LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 02/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations
A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty
Galatians 05/01-26/"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.“A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 01-02/18
Welcoming The New Year With Prayers, Repentance and Forgiveness/Elias Bejjani/January 01/2017
The Battle for Iran/Change will not come easily, peacefully, or soon/Karim Sadiadpour/The Atlantic/December 31/17
Happy New Year to Iran and western media/Mashari Althaydi/Arabiya/December 01/17
Which way will the protests in Iran go/Ghassan Charbel/Arabiya/December 01/17

Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on January 01-02/18
Welcoming The New Year With Prayers, Repentance and Forgiveness
Rahi holds New Year's mass in Bkirki, says disputes, conflicts are contrary to Christian message
ISF Says Most Shooters Identified after 4 Hurt by NYE Gunfire
Aoun Calls for 'Solidarity' in New Year
Hizbullah Reportedly Won't Mediate between Aoun and Berri
Hariri Hails 2017 'Achievements', Vows 'Timely, Fair' Elections
Hariri Expected to Meet Berri in Bid to End Row with Aoun
Hariri Urges Unity, Says 'No Political Crisis in Country'

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 01-02/18
Pope Francis urges world to jettison 'banality of consumerism' and avoid 'empty chatter' in New Year's Day message
Israel Ruling Party Votes for Push to Annex West Bank
Abbas Slams Israel Ruling Party Vote for W. Bank Annexation
Two Christians Killed in New Year Attack on Egypt Liquor Store
Iran temporarily restricts access to social media
12 killed amid demonstrations that saw attempts to storm police stations and military bases, state TV reports
Trump Threatens to Cut Aid to Pakistan, a 'Haven to Terrorists'
'Life is Really Difficult': Tehranis Share Economic Grievances
12 Charges Sought against Palestinian 'Slap Video' Teen
Trump Says 'Time for Change' in Iran
Kim Vows North Will Mass-Produce Nukes but Open to Talks with Seoul
36 dead in Kenya after head on collision between bus and truck
Costa Rica plane crash kills 12, including 10 U.S. citizens
UN chief calls for restraint amid reports security forces violently dispersed Kinshasa protests

Latest Lebanese Related News published on January 01-02/18
Welcoming The New Year With Prayers, Repentance and Forgiveness
Elias Bejjani/January 01/2017
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=61495
With day one of the New Year let us with faith, love and hope share a set of righteous resolutions based on repentance and forgiveness.
Let us take a solemn vow to be all through the 365 days forgiving, loving, caring, modest, and fearing Almighty God in our conduct, rhetoric and thoughts.
Let us make our resolution an on going fight against the evil inside our minds, and a promise to tame all our instincts of revenge selfishness, arrogance, lust and enviousness.
Definitely it is very difficult to tame the desires of our human nature, BUT if we belief in ourselves and trust in Almighty God, Our loving Father, shall lead our steps to be triumphant.
With a spirit of faith and self-trust, let us all welcome the New Year, with open hearts and extended hands to all others, especially to those family members, relatives, friends and acquaintances with whom we were not in good terms during the last year.
Let us close the last year’s messy pages and open new ones totally blank with full readiness for forgiveness, and a genuine willingness for recognizing our wrongdoings in a bid to come with a practical plan for repentance.
Let us all put our burdens, pains, sickness, deprivation, persecution, broken hearts, disappointments, frustrations, bereavements, injustice, abandonment, and anger in the hands of Almighty God and follow the teachings of His Gospel.
God, with his gracious wisdom and abundant generosity, shall definitely see in every way possible that we all safely overcome with faith and hope all kinds of failure temptations, hardships and difficulties.
Let us all trust in Our Father, Almighty God and recognize that we are all His beloved children and that He has created us in his image.
We should never ever doubt God’s deep love for each and every one of us.
How could He not love us when we are His children?
How could He abandon us when He has sent his only son, Jesus Christ to defeat death, give us the eternal life, suffer and be crucified so we, His children, can become purified and absolved from the original sin, and be helped to walk safely the path of eternal salvation.
Let us ask Almighty God to help us live in peace and harmony with ourselves and others, lead our steps into the righteous paths, grant us the strength of endurance and hold us back from the sin of hurting or hating others.
Let us pray that in this New Year, Our Father, Almighty God, shall grant us the graces of love, meekness, humbleness, transparency, honesty and forgiveness.
Let us pray that in this New Year, Our Father, Almighty God, shall maintain our hearts and minds pure, and free from grudges and selfishness.
Let us pray that in this New Year, Our Father, Almighty God, shall help us to remember that vengeance is evil and forgiveness is a Godly grace.
Let us pray that Almighty God shall not allow vengeance to take control of our lives.
When we trust in God and believe in His justice, we ought to leave all that is judgment to Him and only to Him.
“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear”. (Matthew 13:43)
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” ( Romans 12:19-21)
These holy verse frees us from the burden of taking justice into our own hands. It tells us “Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ God will repay those who are righteous”..
Since God is going to take up our cause and see to it that justice is done, we should lay it down, work hard not to succumb to our human destructive and evil instincts.
With this New Year, let us pray from the depth of our hearts for all those who hate and hold grudges against us. Let us ask almighty God to cure them from these evil ailments and grant us the grace of forgiveness and the strength of faith to keep loving them.
No one should forget that our live on this earth is too short, and that we must be righteous to deserve the eternal one in Heaven where there will be no pain or fights, but happiness and peace.
With the beginning of the New Year, let us all ask almighty God to shower on every one the graces of health, prosperity, peace, faith, and hope.
Let us pray for peace and tranquility in all countries, especially where devastating wars, conflicts, and discrimination are going on. Happy New Year.

Rahi holds New Year's mass in Bkirki, says disputes, conflicts are contrary to Christian message
Mon 01 Jan 2018/NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Rahi, held Monday New Year's mass at Bkirki on the occasion of World Peace Day, whereby he deemed that conflicts and disagreements should be addressed, in order not to contradict the Christian message. "Conflicts and disputes, whatever their causes, are incompatible with Christianity's message, especially if it continues without any attempt to resolve it," Rahi said in his sermon. The Patriarch also called on all political groups and officials in the public domain "to lead the state and public administrations out of partisan, political and sectarian subordination to be replaced with loyalty to the country and the interest of the citizens, and put an end to financial and political corruption and protect public money from waste and theft." Following the mass, felicitators paid a visit to the Patriarch.

