LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 21/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

 

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Bible Quotations
Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood!
Isaiah 10/01-34: "Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. God’s Judgment on Assyria. “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. ‘Are not my commanders all kings?’ he says. ‘Has not Kalno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus? As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria— shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’”  When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. For he says: “‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as people gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp.’”  Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood! Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame. The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers.  The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick person wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down. In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous. The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land. Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says: “My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did. Very soon my anger against you will end and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.” The Lord Almighty will lash them with a whip, as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the waters, as he did in Egypt. In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat.  They enter Aiath; they pass through Migron; they store supplies at Mikmash. They go over the pass, and say,“We will camp overnight at Geba.” Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees. Cry out, Daughter Gallim! Listen, Laishah! Poor Anathoth! Madmenah is in flight; the people of Gebim take cover. This day they will halt at Nob; they will shake their fist at the mount of Daughter Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem. See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low. He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax; Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One."

 Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 20-21/18
The Crown Prince’s US Visit and the Yemen War/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/18
Tillerson’s Insubordination Meant He Had to Go/Marc A. Thiessen/The Washington Post/March 20/18
Saudi Arabia Embraces Change - and the United States Can Help/Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz/The Washington Post/March 20/18
Germany: Migrant Rape Crisis Still Sowing Terror and Destruction/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/March 20/18
Who Are the Jihadists Fighting alongside Turkey in Syria/Sirwan Kajjo/Gatestone Institute/March 20/2018
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud 'Abbas, Fatah Movement: U.S. Ambassador To Israel Is A 'Settler' And 'Son Of A Dog'/MEMRI/March 20/18
60 Minutes with Mohammed bin Salman/Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al Arabia/March 20/18
The Saudi Crown Prince's US tour and the war in Yemen/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabia/March 20/18
To our friends: The United States of America and its people/Faisal Al-Shammeri/Al Arabia/March 20/18
Reflections on Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the US/Dr. John Duke Anthony/Al Arabiya/March 20/2018
Israel prepares for 'May Madness'/Ben Caspit/Al Monitor/March 20, 2018

Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on March 20-21/18
Report: Thorny File of Renting Power Barge 'Heads to Cabinet Vote'
Aoun welcomes head of Supreme Judicial Council
Berri congratulates Putin on re election, meets popular delegations
LF, Mustaqbal Will Only Ally in Akkar, Baalbek-Hermel
Mustaqbal Slams Hizbullah 'Sectarian' Remarks on Baalbek-Hermel Elections
Hariri: Lebanon Heading to 'Cedre Conference' with Vision of Growth
Jreissati Defends 'Presidential Palace' Over Poll Meddling Accusations
Berri Says Voting a 'National Duty', Urges Massive Turnout
Al-Daher, Nicola Withdraw from Electoral Race
MEA Resumes Flights to Iraq's Arbil
Korean contingent to UNIFIL Support Group KLM 3rd Anniversary Event
Riachi offers Shamsi archival video footage of Al Nahyan's visit to Beirut early 70s
Bejjani Urges Invincible Democratic Pulse on May 6
Doueihy Says Voters in Zgharta Must Make Their Voices Heard in Ballot Boxes
Dagher: Authority's Flawed Policy Must Be Changed
Mikati launches election list with five-point plan
Childhood is a right for all: Aoun
Hariri: CEDAR Stresses International Commitment to Lebanon’s Stability

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 20-21/18
Arab summit in Riyadh in midApril: Arab League
Several people shot at Maryland high school media report
Saudi Crown Prince, Trump hold bilateral meeting
Trump: US-Saudi relations are better than ever
What did Saudi Crown Prince say to Trump in the White House
Saudi crown prince meets with top US congress officials
Trump: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Steals from the People to Fund Terror
UN Rights Chief Slams Syrian Regime’s War Crimes as 15 Children Killed in Strike
ISIS Militants Seize Damascus Neighborhood in Surprise Attack
Tehran Refuses to Engage in Negotiations over Ballistic Missile Program
Expelled Russian Diplomats Leave UK after Spy Attack
Warned of Boko Haram, Nigerian Army Fails to Act Before Schoolgirls' Abduction: Amnesty
Ex-French President Sarkozy Held by Police over Illegal Financing from Libya
India: 39 Workers Abducted by ISIS in Iraq Are Confirmed Dead
 
Latest Lebanese Related News published on March 20-21/18
Report: Thorny File of Renting Power Barge 'Heads to Cabinet Vote'
Naharnet/March 20/18/The government is expected to convene on Wednesday in a session described as “fateful”, amid a disposition to put to vote the “highly controversial” file of renting power generating barges, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday. The cabinet was first set to convene on Tuesday, but the session was postponed because of “President Michel Aoun's insistence to propose the vessels' plan from outside the agenda and referring it to vote, while Prime Minister Saad Hariri prefers not take this bitter step ,” ministerial sources told the daily on condition of anonymity. “The President is determined to decide on the plan in tomorrow's meeting. He will not allow any further postponement,” said the daily. Ministerial sources who strongly reject renting power ships told the daily that “ministers of Hizbullah, AMAL, al-Marada, Lebanese Forces, Progressive Socialist Party and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party are going to staunchly stand against the plan.” However, they voiced “fears it would pass shall it be put for voting.”“Hariri has stressed that he does not wish things to deteriorate inside his government, and that he will do his best to avoid having the issue put for voting,” concluded the daily.
In November 2017, the Tender's Department said three companies bidding to provide electricity in Lebanon failed to meet requirements, leaving Turkish Karadeniz firm -- operator of the Fatmagul Sultan and Orhan Bey vessels that Lebanon has been leasing since 2012-- the only company to have met requirements. But under Lebanese law no award can be made if there is only one qualified bidder. Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil, of the Free Patriotic Movement, was accused of “tailoring” the book of terms to secure the win of Karadeniz firm.

Aoun welcomes head of Supreme Judicial Council
Tue 20 Mar 2018/NNA - President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, welcomed at Baabda Palace on Tuesday Head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Jean Fahd, as well as members of the Council. Following the meeting, Judge Fahd reiterated the president's concern to preserve the rights of judges. On another level, Aoun sent a congratulatory cable to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, for his re-election as President of the People's Republic of China. Aoun expressed commitment to strengthen bilateral relations with China. He also expressed confidence in China's constant position supporting Lebanon's just causes in international platforms.

Berri congratulates Putin on re election, meets popular delegations
Tue 20 Mar 2018/NNA - House Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday cabled Russian President Vladimir Putin, congratulating him on his re-election as President of the Russian Federation. On the other hand, Speaker Berri welcomed at his Mseileh residence popular delegations from the various southern towns and villages, with whom he tackled a range of electoral, developmental and services' affairs.
In this framework, Berri held an extensive meeting at Mselieh's Adham Khanjar Hall with the President and members of the Federation of Tyre District Mayors, including more than 150 mayors. Berri stressed in front of the delegation that all southerners, especially mayoral and municipal bodies and associations, should turn the electoral deadline into a referendum on the southern constants notably genuine unity and coexistence. The Speaker underlined the pivotal role played by mayors in urging voters to intensively partake in the balloting operation in the various constituencies, especially in the south. Berri stressed that voters' participation in the voting operation is a national duty.

LF, Mustaqbal Will Only Ally in Akkar, Baalbek-Hermel
Naharnet/March 20/18/The Lebanese Forces and al-Mustaqbal Movement will only be allied in the Akkar and Baalbek-Hermel districts in the upcoming parliamentary elections, the LF said on Tuesday. Electoral negotiations over the other districts “have stopped,” the LF's official website reported. “The LF's candidate for Akkar's Greek Orthodox seat, retired Maj. Gen. Wehbe Qatisha, will join al-Mustaqbal Movement's list” in the district, the website added. “Mustaqbal's leadership has been informed of this,” it said.

Mustaqbal Slams Hizbullah 'Sectarian' Remarks on Baalbek-Hermel Elections
Naharnet/March 20/18/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday blasted Hizbullah over what it called “sectarian” remarks about the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Baalbek-Hermel district. “The remarks attributed to Hizbullah's leaders about the parliamentary elections in the Baalbek-Hermel district contain a repeated inclination to resort to sectarian incitement,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. “It is an unacceptable attempt to attribute terror labels to a Lebanese group whose most trivial national right is to run for elections in this district and in other districts,” Mustaqbal added. “This arrogant and undemocratic approach in dealing with the electoral issue is rejected,” the bloc went on to say, accusing Hizbullah of “daily law violations” and “continuous breaching of the requirements of national accord.”Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has recently stressed that his party “will not allow the allies of al-Nusra (Front) and Daesh (Islamic State group) to represent the residents of Baalbek and Hermel.”“The residents of Baalbek and Hermel will not allow those who armed al-Nusra and Daesh to represent the region,” Nasrallah added, in an apparent jab at Mustaqbal and some figures of the eastern border town of Arsal.

Hariri: Lebanon Heading to 'Cedre Conference' with Vision of Growth
Naharnet/March 20/18/Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Tuesday there is a serious intention on the part of the international community to help Lebanon, pointing out to “projects worth 3-4 billion dollars that can be implemented in partnership between the public and private sectors,” he said. In a speech he delivered at a Business and Financial Economic Forum, Hariri said: “We are heading to the Cedre Conference in Paris with an integrated vision of stability and growth, and to project our vision for the investment program.”“Our goal is to secure funding for the first five-year program,” he said. “We have come a long way in financial reforms and expect to complete this achievement in the 2018 budget.”Hariri's remarks come as Lebanon gears for the Cedre Conference aimed at backing investments in Lebanon. The conference is scheduled to be held on April 6 in Paris. He stressed that “the efforts exerted in the ministerial (budget and finance) committee affirm that there is a will among all Lebanese to straighten the finances.” “During the discussions of the Finance committee, our concern was to reach a balance between reducing the expenditures and granting some incentives to the economic sectors in addition to trimming taxes for the private sector and citizens,” he added. “The international community is seriously willing to help Lebanon, but we must first help ourselves. We have development projects worth 3 or 4 billion dollars that could be implemented in partnership between the public and private sectors,” he stated.

Jreissati Defends 'Presidential Palace' Over Poll Meddling Accusations
Naharnet/March 20/18/Justice Minister Salim Jreissati on Tuesday dubbed reports accusing President Michel Aoun of interfering in the country's upcoming parliamentary elections as false. Jreissati described as “dishonest” those who said Aoun was meddling in the polls. “Those who accuse the presidency of interfering in the polls lack objectivity and honesty, because the proportional electoral system helps determine the real magnitude of the various political parties, without neglecting the alliances which in the end flow into the ballot count,” he said. “The (presidential) Palace and its President are eagerly waiting for this entitlement with passion for true democracy,” he concluded.

Berri Says Voting a 'National Duty', Urges Massive Turnout
Naharnet/March 20/18/Speaker Nabih Berri stressed Tuesday that voting is a “national duty,” urging a massive turnout in the May parliamentary elections. “The electoral juncture must be turned into a referendum on south Lebanon's constant principles of unity and real coexistence,” Berri told a delegation of mukhtars, or village heads, who represent the Tyre district. “Mukhtars have a central role in urging voters to up the voting turnout in the various districts, especially in the South,” the Speaker added. “Failure to take part in the electoral process is failure to perform a national duty and an evasion of responsibility,” Berri went on to say.

Al-Daher, Nicola Withdraw from Electoral Race
Naharnet/March 20/18/Independent MP Khaled al-Daher of Akkar and MP Nabil Nicola of the Change and Reform bloc on Tuesday announced that they will not run in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Following talks with Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Center House, Daher called on his supporters to stand by the premier in the elections in order to “protect and defend Lebanon.”“I love Hariri and I trust him and I'm not here for a parliamentary seat. My goal is unity and closing ranks,” the MP said. Al-Daher had announced the “suspension” of his membership in Hariri's al-Mustaqbal bloc in February 2015, following a wave of controversy stirred by remarks he made about some Christian symbols. “In the face of the current uproar, and in order not to embarrass the al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc, I announce the suspension of my membership in the bloc,” Daher said at the time, amid media reports that he was “expelled” from the bloc. Separately, Change and Reform bloc MP Nabil Nicola, who was elected in 2005 and 2009 for a Maronite seat in Northern Metn, said in a statement that he is leaving the electoral race with no corruption on his hands. “Seeing as the political situation of our (Free Patriotic) Movement is today in need for change, I will give my place to those aspiring to occupy this post and I wish everyone success,” Nicola said.
“I will remain in the service of His Excellency, President Michel Aoun -- who is a father, a brother, a friend and a mentor -- so that the country reaches the shore of safety,” the MP added.

MEA Resumes Flights to Iraq's Arbil
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 20/18/Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airline (MEA) announced that it will be resuming flights to Iraq's Kurdish regional capital Arbil starting April the 3rd, the National News Agency said on Tuesday. MEA said that four flights per week are scheduled on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, NNA added. MEA halted its flights in September when the Iraqi authorities imposed an air blockade on Iraqi Kurdistan in September 2017 in response to its holding of an independence referendum. Last week, Iraqi authorities said they were lifting the nearly six-month air blockade. Since the flight ban went into force, all Kurdistan-bound international flights have been rerouted to Baghdad, which also imposed entry visas on foreigners wishing to visit the Kurdish region.

Korean contingent to UNIFIL Support Group KLM 3rd Anniversary Event
Tue 20 Mar 2018/NNA - On March 18, the 3rd anniversary event for the Korean contingent to UNIFIL's (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) support group, KLM, was held at the unit. KLM, an acronym for 'Korea Lebanon MashaAllah', is consisted of Lebanese locals who support the Korean contingent, and is the only UNIFIL support group solely consisted of locals. 26 members first formed the group in 2015 in the hopes of better understanding Korean culture after having participated in the unit's Korean language and Taekwondo classes, and the group currently has 56 active members.
Members of KLM engage in the unit's language exchange program once a week and actively participate in the unit's various events playing roles such as local guides and translators. They also volunteer as guides for the unit personnel field trips to historic sites and traditional markets. The 3rd anniversary event, which was attended by a total of 100 people from the Korean contingent and KLM, proceeded in the order of video screening of KLM's activities for the past three years, performances by KLM members and the cake cutting ceremony, and the unit and KLM reaffirmed the friendship between Korea and Lebanon and imperative role they play in the progressive relationship between the two countries. The Korean contingent commander Colonel JIN Chul Ho commented on the value of KLM, remarking, "We can feel KLM's love towards Korea. They study Korea very hard, reflective of their high interest in the country, and help unit personnel understand Lebanon better. They're the cultural bridge and civilian diplomats that connect Korea and Lebanon. I look forward to their future activities as the medium for foreign exchange between Korea and Lebanon."
Malak Deeb, president of KLM, remarked, "The Korean contingent protecting the region of Tyre, is a unit that approaches us with sincerity and treats us with their particular Korean affection. I am thankful for the Korean contingent for treating us as their family and friends, for their civil-military cooperation operations and for playing an important role in the development in the southern Lebanese region for these past 10 years." The Korean contingent to UNIFIL, which is the longest Korean foreign deployed unit in its 11th year of deployment, earns the trust of the locals through the unit's active civil-military cooperation operations such as medical support, Taekwondo class, sewing classes and local support projects, and is striving to instill peace and hope to Lebanon.

Riachi offers Shamsi archival video footage of Al Nahyan's visit to Beirut early 70s
Tue 20 Mar 2018/NNA - Marking "Zayed Year", Information Minister, Melhem Riachi, presented to UAE Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamad bin Saeed Al-Shamsi, an archival video footage of the visit of UAE founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to Beirut in the early 1970s. The video footage was obtained from the archive of the state-run Tele Liban. "Zayed Year" is an initiative launched by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of UAE's founder Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Bejjani Urges Invincible Democratic Pulse on May 6
Kataeb.org/Tuesday 20th March 2018/Kataeb's candidate for the Maronite seat in the Chouf-Aley district, Theodora Bejjani, said that the main goal behind running for the upcoming parliamentary polls is to serve what's best for Lebanon, boost its neutrality and revive the state in a way that it would no longer stay in debt. In an interview on Voice of Lebanon radio station, Bejjani stressed the need to turn Lebanon's economy into a productive sector, improve infrastructure, install a modern water supply network, ensure a high-speed Internet, create an e-government, enhance the transportation sector and do whatever is necessary to draw investments and, therefore, reduce migration. “All of these projects cannot be achieved unless we have a stable security situation that would make everyone feel protected, and that the decision of war and peace is in the State’s hands only,” she added. Bejjani stressed that the Kataeb's 131-point platform is not a mere electoral project, but rather a dream and a pledge that the party is making to the Lebanese. “What matters the most is that life would pulsate through Aley again and we know that we are the alternative option that the voters can rely on. We feel people’s pain and we are aware that they are eager for a real change,” she said. “Our role is to bring the 131-point platform out to all the Lebanese and to start working on it as of May 7." Bejjani urged a high electoral turnout on May 6, calling on voters to cast their ballots based on the candidate's platform, not just his political affiliation.“That way, we will inject a democratic pulse that no one could break,” she affirmed.

Doueihy Says Voters in Zgharta Must Make Their Voices Heard in Ballot Boxes
Kataeb.org/Tuesday 20th March 2018/Kataeb's candidate for the Maronite seat in Zgharta, Michel Doueihy, on Tuesday said that more people are now sympathizing with the party's political rhetoric, adding that the Lebanese are eager for change after amid the flagrant corruption and the erroneous policies governing the country. "People are upset with the current situation. They want a new pulse in every sense of the word," he told Kataeb.org website. Doueihy pointed out that people he has met so far during his electoral tours are eager for accountability after all the promises made to them haven't been turned into actions, adding that they are aspiring for a strong state that is capable of managing the affairs of its citizens. Asked about the Kataeb's slate in the Zgharta district, Doueihy noted that we are almost two days away from announcing the list members, saying that it include four Kataeb candidates with six independent figures selected from across the Batroun-Koura-Zgharta- Bcharre district. Doueihi stressed that Zgharta has been deprived of its basic needs over the past years, saying that it has suffered from the lack of developmental projects and unemployment. “If elected, I will work on providing jobs for the youths in Zgharta in a bid to curb migration, boosting investments, establishing industrial businesses and safeguarding the area's environment,” he stated. Doueihy called on voters in Zgharta to voice their rejection of the bitter reality they are living in the ballot boxes by electing candidates based on their own convinctions away from political pressure, saying that Zgharta is in dire need of a change pulse.

