English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For March 29/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.march29.22.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid
Mark 06/47-56: “When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 28-29/2022
The Healing Miracle of the Paralyzed Miracle & The Significance Of Praying For Others/Elias Bejjani/March 27/2022
Berri chairs Development and Liberation bloc’s meeting
Mikati receives American Task Force for Lebanon delegation
Rochdi after meeting Rahi: To intensify coordination with organizations supporting the Lebanese
American Task Force for Lebanon delegation Meets With Lebanese Dignitaries
Action against money laundering freezes EUR 120 million worth of Lebanese assets, seizing bank accounts
Rahi Refuses Turning Lebanon into a Dictatorship
Raja Salameh's Lawyer Files Release Request
Prosecution Reverses Judge Aoun's Bank Transfers Order
BDL Memo Allows Public Sector Workers to Withdraw Salary Unrestrictedly from Banks
Hizbullah Lauds 'Heroic' Hadera Attack, Slams Arab-Israeli 'Normalization Meeting'
UNIDO, UNDP Launch 'Lebanese Export Academy' to Support Agriculture Sector
Food, Energy Prices Soar, Pushing Crisis-Hit Lebanon to the Brink
Any attempt to fight corruption is futile unless you get to liberate Lebanon from the Iranian occupation/Jean-Marie Kassab/March 28/2022

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 28-29/2022
Negev Meeting between Arabs, US, Israel Tackles Iran, Peace
Israel Says Historic Meeting with U.S., Arab Ministers Will 'Deter' Iran
Israel's U.S., Arab partners close ranks on Iran and urge Palestine talks
Israeli PM Prevents Gantz from Meeting Jordanian King in Ramallah
IS Claims Killing of 2 in Israel, 2nd Rampage in a Week
Jordan's King Makes Rare West Bank Trip to Meet Abbas
Iran now knows its attacks on Saudi could bring Israel’s support
Iranian FM Faces Criticism Despite Holding onto IRGC Delisting
Tehran: Absence of US Decision the Only Obstacle in Vienna
War in Ukraine: Latest Developments
Russian Gas Flows to Europe Remain Stable
Ukraine War Threatens Food Supplies in Fragile Arab World
Biden Finds No Respite at Home after Returning from Europe
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Evacuate Homes Near Nairab Airport in Syria’s Aleppo
Abbas, Blinken Hold Talks in Ramallah

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 28-29/2022
Strikes on Iraq Reveal Iran’s Embrace of Missile Operations/Behnam Ben Taleblu/The National Interest/March 28/ 2022
Biden's 'New World Order'/Pete Hoekstra/Gatestone Institute/March 28, 2022
Aboul Gheit to Asharq Al-Awsat: Iran Uses Arab Crises as Pressure Cards to Confront the West/Ali Barada/Asharq Al-Awsat/March, 28/2022
The Grand Theory Driving Putin to War/Jane Burbank/The New York Times/March, 28/2022
Why Mariupol Matters to Ukraine and Russia/Bobby Ghosh/Bloomberg/March, 28/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 28-29/2022
The Healing Miracle of the Paralyzed Miracle & The Significance Of Praying For Others
Elias Bejjani/March 27/2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73457/elias-bejjani-praying-for-others-and-the-healing-miracle-of-the-paralyzed-miracle/
On the fifth Lenten Sunday the Catholic Maronites cite and recall with great reverence the Gospel of Saint Mark ( 02/1-12): “The Healing Miracle of the Paralytic”
This great miracle in its theological essence and core demonstrates beyond doubt that intercessions, prayers and supplications for the benefit of others are acceptable faith rituals that Almighty God attentively hears and definitely answers.
It is interesting to learn that the paralytic man as stated in the Gospel of St. Mark, didn’t personally call on Jesus to cure him, nor he asked Him for forgiveness, mercy or help, although as many theologians believe Jesus used to visit Capernaum, where the man lives, and preach in its Synagogue frequently.
Apparently this crippled man was lacking faith, hope, distancing himself from God and total ignoring the Gospel’s teaching. He did not believe that the Lord can cure him.
What also makes this miracle remarkable and distinguishable lies in the fact that the paralytic’s relatives and friends, or perhaps some of Jesus’ disciples were adamant that the Lord is able to heal this sick man who has been totally crippled for 38 years if He just touches him.
This strong faith and hope made four of them carry the paralytic on his mat and rush to the house where Jesus was preaching.
When they could not break through the crowd to inter the house they climbed with the paralytic to the roof, made a hole in it and let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on in front of Jesus and begged for his cure.
Jesus was taken by their strong faith and fulfilled their request.
Jesus forgave the paralytic his sins first (“Son, your sins are forgiven), and after that cured his body: “Arise, and take up your bed, and walk”.
Like the scribes many nowadays still question the reason and rationale that made Jesus give priority to the man’s sins.
Jesus’ wisdom illustrates that sin is the actual death and the cause for eternal anguish in Hell.
He absolved his sins first because sin cripples those who fall in its traps, annihilates their hopes, faith, morals and values, kills their human feelings, inflicts numbness on their consciences and keeps them far away from Almighty God.
Jesus wanted to save the man’s soul before He cures his earthy body. “For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?” (Mark 08:/36 & 37).
Our Gracious God does not disappoint any person when he seek His help with faith and confidence.
With great interest and parental love, He listens to worshipers’ prayers and requests and definitely respond to them in His own way, wisdom, time and manner.
“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened”. (Matthew 07/07 &08)
Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises. Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up”. (James 05:15)
In this loving and forgiving context, prayers for others, alive or dead, loved ones or enemies, relatives or strangers, are religiously desirable.
God hears and responds because He never abandons His children no matter what they do or say, provided that they turn to Him with faith and repentance and ask for His mercy and forgiveness either for themselves or for others. “
There are numerous biblical parables and miracles in which Almighty God shows clearly that He accepts and responds to prayers for the sake of others.
Jesus cured the centurion’s servant on the request of the Centurion and not the servant himself. (Matthew 08/05-33 )
Jesus revived and brought back to life Lazarus on the request of his sisters Mary and Martha. (John 11/01-44)
Praying for others whether they are parents, relatives, strangers, acquaintances, enemies, or friends, and for countries, is an act that exhibits the faith, caring, love, and hope of those who offer the prayers.
Almighty God, Who is a loving, forgiving, passionate, and merciful Father listens to these prayers and always answers them in His own wisdom and mercy that mostly we are unable to grasp because of our limited human understanding.
“All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21/22)
Almighty God is always waiting for us, we, His Children to come to Him and ask for His help and mercy either for ourselves or for others.
He never leaves us alone. Meanwhile it is a Godly faith obligation to extend our hand and pull up those who are falling and unable to pray for themselves especially the mentally sick, the unconscious, and the paralyzed.
In this realm of faith, love and care for others comes our prayers to Virgin Mary and to all Saints whom we do not worship, but ask for their intercessions and blessings.
O, Lord, endow us with graces of faith, hope, wisdom, and patience.
Help us to be loving, caring, humble and meek. Show us the just paths.
Help us to be on your right with the righteous on the Judgment Day.
God sees and hears us all the time, let us all fear Him in all what we think, do and say.

Berri chairs Development and Liberation bloc’s meeting
NNA/28 March 2022
Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, on Monday chaired the "Development and Liberation" bloc’s weekly meeting, which called on the government — in its capacity as the country’s executive authority — judicial bodies, and other competent authorities “to assume their full responsibilities curbing attempts to monopolize food commodities and raw materials that affect the livelihood of citizens.”
Regarding the impending parliamentary elections, the bloc renewed its call on the Lebanese “for the widest participation in this important event in Lebanon’s history.” On the legislative level, the bloc affirmed its firm position and its absolute rejection of any law that does not guarantee full depositers’ rights.

Mikati receives American Task Force for Lebanon delegation
NNA/28 March 2022
Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Monday welcomed at the Grand Serail, a delegation from the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL), headed by its President Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel, in presence of U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea.
Speaking on emerging, Ambassador Gabriel said: "During our meeting today with the Prime Minister, we discussed the economic situation and the need for the government to take swift actions, since postponing any decision reflects more hardships on the people.”He continued: "With regard to the upcoming parliamentary elections, we voiced to Premier Mikati the importance of having these elections take place on time, and the PM assured us that elections will be held in May and that the government would secure the necessary funding for this deadline. We also touched on the need to ensure transparency and respect for the expatriate's right to vote.”

Rochdi after meeting Rahi: To intensify coordination with organizations supporting the Lebanese
NNA/28 March 2022
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi highlighted on Monday the necessity to intensify coordination and partnership with the organizations and institutions whose work focuses on supporting the Lebanese. Rochdi's remarks came following her meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rahi in Bkerki. "I had the honor to visit Patriarch Rahi. It was an occasion to discuss the UN priorities for the next three years," said Rochdi. "I heard the Patriarch's viewpoint on the Lebanese situation and the priorities at the current time, and we focused on the necessity to secure basic services to citizens, fight corruption, preserve the independence of the judiciary, and provide social security," she added. "Coordination with the organizations working on supporting the Lebanese must be intensified," she called.

American Task Force for Lebanon delegation Meets With Lebanese Dignitaries
LCCC/28 March 2022
The Grand Sunni Mufti received at Dar Al-Fatwa a delegation from the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL), headed by its President Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel./ATEL met also today and yesterday with numerous Lebanese religious and political figures including, Pesident Aoun, House Speaker, Berri, PM, Mikati, Patriarch Al Raei, Sheik Kabalan Kabalan, the Druze Sheik Al Akel,  and Orthodox Bishop Audi.

Action against money laundering freezes EUR 120 million worth of Lebanese assets, seizing bank accounts
Eurojust/28 March 2022|PRESS RELEASE
Authorities from France, Germany and Luxemburg carried out extensive measures to freeze EUR 120 million worth of assets linked to the investigation of a money laundering case in Lebanon, during an action day on 25 March. Five properties in Germany and France were seized as well as several bank accounts. Eurojust supported the judicial cooperation by setting up a joint investigation team (JIT) and organising three coordination meetings.
The main investigation is directed against five suspects accused of money laundering. They are suspected of embezzling public funds in Lebanon for amounts of more than USD 330 million and EUR 5 million, respectively, between 2002 and 2021.
Euro banknotes
During the action day, judicial authorities in Germany seized three properties (one in Hamburg and two in Munich). Shares in a property company based in Düsseldorf were also secured. In addition to the properties, the current value of which is estimated at around EUR 28 million, further assets of around EUR 7 million were seized throughout Germany.
In France, authorities seized two property complexes in Paris with a combined value of EUR 16 million, as well as several bank accounts in France (EUR 2.2 million) and Monaco (EUR 46 million), and a building in Brussels worth EUR 7 million.
In Luxembourg, approximately 11 million EUR were seized across several bank accounts. Despite the outcome of the action day, the suspects in the main investigation are assumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty, according to law.
Eurojust supported the judicial cooperation by setting up a JIT into the case and organising three coordination meetings between the authorities involved. The Agency also provided in-depth analytical support to the investigation.
The following authorities took part in this investigation: France: Investigative judges of Court of Paris (Tribunal judiciaire de Paris); Investigators of OCRGDF (Central Office against serious financial criminality).
Germany: Public Prosecutors Office Munich I; Federal Criminal Police Office. Luxemburg: Investigative judge; anti-money laundering unit of the judicial police.

