English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 19/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
You know that
among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them,
and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but
whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever
wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not
to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’
Saint Mark 10/35-45./:”James and John, the sons of
Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for
us whatever we ask of you.’And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do
for you?’And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one
at your left, in your glory.’But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you
are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the
baptism that I am baptized with?’They replied, ‘We are able.’ Then Jesus said to
them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am
baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not
mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’When the ten
heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and
said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as
their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But
it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be
your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For
the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom
for many.’
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on
September 18-19/2021
Health Minister: 626 new Corona cases, 6 deaths
Mawlawi visits Saraya Zahle, inspects confiscated truck loaded with nitrate in
Badnayel Plain
20 Tons of Ammonium Nitrate Seized in Baalbek
Rahi presides over Mass in memory of late Martyr Bashir Gemayel: If he had
remained alive and completed his term of presidency, Lebanon would not have
deteriorated since the late eighties
Mikati briefed by Mawlawi over investigations into ammonium shipment,
commissions Foreign Minister to make contacts to prevent Israel from carrying
out excavation works
Mikati's Press Office: News about requesting BDL Governor to freeze discussion
over raising dollar exchange rate of bank deposits totally groundless
Berri: Israeli entity's conclusion of exploration contracts constitutes a
violation of framework agreement
Wronecka Tells Miqati U.N. Ready to Assist, Meets WHO and Jordanian Officials
Foreign Minister contacts Mudallali, US Embassy to prevent Israel from drilling
in disputed areas
Iraqi gas-oil ship unloads its cargo at Al-Zahrani Plant
Franjieh, Collard convene in Bnachii
Clashes in Ain El-Helweh Camp following suspect's arrest
Joint Palestinian force Commander in Ain al-Hilweh says contacts are underway at
highest level for a cease-fire
Makhzoumi holds banquet in honor of British Ambassador, highlights importance of
Lebanese-British relations
WHO Chief: Lebanon's Brain Drain Threat to Health Sector
Lebanon’s economic recovery could be long drawn, fraught with huge challenges
New government raises gasoline prices in Lebanon
Mikati decries ‘violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty’ after Iran fuel shipment
FPM: To expedite financing card distribution
Turkey seeks to posture as new ‘protector of Sunnis’ in Lebanon
Six months on Lebanon’s south coast oil spill cleanup nears completion
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
September 18-19/202
Raisi Says Iran Won't Allow IS Presence on Afghan Border
Algeria's ex-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika Dies Aged 84
Attack on Gas Pipeline in Syria Causes Brief Power Outage
Three Blasts Kill at Least Two in Afghanistan's Jalalabad
Amal Clooney Named Sudan Adviser to ICC Prosecutor
UAE seeks new alliance to face regional threats
Brief detention of Tunisian MP sparks little sympathy
US sanctions put spotlight on Turkey as al-Qaeda hub
Washington hopes to raise its dispute with Paris next week at the United Nations
Church in former Daesh Iraqi stronghold gets new bell
Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC
English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on
September 18-19/202
Biden's Afghanistan Mistakes/Peter Schweizer/ Gatestone
Institute/September 18/2021
Selective Memory: The Carefully Excised "WHY" of the 9/11 Attacks/Todd Bensman/IPT/September
18/2021
The fall of Morocco’s PJD is that of political Islam/Idris al-Kanbouri/The Arab
Weekly/September 18/2021
Moment of truth is coming for Iran nuclear deal/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab
News/September 18/2021
US missteps embolden enemies and unnerve allies/Baria Alamuddin/Arab
News/September 18/ 2021
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 18-19/202
Health Minister: 626 new Corona cases, 6 deaths
NNA/September 18/ 2021
In its daily report on the COVID-19 developments, the Ministry of Public Health
announced on Saturday the registration of 626 new Coronavirus infections, thus
raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 617,662.
The report added that 6 deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours.
Mawlawi visits Saraya Zahle, inspects confiscated truck loaded with nitrate in
Badnayel Plain
NNA/September 18/ 2021
Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Judge Bassam Mawlawi, visited today the
Bekaa Governorate on his first tour after assuming his ministerial duties.
His first stop was at the Regional Command of the Internal Security Forces in
“Saraya Zahle”, where he met with senior ISF officers in the presence of the
Commander of the Bekaa Regional District, Colonel Rabih Mujaes.
Mawlawi then inspected the seizures of a truck in the Badnayel Plain loaded with
twenty tons of ammonium nitrate, which was intercepted by the Baalbek Judicial
Unit and moved from Baalbek to a safe area in the Bednayel Plain.
20 Tons of Ammonium Nitrate Seized in Baalbek
Naharnet/September 18/ 2021
Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi on Saturday inspected a truck carrying 20 tons
of ammonium nitrate in the Bidnayel Plain in the Bekaa after it had been seized
in Baalbek, the National News Agency said. Mawlawi said security forces moved
the dangerous material from Baalbek to the empty plain to protect public safety.
“I’m here to follow up on the investigation and not to expose its details. I
will not reveal any names or detainees. I’m here to laud the work, vigilance and
prudence of security agencies,” he added. The explosion of hundreds of tons of
ammonium nitrate at Beirut port on August 4 last year had killed at least 214
people, injured thousands and ravaged entire neighborhoods. It emerged later
that officials had known that the highly volatile substance had been left to
linger unsafely at the port for years, in a warehouse close to residential
neighborhoods.
Rahi presides over Mass in memory of late Martyr Bashir Gemayel: If he had
remained alive and completed his term of presidency, Lebanon would not have
deteriorated since the late eighties
NNA/September 18/ 2021
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, presided today over a Mass
service in the “Church of Our Lady” in the Patriarchal edifice in Bkirki, on the
occasion of the thirty-ninth anniversary of the martyrdom of President Bashir
Gemayel, which was attended by resigned MP Nadim Gemayel and his family members,
the Bashir Gemayel Academy team and a crowd of believers.
In his tribute word in memory of the Martyr President, the Patriarch said: “It
is true that thirty-nine years have passed since his martyrdom, yet no one has
come to fill the void of his great absence, which he created with a mandate that
lasted only twenty-one days and before he assumed the presidency….This covenant
was an example of a strong, savior, clean, all-inclusive and unifying rule that
reflects his character. President Bashir was strong in the political sense, a
comprehensive national savior, clean in his impartiality, stature and
personality, and uniting through his transcendence over his partisanship,
faction and sect, to become the president of all the Lebanese.”
He added: “The national rally around him was a special phenomenon, and a few
hours after his election he became the leader of those who opposed him as well
as the leader of those who loved him, and who abandoned their differences and
supported him…He was a unifying president who rebuilt the State of Greater
Lebanon, the State of Independent Lebanon, and the State of Resistance of
Lebanon, absorbing all the Lebanese sensitivities…The people supported him
mainly because of his spontaneity, sincerity, and his abandonment of narrow
interests and quotas, for the people's support remains more sincere than the
support of the leaders.”“President Bashir is an example and a role model for
everyone who desires to rule, whether the president, the legislative authority,
or the government. Bashir chose problem-solving over crisis management,
alliances over compromise settlements, national alliances over sectarian
alliance, and adherence to principles as the basis for action…He had the ability
to overturn equations, not succumb to them. He was with the people at all
times…and aimed to protect Lebanon from every aggression, liberate it from all
affiliation to another country, liberate its decision, and preserve its
democratic system and national partnership,” the Patriarch continued.
He stressed that the late Bashir Gemayel was not a revolutionist but rather a
resistance fighter who believed in change through national heritage and human
values. “Man, Lebanon, freedom, sovereignty, dignity, the state and the martyrs
were the focus of his struggle,” al-Rahi emphasized, adding that “the limits of
his resistance stood before the Parliament, the Presidential Palace, the
Lebanese system and the National Charter, and the limits of his foreign
relations stood at the borders of Lebanon's supreme interest and at the doorstep
of sovereignty and independence.”“He only felt indebted to the fighters,
martyrs, and people of good will," al-Rahi underlined, considering that “if he
had remained alive and completed his term of office, Lebanon would not have
deteriorated since the late eighties.” The Patriarch concluded by reminding the
Lebanese today of the late President’s will, namely “to restore the state's
entity, unity, prestige and Lebanese identity…lest we go into the game of
nations!”
Mikati briefed by Mawlawi over investigations into
ammonium shipment, commissions Foreign Minister to make contacts to prevent
Israel from carrying out excavation works
NNA/September 18/ 2021
Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, who
visited him at his residence this afternoon upon his return from the Bekaa
Valley. PM Mikati was briefed about the seized truck containing ammonium
nitrate, whereby he asked Minister Mawlawi to follow up on the ongoing
investigations into this matter to reveal all circumstances. On another note,
Mikati also asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdallah Bou
Habib, to make the necessary contacts with the relevant international
authorities to prevent Israel from undertaking oil and gas exploration
activities in the disputed marine area, after it concluded exploration contracts
with one of the companies and was preparing to start exploration. Prime Minister
Mikati affirmed that "there is no complacency in this matter, nor is there a
waiver of Lebanese rights, and the United Nations must play its role in
deterring Israel and forcing it to stop its repeated violations of Lebanese
rights and Lebanon's sovereignty." Meanwhile, the Prime Minister followed up
with Energy and Water Minister, Walid Fayyad, on the procedures related to
resolving the fuel crisis. Mikati stressed herein that "the priority is to end
the queues of humiliation of citizens in front of gas stations and to
re-organize the process of distributing fuel at all stations."
Mikati's Press Office: News about requesting BDL Governor to freeze discussion
over raising dollar exchange rate of bank deposits totally groundless
NNA/September 18/ 2021
In an issued statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s press office
categorically denied the circulated news via media outlets that the Prime
Minister has asked the Central Bank Governor to freeze the discussion regarding
raising the exchange value of dollar deposits in banks and to keep paying them
at the exchange rate of 3900 Lebanese pounds to the dollar. The statement
confirmed that such news is totally unfounded, adding that “any decision in this
dossier, as per the norms, is within the authority of the Central Council of the
Banque du Liban,” stressing that “PM Mikati did not interfere in this particular
issue at all.”“However, the Prime Minister accords the rights of depositors
highest priority, and he requested that it be included as a basic item in the
ministerial statement, and it will be followed up mainly after the government
gains confidence,” the statement reassured.
Berri: Israeli entity's conclusion of exploration contracts
constitutes a violation of framework agreement
NNA/September 18/ 2021
In an issued statement today, House Speaker Nabih Berri called on the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs to take “urgent and immediate action in the direction of the
UN Security Council and the international community to verify the possibility of
a new Israeli attack on Lebanese sovereignty and rights,” following reports
received about the "Halliburton" company winning the contract to explore for oil
and gas in the disputed area between Lebanon and occupied Palestine. Berri
stressed that "the Israeli entity's undertaking commissions and concluding
offshore exploration contracts for Halliburton or other companies in the
disputed area at sea represents a violation, or even a blow to the framework
agreement sponsored by the United States of America and the United Nations." He
also considered that "the reluctance and procrastination of the alliance of
Total Novatek and Eni companies in starting the drilling operations, which were
supposed to begin several months ago in Block No. 9 of the Lebanese side of the
maritime borders, raises major questions.”“The Israeli entity’s persistence in
its aggression represents a threat to international peace and security,” Berri
emphasized.
Wronecka Tells Miqati U.N. Ready to Assist, Meets WHO and
Jordanian Officials
Naharnet/September 18/ 2021
U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka has held separate meetings
with Prime Minister Najib Miqati, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus and Jordanian Ambassador to Lebanon Walid al-Hadid. "I am grateful
to Prime Minister Najib Mikati for a very fruitful discussion at this vital
juncture, for sharing his priorities in addressing people’s needs, initiating
key reforms, and preparing for elections," Wronecka tweeted after meeting the
premier. "The U.N. is ready to assist," she added. Separately, the U.N. official
said she held "very good discussions" with Jordanian Ambassador al-Hadid. The
talks tackled "regional cooperation, with a special focus on interconnectivity
to overcome the energy crisis in Lebanon," she said. "We also discussed the
international community’s commitment to support Lebanon and its people,"
Wronecka added. She also met with WHO chief Tedros, who visited Lebanon on
Thursday and Friday. "We discussed the importance of maintaining stability in
Lebanon, the heavily impacted health system, and WHO efforts," Wronecka said.