Dagher: Authority's Flawed Policy Must Be Changed
Kataeb.org/Tuesday 20th March 2018/Kataeb politburo member Serge Dagher on Tuesday said that the policy of the ruling authority ought to be changed given the tremendous flaws marring it, noting that President Michel Aoun is directly interfering in the parliamentary polls and the Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil is using his world trips to campaign for the FPM. "Some of the Kataeb partisans abroad received phone calls asking them if they will vote for FPM. This means that the Foreign Ministry has provided data about expats to serve the FPM's campaign," he said in an interview on LBCI. "The Ministry of Energy also executed recently more than 50 projects in the Aley district. Why were these projects implemented just before the elections?"
Dagher stressed that the Kataeb party represents the serious opposition that seeks change based on a clear program, calling on the Lebanese to vote according to a platform, not a slogan. Asked about the Kataeb's electoral alliances, Dagher pointed out that the party's main strategic agreement is with the people, adding that only localized alliances have been sealed with the Lebanese Forces in Zahle and Ashrafieh.
"There is no problem in allying with the Lebanese Forces in certain districts because, after all, the party is not involved in corruption and is not providing a political covering to Hezbollah’s arms,” he added. “When the Lebanese Forces party suggested that we cooperate in all districts, we conditioned that it would annuls its alliance with the Free Patriotic Movement and the Future Movement. Our request was not met and, therefore, no result was reached." Dagher urged a democratic and ethical resistance to electoral bribery, saying that millions of dollars are being spent in the electoral battle.
“The Kataeb party has chosen the word 'pulse' as the main slogan of its electoral campaign because our goal is to revive the people's pulse so as to topple the political settlement that has been governing the country for almost the past two years."
Dagher called on the voters to seize the opportunity that the parliamentary polls offer them to make a real change, urging accountability, notably in Metn where one of the competing lists includes candidates who advocated the establishment of the Burj Hammoud landfill and defending the installation of high-voltage power lines in Mansourieh. “We can either give up or be the pulse of change. The Kataeb party is giving the Lebanese a new chance to make a difference," he stressed.
“The question that we have to ask ourselves is the following: Do we want to improve our future or stay in the past?"

Mikati launches election list with five-point plan
Benjamin Redd| The Daily Star/March 20/18/TRIPOLI/BEIRUT: Najib Mikati launched his electoral program in Tripoli Sunday, naming a full slate of 11 candidates for the “North II” constituency comprising the northern city, Minyeh and Dinnieh. “Do you want change?” the former prime minister thundered to an overflowing crowd at Tripoli’s Quality Inn. “Your voice is the solution.” Mikati announced a five-point program of institutional and administrative reform, fighting corruption, improving human rights protections administrative decentralization and protecting judicial independence and sovereignty of the law. He also hit a number of hot-button topics in Tripoli, including calls for developing its Special Economic Zone, expanding the port, making it the “economic capital” of Lebanon and delivering around-the-clock electricity. Tripoli currently gets just 12 hours of electricity per day. The former prime minister is likely the richest man in Lebanon, with an estimated net worth of $2.7 billion, according to Forbes. “Our list represents the voice of the people, we hope to create a representative bloc that reflects your aspirations and hopes,” he told the 1,000-plus crowd. Mikati’s slate of candidates for the May 6 national elections contained no surprises. The latest addition was Kazem Kheir, the current MP for Minyeh. Kheir had been widely expected to be the Future Movement’s candidate, but the party of Prime Minister Saad Hariri abruptly dropped him on March 11, instead choosing Othman Alameddine. Mikati quickly capitalized, bringing Kheir onto his list and potentially turning the race for Minyeh’s sole seat into a true competition. Joining Mikati and Kheir on the list are former Minister Jean Obeid for Tripoli’s Maronite seat; former Minister Nicolas Nahas for the Orthodox seat; Ali Darwish for the Alawite seat; Toufic Sultan, Mohammad Nadim al-Jisr, Rashid al-Muqaddam and Mervat El-Hoz for Sunni seats in Tripoli; and Mohammad al-Fadl and Jihad Youssef in Dinnieh. Mikati’s “Azm List” will be competing in a crowded field of up to six lists, including that of the Future Movement and those led by former ministers Ashraf Rifi and Faisal Karami. Future’s list, announced the previous Sunday, includes MP Mohammad Kabbara, MP Samir Jisr, Chadi Nachabe, Dima al-Jamali, Walid Sawalhi, George Bkassini, Nehme Mahfouz, Leila Chahhoud, MP Qassem Abdel-Aziz, Sami Fatfat and Othman Alameddine. Lists must be finalized by March 26, so there could still be changes. But a Future Movement politburo member told The Daily Star that was unlikely. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they poured cold water on the idea that a deal would be made with the Free Patriotic Movement to replace George Bkassini and Nehme Mahfouz with Christians chosen by the latter. Rifi, a strident opponent of Hezbollah, is set to also announce his list Wednesday at the Quality Inn. Although the names are still being finalized, the following are possible, according to one adviser: Walid Qamareddine, Nizam Moghit, Halim Zaani, Badr Eid, Ragheb Raad, Mohammad Harmoush and Toufic Zreiqa. There will be no alliance with Kataeb, the adviser said on condition of anonymity, as “Rifi wants his own people” for the Christian seats. Karami’s pro-March 8 list will include former MP Jihad al-Samad in Dinnieh. Several other names have been reported but not confirmed: Taha Naji, Abdel-Nasr al-Masri, Adel Zreiqa, Safouh Yakin, Nazih Raad, Kamal Kheir, Salem Fathi Yakin, and Rafli Diab or George Jallad for the Orthodox seat. – Additional reporting by Timour Azhari

Childhood is a right for all: Aoun
The Daily Star/March 20/18/BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun Tuesday advised children to sing, play and dance, and to “declare to all that your childhood is your right ... and no one is entitled to take it from you.”Aoun made the comments during the inauguration of the National Choir Combatting Child Labor, which was held at Baabda Palace. The president lamented the fact that some children spend their childhood weaving through the traffic, “selling [chewing] gum and endangered by all types of aggressions.” He asked: “What rights endure for them, and what remains of their childhood and what future awaits them?” The president noted that such “street children” were present in Lebanon, but that the phenomenon had increased with the arrival of Syrian refugees fleeing conflict in their homeland. “There are big, unorganized groups who arrived to a country that already suffered from economic hardships and unemployment, so many families have relied on their children to work, or pushed them to beg,” Aoun said.
Both Syrian and Palestinian refugees face barriers to entry in many Lebanese sectors of the economy.

Hariri: CEDAR Stresses International Commitment to Lebanon’s Stability
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/18/Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri said his government would submit to the Cedar conference a comprehensive vision for stability and sustainable long-term growth and job creation. He added that the government’s objective at the Brussels Conference was to ensure that Lebanon’s Crisis Response Program was appropriately funded, that multi year commitments were secured, and that support to host communities was substantial. Hariri made his remarks during a meeting on Monday evening of the High-Level Steering Committee at the Grand Serail, in preparation for the Cedar and Brussels conferences. “The Government of Lebanon is very grateful that the Government of France is convening the Cedar Conference on April 6, 2018. Cedar represents another important milestone to reaffirm the international community’s commitment to Lebanon's economic stability and prosperity,” he stated. “The government is submitting to the conference not only its Capital Investment Program, but also a comprehensive vision for stability and sustainable long-term growth and job creation. This vision is underpinned with an increase in investments in infrastructure with an increased role for the private sector,” he added. The Lebanese premier emphasized the presence of national consensus over the need to implement fiscal and structural reforms. “There is a consensus and convergence in Lebanon on the need for fiscal adjustment to maintain macroeconomic stability,” he said, adding: “Moreover, there is consensus that the economy’s full potential for sustained private sector-led growth will not be achieved unless we embark on long- awaited structural and sectoral reforms.” He also called on the international community to assist Lebanon in its difficult task of hosting one and a half million Syrian refugees.
“I call again on our friends in the international community to help Lebanon in its huge task of hosting one and a half million Syrians displaced, and I emphasize once again that… a failure to help Lebanon will force the displaced to seek refuge elsewhere,” he stated.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 20-21/18
Arab summit in Riyadh in midApril: Arab League
Tue 20 Mar 2018 /NNA - The upcoming Arab summit will be held in Saudi capital Riyadh on April 15, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul-Gheit said Tuesday. Speaking to reporters in Cairo, Abul-Gheit said the pan-Arab body has been officially informed by Saudi Arabia that the summit will be held in mid-April. "Preparatory meetings will be held as of April 9 ahead of the summit," he said. The summit had been originally set to be held in late March, but the date was changed due to Egypt’s presidential election, which is scheduled to be held later this month. On March 7, Saudi Minister of State for African Affairs Ahmad Qattan said that the planned summit had been postponed during an Arab ministerial meeting in Cairo. The last Arab summit was held in Jordan in March 2017.--Anadolu Agency
 
Several people shot at Maryland high school media report
Tue 20 Mar 2018/NNA - Several people were shot at a Maryland high school on Tuesday, local news media reported, after school officials confirmed the campus was on lockdown and the incident had been "contained." Multiple people were shot and their condition was not yet clear, ABC News reported, citing the St. Mary's County sheriff.  The shooting took place at Great Mills High School in St. Mary's County, about 70 miles (110 km) south of Washington. The sheriff's office confirmed an incident at the school and urged parents in a Twitter post not to approach the campus. Federal investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were heading to the school, the agency said. It occurred amid a re-energized national debate over school shootings in the United States following an attack on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where a gunman killed 17 students and faculty. The shooting came four days before the March For Our Lives - partly organized by student survivors of the Parkland rampage - takes place in Washington to urge lawmakers to pass tighter gun control laws. A student who said his name was Jonathan Freese said in a telephone interview on CNN that he had been on lockdown with classmates for nearly an hour, but he did not hear gunshots himself. The interview ended as police came to his classroom door.  Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said he was monitoring events at the school. "Our prayers are with students, school personnel, and first responders," he said in a statement. ---Reuters
 
Saudi Crown Prince, Trump hold bilateral meeting
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 20 March 2018/Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday held talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House followed by a working lunch. After the talks between the officials, Trump said that the US-Saudi relations "may be better than ever." He praised his friendship with the Saudi Crown Prince and described it as great. Trump suggested that this relationship should be strengthened through large investments. For his part, the Crown Prince pointed out that the relations between the two countries are historic and deeply rooted. "We are seeking to invest nearly $200 bln dollars in joint projects," he said.

Trump: US-Saudi relations are better than ever
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 20 March 2018/United States President Donald Trump has said on Tuesday that his country’s relations with Saudi Arabia are “better than ever”. Trump’s comment came during his meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Tuesday.

What did Saudi Crown Prince say to Trump in the White House
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 20 March 2018/Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says that the United States and Saudi Arabia can tackle “a lot of things” together in the future. Prince Mohammed is praising “very deep” relations between the two countries as he meets with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. It’s the first stop on a three-week tour of the United States by Crown Prince Mohammed. Speaking in English, Prince Mohammed pointed out significant Saudi investments in the US. Trump says the US has “zero tolerance” for funding of terrorism. He says that Saudi Arabia is “working very hard” to cut off that funding.

Saudi crown prince meets with top US congress officials
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 21 March 2018/Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, the 54th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, on Tuesday and discussed the importance of fighting extremism and facing the Iranian threat. The crown prince had met with President Trump earlier in the day, where he said that the relations between the two countries are historic and deeply rooted. "We are seeking to invest nearly $200 bln dollars in joint projects," he said. During his visit to the US, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to meet Vice President Mike Pence, Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Advisor Herbert McMaster, in addition to a number of congressmen. The crown prince will be heading to Boston on Saturday, and will be in New York on the 26th of March to meet with senior finance officials. He will also meet with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Trump: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Steals from the People to Fund Terror
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/18/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/18/US President Donald Trump has attacked Iran's government, particularly the Revolutionary Guard in his greetings to Iranians celebrating the New Year's holiday known as Nowruz. The Iranian people were burdened by "rulers who serve themselves instead of serving the people," Trump said Monday. He called the Revolutionary Guard "a hostile army that brutalizes and steals from the Iranian people to fund terrorism abroad."Trump said in the statement the Guard had spent more than $16 billion to prop up Syria's regime and support militants and terrorists in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. He also accused the group of impoverishing Iran's people, damaging its environment and suppressing civil rights. "Twenty-five centuries ago, Darius the Great asked God to protect Iran from three dangers: hostile armies, drought, and falsehood," the president said in the statement. "Today, the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guard Corps represents all three."

UN Rights Chief Slams Syrian Regime’s War Crimes as 15 Children Killed in Strike
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/18/High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein condemned on Monday the Syrian regime’s “pervasive war crimes” in Eastern Ghouta as 15 children were killed in the latest air strikes on the besieged enclave. He told an informal meeting of the United Nations Security Council that the regime’s five-year siege of of Eastern Ghouta has involved the use of chemical weapons and starvation as a weapon of war, decrying "mind-numbing crimes" committed by all parties in Syria using "unlawful methods of warfare."Zeid said this has culminated "in the current relentless, month-long bombardment of hundreds of thousands of terrified trapped civilians.""Families are now streaming out of the area," he said, "but many civilians fear reprisals will be taken against them for their perceived support for opposition groups." He said multiple parties to the conflict, now in its eighth year, "claim to justify their military offensives based on their struggle against terrorism."But Zeid said "never before have the campaigns against terrorism been used more often to justify the unconscionable use of force against civilians than in the last few months in Syria." He was especially critical of Syria, singling out regime head Bashar Assad's claim that his forces were making every effort to protect civilians. The UN's top human rights official dismissed it, saying: "When you are capable of torturing and indiscriminately killing your own people, you have long forfeited your own credibility."Zeid pointed to Eastern Ghouta as an example. He stressed that "those who have perpetrated and are still perpetrating these mind-numbing crimes committed in Syria must be made to answer before a properly constituted court of law." "This must be assured and made non-negotiable — for the victims," he said, but also for the legitimacy of the UN and the Security Council, and to prevent future violations and advance human rights around the world. He again urged the council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court. That remains highly unlikely, however, since both Russia and China vetoed a resolution backed by more than 60 countries in May 2014 that would have referred the Syrian conflict to the ICC. Zeid also said justice and respect for human rights must be at the center of any peace talks. "For peace in Syria to be meaningful and lasting, a guarantee of justice for the Syrian people must be assured." Zeid had been scheduled to speak at an open council meeting Monday afternoon, but when it started, Russian Deputy Ambassador Gennady Kuzmin protested that it was a question for the Human Rights Council in Geneva, not the Security Council, which is charged with ensuring international peace and security.
He demanded a procedural vote on whether the meeting should be held. To proceed, at least nine of the 15 council members had to vote "yes," but only eight did so. Four countries voted "no" — Russia, China, Bolivia and Kazakhstan — while the three African countries, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea abstained.
Longtime UN observers said it was exceedingly rare for a scheduled council meeting to be halted by a procedural vote. France's UN Ambassador Francois Delattre criticized Russia for refusing any discussion of human rights in the Security Council, when rights violations in Syria "are at their very peak." Britain's deputy UN ambassador Jonathan Allen said Russia "doesn't want the truth of ... the appalling human rights abuses taking place." Earlier on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an air strike killed 15 children and two women sheltering in the basement of a school in the Syrian rebel-held town of Arbin in Eastern Ghouta. The British-based monitoring group said the strike wounded more than 50 people in the enclave. On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that 65 percent of territory in Eastern Ghouta had been "liberated from terrorists," the RIA news agency reported. His ministry said earlier on Tuesday that the total number of civilians, mostly children, who had been evacuated from the district since the start of a humanitarian operation has risen to 79,702. The UN refugee agency said 45,000 Syrians have left their homes in Eastern Ghouta in recent days. UNHCR added that hundreds of thousands of people are "still trapped by fierce fighting and in dire need of aid." Spokesman Andrej Mahecic told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that UNHCR is not involved in the evacuation into regime-controlled areas near Damascus, though its teams have been at "makeshift collective shelters."He said "shortage of appropriate shelter is a major concern", and UNHCR has delivered 180,000 "core relief items" such as mattresses, blankets, winter clothes kits, solar lamps and kitchen sets.
 
ISIS Militants Seize Damascus Neighborhood in Surprise Attack
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/18/ISIS militants have captured a largely vacant neighborhood in Damascus in a surprise nighttime attack on pro-regime forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday. The Observatory said militants seized al-Qadam, which lies in the Syrian capital's southern suburbs, a week after Syrian rebels had surrendered the neighborhood to the regime. It said 36 pro-regime fighters were killed in clashes, and dozens more wounded or captured, adding the regime has sent reinforcements into the area.The district of al-Qadam has not been part of the month-long offensive waged by Syrian forces against rebels in eastern Ghouta. Earlier, ISIS claimed to have captured Qadam in a statement circulating on Twitter. ISIS has lost almost all its territory in Syria after two rival offensives last year by the Syrian forces, backed by Russia and Iran, and an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias backed by the United States.It now controls only the small pocket in Qadam, and two small areas of desert on each side of the Euphrates near the border with Iraq.