ISF Says Most Shooters Identified after 4 Hurt by NYE Gunfire
Naharnet/December 01/17/Four people were lightly injured by celebratory gunfire on New Year’s Eve and a large number of shooters have been identified while two have been arrested, the Internal Security Forces announced on Monday. “Investigations are underway to arrest the others and their names will be announced in later statements,” the ISF pledged. It also noted that the NYE celebrations went without any notable security incident and that only a few people were injured in traffic accidents.

Aoun Calls for 'Solidarity' in New Year
Naharnet/December 01/17/President Michel Aoun on Monday called on Lebanese to show “solidarity” in the new year. “Through our solidarity, will and effort, we can make tomorrow better than yesterday and the new year better than the past year,” Aoun said in a tweet marking the new year, wishing well-being to Lebanon and the Lebanese. Aoun is engaged in a spat with Speaker Nabih Berri over a controversial decree granting one-year seniority to a number of officers. After the decree was signed by Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Berri and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil insisted that the decree should have also carried the finance minister's signature. Aoun and his aides have argued that the decree did not require Khalil's signature because it did not entail any “financial burden,” a point Berri and officials close to him have argued against.Ain el-Tineh sources have meanwhile warned that the decree would tip sectarian balance in favor of Christians in the army's highest echelons. The officers in question were undergoing their first year of officer training at the Military Academy when Syrian forces ousted Aoun’s military government from Baabda in 1990. They were suspended by the pro-Damascus authorities until 1993 before they resumed their officer training course as second-year cadets.

Hizbullah Reportedly Won't Mediate between Aoun and Berri
Naharnet/December 01/17/Hizbullah will not mediate between its allies President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri in the ongoing spat over the controversial officers seniority decree, media reports said. “Until further announcement, Hizbullah does not intend to launch a mediation,” ministerial sources told al-Hayat newspaper in remarks published Monday. The party is concerned with “respecting the Constitution and state institutions, which means that it backs the viewpoint of its ally Berri but does not have the intention to spark a debate with its other ally, Aoun,” the sources added. Other media reports had said that Hizbullah would intervene after the holidays. The Aoun-Berri spat broke out after the president and the premier signed a decree granting one-year seniority to a number of officers. Berri and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil have insisted that the decree should have also carried the finance minister's signature. Aoun and his aides have argued that the decree did not require Khalil's signature because it did not entail any “financial burden,” a point Berri and officials close to him have argued against. Ain el-Tineh sources have meanwhile warned that the decree would tip sectarian balance in favor of Christians in the army's highest echelons. The officers in question were undergoing their first year of officer training at the Military Academy when Syrian forces ousted Aoun’s military government from Baabda in 1990. They were suspended by the pro-Damascus authorities until 1993 before they resumed their officer training course as second-year cadets.

Hariri Hails 2017 'Achievements', Vows 'Timely, Fair' Elections
Naharnet/December 01/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri has acknowledged that the past year was “difficult,” while noting that it involved “achievements” for the country. Efforts in 2018 “will be focused on restoring confidence in the state,” Hariri said in a TV interview. “I promise the Lebanese that the elections will be timely and fair,” the premier added, referring to the May 2018 parliamentary polls, which for the first time in Lebanon’s history will be held under a proportional representation system. “The Lebanese people must take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections and they should vote heavily for those whom they believe are eligible of being in power,” Hariri went on to say, pointing out that the results of the polls cannot be predicted in advance.

Hariri Expected to Meet Berri in Bid to End Row with Aoun
Naharnet/December 01/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri is expected to visit Speaker Nabih Berri ahead of this week’s cabinet session in search of a solution to the crisis between the latter and the president, media reports said. “Hariri is making efforts in several directions in a serious attempt to spare Cabinet an atmosphere of tension in its first session of the new year,” ministerial sources told al-Hayat newspaper in remarks published Monday. The premier had announced Saturday that he was working on a solution to the crisis. The spat between Berri and President Michel Aoun broke out after the president and the premier signed a decree granting one-year seniority to a number of officers. Berri and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil have insisted that the decree should have also carried the finance minister's signature. Aoun and his aides have argued that the decree did not require Khalil's signature because it did not entail any “financial burden,” a point Berri and officials close to him have argued against. Ain el-Tineh sources have meanwhile warned that the decree would tip sectarian balance in favor of Christians in the army's highest echelons. The officers in question were undergoing their first year of officer training at the Military Academy when Syrian forces ousted Aoun’s military government from Baabda in 1990. They were suspended by the pro-Damascus authorities until 1993 before they resumed their officer training course as second-year cadets.

Hariri Urges Unity, Says 'No Political Crisis in Country'
Naharnet/December 01/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri toured the capital Beirut on Sunday on the occasion of New Year’s Eve and stressed that “there is no political crisis in the country.”“We hope to remain united in order to build this country,” Hariri said from the Dar al-Aytam orphanage. “I have chosen to be at this place because children are the future,” he added. Hariri later inspected the Helou Barracks of the Internal Security Forces. “There is no political crisis in the country and all things can be resolved,” he said, referring to the spat between President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri. “I’m always optimistic because we went through tougher difficulties,” he noted.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 01-02/18
Pope Francis urges world to jettison 'banality of consumerism' and avoid 'empty chatter' in New Year's Day message
Mon 01 Jan 2018/NNA - Pope Francis has recommended jettisoning life's "useless baggage" in 2018, including what he called "empty chatter" and banal consumerism, and focusing instead on building a peaceful and welcoming world, particularly for refugees and migrants. Francis offered his reflections on paring down non-essentials as he celebrated New Year's Day Mass Monday in St. Peter's Basilica and later greeted some 40,000 people in St. Peter's Square. His advice included setting aside a moment of silence daily to be with God. Doing so would help "keep our freedom from being corroded by the banality of consumerism, the blare of commercials, the stream of empty words and the overpowering waves of empty chatter and loud shouting," Francis said. "At the beginning of the year, we too, as Christians on our pilgrim way, feel the need to set out anew from the centre, to leave behind the burdens of the past and to start over from the things that really matter," he said. The Catholic church designates Jan. 1 as World Peace Day, and in his comments after Mass to the crowd in the square outside the basilica, Francis noted that this year's focus of the day was the search for peace by migrants and refugees.
"I desire, yet again, to speak for these our brothers and sisters who invoke for their future a horizon of peace," Francis said. "For this peace, which is the right of everyone, many of them are willing to risk their life in a voyage that is in the great majority of cases long and dangerous, willing to face hardships and suffering," the pontiff said. In the past few years, hundreds of thousands of migrants have crossed the Mediterranean from northern Africa in human traffickers' unseaworthy boats, desperate to reach European shores. The pope's foreign travels in 2017 included a voyage to Myanmar and Bangladesh, where the suffering of minority Rohingya Muslims, who have fled from the first country to take refuge in the second, was a central concern of his pilgrimage. Francis in his appeal Monday said of refugees and migrants: "Let us not extinguish the hope in their hearts. Let us not suffocate their expectations for peace." He called for all to make commitments "to assure the refugees, the migrants, everyone, a future of peace." He then prayed that people "work in this new year with generosity to realize a world that is more united and welcoming." --- AP