She added that "his visit is a clear expression of the U.N.'s commitment to
support Lebanon and its people."
Foreign Minister contacts Mudallali, US Embassy to
prevent Israel from drilling in disputed areas
NNA /September 18/ 2021
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdallah Bou Habib, contacted today
Lebanon’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations in New York, Ambassador
Amal Mudallali, and the Embassy of the United States of America, the state
sponsor of the negotiations between the two parties, raising the issue of
Israel’s awarding “Halliburton” a contract to carry out exploration works for
oil and gas at sea. Bou Habib underlined the need to ensure that these works do
not fall within the disputed area between Lebanon and Israel, in order to avoid
any attack on Lebanon's rights, and to prevent any future excavations in the
disputed areas.
Iraqi gas-oil ship unloads its cargo at Al-Zahrani Plant
NNA/September 18/ 2021
The Iraqi fuel oil vessel continued to unload its cargo today at the Zahrani
Thermal Factory in southern Lebanon, after the first batch was unloaded
yesterday at Deir Ammar Thermal Factory in the north, bearing in mind that the
vessel’s cargo is dedicated to the stations of "Electricité du Liban" to help
improve the electric current power supply. Head of the Al-Zahrani Plant, Eng.
Ahmad Abbas, confirmed in a statement that "the Iraqi gas-oil ship, loaded with
16,000 tons of fuel, which arrived this morning at Al-Zahrani, has begun
unloading its cargo without any obstacles."
Franjieh, Collard convene in Bnachii
NNA/September 18/ 2021
Head of the Marada Movement, Sleiman Franjieh, met today with British Ambassador
to Lebanon, Ian Collard, on his first visit to Bnachii. The meeting was held in
the presence of former Minister Roni Araiji and Dr. Jean Boutros, during which
talks centered on the overall developments and current prevailing conditions at
both the local and region scenes.
Clashes in Ain El-Helweh Camp following suspect's arrest
NNA/September 18/ 2021
Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp is currently witnessing armed clashes between members
of the "Fatah" movement and others from "Jund al-Sham", in which machine guns
and missiles are being used. The rising tension inside the camp is due to the
arrest of a wanted culprit, Mustapha F., by the Palestinian National Security
forces affiliated with the "Fatah" movement, who arrested the suspect in the "Taware-Al-Taameer"
district in the camp and handed him over to the Lebanese Army Intelligence.
Meanwhile, the displacement of residents from inside the camp to other areas is
being recorded, in wake of the deteriorating situation.
Joint Palestinian force Commander in Ain al-Hilweh says
contacts are underway at highest level for a cease-fire
NNA/September 18/ 2021
Sidon – A state of tension still prevails in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp,
where clashes are taking place between members of the Fatah movement and others
from Jund al-Sham in the “Taware’e-Baraksat” locality inside the camp, during
which machine guns and bombs are being used, triggering a situation of panic and
fear that led to the displacement of several camp residents, NNA correspondent
reported this evening. Commander of the joint Palestinian force, Colonel Abdel
Hadi al-Asadi, indicated that "contacts are taking place at the highest level
between the Palestinian national and Islamic forces, as well as the prominent
dignitaries of Sidon, particularly MP Bahia Al-Hariri, for a ceasefire and the
return of matters to normal." He added that "these are skirmishes confined to a
specific geographical area in the Taware’e-Baraksat locality inside the camp,
and we will work quickly, with the cooperation of all, to establish a ceasefire
and ensure that tranquility prevails."
Makhzoumi holds banquet in honor of British Ambassador,
highlights importance of Lebanese-British relations
NNA/September 18/ 2021
National Dialogue Party Chief, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, held a banquet at his
residence in honor of the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Ian Collard, and the
Political Official at the Embassy, Gavin Tench, in presence of the Makhzoumi
Foundation President, May Makhzoumi, Political Advisor Carol Zwein and Mayor of
Yahshush Karl Zwein. Makhzoumi stressed the "importance of the Lebanese-British
relations", thanking the Kingdom for its continuous concern for Lebanon’s best
interests and stability, particularly in light of the difficult circumstances
and challenges facing the Lebanese. He called on Britain and the international
community to "stand by the people, especially with the establishment of a
government that does not differ from its predecessors in the method of formation
and quotas, and cannot meet the aspirations of the Lebanese to get out of the
tunnel of economic, social and political crises," betting on "the adherence of
the Lebanese, mainly the youth, and the international community to holding the
parliamentary elections as a real prelude to change.”
WHO Chief: Lebanon's Brain Drain Threat to Health Sector
Associated Press/September 18/ 2021
The World Health Organization's director general has expressed deep concern
about the impact of Lebanon's economic meltdown and multiple crises on the
wellbeing of the nation, and said the brain drain among the country's health
workers is particularly worrisome. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke following
meetings with senior Lebanese officials and visits to health facilities and
practitioners over the past two days. He said the country of 6 million --
including over 1 million Syrian refugees -- needs emergency and development
support to tackle shortages of medicines, fuel, and structural problems such as
migration of medical professionals. The brain drain is depriving the country,
once a medical hub in the region, of essential human resources, he said. On
Friday, Ghebreyesus spoke to reporters at a rebuilt WHO warehouse in Karantina,
an area of Beirut devastated by a massive and deadly port explosion last year
that further depleted the country's already struggling health sector. The
warehouse, which stored drugs and medical supplies, was destroyed in the blast
and rebuilt with donor assistance. Ghebreyesus noted that the Lebanese are not
only struggling with the financial and political crises but also with the impact
of the port explosion and the coronavirus pandemic. "This is heavy. This is very
heavy," he said. "I don't know if there is any country in such a situation,
which is really dire." For months, pharmacy shelves have been bare, exacerbated
by panic buying and suppliers holding back drugs, hoping to sell them later for
higher prices amid plans to remove government subsidies. Hospitals are at a
breaking point, barely able to secure diesel to keep generators and life-saving
machines operating day to day as the cash-strapped government struggles to
import basic materials. The drug shortages threaten tens of thousands of people,
including cancer patients. Medics scramble to find alternatives to medicines
that are missing. Reports suggest thousands of doctors and nurses have left the
country in the past year for opportunities elsewhere. "Nurses are leaving,
doctors are leaving," Ghebreyesus said. "That is very serious. Its impact will
last for many years to come." WHO's director for Lebanon, Iman Shankiti, said
the organization has been helping procure medicine for cancer and critical
patients; and as part of the United Nations, has helped provide fuel for several
hospitals for the next two months, until a more lasting solution is found.
"It is only as we call it a band-aid, to ensure that the service continue
running," Shankiti said. "The U.N. again will not be able to replace the system
itself."Lebanon has been without a fully functioning government for over a year.
A new government was named last week, vowing to make talks with the
International Monetary Fund that could open doors to assistance from donors a
priority. Ghebreyesus said WHO will be sending a team of technical experts to
help the Lebanese government formulate a solution and develop a strategic plan
for reform.
Lebanon’s economic recovery could be long drawn, fraught
with huge challenges
Massive public debt combined with run-away inflation will challenge reform
efforts
Babu Das Augustine, Business Editor/ LGulf News/September 18/ 2021
Dubai: Despite the formation of a new government in Lebanon after 13 months of
political paralysis, the recovery of its economy from total collapse will be a
function of political stability and ability of the new government to introduce
bold and sustainable reforms, according to Institute of International Finance (IIF).
“It is hoped that the new cabinet, headed by Najib Mikati and apparently
supported by more than 70 per cent of lawmakers in the parliament, will arrest
further deterioration in the economy and lay the foundation for economic
recovery,” said Garbis Iradian, Chief Economist MENA of IIF.
Since the announcement of the new cabinet on September 10, the Lebanese pound
gained in value by more than 30 per cent against the US dollar in the parallel
market. But there is much uncertainty on the possibility of an agreement with
the IMF to lift the economy out of its current crisis.
Need for bold reforms
The new cabinet is expected to resume negotiations with the IMF soon. To get out
of the current crisis a comprehensive reform programme is needed to address
macroeconomic imbalances and structural bottlenecks. Such an economic programme
was prepared by the previous government (the Financial Recovery Plan (FRP),
dated April 2020), which was well received by the IMF and the international
community. However, the macroeconomic framework included in the FRP and the
proposed restructuring of the balance sheets of commercial banks and Bank du
Liban (BdL, the central bank) including the allocation of losses, need to be
reexamined and an agreement needs to be reached on the figures between the
financial sector, as represented by BdL, and the new government before resuming
negotiations with the IMF.
It is hoped that the new cabinet, headed by Najib Mikati and apparently
supported by more than 70 per cent of lawmakers in the parliament, will arrest
further deterioration in the economy and lay the foundation for economic
recovery.
- Garbis Iradian, Chief Economist MENA of IIF
Debt mountain
The projections in the FRP were based on an average exchange rate of LBP 3,400
per US dollar. According to Iradian, assuming that the current multiple exchange
rates are unified at around LBP 12,000 by end-2021, then the projected
government debt will surge to about 300 per cent of GDP. Moreover, the CPI
inflation for 2020 and 2021 far exceeds the projections in FRP. These would
change the estimated GDP in Lebanese pounds and in US dollars, and thus most
macroeconomic indicators in terms of GDP need to be revised.
The foreign currency debt situation is unlikely to be addressed only by
rescheduling. Some form of restructuring and forgiveness will be needed to bring
the debt to more sustainable levels.
CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE IN BANKING SYSTEM
Confidence in the banking system has been severely affected and may take time to
recover. The financial crisis that began in October 2019 has reduced the savings
of most Lebanese in the banking system.
Banks have imposed informal capital controls on withdrawals, limiting access to
savings.
The banking sector has faced a crisis in risk management. They took provisions
on the Eurobonds in their portfolios following BdL requirements, and several
banks now exceed the threshold. They also took provisions on their portfolio of
private sector loans, with a few banks covering almost the entire portfolio.
As such, banks have used their income to cover their operating expenditures and
the provisions on the Eurobonds, private sector portfolios, and the CDs
[certificate of deposits] issued by the BdL on their books. Also, the banking
sector has been experiencing an “internal’ consolidation, with the merger of
branches, cost containment measures, and shrinkage of their balance sheets.
Nonetheless, it seems likely that several banks will need to be liquidated,
followed by the consolidation of a few solvent but illiquid banks.
50 per cent chance
The IIF expects only a 50 per cent chance for the new government to pull-off the
wide-ranging economic reforms to save the economy from total collapse.
Despite a difficult political, social, and economic context, Iradian expects the
new cabinet to start soon implementing the re-forms, including bold steps to
eliminate a wide range of distortions in the economy, while at the same time
managing public anger and tensions resulting from the lifting of subsidies by
end- September.
“We see a 50 per cent chance that the new cabinet will be able to carry out the
economic and institutional reforms to achieve macroeconomic stability and start
tackling the solvency of public finance and banking soundness, which would
facilitate an agreement with the IMF and unlock adequate financial support from
the international community.
While negotiation with the IMF may prove to be a difficult and lengthy process,
the new government would be able to tap around $560 million in World Bank loans
($235 million allocated for an emergency social safety net for the poor, and
$325 million in humanitarian aid) agreed at the August 4 do-nor conference in
Paris.
Najib Mikati's government Lebanon formed after 13 months of political paralysis,
the recovery of Lebanon's economy from total collapse will be a function of
political stability and ability of the new government to introduce sustainable
reforms.