Tehran Refuses to Engage in Negotiations over Ballistic Missile Program
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/18/Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Monday that his country did not intend to engage in negotiations over its ballistic missile program and rejected international stance towards Tehran’s regional policies. Qasemi also criticized the positions of French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian following his visit to Tehran. Le Drian hinted at Iran’s suspicious role in the region during an EU ministerial meeting in Brussels. “There are no unknown or questionable issues in Iran’s regional policies,” he said, adding: “Iran does not discuss its defense files and other internal issues of national security at the negotiating table with others.” Qasemi depreciated the position of the French minister, stressing that raising such issues, which are unfounded, “was nothing new”. He pointed out that the Iranian side had briefed Le Drian “quite frankly” on Tehran’s stance on various global and regional issues, adding that Iran’s regional policies are “very transparent and clear and can be seen by all.” Qasemi also advised his country’s “French friends” to “look more carefully at regional issues and at Iran.” Qasemi commented on France’s adherence to the nuclear agreement while calling for confronting Tehran’s regional role and its ballistic missile program. He said that the French foreign minister had repeated “same false statements” about negotiations over the missile program. The Iranian official claimed that his country’s defense policies “are clear, accurate and based on the national interests of the Iranian people and do not target any other country.” He stressed that the development of ballistic missiles was “a natural right to fulfill national interests and impr
 
Expelled Russian Diplomats Leave UK after Spy Attack
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/18/Twenty three expelled Russian diplomats and their families left the embassy in London and headed back to Moscow on Tuesday following the first known offensive use of a nerve toxin in Europe since World War Two. Prime Minister Theresa May blamed Russia for the attack on Sergei Skripal, a Russian double agent, and his daughter Yulia, and gave 23 Russians whom she said were spies working under diplomatic cover one week to leave London. Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack on Skripal and his daughter and on Saturday gave 23 British diplomats a week to leave Moscow as well as closing the British Council in Russia. Three buses with diplomatic number plates left the Russian embassy compound in London on Tuesday morning, a Reuters photographer at the scene said. Embassy workers waved to the leaving diplomats as the buses pulled away. Skripal, 66, and 33-year-old Yulia have been critically ill since they were found unconscious on a bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4. A British policeman who was also poisoned is in a serious but stable condition. Russia says it knows nothing about the poisoning and has repeatedly asked Britain to supply a sample of the nerve agent that was used against Skripal. The United States and European powers say they share Britain's belief that Russia is culpable for the poisoning though they given no indication of what they will do about it. EU leaders will say this week that they will "coordinate on the consequences" for Russia after the poisoning, according to a draft summit statement seen by AFP. The 28 leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday will wait to see what answers Moscow provides on the nerve agent attack, the draft says. The draft however makes no overt mention of sanctions or any other diplomatic measures to follow the lead of Britain.
 
Warned of Boko Haram, Nigerian Army Fails to Act Before Schoolgirls' Abduction: Amnesty
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/18/Nigerian security forces were repeatedly warned about the presence of Boko Haram fighters near the town of Dapchi, but failed to respond, allowing insurgents to kidnap 110 schoolgirls in the country's restive northeast almost unharrassed, Amnesty International said on Tuesday. The kidnapping on Feb. 19 of the girls from Dapchi, aged between 11-19, had echoes of the radical insurgency’s abduction in 2014 of 276 students from the town of Chibok, which shot Nigeria’s conflict with Boko Haram, now nine years old, into the global spotlight.
President Muhammadu Buhari has called the Dapchi abduction a "national disaster" and vowed to use negotiation rather than force to secure their release. But as in Chibok nearly four years ago, human rights group Amnesty International claimed the military was warned about the arrival of the heavily-armed jihadists -- yet failed to act. In the hours that followed both attacks, the authorities also tried to claim the girls had not been abducted. “The Nigerian authorities have failed in their duty to protect civilians, just as they did in Chibok four years ago,” said Osai Ojigho, Amnesty’s Nigeria director, in Tuesday’s report. “Despite being repeatedly told that Boko Haram fighters were heading to Dapchi, it appears that the police and military did nothing to avert the abduction,” she said. A military spokesman denied that they had been warned of Boko Haram presence in the region, saying: “There was nothing like that.” He said if Amnesty had important information, the watchdog should notify a presidential panel set up in the wake of Dapchi to investigate the incident. Ojigho said "no lessons appear to have been learned" from Chibok and called for an immediate probe into what she called "inexcusable security lapses".
"The government's failure in this incident must be investigated and the findings made public -- and it is absolutely crucial that any investigation focuses on the root causes," she added. Amnesty alleged that the Nigerian army and police received at least five phone calls warning that Boko Haram was on the way to Dapchi as early as four hours before the attack, but did not take “effective measures” to halt the militants or rescue the girls once they had been taken. “The military withdrew troops from the area in January, meaning the closest personnel were based one hour’s drive from Dapchi,” the report said.
One month after the abductions, there has been little sign of the fate of the 110 schoolgirls. Neither their parents nor Nigerian authorities have publicly acknowledged receiving any proof of life, the students have not appeared in any media issued by the kidnappers, nor has there been a public ransom demand.
“The Nigerian authorities must investigate the inexcusable security lapses that allowed this abduction to take place without any tangible attempt to prevent it,” said Ojigho in the report. Nigeria’s Buhari said last week he had ordered all military and security agencies to search for them, vowing that the government would not rest until the last girl kidnapped by insurgents has been released. Buhari has also said he plans to negotiate for their release - a sign that the military may not be able to successfully rescue them.
BOKO HARAM UNDEFEATED?
The Dapchi abduction has thrown into doubt repeated government and military claims that Boko Haram is on the brink of defeat, after nearly nine years of fighting and at least 20,000 deaths. Boko Haram, which has used kidnapping as a weapon of war during the conflict, has not claimed responsibility but it is believed a faction headed by Abu Mus'ab al-Barnawi is behind it. ISIS in August 2015 publicly backed Barnawi as the leader of Boko Haram, or ISIS West Africa Province, over Abubakar Shekau, whose supporters carried out the Chibok abduction. Analysts have attributed a financial motive to the Dapchi kidnapping given government ransom payments made to Boko Haram to secure the release of some of the captives from Chibok.

Ex-French President Sarkozy Held by Police over Illegal Financing from Libya
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/18/Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was held by police on Tuesday over a probe linked to receiving illicit funds from the regime of late Libyan leader Moammar al-Gaddafi. He is suspected of having received millions of euros in illegal financing for his winning 2007 presidential campaign. A judicial source with direct knowledge of the case told The Associated Press that Sarkozy was being held at the Nanterre police station, west of Paris. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Sarkozy and his former chief of staff have denied wrongdoing in the case. Though an investigation has been underway since 2013, the case gained traction some three years later when French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine told the online investigative site, Mediapart, that he delivered suitcases from Libya containing 5 million euros ($6.2 million) in cash to Sarkozy and his former chief of staff Claude Gueant. A lawyer for Sarkozy did not immediately respond to a message from the AP seeking comments. A former minister and close ally of Sarkozy, Brice Hortefeux, was also being questioned by police on Tuesday morning in relation to the Libya investigation, another source close to the probe said. Investigators are examining claims that Gaddafi’s regime secretly gave Sarkozy 50 million euros overall for the 2007 campaign. Such a sum would be more than double the legal campaign funding limit at the time of 21 million euros. In addition, the alleged payments would violate French rules against foreign financing and declaring the source of campaign funds. In the Mediapart interview published in November 2016, Takieddine said he was given 5 million euros in Tripoli by Gaddafi’s intelligence chief on trips in late 2006 and 2007 and that he gave the money in suitcases full of cash to Sarkozy and Gueant on three occasions. He said the handovers took place in the Interior Ministry, while Sarkozy was interior minister. Takieddine has for years been embroiled in his own problems with French justice, centering mainly on allegations he provided illegal funds to the campaign of conservative politician Edouard Balladur for his 1995 presidential election campaign — via commissions from the sale of French submarines to Pakistan. According to Le Monde newspaper, investigators have recently handed to magistrates a report in which they detailed how cash circulated within Sarkozy's campaign team. In January, a French businessman suspected of playing a role in the financing scheme, Alexandre Djouhri, was arrested in London on a warrant issued by France "for offenses of fraud and money laundering." Le Monde said French investigators are also in possession of several documents seized at his home in Switzerland. Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, has always denied receiving any illicit campaign funding and has dismissed the Libyan allegations as “grotesque”. In January a French businessman suspected by investigators of funneling money from Gaddafi to finance Sarkozy’s campaign was arrested in Britain and granted bail after he appeared in a London court. Sarkozy has already been ordered to stand trial in a separate matter concerning financing of his failed re-election campaign in 2012, when he was defeated by Francois Hollande. Sarkozy had a complex relationship with Gaddafi. Soon after becoming the French president, Sarkozy invited the Libyan leader to France for a state visit and welcomed him with high honors. But Sarkozy then put France in the forefront of NATO-led airstrikes against Gaddafi’s troops that helped rebel fighters topple his regime in 2011. It is not the first time that Sarkozy faces legal troubles. In February 2016, he was handed preliminary charges by French magistrates for suspected illegal overspending on his failed 2012 re-election campaign and ordered to stand trial.

India: 39 Workers Abducted by ISIS in Iraq Are Confirmed Dead
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/18/India said on Tuesday that 39 Indians, who were believed to have been kidnapped by ISIS militants in Iraq’s Mosul in 2014, had been confirmed dead after Iraqi authorities found their bodies northwest of the city. "With full proof I can say these 39 are dead," Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told lawmakers in parliament. The bodies were recovered from a mound of earth near Badush, a village northwest of Mosul, and DNA tests had confirmed them to be those of the construction workers. Swaraj said the authorities in Baghdad helped identify the mass grave and with the help of deep penetration radar, the buried bodies were discovered and exhumed. DNA testing provided matches for 38 of the missing men while one was a 70 percent match, Swaraj said. Most of the workers were from the northern state of Punjab. "Shattered at the heart-wrenching news ... that the 39 Indians missing in Iraq, most of whom were Punjabis, are dead," Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Twitter. "My heart goes out to the families who had been living in hope since their reported abduction by ISIS in 2014." The Indian government had never received any ransom demand or any other direct communication from the kidnappers. India will send a special plane to bring the bodies home, said Swaraj.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 20-21/18
The Crown Prince’s US Visit and the Yemen War
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/18
Headlines in the American media reflect the importance of the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the United States, which began on Monday.
In Washington, the crown prince will discuss a number of issues, including the war in Yemen, which opponents of President Donald Trump are trying to use in a battle to rob the White House of its powers in an old conflict between the executive and legislative branches of government over what is known as the War Powers Resolution.
Three senators are working on a bill obliging the president to stop military cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the war in Yemen. Although they are asking for a vote within days, it is more likely to be delayed and reviewed, because it opens the door wider than Yemen.
It weakens the president’s powers, and limits his freedom in conducting military cooperation with US allies.
This is quite an old controversial issue that some members of Congress are trying to revive; using the Yemen war is a Trojan horse to strengthen the role of the legislature, i.e. the Congress, at the expense of the powers of the White House, or the president.
In fact, the war in Yemen is not of any real interest to the United States, in addition to the fact that the US participation in it is extremely limited. There are no US soldiers on the ground there, unlike the situations in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, where there are about 9,000 US soldiers and advisers running the war and fighting on the ground, without forgetting that the US Air Force is also directly involved.
In Yemen, it is actually very much in Washington’s interest to end the fighting and ensure the return of legitimacy as prerequisites to eliminating Al-Qaeda and stopping Iran’s meddling through its Houthi proxy.
Washington’s military involvement with Riyadh and the coalition it is leading in Yemen is limited to three areas; sharing intelligence, providing logistical support, and providing air-to-air refuelling. The last is now being disputed, as the sponsors of the bill claim that supplying fighter jets in the air is similar to putting troops on the ground and, therefore, must be approved by Congress.
Regardless of the motives of the bill’s sponsors and those seeking to limit US military cooperation in Yemen, the major US authorities involved, such as the Pentagon, consider the coalition war in Yemen to be important for the United States as well, and thus advocate providing support in those three areas.
There are also members of Congress who believe that any attempt to deprive the president of his powers, and restrict his freedom of cooperation with the coalition in Yemen, would adversely affect the interests and security of the United States in general.
Republican Senator Bob Corker argues that what is being offered to Saudi Arabia is similar to what the US offers to its friends around the world, and hence, believes that the provision of these services to Saudi Arabia does not constitute “an involvement in hostilities that requires the use of the War Powers Resolution”; warning that regarding it as such would lead to a dangerous problem.
The Saudi crown prince’s planned meetings with the US president and congressional leaders will focus on key issues for both sides, including Yemen. Most of those who view the war in Yemen only from a humanitarian perspective are ignoring its causes. Indeed, it is crucial to make clear that merely stopping the war would not solve the problem, because the fighting would continue anyway between the local forces themselves.
Moreover, ending the war on its own would not secure food and medicine and restore civilian life, since there is no effective government there. Consequently, ending the war without a decisive political or military solution would only increase the human tragedy there.
Therefore, what is hoped for is the insistence on ending the insurgency, speeding up the return and consolidation of the legitimate government, and completing the internationally agreed steps that were thwarted by the rebels’ coup; including the establishment of a regime that follows a new constitution and carries out parliamentary elections.
Yemen will remain a source of threat to the world if chaos continues without a legitimate government and the elimination of the insurgency. The danger from Yemen is real, as attempted terrorist attacks stemming from there have already targeted the US and other countries. So, without a strong legitimate central government, the ground would continue to be fertile for terrorists and others.

Tillerson’s Insubordination Meant He Had to Go
Marc A. Thiessen/The Washington Post/March 20/18
There are many reasons Rex Tillerson’s tenure as secretary of state was a failure, from his notorious isolation from his subordinates to his failure to help quickly staff the political appointment positions at State with competent Republicans. But it was his insubordination to the president that assured that he wouldn’t be long in his position. With a summit with North Korea in the works, President Trump’s decision to oust Tillerson and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo could not have come at a better moment.
Tillerson was completely out of step with Trump’s hard-line stance on North Korea, which ultimately brought Kim Jong Un to the bargaining table. Instead, Tillerson’s North Korea strategy seemed to be to beg Pyongyang for talks. Speaking at the Atlantic Council in December, Tillerson delivered this embarrassing plea: “Let’s just meet. And we can talk about the weather if you want. . . . But can we at least sit down and see each other face to face?” He might as well have added: “Pretty please, with sugar on top?”
Trump’s critics were constantly griping that the president was undermining Tillerson’s diplomatic efforts with North Korea, when in fact the opposite was true. Trump’s strategy has been to achieve a peaceful solution by getting Kim to understand that the United States is ready to use force to stop him from deploying a nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile capable of destroying an American city. This is the message Trump was trying to send during his address to the South Korean legislature, when he told Kim in no uncertain terms: “The weapons you are acquiring are not making you safer. They are putting your regime in grave danger. Every step you take down this dark path increases the peril you face.”
By projecting weakness to Pyongyang, Tillerson was undercutting Trump’s message of strength — and thus making war more likely. The fact that Tillerson could not seem to grasp this or get on the same page as his commander in chief made his continued leadership of the State Department untenable.
Pompeo, by contrast, is in lockstep with Trump in sending Kim a clear message that, should diplomacy fail, the United States will not hesitate to act.
“The president is intent on delivering this solution through diplomatic means,” Pompeo told me during a recent conversation at the American Enterprise Institute. “We are equally, at the same time, ensuring that . . . if we conclude that it is not possible, that we present the president with a range of options that can achieve what is his stated intention.”
The failure to deliver those options is yet another reason Tillerson’s tenure at State had to end. Tillerson was working with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to slow-walk the delivery of military options to the president, apparently out of fear that the president might actually act on them. According to the New York Times, after a conference call about North Korea organized by national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Tillerson stayed on the line with Mattis and, unaware the other participants were still listening, complained about a series of meetings the National Security Council had set up to consider military options — “signs, Mr. Tillerson said, that [the NSC] was becoming overly aggressive.”
No one elected Tillerson to make these decisions. They elected Trump. With Tillerson gone and at State, McMaster will now have an ally at State who shares his belief that for Trump’s warnings to North Korea to be credible, he must have well-developed and credible military options on the table.
As Trump put it, Tillerson had to go because “we were not thinking the same. With Mike Pompeo, we have a similar thought process.” Having a trusted adviser at State will be critical to the success of the biggest diplomatic gamble of Trump’s presidency: his upcoming talks with Kim.
At AEI, Pompeo told me that the CIA assesses that Kim is a rational actor — which means that, given accurate information about the president’s intentions, Kim should make a rational decision that will not lead to the destruction of his regime. “We’re taking the real-world actions that we think will make [it] unmistakable to Kim Jong Un that we are intent on denuclearization,” Pompeo said. “We’re counting on the fact that he’ll see it. We’re confident that he will.” With Pompeo in office, Trump now has a much better chance of getting that message across to the North Korean dictator.

Saudi Arabia Embraces Change - and the United States Can Help
Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz/The Washington Post/March 20/18
Seldom in human history do countries peacefully and voluntarily embark upon a resolute course correction to re-calibrate a national economy and expand societal norms - without comprising religious sensibilities. Yet that is precisely what the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is attempting to do.
For decades, the Kingdom lived according to social and cultural norms that went unchallenged, thus inhibiting our progress. But our leaders have set a new course that aims to transform our economy and society, and unlock our untapped potential.
Two years ago, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, working under the guidance of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, launched Vision 2030, a comprehensive plan for economic diversification as well as social and cultural reform. Young and dynamic, the Crown Prince - our chief reform architect - understands our largest demographic group, namely our youth.
Our old course was not sustainable, and change is now under way in virtually every aspect of society. We are expanding women's rights, improving services for Muslim pilgrims and investing in mega-projects across various industries. We are opening our country to tourism, creating a domestic entertainment industry and promoting Saudi heritage and culture. And we are also restructuring our healthcare and education systems. These are but a few of the reforms that have already been launched.
The United States will have a chance to acquaint itself with these reforms during Prince Mohammed's first official visit as the crown prince beginning Tuesday. His visit is intended to reinforce Saudi Arabia's already strong partnership with the United States, building on the 2017 Riyadh summit, which elevated our countries' relationship. But, the Crown Prince is not just here to talk politics; he is also here to talk business, specifically the bilateral investment opportunities made possible by his diversification strategy. The Crown Prince's multi-city tour will lay the ground work for King Salman's visit to the United States later this year. Prince Mohammed is one of Saudi Arabia's top politicians, so he will come to Washington to meet with officials from the Trump administration, as well as congressional members from both sides of the aisle, which will fortify the long-standing relationship between our two countries. The historic relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States stretches back decades, nurtured and safeguarded by both Democrats and Republicans. It was born in the aftermath of World War II, sustained during the Cold War and reinforced during Operation Desert Storm.
Our security cooperation includes shared efforts against terrorism, including intelligence sharing and joint counter-terrorism ventures, such as the Global Center for Countering Extremist Ideology, or Etidal. On the educational front, thousands of Saudi students have studied in the United States over the decades. Economically, Saudi businessmen have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in the United States, across various industries, including technology, real estate and infrastructure.
As we do with every presidential administration, we are focused on maintaining our close working relationship. The Trump administration has made tremendous achievements. President Donald Trump's decisions, particularly in the area of fighting extremism and pushing back on the malicious influence of Iran, are having an effect. The Kingdom's leaders and the Trump administration continue to build and strengthen the framework of a bilateral relationship that facilitates inter-agency cooperation.
We now see new chances for revitalizing the long-standing Saudi-US alliance. The Crown Prince will highlight this during his trip - especially in the area of business and investment opportunities - and expand the efforts that King Salman and Trump initiated last year in Riyadh. The relationship today is stronger, deeper, and more multidimensional than ever, and it extends beyond the Oval Office, the halls of Congress, military bases and trading floors.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is reforming, and our dynamism will take the Saudi-US relationship to new heights. Both sides should seize the moment. We must take the opportunity to recommit ourselves to a cemented alliance with a proud legacy, but one that also looks to the future, sparks prosperity, unlocks the full potential of all Saudis and helps to stabilize a crucial region and the world.