Israel Ruling Party Votes for Push to Annex West Bank
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/17/The central committee of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party has voted for a resolution urging Likud parliamentarians to push to annex the occupied West Bank. The non-binding vote by the party's decision-making committee called on its MPs "to spread Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (the West Bank)." Netanyahu, who is a member of the central committee, was not present for the vote. The prime minister says he still supports a two-state solution with the Palestinians, although he has also pushed for Jewish settlement expansion in the West Bank, which has been under Israeli occupation for 50 years. In October, Netanyahu decided to postpone a vote on a controversial bill that critics say would amount to the de facto annexation of Israeli settlements surrounding Jerusalem. The bill had been expected to be voted on by a ministerial committee in a move that would fast-track its progress through parliament. Israel occupied the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, in the Six-Day War of 1967. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognized by the international community.It sees the entire city as its indivisible capital, while the Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. Israeli settlements are deemed illegal under international law and widely seen as the main obstacle to peace. More than 600,000 Jewish settlers live in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem among 2.9 million Palestinians, with frequent outbreaks of violence. Likud's central committee counts around 3,700 members, and according to Israeli media some 1,500 were present for Sunday's vote.

Abbas Slams Israel Ruling Party Vote for W. Bank Annexation
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/17/Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday harshly condemned a vote by Israel's ruling party in support of annexing large parts of the West Bank and criticised the United States for its silence. Abbas said the non-binding vote by the central committee of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party on Sunday "could not be taken without the full support of the U.S. administration."He said in a statement that the White House "has refused to condemn Israeli colonial settlements as well as the systematic attacks and crimes of the Israeli occupation against the people of Palestine.""We hope that this vote serves as a reminder for the international community that the Israeli government, with the full support of the U.S. administration, is not interested in a just and lasting peace," Abbas said. "Rather its main goal is the consolidation of an apartheid regime in all of historic Palestine." The Likud central committee backed a resolution urging Israel to extend sovereignty over all settlement areas in the West Bank and called for unlimited settlement construction. Netanyahu, who is a member of the central committee, was not present for the vote. Taking such a measure could effectively end hopes for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as there would be little area left for a Palestinian state. But a significant number of members of Netanyahu's right-wing coalition say that is precisely what they are seeking and openly oppose a Palestinian state. The prime minister says he still supports a two-state solution with the Palestinians, although he has also pushed for Jewish settlement expansion in the West Bank, which has been under Israeli occupation for more than 50 years. Palestinian anger at the U.S. is already high after President Donald Trump last month tore up decades of careful policy to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Two Christians Killed in New Year Attack on Egypt Liquor Store
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/17/A gunman killed two Copts celebrating the New Year in an Egyptian alcohol shop early on Monday, judicial and security sources said, the latest deadly violence against the Christian minority. The shooting came just three days after a gunman, identified as a wanted jihadist, killed nine people in an attack on a church south of the capital. An assailant rode up in the back of a motorcycle taxi and opened fire on the liquor store in Cairo's twin city Giza at around 1:30 am (2330 GMT Sunday), when the streets were still bustling with New Year revelers, the sources said. The store's Coptic owner survived but two of his friends who were celebrating with him were killed. Police are still investigating the motive of the attack, the sources said. Alcohol consumption is forbidden by Islam and liquor stores, most of which are run by Copts, have come under attack in the past by hardline Muslims who believe they should be banned. On January 2 last year, a Muslim slit the throat of a Coptic liquor store owner in the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria. The assailant was sentenced to death after telling the court that he would kill all alcohol sellers if he could.
Egypt's Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of the country's 93 million people, and are the largest religious minority in the region. Dozens of Christians have been killed in church bombings and shootings claimed by the Islamic State group's Egypt affiliate over the past year.

Iran temporarily restricts access to social media
Sun 31 Dec 2017/NNA - Iran will temporarily restrict access to some social media and messaging apps to control protests, Iranian state television quoted an informed source as saying on Sunday."It has been decided in the highest security level to restrict access to Telegram (messaging app) and Instagram," the source said. --- Reuters

12 killed amid demonstrations that saw attempts to storm police stations and military bases, state TV reports
Mon 01 Jan 2018/NNA - At least 12 people have now been killed in anti-government protests in Iran and security forces have had to fight off "armed protestors" trying to take over police stations and military bases, reports in the country's state media suggest. Authorities had previously confirmed four deaths but the total is now believed to have risen after tens of thousands of people joined the protests, which began last week. Two people were killed in clashes on Sunday night, adding to the two deaths confirmed on Saturday. Hundreds of people have been arrested in the demonstrations. State TV reported that some "armed protestors" had tried to storm security facilities. "Some armed protesters tried to take over some police stations and military bases but faced serious resistance from security forces", it said. As demonstrations continued, Hassan Rouhani, the Iran President, insisted people were "absolutely free to criticise" but said violence would not be tolerated. He said: “The government will show no tolerance for those who damage public properties, violate public order and create unrest in the society. “People are absolutely free to criticise the government and protest but their protests should be in such a way as to improve the situation in the country and their life.” “Criticism is different from violence and and damaging public properties." ---Independent