Immediate outlook
The IIF project the economy to contract by about 8 per cent in 2021, on top of a
contraction of 26 per cent in 2020. Such contraction, combined with 90 per cent
depreciation of the exchange rate on the parallel market, has shrunk the nominal
GDP by more than half in US dollars.
Wages fell sharply as pass-through from the parallel ex-change rate depreciation
caused inflation to accelerate to 123 per cent in July, and the IIF expects
further acceleration in the inflation rate to 204 per cent year on year by end
2021.
WHAT DO IMF AND WORLD BANK WANT FROM THE GOVERNMENT?
The IMF, World Bank, and other official donors have been holding back financial
support mainly because of the repeated failure of Lebanon’s political class to
implement critical reforms.
The key reforms expected by the IMF and the international community include the
following:
• Conduct a full audit of the central bank’s accounts and public institutions to
improve transparency and accountability.
• Adopt legislation to formalize capital controls.
• Guarantee the independence of the Judiciary Body to reduce corruption and
improve accountability.
• Unify the multiple exchange rates
• Reform the electricity company (EdL) and eliminate losses.
• Achieve sizable primary fiscal surplus starting in 2022 to put government debt
on a firm downward path.
• Restructure the financial system, which will involve recapitalization and bank
mergers.
• Set up an expanded social safety net to protect the most vulnerable people.
New government raises gasoline prices in Lebanon
The Arab Weekly/September 18/2021
Lebanon’s new government raised gasoline prices on Friday, cutting a subsidy
that Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said is unaffordable as he advances plans
to address a devastating financial crisis. The government also signed a new
contract with restructuring consultancy Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) to carry out a
forensic audit of the central bank, a step sought by donors who want to see
Beirut enact reforms to unlock badly needed aid. The Mikati government, which
took office a week ago, has promised action to address the crisis, including
talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a start to reforms. IMF
spokesman Gerry Rice said on Thursday there had been courtesy calls with members
of the new government and the Fund stood ready to engage in the period ahead.
Talks between the previous government and the IMF broke down last year. The
World Bank says Lebanon’s economic crisis is one of the worst on record. The
currency has slumped more than 90% since 2019, more than three quarters of the
population have been driven into poverty, the banking system is paralysed and a
hard currency crunch has led to shortages of vital imports, including fuel.
Defective system
Lebanon has been suppressing fuel prices by providing dollars at subsidised
exchange rates well below the pound’s price on the parallel market, with the
stated aim of shielding people hit by the currency’s collapse. Critics say the
system has given rise to smuggling and hoarding, contributing to shortages that
have crippled normal life and spawned a black market where gasoline has been
sold at enormously inflated prices. Fuel prices issued on Friday raised the
gasoline price by more than 37% with immediate effect. “This is the stage before
last of lifting the subsidy,” said Georges Braks, a member of the Petrol Station
Owners’ syndicate, who expects the subsidy to be removed by the end of
September. He said the new prices were based on an exchange rate around 12,000
pounds per dollar. This compares with a rate of 8,000 pounds per dollar that the
previous government agreed for fuel prices last month, but is still below the
rate on the parallel market, where dollars were changing hands at 14,600 on
Friday.
Unaffordable subsidy
The central bank said last month it could no longer afford to provide dollars
for fuel at heavily subsidised rates. The petrol price hike means importers will
still be sourcing dollars from the central bank rather than the market and so a
subsidy still applies, said Mike Azar, a senior Beirut-based financial adviser.
In a boost to the depleted reserves, $1.139 billion worth of IMF Special Drawing
Rights have been deposited at the central bank, the finance ministry said, part
of the Fund’s global allocation to help with the fallout of the COVID-19
pandemic. The Lebanese pound has strengthened from around 19,000 per dollar
since Mikati took office, ending a year of political conflict over cabinet seats
that left Lebanon rudderless. The IMF has recommended Lebanon unify the multiple
exchange rates along with other steps including the central bank audit. Finance
Minister Youssef Khalil, formerly a senior central bank official, signed the
contract with A&M, which the ministry said would present an initial report
within 12 weeks of its team starting work. A&M withdrew from the audit last
November, saying it had not received the information it required. The finance
ministry said in April the central bank had agreed to hand over required
documents. Parliament then agreed in December to lift banking secrecy for one
year, amid much back-and-forth between officials including the finance ministry
and the central bank over whether certain information could be disclosed.
Mikati decries ‘violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty’
after Iran fuel shipment
The Arab Weekly/September 18/2021
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Iranian fuel shipments imported by the
pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement constitute a breach of Lebanon’s sovereignty,
according to comments published by his office.
“The violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty makes me sad,” Mikati told CNN in an
interview, his office said in a posting on Twitter. He added: “But I’m not
concerned that sanctions can be imposed” on Lebanon “because the operation was
carried out without the involvement of the Lebanese government.” The Lebanese
militant group on Thursday began bringing tanker trucks carrying fuel from Iran,
a move it says should ease a crippling energy crisis in Lebanon. A tanker ship
carried the fuel to Syria and from there it crossed into Lebanon. Both Syria and
Iran are under US sanctions. Late on Friday, the Lebanese broadcaster LBCI said
that a new group of tankers carrying Iranian fuel entered Lebanon through the
Hermel area. Hermel is at the northern end of the Bekaa Valley, an area
populated mainly by Shia Muslims from whom Hezbollah draws its support. The
United States announced Friday sanctions on business networks in Lebanon and
Kuwait that funded Hezbollah. It also targeted financial facilitators and front
companies that support the group and Iran. “Together, these networks have
laundered tens of millions of dollars through regional financial systems and
conducted currency exchange operations and trade in gold and electronics for the
benefit of both Hezbollah and the IRGC-QF,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
said in a statement, referring to Iran’s Quds force, the arm of its
Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) that controls its allied militia abroad. “Hezbollah
uses revenues generated by these networks to fund terrorist activities and to
perpetuate instability in Lebanon and throughout the region,” the statement
said. Blinken said Hezbollah was increasingly looking for additional sources of
revenue to bolster its coffers and he called on governments around the world to
take steps to ensure it and other terrorist groups do not exploit their
territory and financial institutions. “The United States will not relent in
targeting these networks, and we will continue to take actions to disrupt their
activities,” he said.
FPM: To expedite financing card distribution
NNA/September 18/2021
The "Free Patriotic Movement" political body held its periodic meeting today,
chaired by its Chief, MP Gebran Bassil, following which an issued statement
expressed satisfaction with the rapid adoption of the ministerial statement,
which reflects the will of the new government to start effective work.
The political body also expressed its satisfaction with the signing of the
forensic audit, noting that the lesson lies in the implementation. Finally,
conferees called on the government to "accelerate the issuance and distribution
of the financing card to coincide with the lifting of fuel subsidies, so that
citizens can secure their minimum needs for transportation."
Turkey seeks to posture as new ‘protector of Sunnis’ in
Lebanon
The Arab Weekly/September 18/2021
BEIRUT--Saudi Arabia’s move to distance itself from Lebanon has left room for
Turkish manoeuvres to expand Ankara’s influence in the country. Turkey,
observers say, is now proclaiming itself as a “protector of Sunnis” in Lebanon,
a role that has been long associated with Saudi Arabia over the past decades.
The Secretary-General of the Islamic Group in Lebanon, Azzam al-Ayoubi has
recently sparked controversy, by calling on the Lebanese to draw “inspiration”
from the Turkish model, at a time when the country needs to be protected from
foreign meddling and facing threats to its sovereignty, especially with Iran’s
control via Hezbollah. “Part of what preoccupies the thinking of Sunni Muslims
in Lebanon is the role that Turkey can play in the country for their benefit,
based on their search for a way to restore the lost balance in Lebanon,”
Ayoubi’s said during a symposium organised by the Studies and Research Forum
under the title “The Turkish Renaissance and Its Impact on the Sunni Community
in Lebanon.” “Sunni Muslims in Lebanon look to any force that can support them
to achieve domestic balance and this comes as they feel weak compared to other
social and political components,” he added. Ankara is obviously investing in
Riyadh’s retreat from the Lebanese political scene, especially following the
massive Beirut port explosion last year. According to observers, Riyadh’s apathy
has created a vacuum that encouraged Ankara to promote the so-called Turkish
model in Lebanon via its agents and subordinates, who claim that a role by
Turkey could bring about a domestic balance between the different Lebanese
sects. Riyadh did not hide its dissatisfaction with political developments in
Lebanon, even before the explosion. It had stopped providing economic aid to the
country and downgraded its diplomatic mission in Beirut. According to senior
Saudi officials, Riyadh believes that the Lebanese state has completely fallen
under Hezbollah’s sway, which prevents Saudi Arabia’s presence in Lebanon,
whether politically or in investment matters. Political sources who have been
monitoring Turkish moves in Lebanon told The Arab Weekly that Ankara wants to
fill the Arab vacuum, playing, to this end, the sectarian card through its
charitable and Islamist arms in the country.
Turkey, they said, has devised several strategies to infiltrate the Sunni
community in Lebanon, using Islamists groups, exploiting humanitarian aid and
taking advantage of the difficult economic situation in the country. Sunni
political forces, feeling increasingly weak, have so far attempted to take
advantage of the Turkish push to expand Ankara’s influence in Lebanon. The
weakness of Sunni political forces, experts say, make them predisposed to be
exploited, with Tripoli and northern Lebanon possibly turning into a fertile
incubator for the Turkish project.
The Turkish intervention, however, will not likely be limited to the north, as
sources in the country say that there has been an attempt at expanding this
influence towards the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, through Ankara’s
contribution to financing the construction of a burns unit.
Prior to the deadly blast at Beirut port, there had been a political debate
between two Sunni political figures over who is loyal to Saudi Arabia and who is
loyal to Turkey in Lebanon. Asas Media, a website administered by former
interior minister close to Saudi Arabia, Nihad al-Machnouk, has accused former
Lebanese security director and Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi of working with
Turkish intelligence to take control of northern Lebanon. Rifi responded
violently to Machnouk, describing him as someone who kept moving “from one
intrigue to the other and only the employer changes.” Machnouk and Rifi at some
point competed for Saudi attention when the Saudi fortunes of the former
Lebanese prime minister and head of the Future Bloc Saad Hariri declined.
Observers consider that the apathy of Arab countries has pushed the Sunnis to
consider a Turkish role in order to counter Iran’s control over Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Ankara, the observers say, has greatly benefited from divisions and
differences among Sunni political forces in Lebanon to push for the creation of
a new political situation. “The Sunnis in Lebanon are looking to Turkey because,
during the last decade, it has stood by peoples who felt persecuted and
oppressed and most of these peoples were Sunni Muslims,” Ayoubi said. However, a
Lebanese politician, queried by The Arab Weekly on Ankara’s growing role in
Lebanon, stressed the need to “distinguish between the appreciation that the
Lebanese Sunnis, especially in Tripoli, hold for Turkey and being loyal to it,”
noting that Lebanon’s Sunnis generally sympathise with anyone opposing the Assad
regime in Syria. He explained that the Sunnis in general are allergic to anyone
who deals with Syrian President Bashar Assad in light of their bitter experience
with the Syrian regime, due to its sectarian (Alawite) nature. This sectarian
nature appeared specifically in Tripoli, where the Alawites, during the period
of the Syrian tutelage over Lebanon up to 2005, turned into something like
masters of the city, despite the fact that they formed only a small minority in
it.
Six months on Lebanon’s south coast oil spill cleanup
nears completion
Robert McKelvey/Al Arabiya English/September 18/2021
Six months ago, beaches and seaside communities across the southern coast of
Lebanon found themselves flooded with toxic tar and other contaminants, washed
ashore following an accident involving an oil tanker travelling through nearby
Israeli waters.
Now, thanks to efforts spearheaded by the United Nations Development Program and
funded by the German state-owned KfW Development Bank, the ongoing work of
clearing away this unwelcome flotsam from the already struggling country’s
seaside is finally nearing completion.