Rahi Refuses Turning Lebanon into a Dictatorship
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 28 March, 2022
Lebanese Patriarch Bechara Rahi warned on Sunday from attempts to turn Lebanon into a “police state and dictatorship.”Rahi accused the authority of imposing selective and biased judiciary measures and of fabricating charges to postpone or annul the parliamentary elections scheduled next May. Rahi said those in charge in Lebanon continue to oppress the people. “Until when will officials and political figures continue to subjugate our people, and prevent them from expressing their opinions and from complaining about the situation,” the Patriarch said during his Sunday speech in Bkirki. He said people have an innate right to express their opinion. He warned against attempts to suppress this right, and of turning the county into a police state. “These repressive measures do not resemble Lebanon,” he said. Rahi then highlighted the “saddening and dangerous” state of Lebanon’s judiciary. He said it was time for the “selective, retaliatory and politicized” judiciary to end, and for the truth behind the deadly explosions of the port of Beirut to unravel. “Where are the judges who are supposed to protect the judiciary?” he asked. The Patriarch also decried attempts to undermine the main institutions including Lebanese banks, the seizure of depositors' funds, and the harm inflicted on the country’s economy. “Is the objective of these firm measures to torpedo the legislative elections or to prevent them from being held on the scheduled dates?” he asked. Rahi insisted that the parliamentary elections should take place on May 15 followed by presidential elections before the end of this year. “The next president of the republic should remove Lebanon from the (Syrian-Iranian) axes to neutrality,” he said. Last week, Judge Ghada Aoun filed a lawsuit against prominent talk show host Marcel Ghanem and MTV Lebanon for alleged "libel and slander" against her persona. In his Thursday episode of “Sar el-Wa’et,” Ghanem spoke of how Lebanon, especially with the elections approaching, is currently being controlled by a corrupted political class led by Hezbollah, describing Judge Ghada Aoun of taking biased actions against banks.Judge Aoun, who is close to President Michel Aoun and his political team, had filed charges against Central Bank chief Riad Salameh, as well as his brother, on charges of illegal enrichment and money laundering over the past few years, during Lebanon’s economic meltdown. Their assets have been frozen under an order from a judge.

Raja Salameh's Lawyer Files Release Request
Naharnet/Monday, 28 March, 2022  
The lawyer of Raja Salameh -- the detained brother of Central Bank chief Riad Salameh – filed Monday a request for the release of his client. LBCI television said the request was filed to Judge Nicolas Mansour along with “the needed documents to verify how he paid for the real estate properties mentioned in the case.”“The request was referred to Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun to give her opinion,” the TV network added. Aoun had last Monday charged Riad Salameh with "illicit enrichment" and money laundering after he failed to attend a court hearing for the fifth time. She also charged Salameh's brother Raja with "facilitating money laundering" after he was arrested earlier this month over financial misconduct. harge was filed against Ukrainian national Anna Kosakova, who jointly owns a company with Raja Salameh. Aoun is investigating whether a number of residential apartments in Paris belong to Riad Salameh. His brother had previously claimed the flats belong to the central bank. Earlier this year, Aoun slapped the central bank chief with a travel ban for alleged financial misconduct and ordered security forces to forcibly bring him in for questioning. The judge is overseeing several legal cases against the central bank governor, who has repeatedly failed to show up at hearings. Salameh has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He has accused Aoun of "personal enmity," saying the prosecution is politically motivated and part of an "organized campaign to tarnish" his reputation. Lebanon opened a local probe into Riad Salameh's wealth last year, after the Swiss top prosecutor's office requested assistance in an investigation into more than $300 million which he allegedly embezzled out of the central bank with the help of his brother. Salameh also faces lawsuits in other European countries, including France and Britain. Lebanon's top banker of three decades is blamed for policies that contributed to the country's financial collapse, a charge he has repeatedly denied.

Prosecution Reverses Judge Aoun's Bank Transfers Order
Naharnet/Monday, 28 March, 2022  
The public prosecution on Monday reversed an order issued by Mt. Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun that had barred six Lebanese banks from transferring and shipping money out of the country, LBCI TV said. The TV network said the prosecution’s decision followed a request filed by the banks’ lawyer, Sakhr al-Hashem, adding that the reversal decision has since been sent to the directorate general of customs. Judge Aoun had on Thursday issued an order asking customs to prevent six Lebanese banks from sending money abroad. The six banks are Bank of Beirut, Bank Audi, Creditbank, BankMed, SGBL and BLOM Bank. Al-Jadeed TV described Aoun’s move as a “precautionary measure aimed at preventing these banks from transferring abroad what’s left of depositors’ money,” adding that the move followed a motion filed by the People Want to Reform the Regime activist group.

BDL Memo Allows Public Sector Workers to Withdraw Salary Unrestrictedly from Banks
Naharnet/Monday, 28 March, 2022 
Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh issued Monday a decree that allows public sector workers to withdraw their entire salaries from the banks, with no restrictions. The statement said that all banks must secure the needed liquidity to allow public sector workers to withdraw their entire monthly salaries, additional compensations, social assistance, and payments from their solidarity funds. No restrictions will be imposed on the withdrawals. "Banks are not allowed to set ceilings for cash withdrawals, nor to divide the salaries into several payments," the statement said. Banks also won't be allowed to impose any commissions on cash withdrawals. The Banking Control Commission will make sure the banks are complying with the resolution, and measures will be taken against the non-compliant banks, the central bank said.

Hizbullah Lauds 'Heroic' Hadera Attack, Slams Arab-Israeli 'Normalization Meeting'
Naharnet/Monday, 28 March, 2022  
Hizbullah praised in a statement Monday an attack by a pair of Arab gunmen who killed two Israeli police officers and wounded four in central Israel, before they were killed by police. Hizbullah considered the attack to be "the most important and practical response to the disgraceful normalization meetings with the enemy."The attacks came before a gathering of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken with the top diplomats of Israel and four Arab states, bringing together for the first time on Israeli soil the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco -- which all normalized ties with the Jewish state in 2020 -- and of Egypt, which made peace with Israel in 1979. "These meetings are insignificant and ineffective," the statement said, adding that "the real decision is the decision of the Palestinian people who are affirming that there is no place for reconciliation and normalization."The statement praised the attack as a "heroic confrontation until victory and complete liberation are reached.”On Monday, the militant Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. It was the second deadly attack carried out by Arab assailants in an Israeli city in less than a week ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. On Tuesday, a lone attacker inspired by the Islamic State group killed four people in a stabbing rampage in southern Israel before he was killed by passersby, police said. IS operates mainly in Iraq and Syria, where it has recently stepped up attacks against security forces there carried out through sleeper cells, despite its territorial defeat more than three years ago. The extremist group has also claimed attacks against Israeli troops in the past and has branches in Afghanistan and in Asia and beyond.

UNIDO, UNDP Launch 'Lebanese Export Academy' to Support Agriculture Sector
Naharnet/Monday, 28 March, 2022  
UNIDO and UNDP have launched the “Lebanon Export Academy”, the first-of-its-kind in Lebanon, calling on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the agri-food and agriculture sector to apply to the academy. The academy equips women and men-led MSMEs and Cooperatives in Lebanon with the required know-how and practical export skills to scale up their operations and foster their readiness to export. "As an initial phase, the academy will provide training to 70 MSMEs and Cooperatives, of which 40 are women-led businesses," the U.N. Information Center in Beirut said in a statement.
Companies will have access to flexible learning schemes adapted to their needs and schedules. Multiple choices are offered from in-person and online classes to self-paced courses, covering export-related topics including export plan write-up, market research, export documentation, and export prices (from identifying export costs to setting a competitive price to sell products), among other topics. "Lebanon is undergoing an unprecedented economic and financial crisis classified by the World Bank as one of the worst the world has seen in the past 150 years. This breakdown aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has incurred heavy damages on the business ecosystem and the labor market in Lebanon. Since October 2019, 79% of firms reduced their sales by 69% and small firms bore a bigger impact as demands for products and services drop (World Bank)," the statement said.
UNIC added that the economic breakdown has called for "urgent actions to help local businesses become ready to export and access new markets, particularly women and men-led MSMEs operating in the productive sectors.""However, there are opportunities arising in the Agriculture and Agri-food sectors as major contributors to economic opportunities and job creation for women and youth in underprivileged areas. In this context, MSMEs need to acquire the specific know-hows and tools to maintain their businesses and reach sustainable growth," the statement went on to say. It concluded that "in order to address these challenges, UNIDO in partnership with UNDP and Berytech has launched the “Lebanon Export Academy”, as part of its Productive Sectors Development Program (PSDP), a UN-joint initiative funded through the generous contribution of the Government of Canada to revive the agriculture and agri-food sectors in Lebanon."
- How to Apply to the Lebanon Export Academy?
As the academy launches its first training, UNIC encouraged MSMEs and women-led MSMEs in the agriculture and agri-food sectors to join the program. "Whether you are an established exporter or just starting your export strategy, apply now to create new opportunities, reach international markets, and reinforce the country’s economy," UNIC said, adding that "women-led businesses are highly encouraged to apply and join the academy as they represent the engines for Lebanon’s economic recovery."The selection criteria include being a registered MSME with at least three employees, working on a specific value-chain identified as having potential for growth and export, and having two senior representatives from each company dedicated to the program, including at least one woman. To learn more about the program and to apply, visit: https://berytech.org/programs/lebanon-export-academy/

Food, Energy Prices Soar, Pushing Crisis-Hit Lebanon to the Brink
Naharnet/Monday, 28 March, 2022  
Layal Aswad was already exhausted by Lebanon's devastating two-year economic collapse. Now, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine sends food and energy prices soaring even further, she finds herself struggling to put food on the table for her family of four. "Even bread is not something we take for granted anymore," said the 48-year-old housewife, standing recently in a supermarket aisle in front of gallons of cooking oil whose prices had risen to an all-time high. From Lebanon, Iraq and Syria to Sudan and Yemen, millions of people in the Middle East whose lives were already upended by conflict, displacement and poverty are now wondering where their next meals will come from. Ukraine and Russia account for a third of global wheat and barley exports, which countries in the Middle East rely on to feed millions of people who subsist on subsidized bread and bargain noodles. They are also top exporters of other grains and the sunflower seed oil that is used for cooking. Even before the war in Ukraine, people in countries across the Middle East and North Africa were not getting enough food to eat. Now with trade disruptions spurred by the conflict, more commodities are becoming either unaffordable or unavailable.
"Put simply, people cannot afford food of the quality or quantity that they need, with those in conflict- and crisis-affected countries ... at greatest risk," said Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa Director at Human Rights Watch. A similar set of circumstances led to a series of uprisings starting in late 2010 known as the Arab Spring, when skyrocketing bread prices fueled anti-government protests across the Middle East, noted Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund. "When prices jump, and poor people cannot feed their families, they will be on the streets," Georgieva remarked Sunday at the Doha Forum, a policy conference in Qatar. In Iraq and Sudan, public frustration at food prices and a lack of government services erupted in street protests on several occasions over the past several weeks.
"People have a right to food, and governments should do everything in their power to protect that right, otherwise we risk not only food insecurity but the insecurity and instability that gross deprivation on this scale could trigger," Fakih said. The war also has sparked concern that much of the international aid upon which so many in the Arab world depend will be diverted to Ukraine, where more than 3.7 million people have fled the war, Europe's largest exodus since World War II. "For the millions of Palestinians, Lebanese, Yemenis, Syrians, and others who live in countries experiencing conflict, catastrophic economic meltdowns, and increasing humanitarian needs, this would be equivalent to shutting down critical life support," states an analysis released by Carnegie Middle East experts last week. In Lebanon, which has been in the throes of economic collapse for the past two years, panic has set in among a population worn down by shortages of electricity, medicine and gasoline. The country's main grain silos were destroyed by a massive explosion at a Beirut port in 2020. Now, with just six weeks of wheat reserves, many fear even darker days ahead. Several large supermarkets were out of flour and corn oil this week.
"Whatever is put on shelves is being bought," said Hani Bohsali, head of the food importers syndicate. He said 60% of the cooking oil consumed in Lebanon comes from Ukraine and the rest comes mostly from Russia. "This is not a small problem," he said. Bohsali noted that a search is underway for alternative places from which to import needed products, but he said other countries have either banned food exports or significantly raised prices. Meanwhile, 5 liters (1 gallon) of cooking oil in Lebanon now costs around the same as the monthly minimum wage, which is still fixed at 675,000 Lebanese pounds, or $29, despite the currency having lost around 90% of its value since October 2019. Families, including Aswad's, also are spending ever larger portions of their monthly income on neighborhood generators that light up their homes for most of the day in the absence of state-supplied electricity. Even those are threatening to shut down now, saying they can no longer afford to buy fuel on the market. "We are back to the Stone Age, stocking up on candles and things like toast and Picon (a processed cheese brand) in case we run out of everything," Aswad said.