Trump Threatens to Cut Aid to Pakistan, a 'Haven to Terrorists'
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/17/U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Pakistan on Monday in his first tweet of 2018, threatening to cut off aid over what he said were its "lies and deceit" in offering "safe haven to terrorists.""The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools," Trump said as the new year kicked off. "They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!"Last week, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration was seriously weighing whether to withhold $255 million in already delayed aid to Islamabad over its failure to crack down more effectively on terror groups in Pakistan. U.S.-Pakistani ties, long contentious, have taken a nosedive under Trump, who in August declared that "Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror."Last month, Trump had already hinted that he may cut off the aid."We make massive payments every year to Pakistan. They have to help," he said in unveiling his national security strategy.
'Pakistan on notice'
And in late December, Vice President Mike Pence told American troops during a visit to Afghanistan, "President Trump has put Pakistan on notice."
The comments were an extension of repeated U.S. warnings that Pakistan must stop offering cross-border havens to Taliban factions operating in Afghanistan as well as armed jihadist groups fighting U.S. troops and their Afghan allies. Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif responded to Trump's tweet Monday, telling Geo television in an Urdu-language interview, "The United States should hold its own people accountable for its failures in Afghanistan." He said all funds from the U.S. had been "properly audited" and that "services (were) rendered."Islamabad has repeatedly denied the accusations of turning a blind eye to militancy, lambasting the United States for ignoring the thousands who have been killed on its soil and the billions spent fighting extremists. Lisa Curtis, who is the South and Central Asia director on Trump's National Security Council, wrote in an article published in February that the "activities and operations of diverse terror groups on and from Pakistani soil, and the government's failure to rein them in, threaten vital U.S. national security interests in the region." "To accomplish U.S. counterterrorism objectives in the region and to reverse extremist trends in Pakistani society, Pakistani authorities –- specifically the country's military leaders, who control its foreign and security policies –- need to take a comprehensive approach to shutting down all Islamist militant groups that operate from Pakistani territory, not just those that attack the Pakistani state," she said. Trump first signaled that the U.S. was reassessing its fractious relations with Pakistan in August, when he accused Islamabad of harboring "agents of chaos."The remarks triggered a series of high-level diplomatic meetings in the U.S. and Pakistan, but Islamabad has given few signs of concessions. After the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States, Washington forged a strategic alliance with Islamabad to help in its fight against terrorists. But U.S. leaders have often complained that Pakistan, which once supported the Taliban, has done too little to help.

'Life is Really Difficult': Tehranis Share Economic Grievances
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/17/The streets of Iran's capital have been relatively quiet as protests hit much of the country, but Tehranis still have plenty to complain about and demand action from the government. "Life is really difficult. The high prices really put me under pressure. My husband is a government worker but his salary is no way enough for us to make ends meet," said Farzaneh Mirzaie, 42, a mother of two. She said much of her family worked in a carpet factory in Kashan, a town 250 kilometers (150 miles) south of the capital, but they have all recently lost their jobs.
"The owner of the factory cannot afford to buy thread for carpets and so he sacked everyone. How should they survive?" It is a story heard up and down the country as Iran struggles to recover from years of poor economic management and crippling international sanctions. On Sunday night, Tehranis listened to President Hassan Rouhani address the mass protests that have spread across Iran since Thursday, in which he said people had the right to protest but should not engage in violence. "He says it's free for people to protest but we're scared of speaking. Even now, I'm scared of talking to you," said Sarita Mohammadi, a 35-year-old teacher. "If it's free to speak out and protest, then why have they deployed so many forces out there in the streets?"
'We'll have to pay for it'
Many people are nonetheless put off by the violence they have seen from protesters who have attacked banks, government buildings and symbols of the regime. Sara, a 26-year-old student in conservative dress, agreed with the government line that the protests were being "guided from abroad", but even she felt the protests began over "people's economic hardship.""I'm not at all for demonstrations in which public property is vandalised. When some break windows, then we'll have to pay for it later," added Shiva Daneshvar, a 55-year-old housewife. But everyone understands the frustration seething under Iranian society. "I think people don't like to vandalise and set fire to places, but this is the only way to make their voices heard," said Nasser Khalaf, 52, who works for an oil company, adding that he has two unemployed sons in their twenties. Many feel the nation has not been rewarded for enduring decades of hardship -- the tumult of the 1979 revolution, eight years of brutal war with Iraq in the 1980s and recent U.S. sanctions. "After 40 years they have realised that all the hardship... was in vain," said Arya Rahmani, a 27-year-old nurse. "I'm working in this society but I always have the stress of whether I'm going to be sacked tomorrow.""Mr Rouhani says 'protest in a proper way', but what is the proper way? If I come and say 'Mr Rouhani, I'm an educated person but I'm unemployed'... well, he wouldn't give a damn."
Trump in 'his palace'
There was typical derision regarding U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly tweeted his support for the protests in recent days, saying Monday that it was "TIME FOR CHANGE!" "Verbal support is of no use," said Rahmani. "He's living in his palace and here I'm arrested. What can Trump do?"
"It would be better if he didn't support the protests," added Khalaf, saying that external support from opposition groups was also unwelcome. Many harbour a deep mistrust of Trump after he barred Iranians from visiting the United States as part of his ban on "terrorist" nations. "The government should improve the people's situation to a level where Trump won't dare say such a thing," said Mirzaie, the housewife.Underlying it all is a deep-seated frustration that their country has failed to capitalise on its huge potential. "Our country is really like gold. Whatever you can think of, you can find in Iran. But we are not benefiting at all from the things we have in our country," said Mirzaie. It remains unclear where the protests will go from here. Without a clear leadership structure, the protests may struggle to stay focused, particularly if authorities decide to crack down more firmly than they have so far. Khalaf, the oil company employee, said that may be tougher than during the last mass protests that followed allegations of election-rigging in 2009. "In 2009 when people took to the streets it was only in Tehran and so they easily managed to suppress it," he said. "When it is widespread, then less forces can be sent."