“The type of waste oil contamination was basically a tar-like oil residue
washing up on the shore in a solid or semi-solid form,” UNDP Program Manager for
Energy and Environment in Lebanon, Jihan Seoud, told Al Arabiya English. “The
best way to clean those up is manually, so this is how we approached it. We
didn’t use heavy machinery or equipment because it didn’t require that.
“We have actually managed to clean up most of the oil spill,” she explained.
“We’re finalizing it in the next few weeks. We’re inspecting the final sites
now.”
In the immediate aftermath of the spill, huge numbers of local residents and
volunteers were quick to appear on the scene, eager to help. However, it quickly
became apparent that a more organized approach would be required in order to
affect a successful cleanup.
“In general, volunteers can only go a certain length of the way,” said Seoud.
“This requires a lot of [time] and a lot of manpower, and there are also certain
techniques that need to be used because you [can] end up re-contaminating the
same spots. There’s a systematic approach that needs to be done.”
Without proper personal protective equipment and training, both of which the
UNDP provides, improperly handling materials contaminated with oil can be
potentially harmful to those attempting to remove them, as well as to the
environment.
Factors, such as the weather or the time of day must be considered. At higher
temperatures, oil residues become more fluid and sticky, making them more
difficult to clean off hard surfaces like rocks.
Rather than simply ask for more volunteers however, the UNDP ensure that all of
their workers receive payment for their efforts. With over 70 percent of the
Lebanese population currently unemployed and the local currency having lost much
of its value, this is a welcome bonus for many struggling to find work.
“The program is called ‘Cash for Work’; it’s one of the mechanisms that the
German government has been supporting, creating short-term jobs for the local
vulnerable people and refugees,” Seoud explained. “It’s a daily rate [with] a
minimum wage of $7 (USD) per day.”
Collected oil waste is then transported to the Zahrani Oil Refinery and
temporarily stored in UN standard drums, in line with best practice.
With Lebanon’s normally lucrative tourism sector already suffering due to travel
restrictions imposed in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, many feared
that a compounding ecological disaster polluting coastal waters could push these
businesses – and the families they support – to breaking point.
Fortunately, this hasn’t been the case, thanks to quick action from both local
residents, and the coordinated efforts of local and international authorities.
“The National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS) did an initial assessment
in partnership with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the
[Lebanese] Ministry of Environment and the municipalities in the south that were
affected,” said Seoud. “They let us know exactly where contamination was and
certain areas where it wasn’t easy to find. They were very keen and involved.
“We also received support from the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response
Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC),” she added. “They sent out experts
who supported us in scoping and determining the extent of the oil spill and the
best approach to cleaning it up.”
Although the full extent of the environmental impact of the oil spill is still
unclear, the UNDP is confident that the majority of the oil spill residue has
been safely removed. With their part in the recovery effort almost complete, it
now falls to other local groups to continue the work.
Small amounts of tar balls and fragments are still reportedly washing up on
shorelines, but these are likely coming from other sources elsewhere in the
Mediterranean carried by sea currents. They are not believed to pose a direct
threat to environmental wellbeing.
“New contamination is also something we’re debating now with the handover,”
explained Seoud. “We work on a project basis, so we don’t have a long term plan.
That is not our role, but the government and the municipalities [will] continue
to monitor, as will the CNRS as well.”
“You inspect and you assess,” she concluded. “The Mediterranean is not exactly a
very clean sea [and] we can’t keep cleaning the beaches; there has to be a
cutoff at some point.”
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on September 18-19/202
Raisi Says Iran Won't Allow IS Presence on Afghan Border
Agence France Presse/September 18/2021
Iran will not allow the Islamic State group to establish a presence on the
country's border with Afghanistan, President Ebrahim Raisi warned on Saturday.
"We will not allow terrorist organizations and IS to set up next to our border
and strike other countries and the region," Raisi said as he wound up a visit to
Tajikistan. "The presence of IS in Afghanistan is dangerous not only for
Afghanistan but also for the region," he told state television. The Taliban took
Afghanistan's capital on August 15, exploiting a vacuum caused by the withdrawal
of U.S. troops from the country and a collapse by the Afghan army. Iran, which
shares a 900-kilometre (560-mile) border with Afghanistan, did not recognize the
Taliban during their 1996 to 2001 stint in power. But Tehran has appeared to
soften its tough stance towards the Sunni militia in recent times in the name of
pragmatism. The Islamic republic has stressed that the Taliban must be "part of
a future solution" in Afghanistan. Afghanistan's new rulers have formed a
government composed entirely of Taliban and belonging almost entirely to the
Pashtun ethnic group. "A government belonging to only one ethnic or political
group cannot solve Afghanistan's problems," Raisi said on Saturday, calling for
a government with representation for all Afghans.
Algeria's ex-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika Dies Aged 84
Agence France Presse/September 18/2021
Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who ruled Algeria for two decades before resigning in 2019
as huge protests engulfed the country, has died aged 84, public television
announced. The former strongman had left office in April 2019 under pressure
from the military, following weeks of demonstrations over his bid to run for a
fifth term in office. After quitting, he had stayed out of the public eye at a
residence in western Algiers. The announcement of his death late Friday evening
triggered little reaction in the North African country, reflecting how his
absence had stamped him out of public interest. A statement from his successor
Abdelmadjid Tebboune noted Bouteflika's past as a fighter in the war for
independence from France and said flags would be lowered to half mast for three
days to honor him. But on the streets of the capital Algiers, many residents
told AFP the once-formidable president would not be missed. "Bless his soul. But
he doesn't deserve any tribute because he did nothing for the country," said
greengrocer Rabah. Malek, a telecoms employee, said Bouteflika "was incapable of
reforming the country despite his long rule". Even state broadcasters limited
their coverage to the news of his death, without running special bulletins on
his legacy.Sabqpress news website said the funeral would take place on Sunday at
the El-Alia cemetery east of the capital where his predecessors and other
independence fighters are buried.
There was no immediate confirmation from authorities.
'Absolute president'
Bouteflika became president of Algeria in 1999 as the former French colony
emerged from a decade of civil war that killed nearly 200,000 people. He went on
to be elected for three more consecutive five-year terms, most recently in 2014.
Dubbed "Boutef" by Algerians, he won respect as a foreign minister in the 1970s
and then for helping foster peace after the civil war, notably with an amnesty
law that prompted thousands of Islamist fighters to hand in their weapons. "He
was welcomed in countries around the world, and the country improved when
Bouteflika became president," said kitchen porter Amer, 46. Journalist Farid
Alilat, who has written a biography of Bouteflika, says that at the height of
his rule in the early 2000s, the president had "all the levers of
power."Crucially, he was backed by the army and the intelligence services. "He
became an absolute president," Alilat told AFP. Algeria was largely spared the
wave of uprisings that swept the Arab world in 2011, with many crediting
still-painful memories of the civil war -- as well as a boost in state handouts
-- for keeping a lid on tensions. But Bouteflika's rule was marked by
corruption, leaving many Algerians wondering how a country with vast oil wealth
could end up with poor infrastructure and high unemployment that pushed many
young people overseas. "He had a very comfortable life, even after he was ousted
from power. But we have to admit that his legacy isn't the most glowing", said
carpenter Mohamed, 46.
Ill health and protests -
In his later years, Bouteflika's ill health started weighing on his credibility
as a leader. Despite suffering a mini-stroke in April 2013 that affected his
speech and forced him to use a wheelchair, he decided to seek a fourth mandate
despite growing public doubts about his ability to rule. His bid in 2019 for a
fifth term sparked angry protests that soon grew into a pro-democracy movement
known as Hirak. When he lost the backing of the army, he was forced to step
down. The Hirak mass protests continued, with demands for a full overhaul of the
ruling system in place since Algeria's independence from France in 1962. Some
key Bouteflika-era figures were eventually jailed in corruption cases, including
Bouteflika's powerful brother Said, but the long-sought changes did not happen.
Bouteflika's successor Tebboune was elected in late 2019 on record low turnout,
with the Hirak calling for a boycott. A referendum on a constitutional amendment
seen as aiming to torpedo the Hirak generated even less interest from voters.
But the protest movement was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic and
has struggled to regain momentum as the government cracks down on opposition.
According to the CNLD prisoners' group, around 200 people are in jail in
connection with the Hirak or over individual freedoms. And with the Bouteflika-era
old guard still largely ruling the country, the legacy of two decades of his
rule is mixed. "For his entire life, Abdelaziz Bouteflika was driven by two
obsessions: take power and keep it at any price," said Alilat. "But it was this
obsession... that sparked the revolt that drove him from power."
Attack on Gas Pipeline in Syria Causes Brief
Power Outage
Associated Press/September 18/2021
An attack with explosive devices laid along a natural gas pipeline southeast of
Syria's capital knocked out power in parts of the country before it was quickly
restored, the electricity minister said Saturday. No one immediately claimed
responsibility for the attack, which was the latest incidence of sabotage
targeting Syria's oil and gas infrastructure. During the 10-year conflict,
Syria's oil and gas infrastructure was subject to repeated attacks and many oil
fields now lay outside of government-controlled areas. The attack southeast of
Damascus late Friday targeted a pipeline that feeds nearly 50% of Syria's power
plants, according to Electricity Minister Ghassan al-Zamel, whose comments were
carried by state media. He said the attack caused a drop in the transmission
pressure, affecting different power plants in the country. Maintenance work
began early Saturday and power was restored to all provinces, al-Zamel said. But
he warned that rationing would be "severe" until all repair work was completed.
A statement from the Oil Ministry called it a "terrorist attack that targeted
the Arab Natural Gas pipeline" in the Haran al-Awamid area in southern Syria.
The pipeline is part of a transregional gas export pipeline that used to bring
natural gas from Egypt to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The exports stopped before
Syria's war, but the pipeline has been integrated into the country's grid.
Three Blasts Kill at Least Two in Afghanistan's Jalalabad
Agence France Presse/September 18/2021
Two people were killed when three blasts struck the Afghan city of Jalalabad on
Saturday, at least one of which targeted a Taliban vehicle, in the country's
first deadly attack since the United States withdrew. The hardline Islamist
group stormed to power in mid-August, ousting the government and promising to
restore security to the violence-wracked country. "In one attack a Taliban
vehicle patrolling in Jalalabad was targeted," a Taliban official who asked not
to be named told AFP. "Women and children were among the injured," he added. An
official from the health department of Nangarhar Province told AFP that three
people died and 18 were wounded, while several local media reported the attacks
left at least two dead. Pictures taken at the site of the blast showed a green
pick-up truck with a white Taliban flag surrounded by debris as armed fighters
looked on. Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar, the heartland of the Islamic
State group's Afghanistan branch. A chaotic U.S.-led evacuation of
foreigners and Afghans who worked for international forces was marred by a
devastating bomb attack claimed by IS which killed scores of people. But since
the last American troop left on August 30, the violence-wracked country plagued
by fighting, bombs and air strikes, has been free of major incidents. Although
both IS and the Taliban are hardline Sunni Islamist militants, they have
differed on the minutiae of religion and strategy. That tussle has led to bloody
fighting between the two.
Boys back to school, not girls
Saturday's bombing came as the Taliban ordered boys and male teachers to return
to secondary school in Afghanistan -- but girls were excluded. "All male
teachers and students should attend their educational institutions," a statement
said ahead of classes resuming Saturday, the first day of the week in
Afghanistan. The statement, issued late Friday, made no mention of women
teachers or girl pupils. "We lack teachers, most of them are females and are not
allowed to come by the new government, that creates a problem for us," an
official at a Kabul secondary school who asked not to be named told AFP on
Saturday. Secondary schools, with students typically between the ages of 13 and
18, are often segregated by sex. During the Covid-19 pandemic, they have faced
repeated closures and have been shut since the Taliban seized power. Since a
U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban in 2001, significant progress has been made
in girls' education, with the number of schools tripling and female literacy
nearly doubling to 30 percent -- however, the change was largely limited to the
cities. The United Nations said it was "deeply worried" for the future of girls'
schooling in Afghanistan. "It is critical that all girls, including older girls,
are able to resume their education without any further delays. For that, we need
female teachers to resume teaching," the UN's children's agency UNICEF said.