Any attempt to fight corruption is futile unless you get to liberate Lebanon from the Iranian occupation
Jean-Marie Kassab/March 28/2022
مقالة باللغة الإنكليزية لجان ماري كساب تلقي الأضواء على ابليسية وخبث وإجرام الإحتلال الإيراني المدمر للبنان، وتؤكد بأن التلهي بصبيانية الإنتخابات المسرحية هي غباء وجهل وهرطقة، خلفياتها اجندات سلطوية شخصية ونرسيسية، وعملياً تقوي سيطرة حزب الله على البلد، وعلى مفاصله وكل مؤسساته، وتساعده على استكمال قبضته الفارسية والإلغائية عليه، ويستنتج عملياً وواقعاً وعن قناعة راسخة بأن كل محاولات محاربة الفساد ستبقى عقيمة وفاشلة وهزيلة، ولن تثمر أية نتائج إيجابية قبل تحرير لبنان من الإحتلال الإيراني
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/107387/jean-marie-kassab-any-attempt-to-fight-corruption-is-futile-unless-you-get-to-liberate-lebanon-from-the-iranian-occupation-%d8%ac%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%83%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%a8-%d8%b9/
It is fairly accurate to state that only 2 or 3 years after Khomeini took over power in late 1979 that the Hezbollah, a fully-fledged Iranian brigade, rose in Lebanon and that its pernicious occupation of the country was inaugurated.
They almost instantly took Lebanon to places that never were in Lebanon’s interest: Two trucks loaded with explosives were sent by the Hezbollah to blow up and kill hundreds of American and French military, part of the peace keeping forces present in Lebanon, following the Israeli invasion. As a rule of thumb, attempting at the life of peace keepers is not good for peace.
The rest of the story you know since those days and needs not to be reminded as it is too long, too bloody and utterly sad. Yet and as short reminder one has to remember that a lot more killing was done: Rafeek Hariri and a score of other politicians who defied the occupation. One has to recall how the Iranians became part of the state and government, how they built a strong alliance with local Lebanese and particularly the FPM represented by Michel Aoun, how they gangrened the Lebanese official apparatus inside out while using corruption as a retribution in order to pay those who served their purpose.
The importance of history resides in the way you make good use of it. In other words, how smartly you read history and learn lessons from it in order to better manage your future.
Corruption is a universal ailment and not exclusive to Lebanon. However, ours is a particularly malignant one because it was organized and managed by the occupant, for obviously a purpose. It is all part of a plan.
Accordingly, any attempt to fight corruption is futile unless you get to liberate the country from the Iranian occupation. No matter what you do, win the elections or cry out loud your war against corruption, corruption will stay.
Iran now is in the final process of destroying the country. They wish to construct another over the ashes of the existing republic. We are at the final stages of this destruction and particularly our economy. What is happening, the raging actions of the judiciaries you know of that is, clearly demonstrates that major staging is in the process, with command and control features.
During and meanwhile, the so-called sovereign groups have one single thing on their minds: a bloody seat in the parliament. During and meanwhile, Lebanon is wiped out. During and meanwhile Iran is obliterating Lebanon.
Ladies and gentleman of the candidates: Your actions are indirectly helping the Iranians to bring down the last walls of the republic.
Is it a bad knowledge of your country’s recent history? Is it a total lack of judgement? Is it deep ignorance? Is it obsession with power and the reaps of it? Is it a combination of all that preceded?
Maybe. I would actually say probably.
God have mercy on us.
Vive la Résistance.
Vive le Liban
Task Force Lebanon

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 28-29/2022
Negev Meeting between Arabs, US, Israel Tackles Iran, Peace
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 28 March, 2022
The top diplomats of the United States and four Arab countries convened in Israel on Monday in a display of unity against Iran but also used the rare summit to press their host to revive long-stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians. Concluding the two days of discussions at a desert retreat, Israel said the event would be repeated and expanded as it builds up commercial and security ties with like-minded Sunni Arab states. "This new architecture - the shared capabilities we are building - intimidates and deters our common enemies, first and foremost Iran and its proxies," Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said alongside his US, Emirati, Bahrani, Moroccan and Egyptian counterparts.Israel and some Arab countries worry than an emerging nuclear deal with Iran will leave Tehran with the means to build a bomb and bolster its proxy militias. The United States and other world powers see restoring a 2015 Iranian nuclear deal as their best option.But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Washington's regional allies reassurances in the event that diplomacy failed. "As neighbors and, in the case of the United States, as friends, we will also work together to confront common security challenges and threats, including those from Iran and its proxies," he said. The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco normalized ties with Israel under a 2020 US initiative known as the Abraham Accords. Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab state to make peace with Israel. While hailing the accords, Blinken added: "We have to be clear that these regional peace agreements are not a substitute for progress between Palestinians and Israelis". Like the Arab countries present, the United States wants a two-state solution whereby Palestinians would gain statehood alongside Israel. Talks to that end stalled in 2014. Israel has settled much of the occupied West Bank while the Gaza Strip, another Palestinian territory, is ruled by Hamas. The cross-partisan coalition government of nationalist Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said conditions are not right for any renewal of diplomacy with the Palestinians - who, for their part, have placed the onus on Israel. "Unless the occupation ends, Arab normalization meetings are nothing but an illusion and free reward for Israel," Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh told his cabinet on Monday. Jordan's King Abdullah arrived in Ramallah to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a first such visit in years that was expected to focus on efforts to reduce regional tensions ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Israel was jarred on Sunday by a shooting spree by two ISIS-aligned Arab citizens that killed two police officers. Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said his presence alongside the other Arab delegates at the Israeli-hosted summit was "the best response to such attacks". Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani described the discussions as helpful to fend off Iranian-backed groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon. "Of course, part of this process will be renewed efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," he added.

Israel Says Historic Meeting with U.S., Arab Ministers Will 'Deter' Iran
Agence France Presse/Monday, 28 March, 2022
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the top diplomats of Israel and four Arab states wrapped up a landmark meeting Monday vowing to boost cooperation, which Israel said would send a strong message to its arch foe Iran. The talks brought together for the first time on Israeli soil the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco -- which all normalized ties with the Jewish state in 2020 -- and of Egypt, which made peace with Israel in 1979. Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that "this new architecture, the shared capabilities we are building, intimidates and deters our common enemies -- first and foremost Iran and its proxies. "They certainly have something to fear," he said about the Islamic republic which Israel is fighting in a regional shadow war and which it accuses of seeking a nuclear bomb, a goal Iran denies pursuing.
UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan called the two-day gathering "historic" and said that "what we are trying to achieve here is changing the narrative, creating a different future." The meeting's Sunday opening, in the Sde Boker kibbutz in the Negev desert, was marred by a shooting attack in northern Israel that killed two police officers and was claimed by the Islamic State group, which has rarely managed to stage attacks inside Israel. And early Monday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office confirmed he had caught Covid, a day after he held closed-door meetings with Blinken followed by a joint press conference without masks.
Iran nuclear deal
The talks on restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal were high on the agenda at the Negev gathering and in Blinken's meetings with Israeli officials. The European Union's foreign policy chief said at the weekend that an agreement with Iran to restore the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action could be reached "in a matter of days."That has raised concern in Israel and across much of the Middle East, where many U.S.-allied Arab states view Iran as a menace. An Israeli official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said after the Sde Boker talks: "All countries here except the US have reservations about a nuclear deal with Iran and what happened is that we got them closer to our approach." Blinken on Sunday stressed that Israel and the US "see eye-to-eye" on the core issue of stopping Iran from ever getting a nuclear bomb, despite their differences on the JCPOA.
'No substitute'
UAE and Bahrain formed ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords, brokered by former U.S. president Donald Trump. Morocco then re-established relations with Israel under a separate Trump-brokered agreement. Israeli leaders have argued that the normalizations highlight a changed Middle East, where Arab leaders are no longer compelled to isolate Israel so long as its conflict with the Palestinians remains unsolved. The Abraham Accords infuriated the Palestinians, who argued that they marked a betrayal of a decades-old Arab League consensus. A small group of protesters outside the Negev venue sought to force the Palestinian issue into the room, waiving placards that said "Haven't you forgotten someone?" Blinken has voiced strong support for the Abraham Accords but cautioned that they cannot replace Israeli-Palestinian peace-building. "We have to be clear that these regional peace agreements are not a substitute for progress between Palestinians and Israelis," said Blinken, who had Sunday met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Blinken has insisted that President Joe Biden's administration is committed to repairing Palestinian relations, which collapsed under Trump. But the Palestinian leader told Blinken Sunday that the West showed "double standards," taking a hard line against Russia's invasion of Ukraine while ignoring what he called Israel's "crimes" against his people. As the diplomats were wrapping up their Negev meeting, Abbas hosted Jordan's King Abdullah II in Ramallah, the monarch's first visit to the West Bank since 2017. Jordan -- the only Arab country with full Israeli ties that was not at the Negev meeting -- has played a middleman role between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. He seemed to echo Blinken's warning about the limits of normalization in his meeting with Abbas, saying according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa that "the region cannot enjoy security and stability without a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue."

Israel's U.S., Arab partners close ranks on Iran and urge Palestine talks
Humeyra Pamuk/Reuters/ March 28, 2022, 3:25 a.m.
The top diplomats of the United States and four Arab countries convened in Israel on Monday in a display of unity against Iran but also used the rare summit to press their host to revive long-stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians.
Concluding the two days of discussions at a desert retreat where its founding father David Ben-Gurion is buried, Israel said the event would be repeated and expanded as it builds up commercial and security ties with like-minded Sunni Arab states."This new architecture - the shared capabilities we are building - intimidates and deters our common enemies, first and foremost Iran and its proxies," Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said alongside his U.S., Emirati, Bahrani, Moroccan and Egyptian counterparts. Israel and some Arab countries worry than an emerging nuclear deal with Iran will leave the Persian power with the means to build a bomb and bolster Tehran-backed guerrillas.
The United States and other world powers see restoring a 2015 Iranian nuclear deal as their best option. But U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Washington's regional allies reassurances in the event that diplomacy failed.
"As neighbours and, in the case of the United States, as friends, we will also work together to confront common security challenges and threats, including those from Iran and its proxies," he said.
The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco normalised ties with Israel under a 2020 U.S. initiative known as the Abraham Accords. Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab state to make peace with Israel.
While hailing the accords, Blinken added: "We have to be clear that these regional peace agreements are not a substitute for progress between Palestinians and Israelis".
Like the Arab countries present, the United States wants a two-state solution whereby Palestinians would gain statehood alongside Israel. Talks to that end stalled in 2014. Israel has settled much of the occupied West Bank while the Gaza Strip, another Palestinian territory, is ruled by hardline Islamists. The cross-partisan coalition government of nationalist Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said conditions are not right for any renewal of diplomacy with the Palestinians - who, for their part, have placed the onus on Israel. "Unless the occupation ends, Arab normalisation meetings are nothing but an illusion and free reward for Israel," Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh told his cabinet on Monday. Jordan's King Abdullah arrived in Ramallah to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a first such visit in years that was expected to focus on efforts to reduce regional tensions ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Israel was jarred on Sunday by a shooting spree by two Islamic State-aligned Arab citizens that killed two police officers. Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said his presence alongside the other Arab delegates at the Israeli-hosted summit was "the best response to such attacks". Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani described the discussions as helpful to fend off Iranian-backed groups like Hezbollah. "Of course, part of this process will be renewed efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," he added.In another sign the allies were closing ranks against Iran, the Israeli ambassador to Manama, Eitan Naeh, said on Monday that Israel will appoint a military attache to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain soon.