Germany: Migrant Rape Crisis Still Sowing Terror and Destruction
Women and children sacrificed on the altar of political correctness
by Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/March 20/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12066/germany-rape-crisis
The director of the Criminal Police Association, André Schulz, estimates that up to 90% of the sex crimes committed in Germany do not appear in the official statistics.
"There is a strict order by the authorities to not report on crimes committed by refugees," a high-ranking police official in Frankfurt told Bild. "Only specific requests from media representatives about such acts are to be answered."
Germany's migrant sex-crime problem is being exacerbated by its lenient legal system, in which offenders receive relatively light sentences, even for serious crimes. In many instances, individuals who are arrested for sex crimes are released after questioning from police. This practice allows suspects to continue committing crimes with virtual impunity.
Germany's migrant rape crisis continues unabated. Preliminary statistics show that migrants committed more than a dozen rapes or sexual assaults every day in 2017, a four-fold increase since 2014, the year before Chancellor Angela Merkel allowed into Germany more than a million mostly Muslim male migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
A quarterly report — Criminality in the Context of Migration (Kriminalität im Kontext von Zuwanderung) — published by the Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA) showed that migrants (Zuwanderer, defined as asylum seekers, refugees and illegal immigrants) committed 3,466 sex crimes during the first nine months of 2017 — or around 13 a day. (Final crime statistics for 2017 will not be publicly available until the second quarter of 2018.) By comparison, in all of 2016 migrants committed 3,404 sex crimes, or around nine a day; in 2015, 1,683 sex crimes, or around five a day; in 2014, 949 sex crimes, or around three a day; and in 2013, 599 sex crimes, or around two a day.
The actual number of migrant-related sex crimes in Germany, however, is believed to be far higher than the official number. For instance, the BKA data includes only crimes that have been solved (aufgeklärten Straftaten). On average only around half of all crimes committed in Germany in any given year are solved (Aufklärungsquote), according to police statistics.
The director of the Criminal Police Association (Bund Deutscher Kriminalbeamter, BDK), André Schulz, estimates that up to 90% of the sex crimes committed in Germany do not appear in the official statistics.
German police frequently omit any references to migrants in crime reports. When they do, they often refer to migrant criminals with politically correct euphemisms such as "southerners" (Südländer), men with "dark skin" (dunkelhäutig, dunklere Gesichtsfarbe, dunklem Hauttyp) or a combination of the two: "southern skin color" (südländische Hautfarbe). This practice, apparently aimed at delinking the attackers with Islam, makes it virtually impossible for German citizens to help police identify suspects.
"There is a strict order by the authorities to not report on crimes committed by refugees," a high-ranking police official in Frankfurt told Bild. "Only specific requests from media representatives about such acts are to be answered."
Germany's migrant rape crisis has continued into 2018. Despite the mounting human toll, many of the crimes are unreported or downplayed as isolated incidents (Einzelfall) by German authorities and the media, apparently to avoid fueling anti-immigration sentiments.
On February 18, a 33-year-old woman was raped while visiting a cemetery in Bochum. The attacker ambushed the woman from behind and hit her on the head with a rock, rendering her unconscious. He then repeatedly raped her. Bochum police kept silent about the rape until pressed by Rheinische Post, a local newspaper. It subsequently emerged that the rapist is a convicted sex offender who had attended a "rehabilitation" program and was then released from custody.
Authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) apparently suppressed information about the rape to prevent public concern over the recidivism of convicted sex offenders. The police cover-up sparked public outrage. "The public, in my view, has a right to know that convicted sex offenders pose a real danger when they are back out," said a senior detective. "When something as horrible as Bochum happens, it has to be called by name, without any ifs or buts. When such important information is withheld from the public, people think everything is fine and that of course participants will not relapse." A police spokesperson said the media blackout was meant to protect the victim: "We know from psychologists that this is often very stressful for the victims." After a backlash, Bochum police admitted to making a "mistake."
On February 22, an 18-year-old British student on a class trip to Berlin was raped by two men after she became separated from her group. She was hospitalized for two days. Berlin police kept silent about the rape until the girl returned to Britain and her parents contacted British media outlets, which reported on the case. When pressed for information by Journalisten Watch, a media accountability group, Berlin police admitted that they had arrested two men in relation to the rape but released them due to a lack of evidence (Haftgründe lagen nicht vor).
On January 26, an "Asian or North African" man (orientalisch bis nordafrikanischer Herkunft) tried to rape a female student at the Goethe University in Frankfurt. It subsequently emerged that three other women had been attacked by a man who police believe is the same individual. Although the attacks occurred on October 6, December 29 and January 6, university officials did not warn students that a sex offender was stalking the campus until February 2, four months after the first attack.
On January 11, an unidentified man sexually assaulted two 15-year-old girls on a subway train in Munich. One of the girls managed to take a picture of the man, but police refuse to make the image public. A police blotter asks the public to help them find the man, described as follows: "Male, 170cm, 20s, skinny, red overcoat, dark pants, black shoes."
On January 10, police in Magdeburg released a photograph of a "dark-skinned" man (dunkle Hautfarbe) suspected of raping and seriously injuring a woman at the central railway station on June 27, 2017. Police did not say why they waited more than six months to make the image public.
On January 4, a 24-year-old man raped a woman at a school in Hanover. The police blacked out information about the man's nationality. Bild filled in the missing details: he is from Albania. A local newspaper, Hannoversche Allgemeine, initially reported that the man was from Albania; an hour later, however, it "updated" its story by replacing the word "Albania" with "the Balkans."
Many rapes and sexual assaults occur on public transportation or transport hubs such as bus and train stations. The problem is especially acute in Berlin, where police received 296 reports of sexual assaults on buses and trains in 2017, almost twice as many as in 2016, according to Bild.
On March 4, for instance, a 30-year-old Egyptian man who raped at least four women at or near subway stations in Berlin turned himself in after police published surveillance photos of him. The man chose his victims while riding on subway trains. He made eye contact with them, followed them out of the station and subsequently raped them. Berlin police blacked out information about the man's nationality. Berliner Zeitung filled in the missing details: he was born in Egypt.
On February 28, an 18-year-old Syrian asylum seeker sexually assaulted several women on a train to Munich. The man systematically made his way through the train and entered those compartments in which women were seated alone. He was arrested when the train arrived at the central railway station in Munich. Police said the man has a long rap sheet.
On January 10, a 31-year-old asylum seeker from Chad sexually assaulted two teenage girls on a regional express train originating in Müllheim. Police said the man had sexually harassed the girls on the station platform even before the train departed. After the girls boarded the train, he sat next to them and began sexually groping them. When girls then moved to another compartment, he followed and sexually assaulted them. The girls then locked themselves into one of the train's restrooms and called police. The man was detained when the train arrived in Freiburg. Police said the man — who has multiple outstanding warrants for other sexual crimes — had been arrested a day earlier for assaulting a woman on another train, but was released.
Attacks on public transportation have now spread to all parts of Germany, in large cities and small towns:
Frankfurt, February 28. A 29-year-old asylum seeker from Ethiopia sexually assaulted a 34-year-old woman on a train.
Weilburg, February 24. A "southerner" (Südländer) masturbated in front of an 18-year-old female passenger on an intercity bus to Weilmünster. Police said the man got on the bus, sat directly next to the woman, masturbated and alighted at the next stop.
Mühlhausen, February 13. Six "North African men" (Männer nordafrikanischer Herkunft) sexually assaulted a 17-year-old woman on a regional train from Erfurt.
Friedrichshafen, February 15. An "Asian-looking" man (orientalisches Aussehen) masturbated in front of a female passenger on a train.
Heilbronn, February 14. An "Arab-looking man" (arabisch aussehende Mann) sexually assaulted a 26-year-old pregnant woman at a bus stop.
Hamburg, February 12. An 18-year-old Afghan asylum seeker sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman at the Jungfernstieg subway station.
Karlsruhe, February 11. Two "southern-looking" men (südländischem Erscheinungsbild) sexually assaulted a 28-year-old woman on a tram.
Pforzheim, February 11. A 20-year-old Turkish man sexually assaulted a 17-year-old woman on a tram.
Zierenberg, February 7. A 25-year-old asylum seeker from Azerbaijan was arrested for sexually assaulting two teenage girls on a regional train.
Weil am Rhein, February 7. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkler Hautfarbe) sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl at a subway station.
Schopfheim, February 1. A 61-year-old Indian man was arrested for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl on a train.
Heidelberg, February 1. A 21-year-old Eritrean man sexually assaulted a woman at a tram station.
Schwabing, February 1. An "Asian-looking" man (orientalisches Aussehen) rubbed his exposed genitals on a 28-year-old woman on subway train.
Dresden, January 28. A "southern-looking" man (südländischem Aussehen) sexually assaulted a 20-year-old woman at a tram station.
Bad Schwartau, January 26. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklerem Hauttyp) sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman at a bus stop.
Greifswald, January 20. Four "North African" men (nordafrikanischer Herkunft) sexually assaulted a 33-year-old woman at the central railway station.
Mannheim, January 17. A 72-year-old Turkish man sexually assaulted a woman on an intercity train from Stuttgart.
Berlin, January 13. A 29-year-old Lebanese man masturbated in front of a 19-year-old woman on an intercity train. Police said the man was in Germany illegally.
Mannheim, January 9. A 28-year-old Afghan man sexually assaulted a 23-year-old woman on a tram at the central railway station. An hour later, he sexually assaulted another woman on a different tram. The man was questioned and released.
Munich, January 9. An "Indian- or Afghan-looking" man (indische/afghanische Erscheinung) sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl at the Harras subway station.
Many victims are children, some of whom have been attacked in front of their parents:
Mörfelden-Walldorf, February 27. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklen Teint) exposed himself to several 11-year-old boys as they were walking home from school.
Velen, February 25. A "brown-skinned" man (leicht dunkler Hauttyp) exposed himself to at least four children at a campground.
Eberswald, January 26. Four 19-year-old Syrians tried to sexually assault a 14-year-old girl. When the girl's father intervened, the Syrians threw him to the ground and punched and kicked him.
Mörfelden-Walldorf, January 26. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklen Teint) exposed himself to an 11-year-old girl.
Moosach, January 24. A man speaking broken German approached an eight-year-old girl at a playground and kissed her on the mouth in front of her mother.
Schwenningen, January 11. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkle Hautfarbe) assaulted two 11-year-old boys at a bus stop.
Sexual assaults have occurred in public spaces ranging from parks and pools to supermarkets:
Sulzbach, March 10. A "presumably Asian" man (vermutlich asiatischer Herkunft) sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl at an electronics store.
Weinheim, March 5. An "Eastern European" man (osteuropäisches Erscheinungsbild) sexually assaulted two 14-year-old girls at a public swimming pool. Seven children have been sexually assaulted at the facility during the past 12 months.
Konstanz, March 3. A "Black African" man (Schwarzafrikaner) sexually assaulted a woman at a park.
Hagen, February 17. A "southern-looking" man (südländisches Aussehen) exposed himself to a 68-year-old woman at a park.
Kitzingen, February 3. Three Afghan migrants sexually assaulted two girls at a public swimming pool.
Fellbach, January 10. A "dark-skinned" (dunklem Teint) man fondled himself in front of a 35-year-old woman at the city hall.
Hamburg, January 1. A 22-year-old Moroccan man sexually assaulted a 34-year-old woman at a hospital.
Many victims have been stalked and attacked while making their way to and from home:
Dresden, March 9. A "southerner" (Südländer) sexually assaulted a 27-year-old woman as she was entering her home in Dresden. A day later, a man of similar appearance sexually assaulted a 40-year-old woman as she was entering her home, also in Dresden.
Essen, March 2. A man speaking German with an accent sexually assaulted a 30-year-old woman who was walking home from the central railway station.
Werten, March 2. Three "southern-looking" men (südländisches Erscheinungsbild) sexually assaulted a woman as she was getting into her car.
Dresden, February 5. A "southern-looking" man (südländisch aussehend) sexually assaulted a 33-year-old woman as she was entering her home.
Krefeld, January 15. A "southerner" (Südländer) sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman. The man and the woman were riding on the same tram and both got off at the same stop. She was walking home when the man ambushed her from behind.
Instances continue of taharush, a practice in which groups of males encircle females and assault them:
Essen, March 11. A group of seven "southern-looking" (südländisches Aussehen) teenage males speaking Arabic encircled and sexually assaulted three teenage females.
Lienen, March 4. A group of ten migrants encircled and sexually assaulted several women at an outdoor festival.
Greifswald, January 20. Four "North African" men (nordafrikanischer Herkunft) sexually assaulted a 33-year-old woman at the central railway station.
Düsseldorf-Altstadt, January 13. A group of young men encircled and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl.
Bremen, January 1. A group of young men encircled and sexually assaulted two women in the city center. Police arrested a 20-year-old Syrian man.
Rüthen, January 1. A group of young men encircled and sexually assaulted a 23-year-old woman.
Migrants with exhibitionist tendencies are omnipresent:
Oelde, February 22. A "yellow-looking" man (leicht gelblichen Teint) exposed himself to several school girls. The same individual is believed to have exposed himself to two school girls in the same town on February 18.
Kirchheim unter Teck, February 17. A 22-year-old Iraqi man was arrested for exhibitionism.
Hagen, February 17. A "southern-looking" man (südländisches Aussehen) masturbated in front of a 68-year-old woman at a park.
Stuttgart-Degerloch, February 4. A "southern-looking" man (südländisches Aussehen) exposed himself to a 32-year-old woman.
Heidelberg-Altstadt, January 21. An "Asian-looking" man (orientalisches Aussehen) exposed himself to a 30-year-old woman.
Hamburg, January 18. A 21-year-old Somali man exposed himself to passersby at the central railway station.
Chemnitz, January 17. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkelhäutig) exposed himself to a 15-year-old girl at a playground.
Unterjettingen, January 13. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkelhäutiger Mann) fondled himself in front of passersby.
Tübingen, January 9. A "dark-skinned" man exposed himself and urinated while staring intently at a 23-year-old female student at the University of Tübingen. Police said the man is believed to have exposed himself in the same way to several other female students at the university.
Seckach, January 6. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklem Teint) fondled himself in front of a 17-year-girl on a train.
Germany's migrant sex-crime problem is being exacerbated by its lenient legal system, in which offenders receive relatively light sentences, even for serious crimes. In many instances, individuals who are arrested for sex crimes are immediately released after questioning from police. This practice allows suspects to continue committing crimes with virtual impunity.
On January 2, for instance, prosecutors in Traunstein reopened a case involving a 22-year-old Afghan exhibitionist after pressure from a local newspaper. The man repeatedly exposed himself to a 15-year-old girl on a school bus. In one instance, the girl filmed the man fondling himself and exposing his erect penis. Prosecutors dropped all charges after the Afghan said he was "scratching his penis because of an itch." After the Munich-based Wochenblatt uploaded the girl's video on YouTube, prosecutors reversed themselves and ordered the man to appear in court.
Hamburg, March 4. A 25-year-old illegal migrant from Kosovo was arrested for sexually assaulting a 29-year-old woman. The man had an outstanding arrest warrant and was on a deportation list.
Bad Krozingen, February 19. A 22-year-old Gambian man sexually assaulted a 25-year-old woman at a park. Police said the man had sexually assaulted another woman on February 3.
Heidelberg, February 16. A 37-year-old Syrian man was arrested for sexually assaulting several women in the city center. The man was questioned and released.
Tübingen, February 13. A 44-year-old Libyan migrant was arrested for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old woman. The man was questioned and released.
Esslingen, January 29. An 18-year-old Afghan asylum seeker raped a 13-year-old girl. It later emerged that the Afghan had a previous rape conviction but in December 2017 a court in Stuttgart ordered that he be released from custody.
Münster, January 14. A 23-year-old Afghan man physically and sexually assaulted a woman on a train. The man was questioned and released.
Hennigsdorf, January 2. A 35-year-old Polish man attempted to rape a 41-year-old woman. The man was released from custody after posting bail of €300 ($370). Police said the man had attempted to rape another woman in Thüringen in November 2017. It remains unclear why police continue to release him.
Freiburg, December 26. A 32-year-old Algerian asylum seeker sexually assaulted two 17-year-old girls at the central railway station. Police said the man had five outstanding arrest warrants.
Migrants often show extreme disrespect respect for law enforcement officers:
Warstein, March 1. A 37-year-old Moroccan man sexually assaulted a 36-year-old woman. When police tried to arrest the man, he attacked the officers.
Mainz, February 24. A 28-year-old Kenyan man sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman at a restaurant. When police tried to arrest the man, he attacked the officers.
Marburg, February 12. A 20-year-old Eritrean man sexually assaulted a woman at a railway station. When police tried to arrest the man, he kicked and punched the officers.
Görlitz, January 8. A 30-year-old Moroccan man exposed himself to two police officers at a railway station. The officers were questioning him when he abruptly dropped his trousers.
Germany's mainstream media has been conspicuously silent concerning the migrant rape crisis. Only the most sensational crimes are covered by the national media, none of which has connected the dots and reported the big picture. This lapse may explain why there has been very little public outrage over the sanctioned criminality that has befallen so many German women and children.
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
Appendix
Sexual Assaults and Rapes by Migrants in Germany, January-February 2018.
Police blotters show that Germany's migrant rape crisis — which continues unabated day after day — has now spread to cities and towns in all 16 of Germany's federal states. Public spaces have become increasingly perilous for women and children; they have been attacked by migrants at beaches, bike trails, cemeteries, discotheques, grocery stores, music festivals, parking garages, playgrounds, schools, shopping malls, taxis, public transportation (buses, trams, intercity express trains and subways), public parks, public squares, public swimming pools and public restrooms. Nowhere is safe. Following are a few cases from just the first two months of 2018:
January 1. A 23-year-old Sudanese asylum seeker raped a 27-year-old woman in Speyer. A group of young men encircled and sexually assaulted two women in Bremen; police arrested a 20-year-old Syrian man. A group of four young men encircled and sexually assaulted a 23-year-old woman in Rüthen. Two Guinean men sexually assaulted a 32-year-old woman near the central railway station in Dortmund. A 22-year-old Moroccan man sexually assaulted a 34-year-old woman at a hospital in Hamburg. A man speaking German with a foreign accent sexually assaulted a woman in Schwabach. Two "southern-looking" men (südländischem Erscheinungsbild) sexually assaulted a woman at a railway station in Karben-Kloppenheim; the men physically assaulted a passerby who tried to intervene. A "southern-looking" taxi driver (Südländer) sexually assaulted a female passenger in Bochum.
January 2. Two "Arab-looking" men (arabisch aussehenden Personen) sexually assaulted a 75-year-old woman as she was leaving a shopping center in Stadtallendorf. A man speaking a foreign language fondled himself in front of a female passerby at the Schlossgarten in Erlangen. The same man exposed himself to a female jogger. A 35-year-old Polish man attempted to rape a 41-year-old woman in Hennigsdorf. Police said the man had attempted to rape another woman in Thüringen in November 2017.
January 3. A "Turkish-looking" man (türkischstämmig) sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl on a bus in Potsdam as she was going to school.
January 4. A 24-year-old Albanian man raped a woman at a school in Hanover.
January 5. A man speaking broken German raped a 41-year-old woman in Ofterdingen. Two Afghan men (ages 25 and 17) sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl at a tram station in Gera.
January 6. A man speaking broken German sexually assaulted a 33-year-old woman in Wolfenbüttel. A man speaking German with a foreign accent sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman in Waiblingen. A 40-year-old Sudanese man sexually assaulted two women in Papenburg. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklem Teint) fondled himself in front of a 17-year-girl on a train in Seckach.
January 7. Two "southern-looking men" (südländisch aussehenden Männern) sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in Gera. A man speaking broken German sexually assaulted a 23-year-old woman in Leck. A "North African" man (nordafrikanisch aussehend) sexually assaulted a 30-year-old woman in Dresden.
January 8. Police issued a composite sketch of a man who brutally raped a 23-year-old woman in the stairwell of her apartment building in Hanau. The man is believed to be responsible for at least four other sexual assaults in the city. A 30-year-old Moroccan man exposed himself to two police officers at a railway station in Görlitz.
January 9. A man speaking German with an Eastern European accent raped a woman in Nettetal-Leuth. A 24-year-old Afghan man tried to rape a 23-year-old Iranian woman in Grünstadt. A 28-year-old Afghan man sexually assaulted two women on two trams in Mannheim. Four "dark-skinned" men (dunkelhäutig) assaulted a 29-year-old woman in downtown Bad Krozingen. Police said they may be the same men who sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl in the same area on December 19. An "Indian- or Afghan-looking" man (indische/afghanische Erscheinung) sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl at the Harras subway station in Munich. A "dark-skinned" man exposed himself and urinated while staring intently at a 23-year-old female student at the University of Tübingen. He is believed to have exposed himself in the same way to several other female students at the university.
January 10. A 31-year-old asylum seeker from Chad sexually assaulted two women on a train originating in Müllheim. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklerer Teint) exposed himself to a 15-year-old girl in Überlingen. A "dark-skinned man (dunkelhäutigen Täter) masturbated in front of passersby in downtown Augsburg. A "dark-skinned" (dunklem Teint) man fondled himself in front of a 35-year-old woman at the city hall in Fellbach.
January 11. A 20-year-old Afghan man sexually assaulted a 29-year-old woman, who was on a walk with her son, in Kassel. Two police officers witnessed the incident and arrested the man, who resides in a nearby refugee shelter. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkle Hautfarbe) assaulted two 11-year-old boys at a bus stop in Schwenningen. A "presumably southern" man (vermutlich südländischer Abstammung) masturbated in front of a young woman at the Steele railway station in Essen. A man of "presumably foreign origin" (vermutlich ausländischer Herkunft) fondled himself in front of a 15-year-old girl near the train station in Lingenfeld.
January 12. A "southern-looking" man (südländisches Aussehen) sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman at a restaurant in Limburg. The man was trying to make eye contact with the woman and became enraged when she ignored him.
January 13. A 46-year-old Turkish man exposed himself to a 23-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl at the central railway station in Mönchengladbach. A 25-year-old Iraqi man sexually assaulted a 20-year-old woman on a train between Münster and Dortmund. When two passengers intervened, the Iraqi physically assaulted them. A 29-year-old Lebanese illegal immigrant masturbated in front of a 19-year-old woman on a train in Berlin. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkelhäutiger Mann) fondled himself in front of passersby in Unterjettingen. A group of young men encircled a 14-year-old girl and sexually assaulted her in Düsseldorf-Altstadt.
January 14. A 23-year-old Afghan man physically and sexually assaulted a woman on a train near Münster. The man was held for questioning and released. A 21-year-old Syrian asylum seeker sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman in Hamburg.
January 15. An Arab-looking man sexually assaulted a 33-year-old woman in Horn. A "southern-looking" man (südländischen Aussehen) exposed himself to two 13-year-old girls in Essen. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklen Teint) sexually assaulted a 42-year-old woman in Krefeld. A "southerner" (Südländer) sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman in Krefeld.
January 16. A 24-year-old Nigerian man tried to rape a 59-year-old Russian woman in Munich.
January 17. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkelhäutig) exposed himself to a 15-year-old girl at a playground in Chemnitz. A 72-year-old Turkish man sexually assaulted a woman on a train between Stuttgart and Mannheim.
January 18. Two "North African" men (nordafrikanische Erscheinung) sexually assaulted and robbed a 51-year-old woman in Trier. A 21-year-old Somali man exposed himself to passersby at the central railway station in Hamburg.
January 19. Six "dark-skinned" boys (dunkelhäutigen Jungen) sexually harassed four teenage girls in Ueckermünde.
January 20. Four "North African" men (nordafrikanischer Herkunft) sexually assaulted a 33-year-old woman at the central railway station in Greifswald.
January 21. A 19-year-old Ethiopian man sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman in Gera. Two North African men sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman in Greifswald. An "Asian-looking" man (orientalisches Aussehen) exposed himself to a 30-year-old woman in Heidelberg-Altstadt.
January 22. A "southern-looking" man (südländisches Aussehen) exposed himself to an 82-year-old woman in Neu-Ulm. A man of "Turkish or Arab appearance" (türkischer oder nordafrikanischer Herkunft) sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl in Freiburg.
January 23. A "foreign-looking" man (ausländisches Aussehen) exposed himself to three women in Erlangen. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklen Teint) sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Groß-Gerau.
January 24. A man speaking broken German approached an eight-year-old girl at a playground and kissed her on the mouth in Moosach. Three "dark-skinned" man (dunklen Teint) sexually assaulted a 29-year-old woman who was out walking her baby in Höchst.
January 25. A "North African" man (nordafrikanisches Erscheinungsbild) sexually assaulted a 25-year-old woman walking home from a train station in Hamburg.
January 26. An "Asian or North African" man (orientalisch bis nordafrikanischer Herkunft) raped a 22-year-old female student at the Goethe University in Frankfurt. The same man is thought to be responsible for the rape or attempted rape of three other women on the campus during the past six months. Four 19-year-old Syrians tried to sexually assault a 14-year-old girl in Eberswald. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkelhäutig) sexually assaulted a 35-year-old woman in Dortmund. When she resisted, he slashed her stomach with a knife. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklerem Hauttyp) sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman at a bus stop in Bad Schwartau.
January 28. A man speaking broken German sexually assaulted a 67-year-old woman in Bonn. A "southern-looking" man (südländischem Aussehen) sexually assaulted a 20-year-old woman at a tram station in Dresden. A 20-year-old German woman accidently bumped into a man at a carnival event in Münstertal in the Black Forest. When the woman apologized, the man, believed to be Russian or Eastern European, grabbed the woman's arm and broke her wrist.
January 29. An 18-year-old Afghan asylum seeker raped a 13-year-old girl in Esslingen. It later emerged that the Afghan had a previous rape conviction but a court in Stuttgart had ordered him to be released from custody in December 2017. A "southerner" (südländisch) sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl in Speyer. A "southern-looking" man (Südländisches Aussehen) exposed himself to a 14-year-old girl in Wesel. A man speaking broken German sexually assaulted a 67-year-old woman in Bonn-Tannenbusch. A "dark-skinned" man (südländisches Aussehen) sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman at a hospital in Moers.
January 30. A 45-year-old Iranian man raped a 41-year-old woman in Bothfeld.
January 31. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkle Hautfarbe) sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl at a bus station in Goch.
February 1. A 61-year-old Indian man was arrested for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl on a train in Schopfheim. An "Asian-looking" man (orientalisches Aussehen) rubbed his exposed genitals on a 28-year-old woman on subway train in Schwabing. A 21-year-old Eritrean man sexually assaulted a woman at a tram station in Heidelberg.
February 2. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklen Teint) sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl at a railway station in Überlingen. Although 10-15 people were present, no one intervened to help the girl. A 30-year-old West African man sexually assaulted a 52-year-old woman in Baden-Baden. A "southern-looking" man (südländisches Aussehen) sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl in Weimar.
February 3. A man speaking German with an accent sexually assaulted a female train conductor at a subway station in Nürnberg. An "African-looking" man (schwarzafrikanisches Aussehen) sexually assaulted two women in Bad Krozingen. Three "southern-looking" men (südländischer Erscheinung) sexually assaulted a 23-year-old woman in Herford. Three Afghan migrants sexually assaulted two girls at a public swimming pool in Kitzingen.
February 4. A "southern-looking" man (südländisches Aussehen) exposed himself to a 32-year-old woman in Stuttgart-Degerloch.
February 5. Three "dark-skinned" men sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman at a bus station in Freiburg. A "southern-looking" man (südländisch aussehend) sexually assaulted a 33-year-old woman as she was entering her home in Dresden.
February 7. A 39-year-old Syrian man sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl in Uedem-Keppeln. A 25-year-old asylum seeker from Azerbaijan was arrested for sexually assaulting two teenage girls on a regional train in Zierenberg. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkler Hautfarbe) sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl at a subway station in Weil am Rhein. A 17-year-old Iraqi raped a 14-year-old girl in Dresden.
February 8. A 23-year-old Romanian man raped a 39-year-old woman in a parking garage in downtown Stuttgart.
February 9. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklem Teint) exposed himself to a woman at a clothing store in Kirchheim unter Teck.
February 10. A 25-year-old North African man sexually assaulted two teenage girls at the railway station in Oppum. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkelhäutig) sexually assaulted a woman at a bus stop in Tübingen.
February 11. Two "southern-looking" men (südländischem Erscheinungsbild) sexually assaulted a 28-year-old woman on a street car in Karlsruhe. A 20-year-old Turkish man sexually assaulted a 17-year-old woman on a street car in Pforzheim.
February 12. A 20-year-old West African man raped a 65-year-old woman in Viersen. An 18-year-old Afghan asylum seeker sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman at the Jungfernstieg subway station in Hamburg. A 20-year-old Eritrean man sexually assaulted a woman at railway station in Marburg. When police tried to arrest the man, he resisted by kicking and punching the officers. A "southern-looking" man (südländischer, dunkler Hauttyp) sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl who was riding home from school on a bicycle in Wesel. A "southern-looking" man (südländisches Erscheinungsbild) attempted to rape a young woman at a park in Aachen. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklen Teint) sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl in Riegel.
February 13. Six "North African men" (Männer nordafrikanischer Herkunft) sexually assaulted a 17-year-old German woman on a regional train between Erfurt and Mühlhausen. A 44-year-old Libyan migrant was arrested for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old woman in Tübingen. He was questioned and released.
February 14. An "Arab-looking man" (arabisch aussehende Mann) sexually assaulted a 26-year-old pregnant woman at a bus stop in Heilbronn.
February 15. An "Asian-looking" man (orientalisches Aussehen) masturbated in front of a female passenger on a train in Friedrichshafen. Two "Arab-looking" men (arabisch ausgesehen) attempted to rape a 23-year-old woman in Bad Soden.
February 16. A 37-year-old Syrian man was arrested for sexually assaulting several women in downtown Heidelberg. The man was questioned and released.
February 17. A "southern-looking" man (südländisches Erscheinungsbild) sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman in Hamburg. He ambushed the woman from behind, sprayed her in the face with pepper spray to immobilize her and them assaulted her. A 22-year-old Iraqi man was arrested for exhibitionism at a shopping center in Kirchheim unter Teck. A "southern-looking" man (südländisches Aussehen) masturbated in front of a 68-year-old woman at a park in Hagen.
February 18. A 33-year-old woman was raped while visiting a cemetery in Bochum. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkelhäutig) sexually assaulted a 25-year-old woman at knifepoint in Heidelberg-Weststadt. An "Indian- or Pakistani-looking" man (indisch/pakistanisches Aussehen) sexually assaulted a 33-year-old woman in Konstanz. A "yellow-looking" man (leicht gelblichen Teint) exposed himself to two school girls in Oelde. The same individual is believed to have exposed himself to several school girls in the same town on February 22.
February 19. A 22-year-old Gambian man sexually assaulted a 25-year-old woman at a park in Bad Krozingen. Police said the man had sexually assaulted another woman on February 3.
February 22. An 18-year-old British student on a class trip to Berlin was beaten and raped by two men after she became separated from her group.
February 24. A 28-year-old Kenyan man sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman at a restaurant in Mainz. When police tried to arrest the man, he became violent and attacked the officers. A "southerner" (Südländer) masturbated in front of an 18-year-old female passenger on an intercity bus near Weilburg.
February 25. A "brown-skinned" man (leicht dunkler Hauttyp) exposed himself to at least four children at a campground in Velen.
February 26. A 43-year-old Pakistani man sexually assaulted a female passerby in downtown Pforzheim. Witnesses told police the man offered the woman cash for sex and turned violent when she refused. A "southern-looking" man (südländisches Aussehen) sexually assaulted a 30-yer-old female jogger in Aschaffenburg.
February 27. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklen Teint) exposed himself to several 11-year-old boys as they were walking home from school in Mörfelden-Walldorf.
February 28. A 29-year-old asylum seeker from Ethiopia sexually assaulted a 34-year-old woman on a train near Frankfurt. A "dark-skinned" man (dunkelhäutig) sexually assaulted a 17-year-old female near the railway station in Ravensburg. An 18-year-old Syrian asylum seeker sexually assaulted several women on a train to Munich. An 18-year-old Afghan asylum seeker was arrested at the central railway station in Berlin on charges of raping a woman in Schweinfurt in August 2017.
© 2018 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.