12 Charges Sought against Palestinian 'Slap Video' Teen
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/17/Israeli authorities are seeking 12 charges against a Palestinian teenager arrested after a video of her slapping and kicking two Israeli soldiers in the West Bank went viral, her lawyer said Monday. Ahed Tamimi, 16, has been hailed as a hero by Palestinians who see her as bravely standing up to Israel's occupation of the West Bank. Israelis accuse her family of using her as a pawn in staged provocations. Tamimi's lawyer Gaby Lasky spoke to journalists ahead of her hearing in a military court, saying the charges include assault and relate to six different incidents. The accusations also include stone-throwing, incitement and making threats, Lasky said. Prosecutors are also seeking five charges against her mother Nariman, and had on Sunday filed charges against her cousin Nour, 20. Ahed Tamimi's family says the December 15 incident occurred in the yard of their home in Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah. A video shows the cousins approaching two Israeli soldiers and telling them to leave before shoving, kicking and slapping them. Ahed Tamimi is the most aggressive of the two in the video. The heavily armed soldiers do not respond in the face of what appears to be an attempt to provoke rather than seriously harm them. They then move backwards after Ahed Tamimi's mother Nariman becomes involved. Ahed Tamimi, arrested in the early hours of December 19, has been involved in a series of previous confrontations, with older pictures of her confronting soldiers widely published.

Trump Says 'Time for Change' in Iran
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/17/U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday it was "time for change" in Iran and that the country's people were "hungry" for freedom, after days of deadly protests against the government in Tehran. "Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the Obama Administration," Trump tweeted, referring to the nuclear pact sealed under his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. "The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted.
TIME FOR CHANGE!"T
rump has been vocal on Twitter about the protests in Iran since they erupted last week. "The world is watching!" he said, reposting clips of his speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September. "Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice," he tweeted, quoting from the speech. But Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hit back, saying the U.S. leader -- whose "whole being is against the nation of Iran -- had "no right" to sympathize with protesters.Ten people were killed overnight in Iran, local media reported, bringing the death toll after four days of protests to 12.

Kim Vows North Will Mass-Produce Nukes but Open to Talks with Seoul
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/17/North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un warned the United States Monday he has a "nuclear button" on his table but offered an apparent olive branch to South Korea in a New Year message, saying he was prepared for talks and may send a team to the Winter Olympics there. Kim struck a generally defiant note after a year of rising tensions marked by the North's multiple missile launches and its sixth and most powerful nuclear test -- purportedly of a hydrogen bomb. "We must mass-produce nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles and speed up their deployment," he said in his annual televised address to the nation. He reiterated his claim that his country had achieved its goal of becoming a nuclear state but insisted the expansion of the weapons program was a defensive measure. "We should always keep readiness to take immediate nuclear counter-attacks against the enemy's scheme for a nuclear war."The North claims it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself from a hostile Washington and has striven to create a warhead capable of targeting the U.S. mainland with an atomic warhead. U.S. President Donald Trump has responded to each test with his own amplified declarations, threatening to "totally destroy" Pyongyang and taunting Kim, saying he was on "a suicide mission."But far from persuading Kim to give up his nuclear drive, analysts say Trump's tough talk may have prompted the North Korean leader to push through with his dangerous quest. "(The North) can cope with any kind of nuclear threats from the U.S. and has a strong nuclear deterrence that is able to prevent the U.S. from playing with fire," Kim said Monday. "The nuclear button is always on my table. The U.S. must realise this is not blackmail but reality."
'Make a breakthrough'
When asked for a response to Kim's claim that he had a nuclear button on his desk, Trump said "We'll see, we'll see", in comments to reporters during the New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Kim also sugared his speech Monday with a conciliatory tone towards Seoul, indicating for the first time that the North is considering taking part in the South's Winter Olympics next month. "(The Olympics) will serve as a good chance to display our Korean people's grace toward the world and we sincerely hope the Games will be a success," he said. The North and the South should "depart from the past, improve relations and take decisive measures to make a breakthrough in efforts to achieve reunification", he said. South Korea's presidential Blue House welcomed the dialogue offer. "Should the Olympics be staged succesfully, it will contribute to peace not only on the Korean peninsula but in the region and the world as well," it said in a statement. Some analysts said Kim may be trying indirectly to lower the temperature with Washington. At a time when the risk of a U.S. pre-emptive strike is "higher than ever", Koh Yu-Hwan, political science professor at Dongguk University, said the speech indicated Kim was using the Olympics gesture to "shift from confrontation to peaceful coexistence with the United States." "When he said a nuclear launch button is always on his desk, he is hinting it is not necessary for the North to stage nuclear or ICBM tests in the foreseeable future," Koh told AFP, adding however that Kim also wanted to build "massive nuclear retaliation capabilities." Professor Yang Moo-Jin of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul said Kim "is extending an olive branch toward the South as the U.S. is expected to keep up with pressure and sanctions on the country throughout this year... as a whole the emphasis is on peace rather than confrontation." In December the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed new, U.S.-drafted sanctions against Pyongyang, restricting oil supplies vital for the impoverished state. The most recent set of sanctions, which the North slammed as an "act of war", also received the backing of China -- the country's sole major ally and economic lifeline. Observers say Washington must open talks with the North to defuse tensions but that remains a challenge. Pyongyang has always said it will only deal with the U.S. from a position of equality as a nuclear state. Washington has long insisted that it will not accept a nuclear-armed North.