Israeli PM Prevents Gantz from Meeting Jordanian King in Ramallah
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 28 March, 2022
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has barred Defense Minister Benny Gantz from attending a meeting in Ramallah on Monday between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II so as not to divert attention from the Negev summit, a political source in Tel Aviv said. The foreign ministers of Israel, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt are scheduled to meet in the Negev Desert on Tuesday. The meeting is being described as "historic" because it will bring together Arab countries which have normalized relations with Israel. Media reports said last week that Gantz was due to take part in this week’s Abbas-Abdullah II meeting to discuss efforts to prevent an escalation in violence during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which begins in early April. However, the sources said Bennett thought that Gantz’s attendance would overshadow the historic meeting with Arab leaders in the Negev desert. Relations between the Israeli officials are already strained. "The Negev meeting is rare and unique and has never happened before. It is historic and therefore the prime minister wants to guarantee it is not overshadowed by any other event," the same source said. However, other political sources said Bennett took the decision when he found out about the meeting from an "Arab source" instead of the minister himself, in what he believed was an attempt to undermine his authority. He feared that the meeting would come up with political statements that are not supported by the right-wing parties in government. However, despite Bennett’s opposition, political sources in Ramallah said King Abdullah is keen on Gantz attending the meeting. The sources said Jordanian Prime Minister Ayman al-Safadi might attend the Negev Summit on condition that his Palestinian counterpart, Riad al-Maliki, join too. "This proposal is not welcomed by Bennett who does not want to bring the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict back to the forefront," the sources added.

IS Claims Killing of 2 in Israel, 2nd Rampage in a Week
Associated Press/Monday, 28 March, 2022
The militant Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Monday after a pair of Arab gunmen killed two people and wounded four in central Israel before they were killed by police. The two killed in the Sunday night attack were Israeli police officers, authorities said. It was the second deadly attack carried out by Arab assailants in an Israeli city in less than a week ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. On Tuesday, a lone attacker inspired by the Islamic State group killed four people in a stabbing rampage in southern Israel before he was killed by passersby, police said. The attacks threatened to cast a shadow over a gathering of foreign ministers in the Negev desert, where the Iranian nuclear deal was expected to top the agenda. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett rushed to the scene of the shootings late Sunday. The Islamic State group in a posting on its Aamaq news agency claims responsibility for the attack, saying two IS members killed two Israeli security forces. "The heart is broken" by the attacks, Bennett said Monday. The Israeli premier issued the statement from home, after testing positive for the coronavirus. He urged people to be vigilant. Police were expected to set up checkpoints on major roads Tuesday. Ramadan is expected to begin on Saturday. Last year, clashes between Israeli police and Muslim protesters during the holy month boiled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers. Condemnation for the attacks poured in from governments around the world. "Such senseless acts of violence and murder have no place in society," tweeted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who attended the gathering in the Negev with the foreign ministers of four Arab countries and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza, praised the attack as a "heroic operation." Security camera footage circulating on Israeli media showed two bearded men appearing to open fire in the city of Hadera before they are shot. An Israeli official said two members of the Israeli Border Police counterterrorism unit were in a restaurant near the attack, ran out and killed the assailants. The Israeli rescue service MADA confirmed the deaths of one man and one woman, and said four people were wounded, two seriously. It released videos showing large numbers of police cars and ambulances in the area. IS operates mainly in Iraq and Syria, where it has recently stepped up attacks against security forces there carried out through sleeper cells, despite its territorial defeat more than three years ago. The extremist group has also claimed attacks against Israeli troops in the past and has branches in Afghanistan and in Asia and beyond.

Jordan's King Makes Rare West Bank Trip to Meet Abbas
Associated Press/Monday, 28 March, 2022
Jordan's King Abdullah II met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah on Monday, in his first trip to the Israeli-occupied West Bank since 2017, Abbas's office said. Abdullah's visit came as foreign ministers from four Arab countries and the U.S. wrapped up a meeting which host Israel hailed as "historic", following a series of normalization agreements last year which angered the Palestinians. Abdullah's visit, which lasted about two hours, was held less than a week before Ramadan, the Muslim holy month which last year saw waves of violence across the West Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. The Jordanian king met Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid earlier this month to discuss strategies for containing unrest during Ramadan. Palestinian officials have repeatedly warned that the West Bank, which Israel captured from Jordan in 1967, was on the verge of "exploding". Tensions in the occupied territory remain high between Palestinian residents and Jewish settlers, who live in communities widely regarded as illegal under international law. Palestinians also regularly clash with Israeli security forces in the West Bank, often resulting in Palestinian deaths. Tahani Mustafa, West Bank analyst at the International Crisis Group think-tank, told AFP that Jordan was seeking to be proactive after having been "caught off guard" last year, when Ramadan tensions escalated into an 11-day conflict between Israel and the Hamas Islamists who control Gaza. "Already we've seen significant tension in Jerusalem which hasn't died down since the last line of conflict," she told AFP. "It only makes sense for Jordan to try and intervene in some way to quell tensions."Jordan has a special role as custodian of the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam. Monday's meeting deep inside Israel's Negev desert was attended by the top diplomats from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco -- which established ties with Israel in 2020 -- and Egypt, which recognized the Jewish state in 1979. Jordan is the only other Arab country to have full diplomatic relations with Israel, formed in 1994. Mustafa said Amman had to be particularly "sensitive about how it publicly navigates its relationship with Israel because of the high number of Palestinians that it hosts" inside Jordan.

Iran now knows its attacks on Saudi could bring Israel’s support
Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/March 28/2022
Iran’s understanding that its increased attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE could not only move those countries closer together regarding Yemen but also draw Riyadh closer to Israel. The support that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett gave Saudi Arabia following attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis is a signal to Iran. Media reports at Iran’s Fars News noted that Israel is paying attention to the Houthi attacks. Iran puts on a brave face here, claiming that the “Zionists acknowledge” the power of the Houthis. That Iran can mobilize the Houthis against Israel has been known for years. In January 2020, for instance, reports emerged that Iran had staged drones in Yemen that had a range that could put Israel in danger. Moreover, there have been increasing comments from the Houthis threatening Israel. The Houthis’ official slogans are “Death to Israel” and “Curse the Jews.” But that is rhetoric, and actual Houthi threats have emerged more recently. The Houthis’ threats are backed up by their capabilities, including their long-range missiles and drones. Last year, a drone was used by Iran to attack a ship in the Gulf of Oman. Overall, the idea of Iran is to put in place a threat against shipping off the coast of Yemen and Oman. Iranian media spreads conspiracies about Israel’s interest in Yemen and about Israel-United Arab Emirates ties. The overall picture then is that Iran knows there is an Israel angle to its role in Yemen. It now openly acknowledges this but tries to make it seem that Israel is afraid of the Houthis. Al-Arabiya in Saudi Arabia noted over the weekend the comments by Bennett. “The State of Israel expresses its sorrow to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after the horrific attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis,” Bennett wrote on Twitter.
Iran believes it can operationalize the Houthis as a regional threat. Iran has paid close attention to comments on Israel’s Channel 12 noting that as the threat from the Houthis increase, the cooperation of the Gulf with Israel will increase.
“The two Gulf states are currently seeking a response to these threats,” Fars News reported. This indicates that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are seeking responses. This comes after widespread Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia targeting Jeddah and other areas. These attacks even threatened the Formula 1 race held in Saudi Arabia this week. Other factors exist. The Houthis have targeted the UAE as well. In addition, the US has been showing Riyadh the cold shoulder in recent months. However, at the same time, the Negev Summit with the UAE, Morocco, Egypt, Israel and Bahrain, as well as the US, is a symbol of the unified front between the Abraham Accords states. The overall context now includes Iran’s understanding that its increased attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE could not only move those countries closer together regarding Yemen but also draw Riyadh closer to Israel. This overall process has been on display since 2015, but the public meeting in the Negev is a symbol of a new era. Saudi Arabia is weighing this new era. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi had some differences over Yemen over the last two years. But the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE in recent months illustrate Iran’s increased use of the Houthis to attack others. Iran also knows that US Iran envoy Rob Malley said in Doha a deal with Iran might not actually happen. While he was not confident a new deal will actually happen, he also said the US would maintain sanctions on the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran now understands that without a deal, its need to pretend that it isn’t destabilizing the region can be reduced. In short, it can now lift the veil on more attacks beyond the recent attacks on Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and the attack on Erbil in Iraq.

Iranian FM Faces Criticism Despite Holding onto IRGC Delisting
London, Tehran - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 28 March, 2022
Iran’s demand from the US to remove the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from its terrorist list has transformed from an unresolved issue at the Vienna talks to an item for internal controversy among conservatives in the cleric-led country. Controversy is raging in Tehran despite Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian confirming that the country was holding onto the condition for reaching a nuclear deal in Vienna. He had praised IRGC leaders for their sacrifice in greenlighting Iran avoiding any “obstacles” in the way of reviving the nuclear agreement. In a televised interview, the minister said the delisting demand was one of the important issues at the negotiations, which conclude their first year next week. He explained that the problem with negotiations lies in some of the important outstanding issues between Iran and the United States. Removing the IRGC terrorist designation is one of the issues on the agenda. He said IRGC commanders do not object if the government gives up its demand from the US to remove the military organization from its Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list. He claimed that senior Revolutionary Guard officials always tell the government that it should do whatever it deems necessary to secure the country's national interests and not to prioritize the issue of the IRGC, calling it “self-sacrifice on the part of the IRGC.” However, he added that despite having the “permission” from the IRGC, the government continues to consider its removal from the US list of terror organizations as a “major issue” in the talks. The misinterpretation, or imprecise quotation, of Amirabdollahian’s remarks on Saturday prompted scathing criticism from some hardliners in Iran. The ultra-hardliner chief editor of Kayhan newspaper, Hossein Shariatmadari, harshly attacked the FM, describing his remarks as “very odd and unexpected.”
Shariatmadari, appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said to forgo the IRGC delisting was “surrender,” not “sacrifice.” “These remarks could suggest that Iran's foreign minister is not blessed with the adequate and necessary command of current affairs in his domain of responsibility,” he wrote and urged IRGC commanders to correct the Amirabdollahian’s remarks.

Tehran: Absence of US Decision the Only Obstacle in Vienna
Doha – Mirza al-Khuaildi/Monday, 28 March, 2022
Iran informed the European mediator at the Vienna talks that the “political decision” in Washington was the “last obstacle” to reaching an agreement, calling for US “realism.”However, US Special Representative for Iran Robert Malley expressed doubts about reaching an agreement, stressing that sanctions will be kept on Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards. Malley revealed that no decision has been reached on removing the Iranian military apparatus from the list of terrorist organizations.Enrique Mora, deputy secretary-general of the European External Action Service and coordinator for nuclear talks, had met with the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran. In a short meeting, Amir-Abdollahian told Mora that the main obstacle now facing the Vienna talks is the absence of a US decision. “The other parties, especially the US government, should follow a realistic approach to resolving the remaining issue,” the minister told Mora, according to Fars News Agency. Other officials who discussed the Vienna talks with Mora include the Iranian top negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani. Mora, who coordinates talks between Iran and the US, arrived in Tehran late Saturday and on Sunday met Iran's chief negotiator Ali Bagheri, state news agency IRNA reported. “Bagheri stressed that an agreement can be reached if the American side is realistic,” it added. Mora is expected to meet other officials, according to IRNA. “Working on closing the remaining gaps in the Vienna talks on the JCPOA,” Mora tweeted ahead of his trip. “We must conclude this negotiation. Much is at stake.”His visit comes as EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Sunday saw a renewed accord within “days.”“We are very close but there are still some issues pending,” Borrell told reporters on the sidelines of the Doha Forum in Qatar. “I cannot tell you when or how, but it is a matter of days.” Parties have signaled for weeks that the negotiations are close to an agreement, but that “political decisions” are required from Tehran and Washington.