Pakistan pushes for inclusive govt
In a further sign that the Taliban's approach to women and girls had not
softened, a sign outside the ministry of women's affairs was replaced with
another -- announcing the return of the feared department for the Promotion of
Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Videos posted to social media showed women
workers from the ministry protesting outside after losing their jobs. No
official from the Taliban responded to requests for comment. After promising a
more inclusive rule, the movement unveiled an all-male government of mostly
ethnic Pashtuns, dominated by veteran members of the fundamentalist movement.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said he had launched talks with
the Taliban -- whose leadership has historically had close ties with its
southern neighbor -- to persuade the group to form a government that includes
Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks.
'Tragic mistake
Meanwhile, a top United States general admitted it had made a "mistake" when it
launched a drone strike against suspected IS militants in Kabul last month,
instead killing 10 civilians, including children. The strike during the final
days of the U.S. pullout was meant to target a suspected IS operation that U.S.
intelligence believed with "reasonable certainty" was planning to attack Kabul
airport, said U.S. Central Command commander General Kenneth McKenzie. "The
strike was a tragic mistake," McKenzie told reporters after an investigation.
McKenzie said the government was looking into how payments for damages could be
made to the families of those killed. "I offer my deepest condolences to
surviving family members of those who were killed," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd
Austin said in a statement.
The U.N. Security Council voted Friday to extend the U.N. political mission in
Afghanistan for six months, with a focus on development issues but not
peacekeeping.
Amal Clooney Named Sudan Adviser to ICC Prosecutor
Agence France Presse/September 18/2021
The International Criminal Court's new prosecutor on Friday named prominent
Lebanese-British rights lawyer Amal Clooney as a special adviser on Sudan's
Darfur conflict. Clooney has previously been involved in a number of cases at
the Hague-based ICC, the world's only permanent war crimes tribunal. Her post
focusing on Darfur is one of several new special portfolios created by ICC
prosecutor Karim Khan, a Briton who took office in July. "I am delighted to
welcome such an outstanding group of experts and I am grateful for their
willingness to serve as my special advisers," Khan said in a statement.
Clooney's husband, the Hollywood actor George Clooney, is a longtime campaigner
for human rights in the Darfur region. The United Nations says 300,000 people
were killed and 2.5 million people were displaced in the 2003-4 Darfur conflict.
Fighting broke out when black African rebels, complaining of systematic
discrimination, took up arms against deposed dictator Omar al-Bashir's
Arab-dominated regime. London-based Amal Clooney represented Darfur victims in a
case at the ICC against Ali Kushayb, a leader of the Janjaweed militia -- a
notorious armed group created by the government.
She has also been involved in a string of human rights cases involving countries
including Iraq, Myanmar and the Philippines, and criminal cases covering Lebanon
and the former Yugoslavia. Last year she garnered headlines after resigning her
post as a British envoy for media freedom, in protest at the government's
"lamentable" decision to breach its EU divorce treaty. ICC prosecutor Khan said
the 17-member team of special advisers was "drawn from different regions of the
world with cultural, linguistic and gender diversity."
UAE seeks new alliance to face regional threats
The Arab Weekly/September 18/2021
The United Arab Emirates has been edging closer to Britain, in an attempt to
create a regional and international front that could fill in the security and
strategic vacuum left by the United States in the Arab Gulf region. Over the
last few months, the administration of US President Joe Biden has made
additional steps to shift its global focus away from the Middle East and more
towards China. On Thursday, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan
met UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the official WAM news agency reported. The
pair inspected a British Army honour guard as the energy-rich UAE builds up to
the December celebration of its founding in 1971, after Britain had relinquished
control over its constituent emirates. The Emirati state news agency WAM said
Sheikh Mohammed discussed with Johnson the historic friendship ties and joint
strategic cooperation between the UAE and the UK and ways to enhance relations
in the best interest of the two sides. “One of the most important aspects of our
developmental projects for the next 50 years is promoting developmental
partnerships with various countries of the world, especially with the UK,” the
Abu Dhabi crown prince said in a statement released by WAM. Sheikh Mohamed added
that the UAE is on the cusp of hosting a major global event, Expo 2020 Dubai,
adding, “We are confident that Britain’s participation will pave the way for
more opportunities for economic and development partnership between our two
countries. In the UAE, we seek to make this event a turning point on the road to
promoting global economic recovery, establishing global partnerships and finding
common ground to confront global challenges.” Sheikh Mohammed’s meeting with
Johnson came a day after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in
Paris.
A new security alliance, Aukus, formed by the United States, Britain and
Australia has left France frustrated at being left out, prompting concerns over
the impact on Washington’s commitment to form stronger ties with allies in
confronting China.
Paris, however, seems to agree with London on the need to preserve security in
the Arab Gulf region in cooperation with reliable allies who want to counter
Iranian threats, including the danger posed by missile proliferation and the use
of drones by Iran-backed proxies and militias. The UAE, as a balanced political
and military force, represents an axis for rallying allies in a region which is
increasingly threatened by the expansion of Iranian influence and the activities
of extremists groups.
These threats, experts say, were exacerbated by the withdrawal of the United
States, which allowed for radical movements and armed groups to expand and get
the upper hand in some regions, including in Afghanistan where the Taliban have
regained control. Saudi Arabia, which has been increasingly at odds with the US,
is a natural member of the expanding alliance, in view of its geographic depth,
military capabilities and regional influence. In late January Biden ordered a
review of all arms contracts concluded by his predecessor Donald Trump with
Saudi Arabia and other countries. In recent weeks, the US has removed its most
advanced missile defence system and Patriot batteries from Saudi Arabia, even as
the kingdom faced continued air attacks from Iran-backed Houthi militias in
Yemen. Then last week, US Defence Minister Lloyd Austin cancelled a planned
visit to Saudi Arabia, having been unable to meet the crown prince, who is also
the Saudi defence minister. The emerging alliance, experts say, will benefit
from the end of a dispute with Qatar, following the Al-Ula summit agreement that
was reached last January. The rapprochement with Turkey, the experts added, is
another factor that will be in the advantage of the alliance. Following the
meeting on Thursday at 10 Downing Street in central London, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala
sovereign wealth fund said the UAE will invest billions of dollars across the
UK’s technology, infrastructure and energy transition sectors. The United Arab
Emirates has committed to £10 billion ($13.8 billion) over five years, according
to a statement.
Mubadala said that its investment plans would “drive a significant increase”
across the three target sectors, building on an existing life sciences deal. In
March, it said it had committed an initial £800 million ($1.1 billion) to UK
life sciences over five years. “Today’s expansion of our Sovereign Investment
Partnership will help accelerate funding and innovation in key sectors that are
foundational to economic growth of both nations,” said Mubadala chief executive
Khaldoon Al Mubarak. The fund’s statement cited the UK minister for investment,
Gerry Grimstone, as saying that the move would “expand the exchange of
knowledge, skills and ideas that will drive prosperity in both nations.” The new
investment is a boost to the Johnson government’s vows to boost trade with the
rest of the world, including the Middle East, after Britain left the European
Union fully in January.
“This partnership has gone from strength to strength and its expansion is
evidence of its effectiveness and what we can achieve with important trade and
investment partners like the UAE through investment,” Minister for Investment
Gerry Grimstone said. UK-UAE trade was worth £18.6 billion in 2019 and two-way
investment came to £13.4 billion, according to British government data. “Today’s
expansion of our Sovereign Investment Partnership will help accelerate funding
and innovation in key sectors that are foundational to economic growth of both
nations,” said Mubadala chief executive Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
In the run-up to Britain hosting the COP26 summit in November, the new
partnership envisages energy giant BP collaborating with the Abu Dhabi National
Oil Company and renewables firm Masdar on climate-focused investments. Those
potentially include “low-carbon hydrogen hubs” and the creation of a
carbon-neutral air corridor between the two countries, the statement said. The
partnership also encompasses the reinforcement of already strong military ties
between Britain and the UAE, whose relations with Gulf neighbour Iran are tense.
Britain said it planned to increase land exercises in the UAE. In a joint
communiqué on Sheikh Mohammed’s visit to London, the two countries “reiterated
their commitment to deepening their strategic partnership on foreign policy,
regional, security and defence issues and they announced the launch of the
strategic Dialogue that will drive forward collaboration in education, culture
and climate change, multilateral cooperation and security issues.”“Both leaders
agreed on increased cooperation to ensure the safety and security of maritime
commerce, trade and energy routes,” the communiqué added.
Brief detention of Tunisian MP sparks little sympathy
The Arab Weekly/September 18/2021
Tunisian authorities on Friday briefly detained Seifeddine Makhlouf, according
to a lawyer for the controversial parliamentarian. The development did not stir
any form of sympathy among Tunisians, with the MP being known for his record of
physical and moral abuse of others, both inside and outside Parliament.
Defending Makhlouf, observers say, is a difficult task, with most political
parties and lawyers distancing themselves from his case and the recent
developments. The MP, observers added, has created many rivalries in a very
short period while adopting a hostile rhetoric that usually violates political
ethics in the country to target state symbols. Violent brawls inside the
parliament’s building, usually instigated by Makhlouf, have often shocked the
country, prompting the public to call on President Kais Saied to dissolve the
assembly and end what many had described as an “unprecedented disgrace.”Since
early 2020, fights, disputes and brawls have tarnished the image of the Tunisian
parliament as well as political parties and formations in general. The
activities of the parliament have been suspended since July 25, 2021 when
President Kais Saied invoked article 80 of the constitution to assume emergency
powers. The conduct of deputies, who were supposed to set an example for the
Tunisian public by exercising appropriate health precautions, including social
distancing, during the coronavirus pandemic, had been a source of embarrassment
for many. Makhlouf, in particular, had been at the heart of public resentment of
politicians for his staunch defence of suspected extremists and radicals. A
video published online by his lawyer Anouar Ouled Ali on Friday appeared to show
the head of the ultraconservative Islamist-nationalist party Al-Karama being
grabbed and bundled into a car by plain-clothes officers in central Tunis.
A military court had issued an arrest warrant against Makhlouf earlier this
month over a March altercation at Tunis airport, where he and two other Al-Karama
MPs are accused of insulting border police who had prevented a suspected
extremist woman from flying. The warrant came after President Kais Saied on July
25 sacked the government, suspended parliament, and removed lawmakers’ immunity.
Shortly before his detention, Makhlouf — whose party is allied with the Islamist
Ennahdha Movement — had posted a video saying he was on the way to the court in
Tunis with his lawyers. “We are not afraid of the military court,” he said.
Lawyer Ouled Ali later said that “as soon as he arrived at the court,
plain-clothes police officers ran towards Seifeddine, forced him to the ground
and beat him then forced him into a civilian vehicle.”Ouled Ali’s video of the
scene, published on Facebook and shared widely on social media, showed a man
attempting to free himself as five men forced him into a grey car. The military
court released him later Friday and set his next court appearance for September
27, Ouled Ali said. A new case involving Makhlouf has emerged in the province of
Kasserine where the MP is being investigated for a conpiracy to distribute
counterfeit banknotes. The Tunisian president has pledged to uphold rights. On
Friday, he said nobody would be stopped from travel unless subject to an
existing case.