36 dead in Kenya after head on collision between bus and truck
Sun 31 Dec 2017/NNA - Thirty-six people were killed and 11 injured early Sunday morning in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck on a road in central Kenya, police said. “The death toll is now 36,” said Rift Valley traffic police chief Zero Arome, explaining the initial toll of 30 had risen, “after six passengers succumbed to injuries in hospital.”The accident occurred at 3:00am close to a notorious stretch on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway. A bus travelling from Busia, in western Kenya, collided with a truck coming from Nakuru town. Police said the death toll for that stretch of road has now topped 100 this month alone. Arome said the drivers of both vehicles were among the dead, as well as a three-year-old child, while the injured had been taken to a Nakuru hospital. --- AFP
UN chief calls for restraint amid reports security forces violently dispersed Kinshasa protests
Mon 01 Jan 2018/NNA - United Nations Secretary-General Antَnio Guterres has called on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to exercise restraint amid reports of a violent crackdown by national security forces on demonstrations in the capital, Kinshasa, and a number of other cities. In a statement issued late Sunday by his spokesperson, Mr. Guterres expressed concern about reports of the violent dispersion of protests by national security forces, resulting in the death of at least five people, the wounding of several others and the arrest of over 120 persons. “The Secretary-General calls on the Government and national security forces to exercise restraint and to uphold the rights of the Congolese people to the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly,” said the statement. The Secretary-General went on to urge all Congolese political actors to remain fully committed to the 31 December 2016 political agreement, “which remains the only viable path to the holding of elections, the peaceful transfer of power and the consolidation of stability in the DRC.” That agreement – facilitated by Conférence Episcopale Nationale du Congo (CENCO) mediators, and reached in Kinshasa on 31 December 2016 – allowed President Joseph Kabila to stay in power beyond the end of his term and has stipulated that peaceful, credible and inclusive elections would be organized in DRC by the end of December 2017. --- UN

Costa Rica plane crash kills 12, including 10 U.S. citizens
Mon 01 Jan 2018/NNA - A plane crash in Costa Rica on Sunday killed 10 U.S. citizens and two local pilots, the Costa Rican government said. The cause of the crash was not yet known, the country's security ministry said. It took place in the mountainous area of Punta Islita, which is popular with tourists, in the province of Guanacaste, about 230 km (140 miles) west of the capital of San Jos. Enio Cubillo, director of Costa Rica's civil aviation agency, told local media that the deceased included 10 foreign tourists and two Costa Rican pilots for the aircraft, which was operated by local company Nature Air. Nature Air could not immediately be reached for comment. Laura Chinchilla, who was president of Costa Rica from 2010 to 2014, said on Twitter that her cousin, one of the crew members, had died in the accident. "There are no people alive," Security Minister Gustavo Mata said, adding that autopsies would be needed to confirm the total number and identities of victims because their remains were badly burned. Punta Islita, on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast, is popular among North American and European tourists for its pristine beaches and lush landscape. ---Reuters

UN chief calls for restraint amid reports security forces violently dispersed Kinshasa protests
Mon 01 Jan 2018/NNA - United Nations Secretary-General Antَnio Guterres has called on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to exercise restraint amid reports of a violent crackdown by national security forces on demonstrations in the capital, Kinshasa, and a number of other cities. In a statement issued late Sunday by his spokesperson, Mr. Guterres expressed concern about reports of the violent dispersion of protests by national security forces, resulting in the death of at least five people, the wounding of several others and the arrest of over 120 persons.
“The Secretary-General calls on the Government and national security forces to exercise restraint and to uphold the rights of the Congolese people to the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly,” said the statement. The Secretary-General went on to urge all Congolese political actors to remain fully committed to the 31 December 2016 political agreement, “which remains the only viable path to the holding of elections, the peaceful transfer of power and the consolidation of stability in the DRC.” That agreement – facilitated by Conférence Episcopale Nationale du Congo (CENCO) mediators, and reached in Kinshasa on 31 December 2016 – allowed President Joseph Kabila to stay in power beyond the end of his term and has stipulated that peaceful, credible and inclusive elections would be organized in DRC by the end of December 2017. --- UN