War in Ukraine: Latest Developments
Agence France Presse/Monday, 28 March, 2022
Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
Zelensky 'studying' neutrality -
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenksy says Kyiv's negotiators are studying a Russian demand for Ukrainian neutrality, which Kyiv had previously rejected. Speaking ahead of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey, Zelensky says: "This point of the negotiations is understandable to me and it is being discussed, it is being carefully studied."He also concedes it will be "impossible" to push Russia out of all Ukrainian territory, saying to do so "would mean World War III."
No breakthrough in talks: Russia -
The Kremlin says previous rounds of talks have made little progress.
"So far we cannot state any significant achievements or breakthroughs," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says, while hailing the fact that the two sides were preparing for their first face-to-face talks in weeks.
Biden comment 'alarming'
The Kremlin on Monday says U.S. President Joe Biden's description of Putin on Saturday as a "butcher" who "cannot remain in power" is "alarming.""We will continue closely monitoring statements of the U.S. president," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says of the remarks.
Biden's off-the-cuff remarks have been widely criticized, with the White House forced to clarify that he is not advocating regime change in Russia.
Ukraine halts evacuations
Ukraine says it is pausing evacuations of civilians from war-scarred regions for fear of attacks by Russian troops on humanitarian corridors.
The foreign ministry describes the situation in the southern port city of Mariupol, where tens of thousands of civilians remain encircled by Russian forces, as "catastrophic."
France, Greece and Turkey are trying to organize mass evacuation from the city.
New fires in Chernobyl zone
"Significant" new fires have broken out in the exclusion zone around the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russian forces, Ukrainian authorities say. "It is impossible to control and extinguish fires in full due to the capture of the exclusion zone by the Russian occupation forces," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says on Telegram.
Heineken leaves Russia
Dutch brewer Heineken becomes the latest multinational to pull out of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Heineken says that it was "no longer sustainable nor viable" to remain in the country and said it would seek to "transfer" its business to a new owner, profit-free.
Oscars silence for Ukraine
Hollywood A-listers hold a moment of silence at Sunday's Oscars gala to show support for the people of Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion, after much speculation about how Tinseltown would handle the issue.
Korea model for Ukraine?
Ukraine says Putin may aim to divide the country into versions of North and South Korea because of Putin's failure to "capture Kyiv and remove Ukraine's government". "There are reasons to believe that he may try to impose a separation line between the occupied and unoccupied regions of our country," Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the defense intelligence, says in a statement.
Name and shame
An American professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld who has published a name-and-shame list of Western companies that are staying in Russia accuses them of acting purely out of "greed.""It's disgusting that any of these companies (that stay in Russia) try for some humanitarian or paternalistic employer arguments," he tells AFP. "When ceasefires are openly violated by the Russians or when you have children's hospitals being bombed, there's no middle ground here."
Nearly 3.9 million refugees
The United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR, says 3,862,797 Ukrainians have fled the country. Around 90 percent of them are women and children.

Russian Gas Flows to Europe Remain Stable
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 28 March, 2022
Russian gas deliveries to Europe on three main pipeline routes were stable on Monday morning, with the Yamal-Europe pipeline continuing to flow eastwards from Germany into Poland. Flows to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline across the Baltic Sea were at 71,025,104 kilowatt hours per hour (kWh/h) on Monady morning, slightly down from 73,133,575 kWh/h in the early hours of the morning, data from the pipeline operator showed. Eastbound flows into Poland from Germany along the Yamal-Europe pipeline were at 1,471,327 kWh/h at the Mallnow border point, data from operator Gascade showed, slightly up from Sunday. The usually westbound pipeline reversed on March 15 as nominations to ship gas into Germany fell to zero, while Polish customers bought gas from Germany. Russia's Gazprom said on Sunday it has continued to supply gas to Europe via Ukraine in line with requests from European customers. Nominations for flows into Slovakia from Ukraine via the Velke Kapusany border point were also stable at 881,999 megawatt hours (MWh) per day on Monday, data from Slovakian operator TSO Eustream showed.

Ukraine War Threatens Food Supplies in Fragile Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 28 March, 2022
Layal Aswad was already exhausted by Lebanon’s devastating two-year economic collapse. Now, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sends food and energy prices soaring even further, she finds herself struggling to put food on the table for her family of four. “Even bread is not something we take for granted anymore,” said the 48-year-old housewife, standing recently in a supermarket aisle in front of gallons of cooking oil whose prices had risen to an all-time high. From Lebanon, Iraq and Syria to Sudan and Yemen, millions of people in the Middle East whose lives were already upended by conflict, displacement and poverty are now wondering where their next meals will come from. Ukraine and Russia account for a third of global wheat and barley exports, which countries in the Middle East rely on to feed millions of people who subsist on subsidized bread and bargain noodles. They are also top exporters of other grains and the sunflower seed oil that is used for cooking. Even before the war in Ukraine, people in countries across the Middle East and North Africa were not getting enough food to eat. Now with trade disruptions spurred by the conflict, more commodities are becoming either unaffordable or unavailable.
“Put simply, people cannot afford food of the quality or quantity that they need, with those in conflict- and crisis-affected countries ... at greatest risk,” said Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa Director at Human Rights Watch. A similar set of circumstances led to a series of uprisings starting in late 2010 known as the so-called Arab Spring, when skyrocketing bread prices fueled anti-government protests across the Middle East, noted Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund. “When prices jump, and poor people cannot feed their families, they will be on the streets,” Georgieva remarked Sunday at the Doha Forum, a policy conference in Qatar.
In Iraq and Sudan, public frustration at food prices and a lack of government services erupted in street protests on several occasions over the past several weeks. “People have a right to food, and governments should do everything in their power to protect that right, otherwise we risk not only food insecurity but the insecurity and instability that gross deprivation on this scale could trigger,” Fakih said. The war also has sparked concern that much of the international aid upon which so many in the Arab world depend will be diverted to Ukraine, where more than 3.7 million people have fled the war, Europe’s largest exodus since World War II. “For the millions of Palestinians, Lebanese, Yemenis, Syrians, and others who live in countries experiencing conflict, catastrophic economic meltdowns, and increasing humanitarian needs, this would be equivalent to shutting down critical life support,” states an analysis released by Carnegie Middle East experts last week. In Syria, 14.6 million people will depend on assistance this year, 9% more than in 2021 and 32% more than in 2020, Joyce Msuya, the United Nations’ assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and deputy emergency relief coordinator, told the UN Security Council in February. In Yemen, basic needs are becoming even harder to meet for millions of impoverished people after seven years of war. A recent report by the UN and international aid groups estimated that more than 160,000 people in Yemen were likely to experience famine-like conditions in 2022. That number could climb much higher still because of the war in Ukraine. A UN appeal for the country earlier this month raised $1.3 billion, less than a third of what was sought. “I have nothing,” said Ghalib al-Najjar, a 48-year-old Yemeni father of seven whose family has lived in a refugee camp outside the rebel-held capital of Sanaa since fleeing fighting in their middle-class neighborhood more than four years ago. “I need flour, a package of flour. I need rice. I need sugar. I need what people need (to survive).”
In Lebanon, which has been in the throes of economic collapse for the past two years, panic has set in among a population worn down by shortages of electricity, medicine and gasoline.
The country’s main grain silos were destroyed by a massive explosion at a Beirut port in 2020. Now, with just six weeks of wheat reserves, many fear even darker days ahead. Several large supermarkets were out of flour and corn oil this week. “Whatever is put on shelves is being bought,” said Hani Bohsali, head of the food importers syndicate. He said 60% of the cooking oil consumed in Lebanon comes from Ukraine and the rest comes mostly from Russia. “This is not a small problem,” he said. Bohsali noted that a search is underway for alternative places from which to import needed products, but he said other countries have either banned food exports or significantly raised prices. Meanwhile, 5 liters (1 gallon) of cooking oil in Lebanon now costs around the same as the monthly minimum wage, which is still fixed at 675,000 Lebanese pounds, or $29, despite the currency having lost around 90% of its value since October 2019. Families, including Aswad’s, also are spending ever larger portions of their monthly income on neighborhood generators that light up their homes for most of the day in the absence of state-supplied electricity. Even those are threatening to shut down now, saying they can no longer afford to buy fuel on the market. “We are back to the Stone Age, stocking up on candles and things like toast and Picon (a processed cheese brand) in case we run out of everything,” Aswad said.In Syria, where more than 11 years of brutal war has left more than 90% of the country’s population living in poverty, products such as cooking oil — when they can be found — have doubled in price in the month since the war began in Ukraine. On a recent day at one government cooperative in the capital of Damascus, shelves were almost empty except for sugar and napkins. Egypt, the world’s top importer of wheat, is among the most vulnerable. Economic pressures, including rising inflation, are mounting in the country, where about a third of the population of more than 103 million lives below the poverty line, according to official figures.
An Associated Press journalist who toured markets in three different middle-class neighborhoods in Cairo earlier this month found that the price of food staples such as bread — items that Egyptians refer to as “eish,” or life — have increased by up to 50%. Inflation is likely to swell further due to the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan, typically a time of increased demand. Consumers have accused merchants of exploiting the war in Ukraine to raise prices even though they have not yet been affected. “They make profits from our pain,” lamented Doaa el-Sayed, an Egyptian elementary school teacher and mother of three. “I have to reduce the amount of everything I used to buy,” she said. In Libya, a country wracked by a years-long conflict, the latest spike in the price of food staples has people worried that tough times are ahead. And in Gaza, prices that had already started to rise skyrocketed after the war in Ukraine erupted, adding an extra challenge to the 2 million residents of the impoverished Palestinian enclave who have endured years of blockade and conflict. Fayeq Abu Aker, a Gaza businessman, imports staples such as cooking oil, lentils, and pasta from a Turkish company. When the company canceled the cooking oil contract after the war began, Aker turned to Egypt. But despite the country’s proximity to Gaza, prices there were even higher. A box of four bottles of cooking oil now costs $26, double the price before the war.
“In 40 years of my business, I have never seen a crisis like this,” he said.