US sanctions put spotlight on Turkey as al-Qaeda hub
The Arab Weekly/September 18/2021
WASHINGTON--The US Treasury placed five Turkey-based al-Qaeda facilitators and
financiers on its sanctions blacklist Thursday, as it focuses its attention on
the extremist group’s network in the country. The Treasury said Egypt-born
Turkish lawyer Majdi Salim and another Egyptian citizen, Muhammad Nasr al-Din
al-Ghazlani, acted as financial couriers for al-Qaeda in Turkey. The US said
Salim is the former leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, after taking over that
role from al-Qaida leader Ayman Zawahiri. Others were identified as Turkish
nationals Nurettin Muslihan, Cebrail Guzel and Soner Gurleyen. The group,
designated by the United States as a terror organisation, “used Turkey-based
financial couriers … to facilitate funds transfers on behalf of al-Qaeda,
including providing money to the families of imprisoned al-Qaeda members,” the
Treasury said in a statement. Guzel, Gurleyen, and Muslihan were accused of
having helped facilitate al-Qaeda’s network across Turkey and into neighbouring
Syria. Thursday’s announcement followed a similar sanctions designation in late
July of two Turkey-based “financial facilitators” of al-Qaeda and Hayat Tahrir
al-Sham, a jihadist group based in Syria with ties to al-Qaeda. Concern has
grown in Washington over a potential revival of al-Qaeda, responsible for the
9/11 attacks on the United States 20 years ago, after US troops withdrew from
Afghanistan in August. Al-Qaeda had been sheltering in Taliban-held Afghanistan
in the late 1990s and the US invasion in 2001 toppled the extremist regime in a
bid to find al-Qaeda’s leaders. “We will continue working with our foreign
partners, including Turkey, to expose and disrupt al-Qaeda’s financial support
networks,” said Andre Gacki, director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets
Control, which announced the sanctions.
Washington hopes to raise its dispute with Paris next week
at the United Nations
Middle East 24/September 18/2021
US State Department spokesman Ned Price announced that his country “hopes” to be
able to raise its dispute with France over the submarine crisis “next week” at
the United Nations. “We have been in close contact with our French allies and
hope to be able to continue our discussion on this issue at a high level in the
coming days, including at the UN General Assembly next week in New York,” Price
said in a statement. He added that he “understands the position” of the French,
stressing that he was informed of Paris’ unprecedented decision to recall its
ambassador to the United States for “consultations.” On Friday, France summoned
its ambassadors to the United States and Australia for consultations, in an
unprecedented decision towards two historical allies, after Canberra canceled a
huge contract with Paris to buy submarines and concluded a new one with
Washington for the same purpose.
“At the request of the President of the Republic, I have decided to immediately
summon to Paris to consult our ambassadors to the United States and Australia,”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement. “This
exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of what Australia
and the United States announced on September 15,” he added. US National Security
Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said, “We have been in close contact with our
French partners about their decision to recall the ambassador to Paris for
consultations. We understand their position and will continue to seek in the
coming days to resolve our differences, as we have done at other times during
our long alliance.”
Church in former Daesh Iraqi stronghold gets new bell
AFP/September 18, 2021
MOSUL: A bell was inaugurated at a church in Mosul on Saturday to the cheers of
Iraqi Christians, seven years after the Daesh group overran the northern city.
Dozens of faithful stood by as Father Pios Affas rang the newly installed bell
for the first time at the Syriac Christian church of Mar Tuma, an AFP
correspondent reported. It drew applause and ululations from the crowd, who took
photos on mobile phones, before prayers were held. “After seven years of
silence, the bell of Mar Tuma rang for the first time on the right bank of
Mosul,” Affas told them. Daesh swept into Mosul and proclaimed it their
“capital” in 2014, in an onslaught that forced hundreds of thousands of
Christians in the northern Nineveh province to flee, some to Iraq’s nearby
Kurdistan region. The Iraqi army drove out the jihadists three years later after
months of gruelling street fighting. The return of the Mosul church bell
“heralds days of hope, and opens the way, God willing, for the return of
Christians to their city,” said Affas. “This is a great day of joy, and I hope
the joy will grow even more when not only all the churches and mosques in Mosul
are rebuilt, but also the whole city, with its houses and historical sites,” he
told AFP.
The bell weighing 285 kilogrammes (nearly 630 pounds) was cast in Lebanon with
donations from Fraternity in Iraq, a French NGO that helps religious minorities,
and transported from Beirut to Mosul by plane and truck. The church of Mar Tuma,
which dates back to the 19th century, was used by the jihadists as a prison or a
court. Restoration work is ongoing and its marble floor has been dismantled to
be completely redone. Nidaa Abdel Ahad, one of the faithful attending the
inauguration, said she had returned to her home town from Irbil so that she
could see the church being “brought back to life.” “My joy is indescribable,”
said the teacher in her forties. “It’s as if the heart of Christianity is
beating again.”Faraj-Benoit Camurat, founder and head of Fraternity in Iraq,
said that “all the representations of the cross, all the Christian
representations, were destroyed,” including marble altars. “We hope this bell
will be the symbol of a kind of rebirth in Mosul,” he told AFP by telephone.
Iraq’s Christian community, which numbered more than 1.5 million in 2003 before
the US-led invasion, has shrunk to about 400,000, with many of them fleeing the
recurrent violence that has ravaged the country.
Camurat said around 50 Christian families had resettled in Mosul, while others
travel there to work for the day. “The Christians could have left forever and
abandoned Mosul,” but instead they being very active in the city, he said.
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials published on
September 18-19/202
Biden's Afghanistan Mistakes
Peter Schweizer/ Gatestone Institute/September 18/2021
Trump's Doha Agreement only bound the United States to a "complete withdrawal of
all remaining forces" with the "commitment and action" of the Taliban on its
obligations as laid out in the accord. Those terms bound the Taliban not to
"allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including al-Qaeda, to
use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and
its allies," as well as "not to cooperate with groups or individuals threatening
the security of the United States and its allies," and to "prevent any group or
individual in Afghanistan from threatening the security of the United States and
its allies."
Even prior to the final assaults on Kabul and the suicide bombings at Hamid
Karzai International Airport, it was clear the Taliban was neck-deep in a proxy
relationship with al-Qaeda via its relationship with the Haqqani network. Once
again, the information that should have led to a pause and a hard-nosed
assessment of how to complete the withdrawal in an orderly, safe way was ignored
to meet a political deadline.
Instead, the Afghan men who helped the U.S., the women who breathed freedom for
the first time, the military veterans from the U.S. and its allies who fought
and died there all feel a sense of abandonment and frustration at this endgame
incompetence. Those in the government who continue to hunt terrorist jihadis
have lost their sources, bases of operation, and ability to quick-strike
military targets that a resurgent al-Qaeda will now present there.
The details of the Biden administration's inner planning prior to the pullout
from Afghanistan are beginning to emerge, and they are not comforting. "Failure
is an orphan," as the old saying goes, but a paternity test is in order to
explain a failed effort that will haunt the administration for years to come.
Pictured: President Joe Biden (L) meets with his national security team on
August 22, 2021 at the White House -- Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R),
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (3rd L), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Gen. Mark Milley (4th L), National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (2nd L), DNI
Avril Haines and CIA Director William J. Burns.
The details of the Biden administration's inner planning prior to the pullout
from Afghanistan are beginning to emerge, and they are not comforting. "Failure
is an orphan," as the old saying goes, but a paternity test is in order to
explain a failed effort that will haunt the administration for years to come.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, appearing before congressional panel
recently, tried to defend the rationale for the hasty withdrawal, claiming, "We
made the right decision in ending America's longest war." This, of course,
dodges the question of how the withdrawal was conducted.
There were extraordinary failures in intelligence assessments, stacked alongside
conflicting agendas between the departments of State and Defense, the National
Security Advisor, and the president's closest political minders. As is so often
true of foreign affairs policy in the U.S., domestic political goals and
campaign promises interfered with common sense and sound military planning. The
price of incompetence was the deaths of 13 American servicemen and hundreds of
Afghan civilians hoping to be rescued from vengeful Taliban gunmen.
There was also a misreading of our obligations under the Doha Agreement, signed
with the Taliban in February 2020 by the Trump administration and cited by Biden
as one reason his hands were tied in drawing down American forces in
Afghanistan.
Biden campaigned on ending America's 20-year involvement in Afghanistan, and
pledged in a national address, broadcast in April, that the last 2,500 troops
would leave the country before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on New
York and Washington. Most Democrats and even some Republicans welcomed his
announcement. While Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that "precipitously
withdrawing US forces from Afghanistan is a grave mistake," his colleague Sen.
Ted Cruz (R-TX) said, "I'm glad the troops are coming home." A few Senate
Democrats, such as Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) also cautioned, "The U.S. has
sacrificed too much to bring stability to Afghanistan to leave without
verifiable assurances of a secure future."
Yet, while there was criticism of what the withdrawal would mean for the
Afghans, no one expected the execution of it to be botched so badly. What led to
the disaster?
One answer may be a fateful decision made by Blinken shortly after Biden's April
announcement, when Blinken pledged to retain the full "diplomatic, economic, and
humanitarian toolkit" to support the Afghan government, even after American
forces left. The security of the U.S. embassy in Kabul was thereby made the
priority. This had spillover effects on planners at both State and the DoD to
protect the 4,000 American, foreign and Afghan staff during the drawdown. State
and Defense officials settled on a plan to retain 650 troops to guard the
embassy and secure Hamid Karzai International Airport, which the White House
approved.
Yet in his opening statement before the House Foreign Affairs committee in
September, Blinken asserted, "There's no evidence that staying longer would have
made the Afghan security forces or the Afghan government any more resilient or
self-sustaining," Blinken said. "If 20 years and hundreds of billions of dollars
in support, equipment, and training did not suffice, why would another year, or
five, or ten, make a difference?"
While Blinken's pledge back in April may have been an honorable gesture, he was
either misinformed or overly optimistic about the stability of the U.S.-backed
Afghan government. Either possibility made no sense given the worsening
intelligence assessments at the time of the Taliban's ability to surround and
threaten Kabul. Why did no one, in particular Joe Biden himself, challenge
Blinken's rosy scenario for maintaining a functioning U.S. embassy in the face
of obvious direct threats to it? Instead, this became the tent-pole around which
the planners of the drawdown based their timeline and priorities. Blinken's
statement to the House suggests he finally understands this.
Had Blinken's hopeful gesture been overruled, the withdrawal might instead have
prioritized covering the removal of American citizens and Afghan civilians,
under protection by sufficient U.S. military presence and air support from
Bagram Air Base. As we now know, the loss of U.S. air support for the Afghan
army led to the Taliban's military victory. Once intelligence reports finally
caught up to the reality in the field, this should have led the decision makers
to a complete re-think of how the drawdown was being conducted. Instead, the
administration's senior leaders went along with the rushed schedule demanded by
Biden, and Blinken's naïve attempt to maintain the embassy presence.
Then there is the Biden administration's claim to have been forced into its
hasty withdrawal because of the Doha Agreement, negotiated by the Trump
administration in 2020. Journalist and author Lee Smith has covered the conflict
for several years. Interviewed recently for the podcast of the Government
Accountability Institute, Smith said that there was no chance the Taliban were
ever not going to play host to terrorists like Al Qaeda once U.S. forces
withdrew from Afghanistan. "The whole country is more or less ungovernable
space, a place where no one will check on them and no one cares if they are
there," he said.
Trump's Doha Agreement only bound the United States to "complete withdrawal of
all remaining forces" with the "commitment and action" of the Taliban on its
obligations, as laid out in the accord. Those terms bound the Taliban not to
"allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including al-Qaeda, to
use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and
its allies," as well as "not to cooperate with groups or individuals threatening
the security of the United States and its allies," and to "prevent any group or
individual in Afghanistan from threatening the security of the United States and
its allies."Even before the final assaults on Kabul and the suicide bombings at
Hamid Karzai International Airport, it was clear the Taliban was neck-deep in a
proxy relationship with al-Qaeda via its relationship with the Haqqani network.
Once again, the information that should have led to a pause and a hard-nosed
assessment of how to complete the withdrawal in an orderly, safe way was ignored
to meet a political deadline.
Put together, these two failures have been enough to enrage not just those who
believed our presence in Afghanistan should have continued, but those on the
political Left and Right who supported getting out, provided it was done with
dignity and left a stable government behind.