Who Are the Jihadists Fighting alongside Turkey in Syria?
من هم الجهاديون الذين يحاربون في سوريا إلى جانب تركيا
Sirwan Kajjo/Gatestone Institute/March 20/2018
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63304
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12061/turkey-jihadists-syria
The remaining 17 groups that make up the Syrian portion of Operation Olive Branch are a combination of Salafist, jihadist and ultra-extremist militants who have been either formed or supported by Turkey at various stages of Syria's seven-year civil war.
In its offensive launched on January 20 against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, Turkey has deployed more than 25,000 Syrian rebel fighters who have been equipped and trained by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powerful military.
The offensive, code-named Operation Olive Branch, aims at dislodging the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from the Kurdish enclave of Afrin. On March 18, Turkish military and allied jihadist rebels took control of Afrin's city center. Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an insurgent group that has been fighting for greater Kurdish autonomy in Turkey's southeast. Backed by the United States, the YPG has been instrumental in the U.S.-led war on terror in Syria since 2014.
Nine days after the start of the operation, the pro-Turkish government website, Suriye Gundemi, published an infographic showing the Syrian rebel groups involved in the Afrin offensive. The website says that three divisions are part of the National Army that is under the command of the Syrian interim government, an anti-Syrian regime body based in Turkey.
This so-called army consists mainly of Islamist militants who were part of the most radical Islamic factions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) at some point during the Syrian conflict, and was formed only two weeks prior to the Afrin operation. Most of these fighters fled to Turkey after they were defeated in battles across Syria, including in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Idlib and Hama. While in Turkey, they were recruited by Turkish intelligence agencies to be part of forces invading the Kurdish-held Afrin.
The remaining 17 groups that make up the Syrian portion of Operation Olive Branch are a combination of Salafist, jihadist and ultra-extremist militants who have been either formed or supported by Turkey at various stages of Syria's seven-year civil war. The following is a rundown of these groups:
Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror Brigade
Named after the notorious Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conquerer, who ruled in the 15th century and violently conquered Constantinople and Southeast Europe, this ethnic Turkmen group was founded in 2012 at the height of the Aleppo battle. It controlled six districts in eastern Aleppo, imposing a set of sharia (Islamic) laws on local residents. The group commanders were also involved in criminal activities, such as robbery and human trafficking. The group was later embraced by the Turkish government, and thus it participated in Operation Euphrates Shield, another Turkish-led offensive in northern Syria, which ended in March 2017. It has close to 1,000 fighters.
The Sultan Murad Division
An extremist group established by Turkey in 2013, it receives direct financial, military and logistic support from Turkish armed forces. Most of its fighters are ethnic Turkmen. Prior to the Afrin offensive, it was primarily based in the city of Aleppo. The group has been involved in clashes with other rebel groups over revenue sharing of the Bab al-Salameh border crossing when a rival group decided to hand over the crossing to the main Syrian opposition body.
The Hamza Division
Founded in April 2016 in Turkey, it was one of the first Turkish-backed Syrian groups that entered the Syrian town of Jarablus in 2017 alongside the Turkish military. Adopting an extremist anti-Western Islamic ideology, the group strongly believes in the return of Ottoman rule over the entire Middle East.
The Sham Legion
Originally named the Homs Legion, the group that was established in March 2014, has nearly 4,000 fighters, making it the largest force within the Operation Olive Branch. It is a union of at least 19 Islamist groups affiliated with the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. The group joined other rebel forces in forming the Fateh al-Sham operation center. It has been active in the provinces of Aleppo, Idlib and Homs. The group is currently led by Yasser Abdulrahim, a rebel leader known for changing sides based on funding sources.
The Shamiyah Front
The second largest rebel group participating in Operation Olive Branch, the Shamiyah Front is a union of Islamists and Salafists from Aleppo. Its members are largely remnants of the Nureddine al-Zanki Brigades and other extremist groups that were active in Aleppo in 2015. Supported by Turkey and Qatar, this rebel group believes that jihad is the only path for Syria to become an Islamic emirate governed by sharia law. It has an estimated 3,000 fighters.
The Mountain Falcons (Hawks) Brigade
Named after the Zawiyeh Mountain in the northwestern province of Idlib, the group was active in Idlib's countryside. It was originally part of the Descendants of the Prophet Brigades. It clashed with the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's Syrian branch, over revenue and power sharing. Defeated by al-Nusra, its members were forced to flee to Turkey, before regrouping and joining the Afrin operation.
Jaysh al-Nasr
The group is made up of smaller groups that operated in Idlib, Hama and Latakia.
Al-Mustafa Regiment
Named after the Islamic prophet Mohammed's title, the faction was founded in June 2016 with the financial and military support of Turkey. It participated in Operation Euphrates Shield.
Islamic Al-Waqqas Brigade
Named after Saad bin Abi Waqqas, a companion of the prophet Mohammed and the 17th person to embrace Islam, the group was formed in early 2016 by the Turkish government. It has nearly 1,000 well-trained fighters.
Turkmen Muntasir Billah Brigade
Named after al-Muntasir bi'llah, the Abbasid caliph who ruled in the 9th century, this Syrian rebel group has embraced a radical Islamic ideology since its inception in February 2014. Based in Aleppo and Raqqa, it has engaged in several battles with Syrian regime troops. The group welcomed the arrival of ISIS in Raqqa and did not attempt to challenge its rule. After Aleppo was retaken by the Syrian military, most of the group's fighters fled to Turkey, where they went through an organizational restructuring. They played a central role in launching Operation Euphrates Shield.
The Suleyman Shah Brigade
Named after Suleyman Shah, the father of Omsan I, founder of the Ottoman Empire, this group was formed in Turkey in April 2016 to participate in Operation Euphrates Shield. Its fighters are largely ethnic Turkmen, with a significant percentage of Sunni Arabs. It is currently led by Mohammed al-Jassim, also known as Abu al-'Amsha.
Samarkand Brigade
Named after the Uzbek city of Samarkand, this is another Turkmen group that was formed by Turkey in April 2016. In its inaugural statement, it said that its main objective was to fight the Kurdish YPG. The group is led by Wael Musa.
The Elite Army, Jaish al-Shamal, Usood al-Fateheen Brigade, Ahrar al-Sharqiya Unit and Al-Awwal al-Magawir Brigade
These smaller groups that were formed in Syria and Turkey. Each group reportedly has 200-300 fighters who are commanded by the Turkish military and larger rebel groups.
*Sirwan Kajjo is a Syrian-Kurdish Washington-based journalist and author.
© 2018 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.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud 'Abbas, Fatah Movement: U.S. Ambassador To Israel Is A 'Settler' And 'Son Of A Dog'
MEMRI/March 20/18
On March 19, 2018, in a speech at a meeting of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and PLO leadership in Ramallah, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud 'Abbas attacked the U.S.'s conduct in the region and said that the "so-called 'Arab Spring'... is in fact an 'American Spring,'" that began in Gaza with the 2007 Hamas coup. Its aim, he said, was "to separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, so that there will be no united Palestinian state," and added that Hamas had received guarantees from the U.S. for doing so. The Trump administration, he said, was implementing its plan to destroy the Palestinian national enterprise "by declaring Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, by deciding to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem... and by considering the settlements to be legal." He added that U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman supports the settlements, and he and his family are themselves settlers; he went on to curse him, calling him "son of a dog."
These statements are additional evidence of deterioration in the relationship between the Trump administration and the PA. Previously, on January 14, 2018, 'Abbas announced that the Arab Spring had originated in the U.S., rejected the Trump administration's demand that the PA stop its payments to imprisoned Palestinian terrorists and the families of Palestinian "martyrs," and said that the PA no longer accepts the U.S. as a mediator between the PA and Israel.[1]
Following 'Abbas's March 19 statements, the Fatah movement, which 'Abbas heads, posted on its social media accounts a poster with an image of Ambassador Friedman along with the hashtag in Arabic "#Colonialist, Settler, Son Of A Dog." It should be noted that in official PA media reports of 'Abbas's statements, the "son of a dog" invective is omitted.[2]
Below are translated excerpts of 'Abbas's March 19 statements, and Fatah's social media post of Ambassador Friedman:
Statements By 'Abbas, March 19, 2018
'Abbas: "I have said thousands of times that the so-called 'Arab Spring,' which is lauded by some simple-minded idiots, incapable of thinking, is in fact an 'American Spring,' which began in Gaza. We all know how [Hamas] joined the elections and then staged a coup, having received many [American] guarantees, both implicit and in public, because the U.S. wants to separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, so that there will be no united Palestinian state. This is something we should know. We must acknowledge the truth. We must not avoid the truth any longer.
"The destruction of the Palestinian national enterprise is a plot that the Trump administration has begun to implement, by declaring Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, by deciding to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, by stopping its funding of UNRWA, and by considering the settlements to be legal. This has been declared by several American officials, led by their ambassador in Tel Aviv, David Friedman, who said that 'they are building on their land.'
"You son of a dog! Building on their land? He himself is a settler from a family of settlers, yet he is the American ambassador in Tel Aviv! What can we possibly expect from him?"Fatah Poster Of Friedman With "#Colonialist, Settler, Son Of A Dog" Hashtag
As noted, also on March 19, following 'Abbas's statements, the Fatah movement, which 'Abbas heads, posted on its social media a poster with an image of Ambassador Friedman with the hashtag in Arabic "#Colonialist, Settler, Son Of A Dog."
Fatah's poster of Amb. Friedman (Source: Facebook.com/officialfateh1965, March 19, 2018)
[1] See MEMRI TV Clip No. 6371, Mahmoud Abbas: The Plo Should Reexamine Its Agreements With Israel; We Will No Longer Accept The U.S. As Mediator, January 14, 2018.
[2] For example, in reports by the official news agency Wafa.ps, March 19, 2017.