Biden Finds No Respite at Home after Returning from Europe
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 28 March, 2022
With the last nine, unscripted words of an impassioned speech about Russia's aggression in Ukraine, President Joe Biden created a troubling distraction, undermining his effectiveness as he returned home to face restive Americans who strongly disapprove of his performance on issues that matter most to them. His comment that Russia’s Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power” — an assertion that his aides were forced to quickly clean up — overshadowed his larger message of solidifying the Western coalition that’s confronting Moscow. It punctuated another frustrating moment for an administration that’s struggled to regain its footing — and the American electorate’s support — in the face of an ongoing pandemic, escalating inflation and an increasingly complicated foreign policy crisis that raises the specter of nuclear conflict.
Although he’s forged a united front to punish Russia with sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine, polls show Americans feel no better about his leadership as the bloody war continues. Meanwhile, Democrats are in danger of losing control of Congress in November’s midterm elections, leaving Biden with limited opportunities to advance a progressive domestic agenda that remains stalled.
The president is on the verge of securing the confirmation of the first Black woman, Ketanji Brown Jackson, on the US Supreme Court, yet there's no clear path forward for him to fulfill other campaign promises around voting rights, criminal justice reform and fighting climate change. While polls show that Jackson is broadly supported by Americans, it hasn't helped improve Biden's standing with voters less than eight months before the midterms, which Republicans hope to frame as a referendum on the president. The war in Russia has consumed much of the White House's messaging bandwidth, but Biden is looking to turn the spotlight onto some his domestic priorities this week.
He is expected to unveil a new budget proposal on Monday, which includes a renewed focus on cutting the federal deficit and a populist proposal to increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans. If approved by Congress — far from a certainty — households worth more than $100 million — a measurement of wealth, not income — would have to pay a minimum tax of 20% on their earnings. The added revenue could help keep the deficit in check and finance some of Biden’s domestic priorities, including expanded safety net programs. There are few if any signs of Republican support for the proposal so far, and even some Democrats have been lukewarm to the idea. Biden's case isn't helped by his approval ratings. A slim 34% of Americans think Biden is doing a good job handling the economy, which is normally the top issue for voters in an election year, according to a poll released Thursday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. His contentious assertion about Putin in his Warsaw speech did little to help things. The White House rushed to clarify that Biden wasn’t actually calling for “regime change,” but by the next day it became clear that the dramatic statement had produced some of the first overt cracks in unity among NATO nations that had just convened in Brussels for an emergency meeting. Some leading Western European allies, including France and Germany, tend to be more cautious than the US about how to confront Russia. Until Saturday night, Biden had calibrated his words carefully.
French President Emanuel Macron said Biden’s remarks could make it harder to resolve the conflict. “I wouldn’t use those terms, because I continue to speak to President Putin, because what do we want to do collectively?” he said. “We want to stop the war that Russia launched in Ukraine, without waging war and without escalation.”In Berlin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday that neither NATO nor Biden seek regime change in Russia. Asked about Biden’s remarks during an appearance on ARD television, Scholz also said Biden had not made a dangerous mistake. “We both agree completely that regime change is not an object and aim of policy that we pursue together,” the chancellor said. Biden has enjoyed some rare bipartisan support for his handling of the Ukraine crisis. But some Republicans who have been generally supportive of his approach to the crisis chided him for his comments. Sen. James Risch of Idaho, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, dryly noted on CNN's “State of the Union” on Sunday, “Please, Mr. President, stay on script.”Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, told NBC’s “Meet the Press" that Biden's final comment “plays into the hands of the Russian propagandists and plays into the hands of Vladimir Putin.”Secretary of State Antony Blinken was forced to continue clarifying Biden’s speech during a trip through the Middle East, where he had intended to focus on solidifying American partnerships as the administration seeks a renewed nuclear agreement with Iran.
Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem, Blinken said Biden meant that “Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else.”
In case there was any doubt, Biden gave an emphatic “No!” when asked by a reporter outside of church Sunday if he was calling for regime change with the remark.
Even as Biden seemed to go too far for some allies with his speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemed to draw little comfort from it. He accused Western nations of lacking courage to confront Russia, and he said criticized their “ping-pong about who and how should hand over jets" and other weapons to the Ukrainian military. The speech in Warsaw was the third, and by far most consequential, of instances from the trip where Biden’s aides needed to clean up his comments. During a news conference in Brussels on Thursday, he said the US would respond “in kind” if Putin used chemical weapons in Ukraine. The next day, national security advisor Jake Sullivan said the president meant that “we’ll respond accordingly,” not that the US would use chemical weapons of its own. And then, while speaking to members of the 82nd Airborne Division soldiers recently deployed to Poland, Biden seemed to suggest they would be going to Ukraine. Speaking about the bravery of Ukrainians, Biden said: “Look at how they’re stepping up. And you’re going to see when you’re there.”Afterward, the White House reiterated that Biden had no intention of sending troops into Ukraine, something the president has insisted since the beginning of the conflict. While running for office two years ago, Biden repeatedly told voters that “the words of a president matter,” and he promised that his foreign policy experience would serve the country well on the international stage. There’s little doubt that Biden has been able to maintain unusual unity among allies during this war. But by speaking with more passion than caution — particularly in his speech in Warsaw — Biden has also reminded Americans of his proclivity for misstatements at a precarious time for his presidency. Just 26% of Americans have faith that Biden can manage a crisis or the military, according to last week's AP-NORC poll. There’s also been a mixed response to Biden’s approach to Russia. Although Americans have been skeptical of getting involved in another foreign crisis, they’ve also watched with horror as Putin continues to raze Ukrainian cities despite an array of punishing sanctions. Only 36% said his approach has been “about right,” while 56% said Biden has not been tough enough on Russia.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Evacuate Homes Near Nairab Airport in Syria’s Aleppo
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 28 March, 2022
Iranian Revolutionary Guards commanders and Syrian regime officers informed locals living in neighborhoods close to the Nairab military airport in Aleppo governorate to evacuate their homes for “security reasons.” The clearing of civilians coincided with military measures and activities carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and its loyalist militias in the northern and northeastern regions. In Syria, Iranian militias look to consolidate their influence while taking advantage of Russia's preoccupation with the war in Ukraine. Activists in Aleppo said that “about 22 families living near Nairab were informed by Syrian regime forces and others from the Revolutionary Guards, of the need for them to leave their homes within a short period of 15 days, for reasons related to airport security.”“Six officers, four of whom were Syrians and two Iranians, over the past two days, conducted a reconnaissance tour of a number of houses surrounding Nairab from the north and south sides, and other houses within tall buildings overlooking the airport,” activists revealed. The officers met with the local homeowners of 22 residences and demanded they empty the premises for security reasons. According to locals, the Syrian officers ensured that these families were given official circulars issued by the Syrian state, to help them obtain compensation, or find housing in other neighborhoods and areas of Aleppo. Activists said that the measure comes as part of the Revolutionary Guards’ year-old plan to tighten its control over Aleppo. The military apparatus plans to completely subject Aleppo to Iranian influence, especially by recruiting dozens of local tribesmen and families into the ranks of its loyal militias. “For more than a year and a half, the Iranians have taken over Nairab, located east of Aleppo, as a main center for managing military activities and loyalist militias,” said a local opposition monitor. “Iran is taking advantage of the Russians’ preoccupation with the war in Ukraine, and is working to strengthen its role and influence in a number of Syrian regions, especially Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Albukamal and Raqqa,” it added. Iran is building its influence in those areas by transferring military equipment, including drones and missile weapons, from areas in Hama and Homs.

Abbas, Blinken Hold Talks in Ramallah
Ramallah - Kifah Zboun/Monday, 28 March, 2022
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ramallah on Sunday. He stressed that the priority should always be towards finding a political solution that would end the Israeli occupation of Palestine along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. He called for resolving all permanent status issues, including those on refugees and the release of all prisoners under the supervision and sponsorship of the Quartet (United States, Germany, Britain, and France), according to international resolutions.
Blinken had arrived in Ramallah following a visit to Israel where he met with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other Israeli officials. He is on a tour of the region, which also includes Morocco and Algeria, to consult with partners on a range of regional and global priorities. According to the US Department of State, Blinken will discuss the Russian government’s war on Ukraine, Iran’s destabilizing activities, the Abraham Accords and normalization agreements with Israel, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and preserving the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, among other issues. Abbas discussed with Blinken means of reviving the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, reopening the US Consulate in Jerusalem and the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s (PLO) headquarters in Washington. Talks also tackled the resumption of US financial support to the Palestinian Authority, which was suspended by former President Donald Trump. He stressed that no party is holding Israel accountable for its actions, noting that “it acts as a state above all law.”Blinken, for his part, stressed that the US is committed to rebuilding its relationship with the PA and Palestinian people. He said the American administration has been focused on concrete ways to help improve the lives of Palestinians, including rejoining UNRWA and providing half a billion dollars in humanitarian assistance since April 2021, economic support to the Palestinian private sector and small businesses, job training for young people, and support for food-insecure families in the West Bank and Gaza. “We’re focused on advancing Palestinian civil and human rights, supporting civil society,” he added. Blinken said he spoke with Abbas and his team about the importance of responsive, responsible governance. At the heart of all of this is an ongoing, enduring commitment to the basic principle of the two-state solution, he remarked. “Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve to live with equal measures of freedom, of opportunity, security, of dignity, and we believe that the most effective way, ultimately, to give expression to that basic principle is through two states.” However, he pointed out that the two sides are very far apart in this regard, noting that the US will continue its work to try to bring them closer. “We’ll work to prevent actions by either side that could raise tensions,” he noted, including settlement expansion, settler violence, home demolitions, evictions, payments to people convicted of terrorism and incitement to violence. Blinken underscored the need to have a peaceful Ramadan, Easter, Passover, all of which come together in a month’s time.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 28-29/2022
Strikes on Iraq Reveal Iran’s Embrace of Missile Operations
Behnam Ben Taleblu/The National Interest/March 28/ 2022
The pattern of strikes reveals an important dyad driving Iran toward more missile use: real advancements in its ballistic missile program and sticky perceptions of declining U.S. resolve to counter Iran.
At 1:20 AM local time on March 13, 2022, Iran launched between ten to twelve short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) from its territory against an alleged Israeli facility near the U.S. consulate in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. The attack, which reportedly took place at the same time as a January 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iran’s infamous Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds-Force (IRGC-QF) commander in Iraq, may have ended in a matter of moments but should have been seen coming long ago.
The strike on Erbil was the Islamic Republic’s fifth operation in recent history launched directly from Iranian territory against a foreign target, employing ballistic missiles, and being publicized or attributed to as coming from the IRGC. This troika is likely to feature in future Iranian military operations as its hesitation to using overt and attributable force in the Middle East continues to shrink. Previously, Iran fired six SRBMs at Islamic State positions in Syria in June 2017, seven SRBMs at Kurdish opposition positions in Iraq in September 2018, another six SRBMs at the Islamic State in Syria in October 2018, and sixteen SRBMs at bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq in January 2020. Prior to the 2017 strike, Tehran had not launched ballistic missiles from its territory at foreign targets since 2001.
Iran has framed each of these strikes as “retaliatory” and as responding to threats—both real and perceived. Tehran’s largest launch—the January 2020 combination of sixteen liquid- and solid-propellant surface-to-surfaces missiles—was framed as making good on its much-promised “hard revenge” against Washington for the targeted killing of its aforementioned IRGC-QF commander. While there were no U.S. fatalities in the strike, over 100 American servicepersons suffered traumatic brain injuries, thirty-nine of whom are approved to receive purple hearts. The strike was reported by U.S. media as the “largest ballistic missile attack against Americans ever.”
Iran and its proxies have taken to framing the recent attack as a success against Israel even as debates continue over the strike’s intended target and the proximate cause. Pro-Iran militias in Iraq proclaimed that Tehran attacked an Israeli facility purported to be behind a drone strike on Iran this February. Israeli outlets have since reported that the alleged February attack was against an airbase housing the regime’s drone fleet. An IRGC source only partially confirmed this, framing Iran’s attack as a response to Israeli threats emanating “from Iraqi soil.” The source also named the missile used in the operation: a single-stage solid-propellant SRBM dubbed the “Conquerer-110” or “Fateh-110,” in Persian. If the IRGC thesis about responding to Israel is to be believed, then the strike is also likely to have been Iran making good on threats of revenge after Israel killed two IRGC colonels in Syria earlier this March.
Regardless of spin, the pattern of strikes reveals an important dyad driving Iran toward more missile use: real advancements in its ballistic missile program and sticky perceptions of declining U.S. resolve to counter Iran.
Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal is routinely described by U.S. intelligence as being the largest in the Middle East, and most recently assessed by the outgoing U.S. CENTCOM commander as “the greatest threat to the region’s security.” Tehran has been busy making qualitative improvements to these systems to grow the range, accuracy, reliability, and survivability of its missile forces, as well as making other strides such as in the field of solid-propellant motors. The Fateh-110, for instance, is Iran’s oldest solid-propellant SRBM. It has been upgraded numerous times to increase its range, payload, and accuracy and is among Iran’s most battlefield-ready systems. The Fateh-110 or its variants have been a part of all five aforementioned missile operations. At the same time that Iran’s missile capabilities are evolving, officials in Tehran increasingly perceive Washington’s staying power in the Middle East as waning, as well as American resolve to use force to counter Iran or Iran-backed attacks as declining. Iranian officials bragged in 2018 that they struck positions within three miles of U.S. forces when the IRGC fired SRBMs into Syria. The United States also may have inadvertently sent a pale green light for more attacks when it did not meaningfully respond to the downing of its drone by Iran over international waters in June 2019 and an Iranian cruise missile and drone strike against Saudi Arabia’s key oil installations later that September.
What’s more, excluding the targeted killing of Iran’s IRGC-QF commander in January 2020, Washington’s response ratio to Iran-backed attacks against U.S. positions in Iraq under U.S. Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump has been lackluster. But perhaps most poignantly in the minds of Iranian decisionmakers, Washington did not kinetically respond to Iran’s missile barrage in January 2020 against two bases housing American troops in Iraq. According to Iran’s supreme leader, the strike was a “blow to the dignity of the U.S. as a superpower.” America’s perceived willingness to absorb such a blow vindicated, in the eyes of Iranian elites, not only the deterrent power of Iran’s missiles, but according to the commander of the IRGC’s missile force, the importance of balancing what the regime may lack in military capability compared to a larger power like the United States, with greater resolve and the “will to use” such capabilities.
Taken together, these forces have pushed and will keep pushing Tehran towards more direct military engagement in the Middle East. To be clear, this does not imply that Iran is ditching its effective proxy warfare strategy. Proxy warfare remains Iran’s most cost-efficient way to fight in a theater and control escalation dynamics while limiting kinetic reprisal and blowback against its homeland. Rather, the Islamic Republic is layering on a new component to its security strategy. Instead of proliferating systems abroad, it is launching them from Iranian territory. And rather than covet secrecy, the IRGC is seeking the limelight. This is probably the impost important but under-appreciated development in Middle East national security matters over the past half-decade. And its consequences could meaningfully alter the regional balance for much longer.
So long as Iran engages in cost-free ballistic missiles operations, it will continue to overlearn lessons about the deterrent, coercive, and punitive power of its missiles. Such confidence could easily beget overconfidence and miscalculation and lead to a region-wide war. But the most important lesson is for the here and now. Whereas Iranian taunts were once easy to write off as hyperbole or bluster, future threats or promises of revenge will have to be measured against the question: would Tehran launch ballistic missiles over this?
*Behnam Ben Taleblu is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) where he focuses on Iranian political and security issues. He is the author of a forthcoming monograph on Iran’s ballistic missile program.