Instead, the Afghan men who helped the U.S., the women who breathed freedom for
the first time, the military veterans from the U.S. and its allies who fought
and died there all feel a sense of abandonment and frustration at this endgame
incompetence. Those in the government who continue to hunt terrorist jihadis
have lost their sources, bases of operation, and ability to quick-strike
military targets that a resurgent al-Qaeda will now present there.
Author Lee Smith recently shared a comment from a journalist friend of his who
is also a veteran of the Afghanistan War. His friend wrote him in frustration
over the withdrawal and told him, "You don't spend two decades pumping trillions
of dollars into a money pit and funding all manner of transparent fantasies one
year at a time with no real continuity or long-range planning, then all of a
sudden develop the ability as you're running out the door at half past midnight
to make prudent decisions to secure your material interests."
*Peter Schweizer, President of the Governmental Accountability Institute, is a
Gatestone Institute Distinguished Senior Fellow and author of the best-selling
books Profiles in Corruption, Secret Empires and Clinton Cash, among others.
© 2021 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Selective Memory: The Carefully Excised "WHY" of the
9/11 Attacks
Todd Bensman/IPT/September 18/2021
American media won't speak its name – "Islamist terrorism' – but the historic
9/11 Commission Report does and always will
"But the enemy is not just 'terrorism,' some generic evil. This vagueness blurs
the strategy. The catastrophic threat at this moment in history is more
specific. It is the threat posed by Islamist terrorism – especially the al Qaeda
network, its affiliates, and its ideology." – The 9/11 Commission Report, p.
362, July 2004
In the American media's impressive production output of 20th anniversary 9/11
retrospectives this past week, a grand omission is now glaring: Why "they," the
hijackers and al Qaeda, did it. The short answer is: they did it out of
religious conviction to their interpretation of Islam.
A case in point for selective media amnesia can be found in this story based on
the Flight 93 recovered cockpit recordings. It reconstructed heart-rending
recollections of conversations between loved ones on the ground and the 40
bravely insurgent passengers. Largely omitted in commemoration coverage was any
reminder that the same recordings offered a glimpse into a hijacker's state of
mind at an authentic moment of truth. Nine times over that flight's final six
seconds before it nosedived into a Shanksville, Pa. field, from 10:03:02.7 to
10:03:09.2, he chanted:
"Allah is the greatest! Allah is the greatest! Allah is the greatest! Allah is
the greatest! Allah is the greatest! Allah is the greatest! Allah is the
greatest! Allah is the greatest! Allah is the greatest!"
Only by the most acrobatic of intellectual yoga did major U.S. media dodge civic
obligation to remember and explore the religious motive that drove the 9/11
hijackers to mass murder. Media outlets like the New York Times, the Washington
Post, USA Today, and the majority of major city newspapers and online outlets
mostly danced lightly past their duty to remind a younger generation that
thousands of Islamist fanatics at home and around the world harbor the very same
religious ideology and still endeavor to kill them the next time.
A highly nimble USA Today, for example, pretzel-twisted itself under, over and
then around having to mention that motivating religious animus by posting a
story with the subhead "Eight influential Muslim Americans discuss how 9/11 and
Islamophobia affected life in the U.S. over two decades." CBS News engaged in
similar misdirection with a piece titled "Muslim Americans still face hostility
20 years after 9/11." A CNN story containing no evidence leads viewers anywhere
else possible with the headline: "Too many US Muslim children dread 9/11 every
year."
Stories of anti-Islamic hate crimes, when they are true, deserve to be told, of
course. But the dereliction of duty to complete the more complicated, accurate
portrait, in which 9/11's perpetrators acted out of their perceived religious
duty, short-circuits the opportunity to explain how that same motivation has
survived and thrived around the world under different brand labels, and remains
a potent threat.
Fortunately, the 567-page 9/11 Commission Report, the U.S. government's
three-year-long, bipartisan investigative effort to provide as full a possible
historic account of how the attacks succeeded – and why the perpetrators carried
them out – exists for moments like these. The report was authored by the
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. That was an
independent, bipartisan group created on Nov. 27, 2002 by an act of Congress
signed by President George W. Bush to study and then hold hearings about what
happened.
To be sure, the 9/11 Commission report has its detractors who have quibbled with
its recommendations, analysis, and research methodology. But the document stands
factually unscathed with its gravitas intact. It remains in public libraries, on
official government websites, and was quoted widely (if selectively) in the
media commemoration coverage. Congress carried many of the report's
recommendations through to major legislation. The report is still frequently
cited in academic works and books as definitive history of the attacks, along
with its conclusions about the motivating ideology behind them, which have never
been overturned.
If there was ever a time to let the 2004 government tome do its job, it is now,
when media gatekeepers regard essential truths as too politically unsuitable for
American minds. The following are excerpts from the 9/11 report about WHY they
attacked.
Excerpts to Remember for the Now and Future
"...Usama Bin Ladin and other Islamist terrorist leaders draw on a long
tradition of extreme intolerance within one stream of Islam (a minority
tradition), from a least Ibn Taimiyyah, through the founders of Wahhabism,
through the Muslim Brotherhood, to Sayyid Qutb. That stream is motivated by
religion and does not distinguish politics from religion, thus distorting both.
It is not a position with which Americans can bargain or negotiate. With it
there is no common ground— not even respect for life— on which to begin a
dialogue. It can only be destroyed or utterly isolated."
What to Do? A Global Strategy, Reflecting on a Generational Challenge, Defining
the Threat, page 362.
"Bin Ladin also relies heavily on the Egyptian writer Sayyid Qutb. A member of
the Muslim Brotherhood executed in 1966 on charges of attempting to overthrow
the government, Qutb mixed Islamic scholarship with a very superficial
acquaintance with Western history and thought... He claimed that the world was
beset with barbarism, licentiousness, and unbelief (a condition he called
Jahiliyya, the religious term for the period of ignorance prior to the
revelations given to the Prophet Mohammed). Qutb argued that humans can choose
only between Islam and Jahiliyya... All Muslims – as he defined them – therefore
must take up arms in this fight. Any Muslim who rejects his ideas is just one
more nonbeliever worthy of destruction. Bin Ladin shares Qutb's stark view,
permitting him and his followers to rationalize even unprovoked mass murder as
righteous defense of an embattled faith."
The Foundation of the New Terrorism, Bin Ladin's World View, page 51.
"Many Americans have wondered, "Why do 'they' hate us?' Some also ask, 'What can
we do to stop these attacks?'
Bin Ladin's grievance with the United States may have started in reaction to
specific U.S. policies but it quickly became far deeper. Al Qaeda's answer was
that America should abandon the Middle East, convert to Islam, and end the
immorality and godlessness of its society and culture: 'It is saddening to tell
you that you are the worst civilization witnessed by the history of mankind.' If
the United States did not comply, it would be at war with the Islamic nation, a
nation that al Qaeda's leaders said, 'desires death more than you desire life.'
Page 51.
"How did Bin Ladin – with his call for the indiscriminate killing of Americans—
win thousands of followers and some degree of approval from millions more? The
history, culture, and body of beliefs from which Bin Ladin has shaped and spread
his message are largely unknown to many Americans. Seizing on symbols of Islam's
past greatness, he promises to restore pride to people who consider themselves
the victims of successive foreign masters. He uses cultural and religious
allusions to the holy Qur'an and some of its interpreters. His rhetoric
selectively draws from multiple sources – Islam, history, and the region's
political and economic malaise."
2.2 Bin Ladin's Appeal in the Islamic World, page 48.
"By 1998, Bin Ladin had a distinctive appeal, as he focused on attacking
America. He argued that other extremists, who aimed at local rulers or Israel,
did not go far enough. They had not taken on what he called 'the head of the
snake.'" Page 54.
"In February 1998, the 40-year-old Saudi exile Usama Bin Ladin and a fugitive
Egyptian physician, Ayman al Zawahiri, arranged from their Afghan headquarters
for an Arabic newspaper in London to publish what they termed a fatwa issued in
the name of a 'World Islamic Front.' Claiming that America had declared war
against God and his messenger, they called for the murder of any American,
anywhere on Earth, as the 'individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any
country in which it is possible to do it.' Three months later, when interviewed
in Afghanistan... Bin Ladin enlarged on these themes. He claimed it was more
important for Muslims to kill Americans than to kill other infidels. 'We believe
that the worst thieves in the world today and the worst terrorists are the
Americans. Nothing could stop you except perhaps retaliation in kind. We do not
have to differentiate between military or civilian. As far as we are concerned,
they are all targets."
The Foundation of the New Terrorism, A Declaration of War, page 47.
"Our enemy is twofold: al Qaeda, a stateless network of terrorists that struck
us on 9/11; and a radical ideological movement in the Islamic world, inspired in
part by al Qaeda, which has spawned terrorist groups and violence across the
globe. The first enemy is weakened...The second enemy is gathering, and will
menace Americans and American interests long after Usama Bin Ladin and his
cohorts are killed or captured. Thus our strategy must match our means to two
ends: dismantling the al Qaeda network and prevailing in the longer term over
the ideology that gives rise to Islamist terrorism...The present danger is
Islamist terrorism."
What to Do? A Global Strategy, page 363.
"The small percentage of Muslims who are fully committed to Usama Bin Ladin's
version of Islam are impervious to persuasion. Muslims themselves will have to
reflect upon such basic issues as the concept of jihad, the position of women,
and the place of non-Muslim minorities. The United States can promote
moderation, but cannot ensure its ascendancy. Only Muslims can do this." Engage
the Struggle of Ideas, page 375.
The American media does a disservice to the republic in hop-skipping past the
religious "why" behind 9/11. In doing so, it fails to serve the time-tested
wisdom that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. Protecting a new
generation of Americans from knowing the why of 9/11 portends another failure to
guard against "Islamist terrorism" and a return to fatal pre-9/11 naiveté and
vulnerability.
*Todd Bensman is a 23-year former investigative newspaper reporter and
government intelligence official with master's degrees in journalism and
security studies. His new book is America's Covert Border War: The Untold Story
of the Nation's Battle to Prevent Jihadist Infiltration.
Copyright © 2021. Investigative Project on Terrorism. All rights reserved.
The fall of Morocco’s PJD is that of political Islam
Idris al-Kanbouri/The Arab Weekly/September 18/2021
The fall of the Moroccan Justice and Development Party (PJD), which has always
invoked its Islamist affiliation, was not the fall of a political organisation
that captured people’s attention for a whole decade of modern partisan history
in Morocco, as much as it was the collapse of an entire model, the model of
political Islam. Indeed, ten years after the so-called Arab Spring, the PJD’s
defeat has shown that this model is not as viable in the long run as many
believed. Like the Arab Marxist model that prevailed and then vanished, the
failure of that of political Islam showed that ideology-based tendencies are on
their way to extinction and that an ideologically-based party, no matter how
much it expands, is intrinsically flawed.
What befell the currents of political Islam in a number of Arab countries is
bound to encourage new approaches and interpretations different from those that
dominated the study of political Islam in the Arab world from the sixties till
about ten years ago. The assumption was that political Islam was the competitor
to existing political parties and a possible alternative that Arab peoples were
ready to embrace just because they are Muslim.
The experience with political Islam in Morocco has shown that ground-level
practical politics deprives Islamist actors of the claim to virginity and purity
that form the backbone of their strength while outside government.
Democracy is enough to cut them down to size because reality puts them
face-to-face with the demands and daily pressures of the people. In an era full
of challenges on more than one level, political Islam does not seem to be able
to meet the ever-growing needs of the masses and the requirements of global
coexistence. Management of domestic politics has become intertwined with the
management of international relations and foreign policy is greatly impacting
domestic choices.
One of the major myths dispelled in these elections is that the Islamist
movement enjoys a stable and constant electoral base, a myth that has been
widely spread among analysts at home and abroad since 2011.