60 Minutes with Mohammed bin Salman
Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al Arabia/March 20/18
During his interview with “60 Minutes” that airs on the American CBS television network, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said: “If Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible,” and that Khamenei is “the new Hitler.” He also said: “Iran is not a rival to Saudi Arabia” as its army is not” among the top five armies in the Muslim world.” He added that the kingdom’s economy is larger than the Iranian economy and that “Iran is far from being equal to Saudi Arabia.” The interview was aired right before he kicked off his tour to the US where he is set to meet with President Donald Trump.
This young prince and inspiring leader has become the world’s talk and the center of attention of leaders he met or dealt with. World leaders know well that the crown prince is a man of his word and a man of action. He makes decisions that harmonize with his statements and translates his visions into tangible projects. CBS once described him as one of the most powerful leaders in the Middle East. What many observers do not know is that he was described as such before he even began implementing his ambitious political and economic plans.
Leader of major reforms
During his visit to Washington, he would be representing Saudi Arabia with all its political, economic, Arab and Islamic weight. He’d also be representing most Gulf, Arab and Muslim countries especially that he leads two efficient military alliances which are the alliance in support of legitimacy in Yemen and the Islamic coalition to combat terrorism. He is also the leader of Saudi Arabia’s military forces as he is the kingdom’s minister of defense. The Saudi kingdom is the US’ strongest ally in the US-led alliance which eliminated ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
He is leading major reforms on all fronts, from combating terrorism and extremism to eliminating corruption, empowering women and creating the future. The kingdom’s officials and ministers are working around the clock to accomplish the devised plans. The sky is the limit as he once said. Everyone thus knows what he’s capable of doing.
This is not exaggerated praise, and my statements do not aim to serve any flattering purposes. These are all clear facts. Some media outlets and think tanks in the West and the US may take a long time to comprehend all this considering the crown prince’s speed and pace in fulfilling these accomplishments on the domestic, regional and international levels.
Saudi Arabia does not desire a new cold war in the region or the world; however, if imposed on it, it’s completely ready to protect its interests, select its allies and create its future. There is no room for improvisation as there’s always a plan. The crown prince recently visited Britain and Egypt, the largest political and economic Arab ally to Saudi Arabia. His visit to Egypt reflected that he had a complete plan that serves the kingdom’s interests and enhances its future. He signed plenty of major agreements during these two visits. This will also be the case when he tours the US which he’s visiting after building strong ties with President Trump as he was the first Arab or Muslim leader to meet him after he was elected and convinced him to go to Saudi Arabia on his first foreign tour. His visit to Washington comes at the same time when Trump is in great harmony with the Department of State after Mike Pompeo, the former CIA chief, was appointed Secretary of State after Rex Tillerson was fired.
When devising his vision to transfer the country’s economy from a rentier economy that relies on oil to a productive economy that attracts international investments, he adopted an out-of-the-box idea which is listing Aramco for initial public offering (IPO). World leaders have thus sought to develop ties with him and with the kingdom as for example Trump and others publicly voiced their desire to list IPO stocks in their stock markets.
Reducing Iran’s expansionist influence
The biggest crisis in the Middle East is the Iranian project. The crown prince had said that he adopted a tight plan to reduce Iran’s expansionist influence. He besieged Iran in many of its influence zones across the world, not just in Arab countries which Tehran directly interfered in but also in other countries in Africa and Central Asia.
If an American who’s interested in the region’s affairs does a quick search about the region, he will immediately realize that Iran is not a rival to Saudi Arabia. There is actually a huge difference between Saudi Arabia which is heading towards the future and towards more international cooperation and Iran which is witnessing intense conflicts between its powers, such as the institution of the supreme guide who belongs to the past and who is deluded by expansionist ambitions, the revolutionary guards who are corrupt adventurers and the presidency that claims it believes in reform when all it can do is defend the mistakes of the former and stronger two institutions. Meanwhile, Iran is also witnessing popular protests that continue to escalate and intensify.
The crown prince’s visit to the US also comes at a time when all of his opponents’ projects are failing. They are failing thanks to his vision and plans. The Iranian project, the Turkish fundamentalist project and the small Qatari project are failing. Saudi Arabia is entering history as a winning knight that’s making the future. The kingdom which was accused of terrorism and extremism is leading an international campaign to combat terrorism and spread tolerance, co-existence and peace.
Saudi Arabia does not want nuclear weapons but it will develop them if Iran does. It did not seek the war in Yemen but it was compelled to engage in it and it’s wisely managing towards achieving victory. It’s building new and efficient relations with Iraq and Lebanon, and it’s the biggest supporter of the Palestinian cause and the Syrian people and of the stability of states across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. This is the crown prince’s policy that has the full support of Saudi King Salman.
The crown prince is executing his vision according to the highest international political, economic, military and financial standards. A recent UN Security Council presidential statement on Yemen commended Saudi Arabia’s role. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund support his reform plans while media outlets and humanitarian institutions praise his decisions and vision.
Saudi Arabia does not desire a new cold war in the region or the world; however, if imposed on it, it’s completely ready to protect its interests, select its allies and create its future. Prince Mohammed is an ambitious leader who has achieved solid victories and who dreams of a bright future. His Washington tour will thus mark the beginning of a new phase in the history of the region and the world.

The Saudi Crown Prince's US tour and the war in Yemen
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabia/March 20/18
During his trip to Washington, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will discuss plenty of affairs such as the war in Yemen. President Trump’s opponents are trying to exploit this war in their battle to deprive the White House of some jurisdictions. This is all part of the old conflict between the executive and legislative institutions over the War Powers Act. Three senators are working on a resolution that obligates the president to suspend military cooperation with the Saudi kingdom in Yemen. They’ve called for voting on the resolution within the next few days but this will probably be postponed and further reviewed because the move goes beyond Yemen as its consequences affect the president’s jurisdictions and limit military cooperation with US’ allies.
This is an old controversy which some Congress members are trying to revive by using the war in Yemen to strengthen the role of the legislative authority, i.e. the Congress, at the expense of the White House, i.e. the president.
The war in Yemen is the war which concerns the US the least. US’ involvement in this war is very limited as it does not have any soldiers on the ground. This is compared with its role in Syria, Iraq and other countries where it has around 9,000 soldiers and consultants managing the war and fighting on the ground. Its air force is also involved in operations in Iraq and Syria. As for Yemen, it’s in the Americans’ interest to end the fighting and restore legitimacy as this will eliminate al-Qaeda and end Iran’s interferences via its proxy, i.e. the Houthis.
Washington’s military involvement with Riyadh and the alliance that’s fighting to restore legitimacy in Yemen is in the three fields of sharing intelligence information, providing logistical support and aerial refueling. Aerial refueling is debatable as the senators who proposed the bill claimed that aerial refueling of fighter aircrafts is like sending troops to the ground therefore it requires the Congress’ approval.
Despite the motives of these senators and of those demanding to decrease American military cooperation in Yemen, concerned American institutions, like the Pentagon, believe the Arab coalition’s war in Yemen is also important for the US and they support providing help in the three aforementioned fields.
Some Congress members believe that attempting to deprive the president of some jurisdictions and restraining his activity while cooperating with the Arab coalition in Yemen will impact US’ interests and security in general. Republican Senator Bob Corker said: “We do so much of that with our allies around the world and don’t consider that to be involved in hostilities but simply helping our allies in what they’re doing,” adding: “I think if we use the War Powers Act to call these kinds of activities hostilities, we could go down a really slippery slope.”
Finalizing the war?
Therefore, the Saudi crown prince’s upcoming meetings with the American president and Congress members will discuss key issues that concern both parties, like Yemen. Most of those who look at the war in Yemen from a humanitarian angle are oblivious of the causes of war. We must note that halting the war in Yemen will not solve the problem as the fighting will continue among local parties. Halting the war will also not help provide food and medicine or restore life because there is no efficient government.
Therefore, suspending the war without militarily or politically finalizing it will worsen the humanitarian situation there. Determination must thus be focused on ending the rebellion, restoring the government’s efficient role and executing the measures which have been internationally agreed upon – establishing a regime that governs on the basis of a new constitution and holding parliamentary elections – and which the Houthis did not abide by as they staged their coup instead.
Yemen will remain a source of threat to the world if chaos continues there and as long as there is no legitimate government or the rebellion is not eliminated. Threats from Yemen are real as terror plots against the US itself and other countries have emanated from there. Without a strong, central and legitimate government in Yemen, conditions will be suitable for sustaining terrorists.