Biden's 'New World Order'
Pete Hoekstra/Gatestone Institute/March 28, 2022
Clearly, America is not leading the "green" new world order, and Biden seems to have no meaningful plan for how to get us there other than radical disruptions to our lifestyle and a heightened reliance on China.
When it comes to oil and gas, it seems Biden's new world order would continue his policy of decreasing American energy independence and increasing U.S. reliance on bad-faith state actors -- thereby ironically funding their efforts to undermine America in the global order.
What does Biden's record in the Middle East suggest that the new world order will resemble there? Well, the president is pushing to sign an agreement brokered by Russia, and backed by China, reportedly to remove sanctions on Iran, delist Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as the terrorist organization it is, and allow Russia to purchase Iran's "excess" enriched uranium -- perhaps to use against its next "Ukraine"?
Finally, what is Biden's vision for this new world order with China? The message could not be more mixed. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues its genocide against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, suppressing freedoms in Hong Kong, militarizing at least three of the artificial islands it built in the South China Sea, perfecting hypersonic missiles and "satellite crushers", threatening Taiwan, and signing new friendship agreements with Russia. Meanwhile the Biden administration was sharing intelligence about Russia with China. Apparently, the administration had some quixotic hope that China would join the U.S. in discouraging Russia from attacking. At the same time, it turns out, China was sharing its intelligence information from the U.S. with Russia. One can only wonder who came up with the crazy idea that the CCP would join with the U.S. in maintaining order and stability in Europe.
Apparently, the administration had some quixotic hope that China would join the U.S. in discouraging Russia from attacking. One can only wonder who came up with the crazy idea that the CCP would join with the U.S. in maintaining order and stability in Europe.
Indeed, Biden's vision of a new world order led by America looks more and more like a new world of disorder.
So, while it is not clear what Biden meant when he referenced America leading a new world order, his record over the last 15 months suggests it consists of a weakened U.S. economy hamstrung by inflation, war in Europe, unraveling alliances in the Middle East and growing uncertainty in Asia.
If this is the unintended consequence of Biden's new world order, it is time for him to go back to the drawing board. The world has suffered enough. The time has come for him to recalibrate the global nightmare that his policies have created.
While it is not clear what U.S. President Joe Biden meant when he referenced America leading a "new world order," his record over the last 15 months suggests it consists of a weakened U.S. economy hamstrung by inflation, war in Europe, unraveling alliances in the Middle East and growing uncertainty in Asia. (Image source: iStock)
U.S. President Joe Biden recently closed his remarks to the Business Roundtable with a confusing reference to a "new world order." He stated, according to the White House transcript of his speech:
"It occurs every three or four generations. ... [A] time when things are shifting. We're going to — there's going to be a new world order out there, and we've got to lead it. And we've got to unite the rest of the free world in doing it."
What was the president talking about? It came at the end of his speech; he did not elaborate on what he meant. Presumably he was referring to the ongoing shifts in the post-World War II global power structures, but does Biden have a plan for America's role in what this new world order would look like, as Europe finds itself potentially engulfed in a major war?
The American people are left to find the clues and try to figure out what Biden might have meant. The best we can do is turn to the policies he has implemented during his first 15 months in office to see if any elements of his plan for America in this "new world order" can be discerned.
The central animating policy push for Biden and the Democrats has been the "Green New Deal." Given America's vast energy reserves and technological know-how, will the U.S. lead in "greening" the planet and providing safe, stable energy supplies to the West and its allies and partners? The short answer seems to be no. China dominates in the production of rare earth materials, solar panels and windmills; six of the top 10 manufacturers are based in Communist China. Clearly, America is not leading the "green" new world order, and Biden seems to have no meaningful plan for how to get us there other than radical disruptions to our lifestyle and a heightened reliance on China.
Other Biden energy decisions are just as baffling. When he took office, Biden killed the Keystone XL pipeline in America, but greenlit Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would lock in Europe's dependence on Russia for gas. He also opposed congressional efforts to sanction the pipeline in the run-up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, I was a vocal proponent of the Trump administration's policy to oppose Nord Stream 2. Along the same lines, Biden, on his first day in office, unequivocally accepted the Paris Agreement on climate, reentering America into this deeply flawed pact.
Rather than support America's energy independence and oil and gas production, Biden has left American consumers holding the bag as gasoline prices in the U.S. have spiked to anywhere from $4 to $7 per gallon of gas. The energy crisis is so bad that the Biden administration is talking about purchasing oil from Iran and Venezuela. When it comes to oil and gas, it seems Biden's new world order would continue his policy of decreasing American energy independence and increasing U.S. reliance on bad-faith state actors -- thereby ironically funding their efforts to undermine America in the global order.
Is the Europe of today, a continent consumed by the fear of war with Russia, part of Biden's vision for a new world order? His backing for Nord Stream 2 only seemed to embolden Russia, and his the undermining of U.S. production left America buying a half million barrels of oil per day from Russia. At $110 per barrel, American taxpayers are therefore funding Russia's war machine by more than $20 billion a year. Since the administration's gifts to Russia -- the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and extending the New START Treaty for another five years -- have not worked out for the U.S., the people of Ukraine, or Europe, is Biden modifying or reconsidering his plan for a new world order? In an interview aired the day Russia invaded Ukraine, Biden administration "climate czar" John Kerry showed that the administration was still consumed by its "Green New Deal" fantasies, lamenting:
"But equally importantly, you're going to lose people's focus... I hope President Putin will help us to stay on track with respect to what we need to do for the climate."
We are left to wonder if any number of decisions made by the administration prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine would have changed Russian President Vladimir Putin's calculus for the war. What if Biden had not signed off on Nord Stream 2 and had, instead, kept the Trump administration's policy in place? What if Biden had heeded calls by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and members of Congress to enact sanctions prior to Putin's invasion? What if Biden had decided to lead instead of follow Europe? Apparently, in Biden's new world order, America does not lead, it only follows or reacts to others.
What does Biden's record in the Middle East suggest that the new world order will resemble there? Well, the president is pushing to sign an agreement brokered by Russia, and backed by China, reportedly to remove sanctions on Iran, delist Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as the terrorist organization it is, and allow Russia to purchase Iran's "excess" enriched uranium -- perhaps to use against its next "Ukraine"?
The president's confusing desperation to reenter the bad Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran is driving U.S. allies such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to question their relationship with the U.S., and evidently moving them at least to consider strengthening their ties with Russia and China. Israel has tried to balance the U.S. and Russia on Ukraine. Saudi and UAE leaders have declined to take calls from Biden but did take calls from Putin. It also cannot be missed that just prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russia, China and Iran conducted joint military drills.
Finally, what is Biden's vision for this new world order with China? The message could not be more mixed. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues its genocide against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, suppressing freedoms in Hong Kong, militarizing at least three of the artificial islands it built in the South China Sea, perfecting hypersonic missiles and "satellite crushers", threatening Taiwan, and signing new friendship agreements with Russia. Meanwhile the Biden administration was sharing intelligence about Russia with China. Apparently, the administration had some quixotic hope that China would join the U.S. in discouraging Russia from attacking. At the same time, it turns out, China was sharing its intelligence information from the U.S. with Russia. One can only wonder who came up with the crazy idea that the CCP would join with the U.S. in maintaining order and stability in Europe.
Indeed, Biden's vision of a new world order led by America looks more and more like a new world of disorder. Instead of articulating a clear vision of American leadership, our actions on the world stage have been directed by Russia, Iran, China, and even Europe. The situation has undermined America's ties to its traditional allies; they seem to be having difficulty understanding the president's global vision, and seeing the new world order evolving to one where America leads, but only from behind, in reaction to the whims of others.
So, while it is not clear what Biden meant when he referenced America leading a new world order, his record over the last 15 months suggests it consists of a weakened U.S. economy hamstrung by inflation, war in Europe, unraveling alliances in the Middle East and growing uncertainty in Asia.
If this is the unintended consequence of Biden's new world order, it is time for him to go back to the drawing board. The world has suffered enough. The time has come for him to recalibrate the global nightmare that his policies have created.
*Peter Hoekstra was US Ambassador to the Netherlands during the Trump administration. He served 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the second district of Michigan and served as Chairman and Ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. He is currently Chairman of the Center for Security Policy Board of Advisors, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
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Aboul Gheit to Asharq Al-Awsat: Iran Uses Arab Crises as Pressure Cards to Confront the West
Ali Barada/Asharq Al-Awsat/March, 28/2022
Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Aboul Gheit said that the possible understanding between the United States and Iran in the ongoing nuclear negotiations in Vienna, “does not end” the Iranian nuclear threat, calling on Tehran to stop its “adventures” on Arab land, and to refrain from using Arab files to pressure the Western world and Israel. “This understanding does not end the Iranian nuclear threat, but only freezes it for several years,” he said. “The Arab world needs assurances from two sides - Iran and Israel - that the threat of nuclear armament must be abandoned. For 40 years, the Arab world has been demanding the declaration of the Middle East as a zone free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction… This is a key point.”In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat during his stay in New York, Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the Houthi militia’s attacks on Saudi oil facilities. “This is shocking and totally condemned since 2019,” he stated, noting that the Iranian regime was seeking to show the world the importance of lifting sanctions on Iranian oil. On the Russian-Ukrainian war, Aboul Gheit said that the conflict will have negative repercussions on stability and food security in many Arab countries. “First, it is a major international crisis that threatens international peace and security. If something goes wrong at any moment, a larger war could erupt. For example, World War I accidentally occurred. The calculations of all parties at the time were not aimed at war… It is a concern over world security,” he underlined. He added that many Arab countries relied on food imports from Ukraine or Russia. “These two sources supply the Arabs with wheat and crops. They will have supply problems. This may negatively affect stability and food security in the Arab world,” he warned.
The Arab League secretary general stressed that the war would also shift attention from many pressing files in the Arab world.
“This will negatively affect the Arab world, because we are keen to see a settlement in Syria, Yemen and Libya, as well as an improvement in the situation in Lebanon,” he remarked.
Asked about the Houthis’ rejection of a recent GCC invitation to comprehensive talks on the Yemeni crisis, the Arab League secretary general emphasized the Iranian influence.
“It is not in Iran’s interest to settle any of these problems in the current situation, as it has not yet reached an agreement with the 5 + 1. This confirms that these Arab problems are pressure cards that Iran uses in its confrontation with the Western world,” Aboul Gheit said.
He added: “Iran is interfering in Arab problems and in Arab land, and this must stop. Iran is strongly present in Yemen through the Houthis. It is present in Syria in the form of armed militias on Syrian soil. There is a very clear Iranian influence in Lebanon. There are militias in Iraq that are said to have links with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. This all has to stop.” Aboul Gheit called on Tehran to interact positively with the Arab world, based on the historical relationship that extends back thousands of years. “Show good intentions towards the Arab world… Because this region needs economic development, raising the standard of living and modernization. It doesn’t need bombings and armed military confrontations,” he said, addressing Iranian officials.
The Arab League secretary general said he hoped that if an agreement was reached in Vienna, it would encourage Iran to stop interfering in the region. “Since I was the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, from 2004, 2005 and 2006, I have seen that Iran is using many Arab problems as pressure cards on the Western world and on Israel. So it has to stop,” he stated. Moreover, Aboul Gheit said that the possible nuclear agreement would free up billions of dollars, and thus unlock Iran’s capabilities.
“If the money is used for development, building economic capabilities and raising the standard of living, in a way that benefits the Iranian people, we would very much welcome this approach. But the problem is the adventures on Arab land. This is very unfortunate, and Iran must stop. I spoke to the Security Council on this specific subject,” he stated.
Commenting on the current Arab tendency to normalize relations with Syria and the recent visit of President Bashar al-Assad to Abu Dhabi, Aboul Gheit noted that some Arab parties, such as Algeria, Lebanon and Iraq, were showing interest in Syria’s return to the Arab League.
“Other countries talk with the brothers in Damascus, and establish good and reasonable relations. But I did not observe a current tendency to achieve an imminent return of Syria to the Arab League... The next summit will take place in Nigeria on Nov. 1-2, meaning that we have about 8 months ahead,” he remarked. Aboul Gheit stressed in this regard that any invitation to Syria must be based on an intra-Arab consensus. “In the end, of course, Syria will return to its seat. It’s normal, because it’s an Arab country, whose membership has been suspended due to a situation,” he said.
But he added: “As Secretary-General of the Arab League, a decision must be issued by the Arab Council of Ministers before the invitation is extended. However, this matter is not even raised in the corridors of the League… I have not seen any effective effort to achieve this goal.”
On Lebanon, the secretary-general of the Arab League urged the country to “save itself” by holding legislative elections, forming a new government, and electing a new president, in conjunction with negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
When asked about Hezbollah’s role in the Lebanese crisis, he said: “I do not interfere in the Lebanese internal affairs… [The party] is present in the government. As the Secretary-General of the League – I should not take a position on one of the parties in the government. This should not facilitate reaching the required compromises.”
On Iraq, the senior Arab official stressed that the country “fully assumes its responsibilities towards the Arab League.”
“[Iraq] has been fully interacting for years, and is not constrained by any internal political situation,” he noted.
Aboul Gheit stressed that calm and stability in the Middle East can only be achieved by resolving the Palestinian file.
“Circumventing the Palestinian issue through Arab-Israeli settlements is understandable, in the sense that the Arab countries see their interests fall in this direction. But this does not mean that the Palestinian cause has been forgotten. It should not be forgotten,” he underlined.
Contrary to the administration of former US President Donald Trump, the current administration is expressing interest in talking to the Palestinians, according to Aboul Gheit.
“But the problem is that you are addressing the Palestinians without practical measures, and without real action; Why? Because the Israeli government has a strict and hardline approach… The Israeli prime minister reiterated that he was not ready to start moving or talking about peace or even negotiating with the Palestinians,” he noted.
Commenting on the situation in Sudan, the Arab League secretary general emphasized the need for “internal settlement, dialogue and understanding of the desires of the opposing forces, as well as the need for stability and for the Sudanese army to ensure security and stability.”
“I optimistically note a trend in this direction,” he stated.