It was said that the party had an inexhaustible electoral base and that at a
time that it was popular, the country’s major traditional parties were in
retreat. The trend was noted even in old Western democracies. The Islamists
believed that their popularity could not wane because their electorate was
always reliable. However, what happened on the eve of September 8 deeply jolted
them as the results showed that there is no such a rule. It showed instead that
voters are demanding beings whose voting intentions revolve around their
livelihoods. They cannot be deceived for more than two terms.
Evidence has shown, since the 2002 elections in Morocco, that the voter
reluctance to participate in the polls favours Islamists, while high turnouts
weaken them. By comparing the participation rates in the 2016 elections, when
Islamists won 125 seats in parliament, with their percentage in the last
elections in which they won thirteen seats, it is obvious that the size of the
turnout has a strong impact on the election results. Scientifically, we may say
that high level of political awareness is the greatest enemy of political Islam.
The Moroccan experience is truly a unique model in dealing with political Islam.
Ever since the first half of the nineties, when neighbouring Algeria was
experiencing an internal war between extremists and the ruling regime, Morocco
has chosen to integrate the Islamist actors into its political structure,
instead of giving them the opportunity to claim a larger-than-life size by
virtue of being sidelined.
Morocco has realised that there are two ways in a showdown with the Islamist
trend: either a showdown with the state or one with the electorate, meaning by
that, a showdown according to democratic rules. Morocco chose the second
approach.
Those who are outside the political game always master the art of protest,
accusing the state of marginalising them and not giving them the opportunity to
engage in political action. But after they enter the political game and become
part of it, they face a different task, that of convincing voters.
Moment of truth is coming for Iran nuclear deal
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/September 18/2021
However one looks at the current diplomatic maneuvers between Tehran and the
international community over Iran’s nuclear program, it is evident that they are
edging closer to crunch time, forcing all sides to reveal their cards.
One aspect essential to any negotiations but completely missing in those with
Iran, and more specifically over America’s return to the JCPOA, is mutual trust.
Without it, not only will it be almost impossible to reach an agreement, but
even if one is concluded the sides will remain suspicious of each other’s true
intentions and whether they will abide by the terms of the agreement. However,
to avoid further confrontation, including a military one, a verifiable agreement
with clear penalties for breaching it is essential to end the cat-and-mouse game
played by Tehran when it comes to inspections of its nuclear sites, let alone
prevent it acquiring material that will enable it to become a nuclear military
power.
A contributory factor to the current impasse is the lack of coherent policies
with clearly set priorities — both on both Iran’s side, and also on the part of
those who are trying not just to prevent it acquiring nuclear military
capability, but also to stop its destabilising policies elsewhere. For Iran the
nuclear issue is as much about regional hegemony and prestige as it is a feature
in its complex domestic politics. For those who wish to contain Tehran’s
ambitions, there is confusion between the emerging danger of a militarily
nuclearized Iran with all its implications and complications, including a
nuclear arms race in the region, and halting the country’s more conventional
aggressive activities in the region, whether these relate to Yemen, Syria,
Lebanon or the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Although there is an obvious
connection between Iran’s involvement in subversion in different parts of the
region and its nuclear ambitions, each issue requires at times different
strategies, ranging from diplomatic negotiations to tangible pressure to gain
the necessary impact.
In a last-ditch attempt to avoid escalation, Rafael Grossi, head of the
International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, rushed to Tehran
for a meeting with the head of the Iranian atomic energy association, Mohammad
Eslami. Following this meeting Iran agreed to permit IAEA inspectors to service
the agency’s surveillance equipment, which it barred this year. This will
improve the monitoring of Iran’s enrichment activities, though Iran has
previously managed to deceive the inspection system. Tehran has already admitted
that its Natanz plant it has enriched uranium to much higher purity than the
2015 deal allows. Add to this a report this month by the IAEA which revealed
that Iran was also working on enriched uranium metal that can be used to make
the core of a nuclear bomb, and it is no surprise that the alarm was raised
among the European countries of the P5+1 and in Washington. Based on the data
available from the IAEA report, analysts concluded that Iran was a month away
from having enough material to produce a single nuclear weapon, although
assembling a nuclear warhead was still months away, possibly even years.
The agreement that enables renewed inspections has spared Iran, at least for
now, from further condemnation by the UN Security Council and from further
action by European powers and the US. But the message from Washington is that
the window for negotiations is closing. On a visit to Germany this month, US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “I’m not going to put a date on it but
we are getting closer to the point at which strict compliance with the JCPOA
does not reproduce the benefits the agreement achieved … we are not there
yet.”Regardless of how flawed the decision by the Trump administration was to
withdraw unilaterally from the JCPOA in 2018, thus handing Tehran an excuse to
accelerate its nuclear program, that decision has become an irrelevance in its
dealings with the Biden administration. Tehran continues to protest its
innocence, claiming that its nuclear program is peaceful, but few take this
claim at face value. Iran has no reason to invest a vast amount of resources and
clash with the international community, let alone be on the receiving end of
severe sanctions that have stifled its economy, unless it has nuclear military
ambitions.
Iran may discover that, unlike the more divided international approach when it
comes to other aspects of its adventurism, its nuclear program could unite large
parts of the international community in a desire to ensure that it is truly a
non-military one.
The game Iran is playing is a high stakes one that it can hardly afford, but it
is caught up in its own domestic intricacies, made even less pragmatic by the
election of President Ebrahim Raisi, with his hegemonical ambitions. The bravado
of refusing to negotiate directly with Washington until all sanctions are
lifted, and further claiming that it was the US that violated the agreement, may
serve the Iranian leadership well among its domestic audience, but only further
stretches the patience of the US, Europe, the GCC countries and Israel, all of
whom are operating on the working assumption that Iran is deliberately running
down the clock until it has crossed the threshold of being able to assemble a
nuclear weapon, and feel obliged to mount further pressure on Tehran to prevent
this from happening.
Nevertheless, the least likely scenario is military action, even limited,
against Iran. With the Trump-Netanyahu, populist-provocative brand of politics
now removed from the center of power, the language of military force has become
more subdued. Israel is still insisting that it has a military option, as was
hinted at last week by its Defense Minister Benny Gantz. However, despite having
held to this position for nearly 20 years, its modus operandi has remained that
of slowing down Iran’s nuclear program by means of clandestine operations and
encouraging diplomatic pressure and sanctions.
There is no reason to believe that this pattern of diplomacy, accompanied by
covert operations, cyberwarfare and threats of sanctions and military action
won’t continue, but with more intensity as the timeline becomes tighter. This
may unite and invite the international community, including perhaps China, even
Russia, to ratchet up their diplomatic and economic pressure on Tehran. Iran may
discover that, unlike the more divided international approach when it comes to
other aspects of its adventurism, its nuclear program could unite large parts of
the international community in a desire to ensure that it is truly a
non-military one.
*Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate fellow
of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the
international written and electronic media. Twitter: @YMekelberg
US missteps embolden enemies and unnerve allies
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/September 18/ 2021
Joe Biden was supposed to be the anti-Trump on the world stage — restoring the
trust of allies, enhancing multilateralism, and calming tensions through
cool-headed leadership.
How did it all go so wrong?
Perhaps the US president was straitjacketed into a hasty Afghan withdrawal by
his predecessor, but it was executed in a way that pulled the carpet out from
under America’s allies, allowing the Taliban and their terrorist counterparts to
sweep to power, destroying the lives of millions.
Now we have the awkwardly named AUKUS alliance of Australia, Britain and
America, with a Pacific nuclear submarine project that risks crossing the line
between constraining China and provoking China. In language we haven’t heard for
decades, a Chinese state newspaper warned that the alliance potentially rendered
Australia the “target of a nuclear strike.” When British Prime Minister Boris
Johnson was asked by his predecessor Theresa May whether he had considered the
implications of being drawn into a war with Beijing, it was clear that he
hadn’t. After the self-inflicted humiliations of Brexit, he was willing to sign
up to anything just to prove that the US president still remembered who he was.
In a further reminder of how Western relations have eroded over the Trump years,
the French Foreign Minister described AUKUS as a “stab in the back.” It would be
bitterly ironic if this deal pushed China and the EU closer together. The
Australian prime minister proudly categorised seeking refuge under America’s
protective umbrella as a “forever partnership.” He would be wise to review
America’s history of “forever partnerships” with erstwhile allies in Kabul, the
Kurds, and numerous other leaders who suddenly found themselves abandoned to
face the wrath of their enemies — or indeed their own citizens.
Biden’s Afghan retreat is a continuation of an isolationist trend dominant in US
policymaking for well over a decade, and for many European leaders Biden
represents the culmination of Trump’s domestically obsessed instincts. Calls for
a collective European defense policy, independent of the US, have intensified
under Biden. In UK political circles before 2016, anything short of
full-throated support for the US was unthinkable, but British politicians are
now queuing up to denounce American foreign policy on live TV.
Biden says he wants to prioritize the threats emanating from China, Russia and
Iran, but these are the biggest winners from America’s retreat from Central Asia
For the EU, the daydream of going it alone works better in theory than in
practice. Aside from Britain’s bitter divorce, there are fundamental ideological
differences, and populist authoritarians in Hungary and Poland in particular
shatter this union’s unity. Spectacular failures over EU vaccine procurement
bode ill for dreams of a continent-straddling army. How would 20-plus leaders
ever reach a decision about going to war — except perhaps against each other?
Nevertheless, such a force could prove invaluable in underpinning security and
countering extremism in fragile regions such as sub-Saharan Africa.
The Trump years exposed a further truth: EU states did not respond to the
implosion in US leadership by themselves stepping into the breach. Instead they
too took a step back from involvement in the world – with a few exceptions, such
as Emmanuel Macron’s stillborn initiative in Lebanon. In part, this was because
European powers tended to become embroiled in places such as Afghanistan and
Libya less out of conviction, and more because such involvement was considered
essential for winning all-important US favor.
Biden says he wants to prioritize the threats emanating from China, Russia and
Iran, but these are the biggest winners from America’s retreat from Central
Asia. When America, for the dozenth time, demonstrates its failure to stand by
its allies, which three states will be quickest to offer support to those jilted
by Biden? Almost every policy decision by Trump and Biden has taken us a step
closer to a looming era of Chinese supremacy by sabotaging America’s status as a
world power.
Why should we care? Because the world order that the US and its allies
previously underpinned was an order based on the international rule of law,
democratic centrist political models, and respect for human rights — even when
specific US policies undermined the values it claimed to stand for. Unrivalled
Western dominance in the post-Soviet era ensured that even the most illiberal
states sought to drape themselves in the trappings of democratic accountability.
This is increasingly not the case in a post-Trump world overflowing with
demagogues who unapologetically sabotage national constitutions, election
processes and institutions.
Once, the choice was to join the civilized “community of nations” or become a
North Korea-style pariah. Now, proud pariahs such as Russia, China, Iran and
Turkey enthusiastically gang together to undercut the dollar-based, rules-based
international system.
After his flight from Afghanistan, Biden now seeks to disentangle himself from
long-standing commitments in Iraq and Syria. Yet with Iran’s proxies expanding
and Daesh regaining strength, such an American pullout could make the Taliban’s
triumph appear tame. While Afghanistan is defined by its remoteness, Iraq and
Syria are at the strategic heart of the Middle East. Iraq and the Gulf are
crucial to global energy and economic security, Syria and Turkey are gateways to
Europe and the Mediterranean. America entered these states not out of benign
goodwill, but from ruthless self-interest. Meanwhile, Western dithering and
shortsightedness over Iran policy renders a mushrooming conflict between Tel
Aviv and Tehran increasingly inevitable.
Unless America and Europe put a halt to years of policy drift and strategic
retreat, in a succession of fragile states abandoned by the international
community the dam will truly burst, unleashing a pandemic of chaos and conflict.
Far from terrorism having been banished, Daesh, Al-Qaeda and Tehran’s proxies
are now increasingly spoilt for choice over locations to take root and wage
their malevolent war against the civilized world.
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle
East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has
interviewed numerous heads of state.