To our friends: The United States of America and its people
Faisal Al-Shammeri/Al Arabia/March 20/18
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established on September 23, 1932 in a far different world than we see today. One that even with the benefit of hindsight few people today would be able to comprehend with true understanding.
Founded at the height of the age of empires and during the depths of the Great Depression. When Adolph Hitler was on the ascendancy in Germany and his National Socialist German Workers Party was on the verge of assuming power.
The year of 1932 is when Joseph Stalin was truly beginning the implementation of his quest for total and absolute power inside Russia which would later culminate in the Great Purge. The previous year before the founding of Saudi Arabia, the initial foreshadowing of World War II was just beginning to show itself in Northeast Asia with The Empire of Japan’s invasion and conquest of Chinese Manchuria.
At this time the League of Nations, the first attempt to establish a forum for global cooperation, would begin a process that would lead to organizational failure and in the end a place in the history books. Economic collapse, unemployment, hunger, despair, and uncertainty would’ve abounded in the Western World while international commerce would come to a grinding halt.
The beginning of the ascendancy for the belligerent, revisionist and authoritarian powers would see them take their initial steps in their respective bids for global domination brought by imperial conquest obtained by the sword. That would’ve been the composite picture of the world when Saudi Arabia was founded by King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman al-Saud.
The country founded in this tumultuous year of 1932 would ultimately outlast Lenin’s Bolshevik Russia, the 1000 year Reich of Hitler’s Germany, the British Empire, and even the ensuing Cold War that followed World War II. Like other countries, Saudi Arabia would have its own arc in history and it would be a surprising one. It is here the story begins.
Saudi Arabia stands at the very frontline of issues that currently confront the global community and is partnered with countries that are among the most important in today’s geopolitical order
Diplomatic recognition
In November 1931, United States extended full diplomatic recognition to Saudi Arabia, which had been the hope of King Abdulaziz, and in November 1931 this would also include favored nation status as well.
In May 1933, the California Arabian Standard Oil Company began to explore for oil in Saudi Arabia and thanks to the great efforts of our American friends was subsequently found. On February 16th, 1943 President Roosevelt stated that “the defense of Saudi Arabia is vital for the defense of the United States” which began to deepen the relationship between the two countries.
Where this relationship truly began to grow is at the Yalta Conference on the Crimea Peninsula in February 1945. The famous conference where British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt would meet to decide post-war Europe and the future conduct of the yet unfinished part of World War II which was still raging in The Pacific.
History remembers the picture of these three leaders sitting alongside one another for the press at Yalta. However, it is at Yalta where another meeting would take place. It is here where President Roosevelt would meet with King Abdulaziz aboard The USS Quincy on February 14th, 1945. It is at Yalta where the first links in the US-Saudi relationship would be strategically connected forming the basis for what would become one of the most important relationships in the world.
Of all the meetings and topics of discussion at Yalta among the leaders of the victorious Allied Powers this meeting of President Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz would result in a geopolitical reality that exists to this very day. The postwar realities of Central and Eastern Europe, and the subsequent Cold War between the superpowers would come and go including its Iron Curtain but not the relationship between Washington and Riyadh. It would outlast everything discussed at Yalta.
Cold War
During the Cold War and afterward our two countries shared the same strategic concerns. Saudi Arabia was staunchly opposed to the spread of communism and worked with the United States to achieve this mutually shared objective. During the First Gulf War Saudi Armed Forces conducted bombing raids inside Iraq and committed ground forces alongside the US to support the expulsion of Iraq from Kuwait.
We believe in stability of oil prices and investment in the economies of Western Countries, like the US. We believe in investing in Western countries not only for the opportunities they present but to support the strategic partners of Washington as well. We believe in protecting the security of international commerce at sea and the freedom of navigation everywhere in the world, like the US.
We believe in taking a proactive posture in the fight against terrorism and the terrorists who use this sadistic instrument to achieve their nefarious aims, like the United States. Terrorists who threaten Americans and the Western world threaten the well-being of Saudi citizens as well, along with the Muslim World and humanity as a whole.
We have long believed in the warmth and upright character of the American people and the value provided by American educators where we send the majority of our sons and daughters to receive higher education. Currently we have the fourth largest group of foreign-born students currently studying in the United States.
We trust the American people with their safety and are grateful to not only have these expectations consistently met without worry, but to witness with our own eyes their growth they are able to demonstrate here when they return home. Very few people, if any, at the time of Yalta would’ve taken the bet if you had told them that this friendship which was truly struck aboard the USS Quincy between President Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz would’ve resulted in what we see today.
If we had told our grandparents and great grandparents then what American-Saudi relationship would be today it would’ve been very difficult to impress upon them this reality of this future.
Today American Presidents come to visit Riyadh as partners of the highest strategic order, for both sides. In the 21st Century Saudi Arabia finds itself at the very forefront of the global community with a large presence in the region and beyond. We are the only Arab country with membership in the G-20.
Bridge to Asia
Today we are the bridge from Europe into the Middle East and beyond to Asia itself. We express a great deal of gratitude to the United States and the American people who have been invaluable friends to us during our rise.
Saudi Arabia is one of the first and initial signatories of the United Nations Charter established in the last months of World War II. The previously mentioned California Arabian Standard Oil Company which began work in May of 1933 would become Saudi Aramco, one of the largest companies the world has ever seen.
This is just one of the many ripened fruits of this relationship that developed since November 1931. Today Americans, and for the many decades following the work began in May 1933, work inside the Kingdom in highly-skilled professions for salaries that sometimes exceed what can be earned in the United States.
Saudi Arabia stands at the very frontline of issues that currently confront the global community and is partnered with countries that are among the most important in today’s geopolitical order. Under the leadership of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom finds itself fortunate to have astute, capable, and serious leadership who can offer credibility to our willingness to work directly with our friends in the multitude of issues we collectively face.
Currently we have a world of instability, uncertainty, and in some cases submerged in extreme pain, despair, sadism and even death. Saudi Arabia stands directly alongside our friends, the United States, against the belligerent and revisionist powers who offer a future of the most nefarious manner to humanity.
Saudi Arabia is a capable, willing, and serious partner in the most important issue of our lifetimes, the war against terrorism. At this very moment we have the very best our country can offer, our brave soldiers, fighting inside Yemen for our peace, security and well-being of our citizenry.
Recently a US Navy Guided Missile Destroyer, the USS Mason, was targeted by the very opponent we are currently facing while conducting it’s right to transit internationally recognized waters. Fortunately, nobody was injured or harmed. But this fight where we have committed our very best is against an opponent who represents a collection of interests who not only directly threaten our citizenry, but also the strategic interests of the United States.
They deliberately seek confrontation with the best and bravest of the United States has to offer as well. It has been mentioned in only two cases where the US has a “Special Relationship,” which is with Great Britain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To us this is an honor of the highest magnitude to have the privilege to be considered as such.
We reciprocate such sentiments a thousand-fold to the United States and the American People. As a country we will never forget where we have come from and where we began. We honor that by knowing where we are today, and what the possibilities for our future can be if we give a responsible awareness and respect to our past. We in Saudi Arabia we look to this “Special Relationship” as one of the greatest legacies King Abdulaziz left us. Saudi Arabia today would not be recognizable to either President Roosevelt or King Abdulaziz. They would not have been able to predict the arc of this partnership they forged on the USS Quincy. Of all the relationships that the US forged with an eye for the post World War II world in the last days of that brutal conflict hardly anyone would’ve been able to foresee not only how important this one would become, but how close it would be. We Thank You for your sincere friendship which we will never forget.

Reflections on Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the US
By Dr. John Duke Anthony/Al Arabiya/March 20/2018
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud begins a visit to the United States today. He is reported to be planning stops in several cities, including Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, Houston, Seattle, and San Francisco. The occasion will mark his second official visit to the United States since Donald Trump assumed the U.S. Presidency and Mohammed bin Salman’s first official visit since assuming the post of Crown Prince in June 2017.
Roots of the Relationship
In considering the modern U.S.-Saudi Arabian strategic partnership, reference is often made to a meeting the Crown Prince’s grandfather, King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Saud, had with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 14, 1945. That historic visit had the two heads of state sitting and exchanging views with one another aboard the U.S. Navy’s U.S.S. Quincy in the Great and Bitter Lake of the Suez Canal. Academics, scholars, media specialists, policymakers, and foreign affairs specialists of all stripes have ever since referred to that visit as “historic.”
Yes, that visit was historic in the sense that it occurred on a certain date in time. Except for the fact that those two outsized heads of state met each other for the first and only time then and there, however, the encounter was far less “historic” in the usual sense of the term than countless commentators have since made it out to be. To be sure, a myth about what transpired at that meeting is deeply embedded in the literature and lore of the American and Saudi Arabian peoples.
The truth, however, is that the so-called Saudi Arabian-American love affair dates not from the meeting between the U.S. President and the Saudi Arabian King in 1945. Neither does it stem from the discovery earlier by American engineers, aided by skilled Saudi Arabian Bedouin guides, of a Kingdom-based petroleum bonanza in 1938 the likes of which the world had never seen before and has not seen since.
Rather, the roots of the special relationship date from decades before – from 1917 onwards. The seeds of the extraordinary one-of-a-kind international special strategic partnership of the American-Saudi Arabian alliance that has lasted to this day were laid then by others. None among them were officials of either country’s modern government.
From the U.S. side, those who most directly helped jumpstart the special relationship were some of the best and brightest of America’s medical doctors, nurses, and teachers. They administered treatment to Arabia and the Gulf citizenries’ elites and rank and file at sites throughout southern Iraq and eastern Arabia – including in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman – under the auspices of the Arabian Mission of the Dutch Reformed Church of America.
In the manner of their service, comportment, and demeanor, what stood out were these early Americans’ undaunted volunteerism. In addition, from the outset it was all too apparent that they were not colonialists. They were not even imperialists. Rather, they were sincere humane providers of badly needed health care and educational services.
In keeping with their values, principled convictions, and humanitarian commitments, these Americans sent no invoices. They, not others, were the truly remarkable pioneers of the special Saudi Arabia-U.S. relationship that has ever since been the envy of virtually the entire rest of the world.
Killing the Competition
In trying to understand the nature and extent of the roots of the U.S.-Saudi Arabian relationship, what one will far more often read about is not the story just told. Instead, one will more likely hear about a largely unchallenged allusion pertaining to the 1945 meeting. It is to an alleged pledge by the United States made then to thenceforth uphold, honor, and protect the Saudi Arabian government’s security from attack, threat, or intimidation. The pledge was reportedly in exchange for a promise by the Kingdom to provide unlimited exports of petroleum that would be needed to speed and ensure the recovery of the war-devastated economies of Europe.
What has hardly been fair or helpful in understanding the Saudi Arabian oil exports-for-U.S. security narrative surrounding the 1945 meeting is what it implied. The substance of the narrative connotes an innate insecurity and weakness on the part of Saudi Arabia. This is contrasted with the unbridled power and strength of the United States, whose overriding interest then was not in Saudi Arabia as a country and people, per se, but, rather, in an inanimate object the country possessed: a finite and depleting substance called oil.
Consider for a moment the subsequent analytical and long run American foreign policy implications of the 1945 meeting that for so long have been unquestioned. Zero in on what has ever since largely been unchallenged. The emphasis then and ever since has been on the position and role of the United States as a humanistic subject in the form of a mighty if not entirely altruistic defender. In contrast, the insinuation was of Saudi Arabia as an inanimate and inordinately weaker object in need of American protection. It takes little to imagine how such a portrayal of the two entities would serve some people’s interests.
Indeed, for Saudi Arabia’s many opponents in the non-Arab Middle East, in the United States, and elsewhere, the narrative has been useful. It has helped feed the notion that the Kingdom should not be allowed to compete in the international arena on a level playing field fairly and equally with other countries and, least of all, with more favored American partners in the region in which it is situated.
To that end, Riyadh’s detractors have been consistently intent on “killing the competition” that the Kingdom’s partnership with the U.S. represents. In that regard, reducing the imagery of the Kingdom in the popular imagination, the media, academe, and foreign policymaking circles to one that focuses only on the country’s hydrocarbon deposits feeds a largely negative and defaming narrative of the government and its peoples’ insignificance.
The case can be made that America all along was capable of viewing the matter differently – and more fairly – and that this should have been obvious. Apparently, though, it wasn’t; either that or such efforts to that effect, if any were mounted, proved ineffective.
It is easy to imagine why some parties have long sought to advance the negative narrative. Take, for example, Saudi Arabia’s sheer size. Compare it with the far less significant landmass of other countries in the region. Indeed, with its 13 land and maritime neighbors, the Kingdom can be likened more to a continent than a country. In this regard, few countries can come close to matching the degree to which those dependent upon freedom of aerial and maritime access and passage to and from the planet’s main East-West and West-East transportation routes have no choice but to obtain the Saudi Arabian government’s permission.
Islamic and International Organization Dynamics
Add to the equation Saudi Arabia’s innate power, prestige, and position among the world’s nearly two billion Muslims that are derived from its role as Custodian of Islam’s two holiest places, Makkah and Medina. Link that role to Makkah being the focal point of every Muslim’s prayers and, in addition, the Kingdom’s annual hosting and administering of the hajj, the ritualistic pilgrimage enjoined of every Muslim during their lifetime.
No other country, in short, comes close to rivaling the Kingdom as the epicenter of prayer and pilgrimage, and of faith and spiritual devotion, for the nearly a quarter of humanity that adheres to the Muslim faith. Neither can any nation rival Saudi Arabia’s standing among the 57 Muslim-majority nations that are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Islam’s highest political body.
With regard to its resources, few, if any, can match how Saudi Arabia has leveraged its range of geopolitical, economic, and other physical assets. These include, remarkably, nearly one-fifth of the world’s proven oil reserves (in comparison to America’s one-fiftieth); Saudi Arabia’s standing in sixth place among countries in terms of proven natural gas reserves; and Saudi Arabia’s having developed a petrochemical sector from non-existence a little more than a quarter of a century ago into it being one of the main pillars of its economy. These mineral-based features of the Kingdom, which are little known beyond specialists, are ones that impact the needs and longings of billions of human beings.
This is not all. The aforementioned Saudi Arabian facets are in addition to the accompanying power and influence that derive from the Kingdom being a founding, longstanding, and often-leading member of numerous among the world’s most prominent and powerful international organizations, e.g., the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consultancy, the Gulf Investment Fund, and the Arab Monetary Fund.
To these have been added Saudi Arabia’s central role, more recently, in two more international groupings. One has been the Kingdom’s formation and leadership of a coalition of more than forty countries dedicated to eradicating sources of funding for various forms of violent extremism. The other has been Riyadh’s contribution in leading a smaller, differently focused, internationally concerted body of Islamic countries. These are committed to ending the scourge of political violence in the name of the Islamic faith by the so-called Daesh terrorist group, better known in the West as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
In Search of Clarity and Accuracy
The foregoing should provide ample reason why it is important not to lose sight of all that Saudi Arabia has long represented and continues to represent, which is of immense interest and importance to humankind. Even so, it is easy to see why so much of the attention surrounding Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit has focused and is likely to remain fixated on issues, challenges, and opportunities linked to the immediate present. Doing so, however, risks obscuring something else, which pertains to the Kingdom’s position and role in regional and global affairs.
An awareness and appreciation of Saudi Arabia’s association with the abovementioned phenomena, and their bearing on other countries’ relationships with the Kingdom, is vitally important. This has to do with why it is and has been of such enormous significance throughout the entire century-long period dating from before the Crown Prince’s visit. It has to do, also, with why, not just to the United States but to the world in general, the Kingdom is certain to remain of extraordinary strategic, economic, political, commercial, and defense cooperation significance – and in roughly that order of priority – for far into the future.
With this as background, context, and perspective, what the Crown Prince’s upcoming visit can be seen as is additional evidence of a renewed invigoration between Saudi Arabia and the United States, and one that has grown far beyond the foundation of the longstanding bilateral partnership.
Not just to the United States but to the world in general, the Kingdom is certain to remain of extraordinary strategic, economic, political, commercial, and defense cooperation significance – and in roughly that order of priority – for far into the future.
Viewed in this light, the visit of King Salman’s son and Saudi Arabia’s future leader seeks to further relations between the two countries in numerous fields. It serves to continue to build and deepen confidence between the two partners as they work to address national, bilateral, regional, and global challenges. Accordingly, investment and strong economic relations between the Kingdom and the United States are two cornerstones of the multi-dimensional relationship.
What, then, do Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s planned stops in multiple U.S. cities imply? They indicate that the leader of the Arab and Islamic world’s most important country is traveling to America in what might be considered a “road show” intended to build additional momentum for American investment in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 national development plan. In some regards, the concept of a road show could also be seen as a metaphorical Saudi Arabian caravan traversing America with a view to promoting, explaining, and securing greater U.S. interest and investment in the economic and social transformations taking place in the Kingdom.
Promoting Kingdom-Wide Advances
Against any backdrop or frame of reference, the emerging era of Saudi Arabian-U.S. relations is therefore entering a significant juncture. A relevant window for perspective is, arguably, the one associated with the Crown Prince’s grandfather in the very early 1900s. That provided the cornerstone of all the subsequent efforts to establish the national confines of the current Saudi Arabian state.
Viewed thusly, it is easy to see Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman positioning himself as a similarly revolutionary and transformative figure in Arabia. Indeed, half a decade ago, when he had just past the quarter of a century mark, a Saudi Arabian friend of mine said he had overheard Prince Mohammed Bin Salman saying to someone else, “Just wait. You haven’t seen anything yet.” This was years ahead of when he began to implement what he presaged and promised.
If the prediction as reported to me by my friend was correct, it is clear that the Crown Prince’s ideas and intentions were not born yesterday. As the Kingdom continues to endeavor to absorb its extraordinarily young and educated population into its workforce as effectively as possible, Muhammad bin Salman – himself one of that very half of the country’s population that is his age or younger – is working, in effect, to reimagine and reinvent Saudi Arabia. He is intent on doing this for the country’s relationship with itself, with the regional realm in which the Kingdom is situated, and with the global community beyond – all three at the same time. In this regard alone, the United States has an interest in seeing its Saudi Arabian partner succeed.
That success might well be measured in prioritizing as well as in enhancing first and foremost the country’s security. Upon this will turn the prospects for Saudi Arabia’s stability. Upon these two phenomena will ride the Kingdom’s prospects for peace. And upon all three will be tethered the country’s longer-run ambitions and possibilities for sustained prosperity.
London? Cairo?
Though the United States might be the so-called greatest of the strategically special relationship international prizes being sought by Riyadh, noteworthy is that the Crown Prince has made a point of recently visiting, first, Egypt and then the United Kingdom. Among the simplest of explanations for this sequence is that, next to the United States, no other Great Power nation has as long known Saudi Arabia and its needs, concerns, interests, and priorities as well as Great Britain.
Neither should it be difficult to fathom why Egypt figures as highly as it does. With regards to the Crown Prince’s recent visit to Cairo, there is no denying that, within the Arab and Islamic contexts, where the Kingdom has chosen to lead and initiate more than follow and be reactive, he realizes he has no choice but to try to maneuver as effectively as possible amidst the fact that almost one out of every four Arabs is an Egyptian.
Often left unspoken, however, is another Cairo-related factor. Egypt is the one Arab country more than any other that has attacked and in one way or another sought to inflict harm upon Saudi Arabia within the past two hundred years. It has done so twice. It is therefore for basically sound realpolitik reasons that anyone in Riyadh should want to do whatever is necessary and expedient to be on as good a set of terms with Egypt as possible. Indeed, Prince Muhammad bin Salman needs to ensure that there are no reasons for any further attempts from west of the Red Sea region to undermine the Kingdom’s security, stability, and prospects for peace and prosperity.
Also of monumental strategic significance is Cairo and Riyadh’s bold intention to link their economic destinies geographically to an extent never before attempted in the two countries’ history. That is, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince envisions the establishment of a multibillion dollar entirely new city on the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast. The location, near Egypt’s popular tourist destination at Sharm El Shaikh on the Sinai Peninsula, is close to the Strait of Tiran that links Israeli and Jordanian access to the Indian Ocean and waters beyond. Less often spoken behind this initiative are Cairo’s and Riyadh’s geostrategic oneness, alongside the increasingly assertive geopolitical position and role of the UAE Emirate of Abu Dhabi and its Crown Prince, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. The two have been keen to join their efforts to counter the advance of Iran and its geostrategic and geopolitical expansion from Tehran through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon to the Mediterranean.
Similarly, albeit in an entirely different geographical direction but for similar reasons of realpolitik, Riyadh’s reasons for aligning as much of its international financial considerations as possible and prudent with the United Arab Emirates are transparent. Doing so has a potential for tightening the alliance between the two fellow GCC, OPEC, Arab League, and Organization of Islamic Cooperation members. Without its western and eastern geopolitical partnerships within the Arab and Islamic worlds assured, or at least being cultivated to the hilt, Riyadh is well aware that it cannot hope to surmount challenges from Iran and elsewhere alone.
Mohammed bin Salman has therefore been doing everything feasible to ensure that, at this still early juncture in his stewardship, his Saudi Arabian constituents have as little reason as possible to rise in opposition to him. His prospects for being able to register the requisite effectiveness in this realm of endeavor, however, cannot be assured by his acting alone. Rather, they turn in different ways on the extent to which internally he can indicate that he is doing everything possible to enhance the security, stability, and peace of his country internationally.
Externally, they turn in significant measure on the degree to which he is effective in those among his international outreach efforts chronicled herein. As for the American piece of the equation, which is admittedly substantial, his effectiveness will turn to a significant degree on how well he does in two areas. One will have to do with the nature and extent of his undertakings unilaterally and jointly with powerful areas of the U.S. domestic economy, energy industry, and technology sectors. The other will be focused on what kinds of assurances he can secure from President Trump’s Washington. Regarding the latter, the goal will be to ascertain the extent to which the two countries’ respective national leaderships, interests, and key foreign policies are on as much of the same internationally strategic page and alignment as possible.
Mutually Enhancing Material Wellbeing
As the engines of fiscal reform and economic transformation churn in Saudi Arabia, huge amounts of indigenous and international investment are needed if the Kingdom’s National Transformation Plan is expected to work. In the here and now, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s prospects are buoyed by the rise in the price of oil. The vicissitudes of the energy markets’ ups and downs notwithstanding, what is irrefutable is the Kingdom-wide acknowledgement of how vital continued injections of capital will be. In no other way do most analysts envision that the prospects for Saudi Arabia to be able to unlock additional economic opportunities for growth are realistic and attainable.
Such dynamics are occurring amidst implementation of the Kingdom’s first-ever Value Added Tax, which came into effect on January 1 of this year. Added to this reformist economic initiative are:
•reductions in the level of subsidies for such life-sustaining commodities as water, vehicular energy, electricity, and sewage disposal;
•the Crown Prince’s declared intentions to increase the number and kinds of employment opportunities for women;
•the declared lifting of the generations-old prohibition on women driving;
•the granting women permission kingdom-wide to establish businesses without the approval of male guardians;
•the approval for the liberalization of certain social endeavors, such as mixed gender attendance at public events, e.g., musical performances long thought to be frowned upon; and, overall,
•a lighter, gentler face of public exhibitions and manner of enforcement of some of the stricter Islamic norms, principles, and values with a view to there being a much less stark contrast with the more moderate manifestations of the faith in other Islamic lands.
The composition and expertise included in the high-level Saudi Arabian delegation scheduled to visit the nation’s capital, California, Massachusetts, Washington, Texas, and New York signal the Crown Prince’s seriousness not only in promoting investment in the Kingdom. They signal also an openness and a willingness to provide serious and favorable consideration to any mutually viable and beneficial arrangement that holds out the prospect of being reciprocally rewarding to prospective American-Saudi Arabian partners. With these kinds of ends in mind, the delegation is expected to address and examine the possibilities for further developing Saudi Arabian-U.S. relations in a wide variety of fields and levels.
Image Considerations
Simultaneously, also to be probed are just exactly what will be needed to further boost Saudi Arabia’s image in the United States in light of the Kingdom’s enormously ambitious transformation efforts. None who specialize in Saudi Arabia-U.S. relations will deny how difficult, challenging, and long-term an effort of this nature must inevitably and unavoidably be if it is to have any prospect of being effective. Of necessity, such a campaign will have to be addressed to the many Americans who have never bothered or cared to delve deeply into what was behind the tragedy that produced the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It will also have to be introduced and championed among the many who do not want to be disabused of their longstanding negative viewpoints and prejudices against Arabs and Muslims, and against Saudi Arabians in particular.
Not least, such a strategy will have to be implemented among the many who simply do not care. These include those who deem it to be in their interest to maintain a negative stance towards the Kingdom. These view the country’s government and citizens as well as natural resources as objects – phenomena to be maligned, defamed, dehumanized, manipulated, exploited, disappointed, kept off balance, made to be on the defensive, and hemmed forever inside a perceptual box that wreaks of wrong and negativity.
In addition, there are just as many if not more who simply are against having their preconceived notions of reality challenged, uprooted, or, for that matter, disturbed in any way. Making inroads with Americans who would protest, “Don’t provide me any new information or insight – my mind’s already made up” will not be easy. Not to be countenanced among such adversaries is that the Kingdom and its people should simultaneously be considered and appreciated for what they also are: namely, equal actors. As such, they have their own legitimate needs, their own legitimate rights, their own legitimate concerns, their own legitimate interests, and their own legitimate foreign relations goals.
Building on Past Successes
To give credit where credit is due, Prince Mohammed bin Salman is hardly arriving to Washington without any prior traction. He comes to America with the opportunity of building on his meetings with President Trump during the May 2017 Riyadh Summit. The United States and Saudi Arabia struck a series of deals totaling more than $350 billion spanning 10 years during that historic two-day meeting in the Kingdom’s capital last spring. Those agreements – including some that were prospective – involved a variety of industries, including information technology, medical equipment, chemicals, real estate, and $110 billion on defense alone. The agreements involved some of America’s leading firms, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Blackstone, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Exxon Mobil, General Electric, and Dow. The contracts and memoranda of understanding signed last year are to be further developed and implemented by the Saudi Arabian delegation and American representatives during this upcoming 2018 visit.
In his first official trip to the United States in 2016, Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s initiatives for change in Saudi Arabia across many different sectors as well as within society itself, including the further empowerment of Saudi Arabian women, received much attention. The Crown Prince is navigating modernity and tradition in a unique manner, and appears confident and intent to leave an impression that challenges Americans to think hard about the Kingdom’s future.
Leaders are not leaders if they are unwilling to take risks as well as manifest a sincere willingness to serve. This leader has done both. He has broken with parts of tradition while respecting other parts that went before. In tackling corruption head-on and in taking giant steps to further equalize the status and role of women, he has done what would earn any leader kudos from his constituents and, especially, among those who might otherwise be disaffected.
Moreover, in reaching out to such an extent to empower greater components of the Kingdom’s youth, he has shown the mettle of which he is made. What is more, he has done much to indicate the direction in which he intends to continue taking his country.
Yet none of this has occurred or is occurring in a vacuum. It is transpiring all the while acknowledging that none are bereft of blemish. Indeed, what he will be able to accomplish will turn heavily on his innate and acquired gifts. These will have to be in evidence alongside the wisdom and shared experience of his advisors and those who govern with him.
Cognizant of the challenges but, to date, remaining steadfast in his drive for transforming the Kingdom, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has positioned himself to push big changes in Saudi Arabia. In developing and promoting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan and its implementation mechanisms, the Crown Prince is driving a youth-led reimagining of the Kingdom’s economy through pragmatic goals and approaches. The Vision 2030 plan is a bold step forward, seeking a collective effort towards dynamic economic and social governance, replacing what some charged as bureaucratic inertia.
Perhaps most critical at this juncture in Saudi Arabia’s economic development efforts is the need to draw attention to the opportunities present in investing in the Kingdom’s future. New markets can be opened between the United States and Saudi Arabia in ways that further boost bilateral relations. The opportunity for women to drive in Saudi Arabia, which is little more than three months away, will have economic and social ramifications that herald a new era of possibilities for American investors. Already, American firms such as Ford, Uber, and Coca-Cola, together with Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, the latter returning after a thirteen-year absence, have jumped in to capitalize on the changes taking place.
In developing and promoting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan and its implementation mechanisms, the Crown Prince is driving a youth-led reimagining of the Kingdom’s economy through pragmatic goals and approaches.
A future where more American women can build strong, robust relationships with more Saudi Arabian female executives and ministers is imminent. This fact, in and of itself, is remarkable and a testimony to the dynamism in the Saudi Arabian-U.S. relationship.
President Trump’s administration has embraced the goal of maintaining, strengthening, and expanding the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia. Drawing on their shared objectives of managing threats from Iran and working to counter violent extremism in the region, the partnership produced one of the more phenomenal moments in contemporary U.S.-Arab relations when President Trump visited Saudi Arabia last May. In Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s upcoming visit to America, the relationship holds out the prospect of continuing to reap the dividends of the Saudi Arabian-U.S. long-standing cooperation.
Bringing the Partnership into the Future
As Saudi Arabia’s leadership works to highlight the openness of the Kingdom’s markets, the opportunities in economic privatization with greater transparency than ever before, and the social diversity embodied in Saudi Arabia’s vision – together with the manifestation of a new, bold philosophy – there are sure to be naysayers.
Some in the U.S. might not appear ready to accept a more liberal Saudi Arabia. To be sure, few specialists question whether the residue of the deeply ingrained negative images of the Kingdom’s leaders and its people, noted earlier, will likely continue for some time. No doubt, such images will be difficult to expunge from the consciousness of numerous Americans. So, too, will notions of the Kingdom as a hotbed of violent extremism be difficult to erase – or perhaps perceptibly, for many, even to subside.
Changing the nature and range of impressions that have been pounded into the American consciousness for so long a period will be a daunting task. Yet it is not an impossible one provided that an appropriate strategy is adopted and, as importantly, sustained over time. It will be this mission, too, that the Saudi Arabian delegation will study and probe during its visit to the United States.
The challenge of altering imagery, however, goes two ways. It is not just Saudi Arabia that has the task of overcoming a negative image in the United States. The United States, too, needs greatly to work on improving its image in the Kingdom, and elsewhere in the Arab and Islamic worlds. For just one example, President Trump’s government hardly conjured up an image of moral probity, responsibility, and respect for international law in its recent actions regarding Jerusalem, whose holy sites are sacred to the world’s 2.3 billion Christians, 1.8 billion Muslims, and 15 million Jews.
As perceptions about Saudi Arabia and its partnership with the U.S. change over time, some of the keys to Saudi Arabia’s economic future may well presently lie in California, where many American technology companies have their headquarters. The Kingdom will be seeking investments and partnerships as it works to integrate artificial intelligence, robotics, and other information technology systems into its economic transformation, including the ambitious and forward-looking NEOM project. Meanwhile, in New York, businessmen and financial institutions will be discussing and probing a possible future listing of Saudi Aramco’s shares on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as part of its planned record-breaking IPO. Although some of the public offering may be placed on the Tadawul (Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange) at first, there are also possibilities of future Saudi Aramco share offers on the NYSE.
In Houston, energy and petrochemicals investments will likely drive the Saudi Arabian delegation’s focus as the Kingdom’s Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) seeks to invest in Texas refineries in order to have America ship LNG to Saudi Arabia. Such an arrangement would help the Kingdom to realize the maximum benefit of its domestic oil production while not having to rely on producing LNG itself. Such a strategy, if it can be agreed to between the Kingdom and the U.S. Department of Energy, might assist in Saudi Arabia maximizing revenue for its ambitious transformation efforts.
The Saudi Arabian delegation’s visit to Boston, a hub of high-quality education and technology, and other American cities holds out the prospect of enhancing the Kingdom’s efforts to further its intellectual capacity. There is no shortage of opportunities for new partnerships between U.S. and Saudi Arabian institutions to develop methodologies and approaches to management and analysis for knowledge transfer to young Saudi Arabian professionals and stakeholders.Growing from Firm Roots
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s upcoming visit will therefore not only affirm the strength of the Saudi Arabia-U.S. relationship. It will also set the stage for new and enhanced bilateral ties. It is as true now as it was in the past that the Kingdom needs America and America needs the Kingdom. The mutually beneficial partnership, rooted in shared needs, concerns, interests, and objectives, has before it every opportunity to continue to grow. This is despite the inevitable challenges and periodic tensions and misunderstandings that are a reality of a relationship between any two strategically important states.
Massive new opportunities are continually developing for U.S. companies to take part in Saudi Arabia’s national development plan. To this end, the Kingdom is working to find ways to make itself a more attractive investment destination for partners.
One need only reference Saudi Arabia’s initiatives toward small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – by changing ownership rules and also by creating a SME Authority – to realize up close the ways in which the playing field inside the Kingdom is changing. The Saudi Arabian delegation visiting the United States will work to explain and promote how the Kingdom’s economic transformation is opening new doors for enhanced U.S.-Saudi Arabian ties.
As time marches on, and as countries and societies evolve, so do the relationships between international partners. Put more precisely, international partnerships are but partnerships between human beings – in this case between Americans and Saudi Arabians.
For the Saudi Arabian-U.S. relationship, a history of strong ties has laid roots for the flowering of new economic, social, cultural, and defense bonds. Transformation continues to be the operative word of the day not only for Saudi Arabia but also America’s relationship with the Kingdom and its young King to be.