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 01-02/18
The Battle for Iran/Change will not come easily, peacefully, or soon.
المعركة من أجل إيران..التغيير لن يأت بسرعة وبسهولة وسلمياً
Karim Sadiadpour/The Atlantic/December 31/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=61513
Protest movements in the Middle East face enormous repressive hurdles and rarely have happy endings. Even when protesters “succeed” in toppling an autocrat, they’ve rarely succeeded in ending autocracy.
In Iran, the obstacles to success are daunting. Whereas most Middle Eastern countries are ruled by secular autocrats focused on repressing primarily Islamist opposition, Iran is an Islamist autocracy focused on repressing secular opposition. This dynamic—unarmed, unorganized, leaderless citizens seeking economic dignity and pluralism, versus a heavily armed, organized, rapacious ruling theocracy that espouses martyrdom—is not a recipe for success.
And yet, against this inauspicious backdrop, Iran’s mushrooming anti-government protests—although so far much smaller in scale than the country’s 2009 uprising—have been unprecedented in their geographic scope and intensity. They began December 28 in Mashhad, a Shiite pilgrimage city often considered a regime stronghold, with protesters chanting slogans like “leave Syria alone, think about us.” They soon spread to Qom, Iran’s holiest city, where protesters expressed nostalgia for Reza Shah, the 20th-century modernizing autocrat who ruthlessly repressed the clergy. They continued in provincial towns, with thousands chanting, “we don’t want an Islamic Republic” in Najafabad, “death to the revolutionary guards” in Rasht, and “death to the dictator” in Khoramabad. They’ve since spread to Tehran, and hundreds have been arrested, the BBC reported, citing Iranian officials.
What triggered these protests is a subject of debate—some evidence suggests they were initially encouraged by hardline forces to embarrass President Hassan Rouhani—but what has fueled them have been the same grievances that power anti-government protests everywhere: rising living costs, endemic corruption, fraud, mismanagement. In Iran, add to that bitter cocktail both political and social repression, all conducted from the moral pedestal of Islamist theocracy.
While these grievances have been festering for years and indeed decades, among the dozens of factors that distinguish today’s protests from 2009 is the smartphone. In 2009—when an estimated 2 million to 3 million Iranians protested silently in Tehran—fewer than 1 million Iranians owned such a device, and few outside Tehran. Today, an astonishing 48 million Iranians are thought to have smartphones, all of them equipped with social media and communication apps. The app Telegram alone is thought to have 40 million users, elusive from government control, but not immune to a communications shutdown if Tehran tries to throttle the internet.
But while Iranians have a much better understanding how elsewhere is living, the rest of the world has had a less clear idea of how Iranians are living given Tehran’s effective distortion of Western media coverage. Since 2009 and even before, the dogged professional journalists covering Iran—including The Wall Street Journal’s Farnaz Fassihi, The New York Times’s Nazila Fathi, Newsweek’s Maziar Bahar, Reuters’s Parisa Hafezi and Babak Dehghanpisheh, and dozens more—have been intimidated, expelled, and in some cases imprisoned. The few journalists remaining in Iran rightfully worry about their personal safety. Many of the best Iranian writers, scholars, and artists of their generation have been similarly banished from Iran.
A boy holding a placard with pictures of President Hassan Rouhani, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, poses for camera in front of a model of Simorgh satellite-carrier rocket with Iranian flags everywhere.
Trump's Iran Strategy Would Be Smart—If He Were Credible
The Questions Raised By Trump's Iran Deal Decision
At the same time, the regime has provided visas and access to those whom they know will provide friendlier coverage. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has been especially effective at manipulating Western journalists, analysts, and officials. This has created an opening for a new breed of opinion journalists and analysts—some of whom are simultaneously seeking and promoting business opportunities in Iran—pulling punches in order to preserve their access.
What happens now?
The Iranian government has the highest per capita execution rate in the world, treats women as second class citizens, persecutes gays and religious minorities, and stifles free speech. While there is a natural inclination among decent people everywhere to want a peaceful civil rights movement to succeed in Iran, there are ample reasons to believe it will not. The regime’s coercive apparatus—the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Bassij milita—are organized, armed, and abundant, and well-practiced in the brutal science of repression. Opponents of the government, in contrast, are unarmed, leaderless, and rudderless. In addition, Iran has at its disposal tens of thousands of Shia militiamen—including Lebanese Hezbollah—it has been cultivating for years and in some cases decades. For these battle-hardened forces, crushing unarmed Iranian protesters is a much easier task than fighting Syrian rebels or Sunni jihadists.
While some have expressed hope these protests might compel the Iranian government to try and address popular grievances, history shows us the opposite is more likely true. In the weeks and months to come, expect the regime to grow ever more repressive. Iran’s security forces thrive when there is insecurity. Some Iranians even fear the IRGC has allowed the protests to fester as a pretext for expanding their authority in the name of national security.
What can the United States do?
It is only natural that popular agitations against a regime whose official slogan is “Death to America” will elicit strong support from U.S. politicians. The question, as always, is what is the most constructive way for Washington to “support” such protests? In the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf war, President George H.W. Bush infamously encouraged Iraqi Shiites to rise up against Saddam Hussein. When they did so and were slaughtered, international outrage was directed at Bush more than Saddam. In 2009 the Obama administration offered only tepid support to the Green Movement uprisings in Iran, something Hillary Clinton later described as her biggest regret as Secretary of State.
What should American leaders do, then? While carefully crafted expressions of solidarity with the people, but not incitement, are good for posterity, given Washington’s meager leverage over Tehran such statements likely have only limited impact (In contrast to official statements about authoritarian regimes over whom the U.S. has had actual leverage, like Mubarak’s Egypt). What’s more important than public statements are U.S. policies that can inhibit the regime’s coercive capacity and their ability to black out communications.
One concrete suggestion is to make it clear that companies and countries around the world complicit in Iran’s repressive apparatus—including those providing censorship technology—will face censure from the United States. The United States should also mobilize global partners that do have working relations with Iran—including Europe, Japan, South Korea, and India—to add their voices of concern and condemnation to Tehran’s repression. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has been noticeably silent.
Given the opacity of the Iranian system and its inaccessibility to independent investigation, the days and weeks ahead are eminently unpredictable. Khamenei and his IRGC backers appear firmly entrenched from thousands of miles away, but we also know from history that authoritarian stability can be a chimera. In August 1978, the CIA confidently assessed that the Pahlavi monarchy in Iran “is not in a revolutionary or even a pre-revolutionary situation.” Five months later the Shah—stricken with advanced cancer unbeknownst even to his family—left never to come back. Khamenei’s health has been the source of wide speculation for years, but tightly held as a national security secret.
“I’m a pessimist because of intelligence,” the Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci apparently liked to say, “but an optimist because of will.” Two-thousand-five-hundred years of Persian civilization and a century-long quest for democracy offer hope about the irrepressible Iranian will for change. But the Islamic Republic’s four-decade history of brutality suggests that change will not come easily, or peacefully, or soon.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/12/the-battle-for-iran/549446/

Happy New Year to Iran and western media
Mashari Althaydi/Arabiya/December 01/17
Happy New Year to all, and we say this especially to the Iranian people who have given the Khameini regime a run for their money recently.
As 2017 came to a close, the Iranian regime was not boasting about taking down the Syrians. Its fighters in Syria under its flag were not celebrating their victories and were not expressing happiness over putting an end to the late Yemeni President, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
They deterred those who rejected their divine authority until someone from within decided to put matters into perspective. How will this big revolution come to an end? Will the Khameini regime, shielded by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Cops (IRGC) funds and weapons, collapse?
We do not yet know answers to these questions as the protests are still in its early stages. The Khameini guards may be able to put an end to it, temporarily that is, however the purpose is clear. The incident has so far caused major damage to the image, presence, propaganda and the future of the republic. It has also spread terrorism and chaos in the region with the help of comrades Mohammed Ali Jafari and Qasem Soleimani.
If this would have happened in Egypt, for example, how would have BBC, New York Times, CNN or German Deutchwelle covered it?
Western media
Speaking of those protecting the Khameini regime, it is interesting to see western media’s politeness, leniency and delicacy while dealing with the Iranian uprising. This is something journalists, researchers and politicians have picked up on.
We found Republican Senator, Ted Cruz, the former US presidential candidate, attacking the US network CNN because of its marginalization and misinformation regarding the Iranian people’s uprising.
We also found American researcher and politician Elliot Abrams criticizing The New York Times’ coverage in an article of his in New York magazine. Abrams described the American newspaper’s coverage as “suspicious,” which belittles the value of the protests.
Even the British BBC, which initially focused on demonstrations supporting the regime, spoke about the uprising against the regime. “It does not seem to be operating on a large scale,” it said. The Iranian regime’s behavior toward this uprising has so far led to the deal of 10 people, with dozens wounded or in jails.
Social media
Social media platforms such as Telegram and Instagram were shut down in the country and according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency, one of the IRGC brigades, Ismail Kuthari, threatened saying that the regime will fight “with an iron fist.”
If this would have happened in Egypt, for example, how would have BBC, New York Times, CNN or German Deutchwelle covered this incident? Would they cover it extensively and pursued which angle?
What does all this mean? How is it expected that the Saudi, Khaleeji and Arab recipients understand? Of course, this exempts Iranian Arabs and those who admire Qassem Soleimani’s heroism and his conquests.
As Shakespeare’s immortal play Hamlet says: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”. On that note, here’s wishing a happy new year for the Iranian people.

