both attitudes cultivate the appreciation of the past that seems essential to sustaining historical memory. On the one hand, you have an appreciation of what was best in the victors and founders, from Wolfe to Washington, who played crucial roles in establishing a continental civilization that we have inherited through no achievement of our own.
And then on the other, an appreciation of figures like Montcalm and Pontiac, and other embodiments of the two peoples, French and Native, who give one of history’s most decisive wars its name: peoples whose potential American futures were stillborn or defeated, but in a different world might have merited patriotism and gratitude as well.

In Washington, Who Decides the Next Intervention?
Robert Ford/Asharq Al-Awsat/July 23/2021
Many people are watching the American withdrawal from Afghanistan but there is a bigger debate in Washington about future US military interventions in the Middle East.
In response to public opinion, Democrats and even some Republicans in Congress want to make it more difficult to start a new war in the region. One of the key texts still used for legal justification of American military action there is the 2002 formal authorization to wage war against Iraq. The 2002 law had support from Democrats and Republicans and was legal cover for President George Bush to bring down Saddam Hussein’s regime. President Obama used the law to justify the military campaign in Iraq against ISIS in 2014. President Trump used it to justify the airstrike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mehdi al-Muhandis.
The House of Representatives, including 49 Republicans and 219 Democrats, voted on June 17 to cancel it. The Senate this week will begin the process of voting to cancel it also. The White House under Biden supports canceling the law. According to a White House statement June 14, other American laws provide legal justification for ongoing military operations.
Not everyone in Biden’s Democratic Party is comfortable with other legal justifications, however. After Biden launched airstrikes against Iraqi militias in February and again in June, important Democrats criticized him for not consulting with the Congress first.
The American constitution is clear: only Congress can declare war, including declaring a war against foreign militias. However, the American constitution also clearly states that the President commands all military forces.
Biden didn’t point to the 2002 authorization about Saddam Hussein to justify his airstrikes. He asserted instead that according to the Constitution he commands the military and he took steps to defend American soldiers. In the end, this argument is about the authorities of the Congress compared to the President.
Important senators like Robert Menendez, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton’s vice president candidate in 2016, support cancelling the 2002 authorization and they want Congress to vote to approve long-term military operations.
Iran is also in this debate. Each time Trump and Biden launched airstrikes against militias loyal to Iran, some members of Congress, especially Democrats, worry that airstrikes on the militias will start a war against Iran without the prior agreement from Congress.
Some conservative Republican politicians like Ron Johnson and Ted Cruz defend Biden’s right to attack these Iraqi militias without restraints from Congress. They are pressuring for the Congress to replace the 2002 authorization about Saddam Hussein with a new law so that the White House can launch preemptive attacks against Iran and its allies legally without approval from Congress.
It is interesting that many of these Republicans in Congress still claim that Biden won the 2020 election through fraud, and now they want to give a president they implicitly call illegitimate authority to take unilateral military action against Iran. Most Democrats, however, will reject this proposal.
More important is the effort to cancel the 2001 Congressional authorization to George Bush to strike groups involved in the 9/11 attack. The legislation aimed at al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Through twenty years, presidents used this 2001 law to justify legally military operations in 18 countries against groups such as al-Shabab, ISIS, Hayat Tahrir Sham and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
US military chief of staff General Mark Milley told a Congress session on June 23 that the 2001 authorization is vital for many American military operations far from Afghanistan. Some members of Congress, especially left-leaning Democrats, want to cancel the 2001 war on terror authorization to compel the President to seek new authorizations from Congress for new military actions against Islamic extremists.
An important budget committee in the House of Representatives last week voted to cancel the 2001 authorization. The representative who led the effort in the committee, Democrat Barbara Lee, was the only representative to vote against the 2001 authorization twenty years ago. Now she has allies who want to cancel it. The committee vote will compel the entire House of Representatives to consider the cancellation, and the Senate will also need to vote. Many American politicians, especially conservative Republicans, reject tying the hands of the American military. A compromise agreement about cancelling the 2001 authorization will be difficult this year. But the debate shows the change in American politics.
Since 9/11 Congress didn’t challenge military interventions when a president launched them. After the failures in Iraq and Afghanistan, the legislative institution is discussing how to limit presidential military authorities in a way we have not seen since the end of the Vietnam war almost 40 years ago. The challenges, especially since it springs from Democrats, will make Biden more cautious.