Israel prepares for 'May Madness'
Ben Caspit/Al Monitor/March 20, 2018
ARTICLE SUMMARY
Israeli sources believe President Donald Trump will abandon the Iranian nuclear deal in May and are analyzing the possible outcomes of a number of other events anticipated that month.
REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueUS President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, March 5, 2018.
The month of May is shaping up to be “May Madness,” a take on the “March Madness” of collegiate basketball. According to Israel’s intelligence and political echelons, President Donald Trump’s policies will be tested in May on numerous fronts that have implications for Israel’s national security. To these assessments one must add the mounting rumors, mainly in the Arab world, about a possible aerial assault — by the United States or Israel or both of them together — against Iranian forces in Syria. There is no evidence, however, to support the rumor. No official source has mentioned an anticipated attack, but the issue has been discussed intently in almost all the nerve centers of the Middle East.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the Security Cabinet his opinion that Trump will probably withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran before a May 12 deadline on sanctions waivers for Iran. It had been said that Israel faces a dilemma concerning Iran's growing presence in Syria: Should it carry out a military strike to push the Iranians back from Israel’s northern border or simply swallow the bitter pill and come to terms with the new situation? According to Western intelligence assessments, Israel is vacillating on the matter. Is enforcement of the red lines regarding Iranian involvement in Syria (that is, a permanent presence and providing Hezbollah advanced weapons) worth the danger and tremendous destruction that would be caused by initiating a war?
On Netanyahu's return from a US trip this month, during which he met with Trump March 5, the prime minister announced that he had secured historical contributions toward Israel’s “national security.” The educated guess is that Netanyahu had received some kind of vague promise from Trump on withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear agreement or maybe even some kind of cooperation regarding military action against Iranian forces in Syria.
There is great satisfaction in Jerusalem over the change in US policy on Iran thanks to Trump. According to an intelligence source who spoke on the condition of anonymity, recent Israeli intelligence reports assess, “Instead of policy leaning toward an arrangement with Iran and viewing the country as a strategic partner, the Americans now classify Iran as a key threat to their interests. Thus, they strive to change the nuclear agreement and oppose Iran’s growing involvement in the region, which involves disseminating terror and launching precision missiles. Perhaps they [the Americans] are even aspiring toward a change of regime in Iran.”
In Israeli eyes, these changes follow a pattern: numerous, fundamental changes in US foreign policy in Trump’s first year in the White House. With regard to the Palestinians, the Americans have abandoned the age-old paradigm of the two-state solution as the only possible arrangement and one only achievable via bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Instead, the United States involves Arab countries, does not commit itself to any specific final agreement configuration, expresses a clear stance on core issues (such as Jerusalem) prior to negotiations and promises to think “outside the box.”
There has also been a sharp change in US policy regarding North Korea and emerging changes in policy regarding Iraq and eastern Turkey (namely the US approach to Ankara's conflict with Syrian Kurds). In addition, whereas the United States had earlier focused only on fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and had abandoned the Middle East battlefield to Iran and Russia, the Americans (under Israeli pressure) are now examining deeper involvement in halting Iranian expansionism, among other changes.
According to Israeli assessments, May will feature “opening shots” being fired in the above arenas. On May 12, Trump will have to decide whether to renew Iranian exemption from US sanctions and in general to make a final decision regarding the nuclear agreement. Then in mid-May, the US Embassy in Israel is slated to move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (though, in fact, only the ambassador’s residence will be transferred, marked by a ceremonial event). Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are expected to hold a “historic” meeting somewhere in May or June, barring unexpected developments. Elections are planned for May 12 in Iraq, where the choice is between a pro-Iranian stance and a more independent approach. Elections are also planned in Lebanon, on May 6.
Israel is keeping a close eye on all of these events — analyzing what’s happening now and attempting to predict what will happen down the line — in an attempt to identify the direction that Trump might take and the chances of him implementing new policies in direct opposition to the policies of his predecessor.
To all this, one should add the heating up of the security situation on Israel’s southern front. On March 17-18, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) destroyed two Hamas tunnels, one of which had been demolished in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge and that Hamas had attempted to rebuild. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has already declared that by the end of the year, the once-feared Hamas tunnel will be a thing of the past.
This is already raising security tensions on a daily basis. In the past week, several demolition charges exploded on the border fence between Israel and Gaza. In another incident, two IDF soldiers were wounded. The odds of a new eruption of violence along the lines of the 2014 hostilities have doubled in recent weeks. The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza is contributing to the odds.
Recent weeks have also brought an increased number of violent acts against Israelis on the other Palestinian front, on the West Bank. On March 18, a Palestinian murdered an Israeli guard. Two days earlier, a vehicular ramming attack by a Palestinian left two IDF soldiers dead.
“All the signs point to a rapid deterioration in the checks and balances that had previously maintained peace and quiet on the various fronts,” a highly placed Israeli source told Al-Monitor, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Also, the fact that we are in the President Mahmoud Abbas twilight stage, with all the rumors about his [failing] health, and the impasse reached by Hamas in Gaza — all these have not contributed to calming the territory.”
Will the factors discussed here combine to create the “ultimate tornado” that drags the entire region into war? At the moment, it seems unlikely. Although Netanyahu may consider such a path, he is deterred by being up to his neck in criminal investigations that probably will end his stint in power before he can jump into a war.
Nevertheless, one must not forget that Netanyahu also understands that his era will end soon. Will he chose to retire from public life in a storm and push Iran from Israel's northern border as a farewell gift to his people? Those who know him well do not think the odds are that he will, but as always with the Middle East, one should never say never.
**Ben Caspit is a columnist for Al-Monitor's Israel Pulse. He is also a senior columnist and political analyst for Israeli newspapers and has a daily radio show and regular TV shows on politics and Israel. On Twitter: @BenCaspit