Which way will the protests in Iran go?
Ghassan Charbel/Arabiya/December 01/17
The heat of revolts brings with it concerns. The victorious are delusional in believing that they have come to stay forever and that they have left a permanent mark on a country. The most successful revolutions are the ones that are ripe enough to merge with the state that could at least ensure that it receives a dignified farewell. A revolution’s rejection of a state and its mentality means that a counter-revolution will erupt, sooner or later. The rejection means being eliminated with a fatal and costly blow.
The Iranian revolution acts as if it is not similar to other revolts. It is delusional in believing that it does not adhere to the laws of revolutions. It wrongfully believes that it can erase the signs of its old age and the disappointment of those whom it promised paradise. The Khomeini revolt refuses to stop and learn from the experiences of the not so distant past. Six decades before the Iranian revolution, Lenin’s uprising rattled the beginning of the 20th century. It believed that it had achieved salvation and prepared to build the new type of human. It was delusional in believing that it will last forever due to the strength of the party and army, severity of the agencies, skill of its propaganda machine and might on the foreign front. A revolution’s rejection of a state and its mentality means that a counter-revolution will erupt, sooner or later
In the last week of February 1986, Moscow hosted the 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The world was waiting expectantly for the new leader. The scene at the congress hall at the Kremlin was impressive indeed. As a young journalist, I was affected by what I saw.
General Secretary of the Congress Mikhail Gorbachev sat in the middle of the panel. He was flanked by his allies from Warsaw and the Socialist camp. Countries revolving in the Moscow orbit. Among them was Fidel Castro, who came to pledge his allegiance to the new czar. Other communist party leaders were there, as well as generals of the Red Army and eastern Europe. Everything gave the impression of strength. We are talking here about an empire that is armed to the teeth. An empire that possess a nuclear arsenal capable of destroying the world many times. An empire that sleeps on a sea of rockets that are pointed in all directions.
Lenin’s mausoleum
I told myself that I should take the opportunity and visit Lenin’s mausoleum that was only meters away from the congress hall on the other end of the Red Square. The queue was long, but I was distracted by an elderly woman, who was trying to persuade the people to buy a piece of soap. One of the members of the police quickly intervened and demanded that she leave. We later found out that the police organized strict measures to prevent beggars from coming near the square so that visitors would not realize that Lenin’s revolution did not succeed in ending poverty. The police organized a parallel campaign to prevent the few opposition figures from carrying out protests in demand of freedom and ending the phenomenon of waiting in long bitter lines to obtain their daily needs.
Five years later, the Soviet Union, which had lost the battles of economy and freedom, found itself without anyone to defend it. It collapsed under the weight of an empire that exceeded its economic capabilities. It was killed by the disappointment of its citizens, not the cannons of its enemies. During those days, the people wondered: “Why are we spending billions of dollars to fortify Castro’s regime instead of feeding the Soviet people?”
At times of rage, many declared angrily: “The steel of rockets does not satiate us.” Another lesson. This time from 2017. Chinese leader Xi Jinping stood at several platforms to underline reforms that helped his country escape poverty. Due to the internal stability and prosperity it has achieved, China is now progressing on the Silk Road and it is demanding a better position for itself among world players.
Rouhani speech
Hassan Rouhani was unable to deliver similar speeches because his efforts in his country were focused on paving a road to the Mediterranean through western Syria, which is littered with mines. Iran hoped that the new year would be one where it would be able to consolidate victories it has achieved over the years. Its power in Baghdad has reached a point where it has a say in the minute details of Iraqi life.
Its role in “disciplining” the Kurds was very clear. It could also speak of an achievement in Syria. The fate of Bashar Assad is no longer a main issue at any negotiations table. The Russian player disciplined the Syrian opposition before it then broke ISIS’ back.
Iran is also banking on Lebanon’s Hezbollah and its allies garnering a parliamentary majority in the May elections. This will give it the excuse to place Lebanon within the “Iranian crescent”. In Yemen, Iran is banking on the continuation of the war and that it would continue to use the Houthis in a war of attrition with Saudi Arabia.
Iranian authorities have not hesitated in promoting these victories. The Iranians witnessed General Qassem Soleimani walking among fighters in Syria and Iraq. They saw his smiles after he was able to “secure” the Iraqi-Syrian border and ensure the safety of convoys in reaching the Lebanese shores. All these images, including those of Houthis launching Iranian rockets at Saudi Arabia, were not enough to erase the disappointment on the internal Iranian scene.
Weary of hardships
The Iranians, or at least a majority of them, have grown weary of daily living hardships. They suffer from a lack of services, rise in inflation and unemployment and depletion of resources due to the sometimes organized disputes between conservatives and reformists. They have grown weary of the programmed democracy that is orchestrated from under the cloak of the supreme leader.
They have also grown weary of not being able to reap the rewards they have been promised after signing the 2015 nuclear deal. Donald Trump has once again brought up the shortcomings of the deal and the nuclear program, putting Europeans in a tight spot. This means that the badly needed investments that were promised will not happen.
The slogans that were chanted by the Iranians, or at least some of them, in the past few days reflected their weariness from the Iranian intervention in regional conflicts. They have spoken up against having their money spent on militias that are doing Iran’s bidding in regional hotspots.
The regular Iranian is now aware that his country’s authorities are effectively engaged in conflict with the majority of the people in the region and that their meddling is paving the way for endless wars. Add to this, Iran’s lack of acceptable rhetoric with which to address the international community.
It is too soon to tell how far the current protests will go. There is no doubt that the regime will not hesitate in using the same force it used in suppressing the 2009 Green Revolution if it saw a threat to its existence. It also certain that the protests are very clear popular messages that foreign “adventures” cannot cover up internal disappointments and “the steel of rockets does not satiate us.”