The Grand Theory Driving Putin to War
Jane Burbank/The New York Times/March, 28/2022
President Vladimir Putin’s bloody assault on Ukraine, nearly a month in, still seems inexplicable. Rockets raining down on apartment buildings and fleeing families are now Russia’s face to the world. What could induce Russia to take such a fateful step, effectively electing to become a pariah state?
Efforts to understand the invasion tend to fall into two broad schools of thought. The first focuses on Mr. Putin himself — his state of mind, his understanding of history or his K.G.B. past. The second invokes developments external to Russia, chiefly NATO’s eastward expansion after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, as the underlying source of the conflict.
But to understand the war in Ukraine, we must go beyond the political projects of Western leaders and Mr. Putin’s psyche. The ardor and content of Mr. Putin’s declarations are not new or unique to him. Since the 1990s, plans to reunite Ukraine and other post-Soviet states into a transcontinental superpower have been brewing in Russia. A revitalized theory of Eurasian empire informs Mr. Putin’s every move.
The end of the Soviet Union disoriented Russia’s elites, stripping away their special status in a huge Communist empire. What was to be done? For some, the answer was just to make money, the capitalist way. In the wild years after 1991, many were able to amass enormous fortunes in cahoots with an indulgent regime. But for others who had set their goals in Soviet conditions, wealth and a vibrant consumer economy were not enough. Post-imperial egos felt the loss of Russia’s status and significance keenly.
As Communism lost its élan, intellectuals searched for a different principle on which the Russian state could be organized. Their explorations took shape briefly in the formation of political parties, including rabidly nationalist, antisemitic movements, and with more lasting effect in the revival of religion as a foundation for collective life. But as the state ran roughshod over democratic politics in the 1990s, new interpretations of Russia’s essence took hold, offering solace and hope to people who strived to recover their country’s prestige in the world.
One of the most alluring concepts was Eurasianism. Emerging from the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, this idea posited Russia as a Eurasian polity formed by a deep history of cultural exchanges among people of Turkic, Slavic, Mongol and other Asian origins. In 1920, the linguist Nikolai Trubetzkoy — one of several Russian émigré intellectuals who developed the concept — published “Europe and Humanity,” a trenchant critique of Western colonialism and Eurocentrism. He called on Russian intellectuals to free themselves from their fixation on Europe and to build on the “legacy of Chinggis Khan” to create a great continent-spanning Russian-Eurasian state.
Trubetzkoy’s Eurasianism was a recipe for imperial recovery, without Communism — a harmful Western import, in his view. Instead, Trubetzkoy emphasized the ability of a reinvigorated Russian Orthodoxy to provide cohesion across Eurasia, with solicitous care for believers in the many other faiths practiced in this enormous region.
Suppressed for decades in the Soviet Union, Eurasianism survived in the underground and burst into public awareness during the perestroika period of the late 1980s. Lev Gumilyov, an eccentric geographer who had spent 13 years in Soviet prisons and forced-labor camps, emerged as an acclaimed guru of the Eurasian revival in the 1980s. Mr. Gumilyov emphasized ethnic diversity as a driver of global history. According to his concept of “ethnogenesis,” an ethnic group could, under the influence of a charismatic leader, develop into a “super-ethnos” — a power spread over a huge geographical area that would clash with other expanding ethnic units.
Mr. Gumilyov’s theories appealed to many people making their way through the chaotic 1990s. But Eurasianism was injected directly into the bloodstream of Russian power in a variant developed by the self-styled philosopher Aleksandr Dugin. After unsuccessful interventions in post-Soviet party politics, Mr. Dugin focused on developing his influence where it counted — with the military and policymakers. With the publication in 1997 of his 600-page textbook, loftily titled “The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia,” Eurasianism moved to the center of strategists’ political imagination.
In Mr. Dugin’s adjustment of Eurasianism to present conditions, Russia had a new opponent — no longer just Europe, but the whole of the “Atlantic” world led by the United States. And his Eurasianism was not anti-imperial but the opposite: Russia had always been an empire, Russian people were “imperial people,” and after the crippling 1990s sellout to the “eternal enemy,” Russia could revive in the next phase of global combat and become a “world empire.” On the civilizational front, Mr. Dugin highlighted the long-term connection between Eastern Orthodoxy and Russian empire. Orthodoxy’s combat against Western Christianity and Western decadence could be harnessed to the geopolitical war to come.
Eurasian geopolitics, Russian Orthodoxy and traditional values — these goals shaped Russia’s self-image under Mr. Putin’s leadership. The themes of imperial glory and Western victimization were propagated across the country; in 2017, they were drummed home in the monumental exhibition “Russia, My History.” The expo’s flashy displays featured Mr. Gumilyov’s Eurasian philosophy, the sacrificial martyrdom of the Romanov family and the evils the West had inflicted on Russia.
Where did Ukraine figure in this imperial revival? As an obstacle, from the very beginning. Trubetzkoy argued in his 1927 article “On the Ukrainian Problem” that Ukrainian culture was an “individualization of all-Russian culture” and that Ukrainians and Belarusians should bond with Russians around the organizing principle of their shared Orthodox faith. Mr. Dugin made things more direct in his 1997 text: Ukrainian sovereignty presented a “huge danger to all of Eurasia.” Total military and political control of the whole north coast of the Black Sea was an “absolute imperative” of Russian geopolitics. Ukraine had to become “a purely administrative sector of the Russian centralized state.”
Mr. Putin has taken that message to heart. In 2013, he declared that Eurasia was a major geopolitical zone where Russia’s “genetic code” and its many peoples would be defended against “extreme Western-style liberalism.” In July last year he announced that “Russians and Ukrainians are one people,” and in his furious rant on the eve of invasion, he described Ukraine as a “colony with a puppet regime,” where the Orthodox Church is under assault and NATO prepares for an attack on Russia. This brew of attitudes — complaints about Western aggression, exaltation of traditional values over the decadence of individual rights, assertions of Russia’s duty to unite Eurasia and subordinate Ukraine — developed in the cauldron of post-imperial resentment. Now they infuse Mr. Putin’s worldview and inspire his brutal war.
The goal, plainly, is empire. And the line will not be drawn at Ukraine.

Why Mariupol Matters to Ukraine and Russia
Bobby Ghosh/Bloomberg/March, 28/2022
Mariupol, a port city on the Sea of Azov, has become the focus of international attention in the fourth week of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. After heavy bombardment, including strikes on civilian targets, Moscow demanded the surrender the city by sunrise on Monday.
The Ukrainian government rejected the ultimatum, and it seems inevitable that Russia will intensify its assault. Indeed, President Vladimir Putin seems to be fixated on taking Mariupol — even as his forces are stalled elsewhere in the country.
Why is Mariupol so important? In a Twitter Spaces discussion, Bloomberg Opinion’s Bobby Ghosh put that question to columnists Clara Ferreira Marques, Andreas Kluth and Leonid Bershidsky. This is an edited transcript of their conversation:
Ghosh: Can you give us some historical context of why this city is so important to Russia?
Bershidsky: Mariupol was always an important city for Ukraine and also for the pro-Russian separatists who established these “people’s republics” in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014. It’s basically the only major port serving those regions. When Ukrainians managed to recapture it from the separatists during the first Russian invasion, that was a major success for Ukraine.
In the intervening eight years, it was turned into a Ukrainian stronghold, and it’s very important for trade. It’s also important for Ukraine as a symbol of successful resistance to the first Russian attack. That’s why there are serious Ukrainian forces defending the city now, surrounded by the Russian troops.
Apart from being an important port and a symbol, Mariupol is on the land bridge that Russia has sought to establish between the separatist republics and Crimea. That’s why Russia is very focused on either taking it or simply wiping it off the face of the earth, depending on how the resistance goes. Without Mariupol, there is no land bridge between Crimea and the separatist republics.
The Russian invasion has paused on other axes: It is not advancing on Kyiv, on Kharkiv or in the south because it’s very focused now on eliminating this pocket of resistance in and around Mariupol. All the Russian ire and firepower is now focused on that city.
Ghosh: Manolis Androulakis, the Greek consul general in Mariupol and one of the last European diplomats to leave, said this about what he saw there: “Mariupol will be added to the lists of international cities that have been destroyed, such as Guernica, Stalingrad and Grozny.” That should send a chill down spines in Europe. Has that carnage influenced European thinking on what should be done next, for Ukraine and against Russia?
Kluth: I think it has. The pictures from there are images of trauma, of inhumanity. Europeans, except for a few wingnuts, were already on the side of Ukraine. They are even more now.
But what you do in terms of policy is another question. We remain strategically in the same situation: We want to support the Ukrainians in every way we can, without causing any kind of escalation that would have NATO forces directly confronting Russian forces. We’re still trying to prevent that, both the US and the European allies.But at the same time, now everyone is forced by these pictures to ask what could come next. Chemical weapons? Even nuclear weapons? What could be a next response, given that we’ve already taken so many steps in terms of sanctions? What could be a new form of support for the Ukrainians or a new form of punishment for Putin?
Ghosh: How seriously should we take this talk of a European Union oil embargo on Russia? Can the Europeans pull that off? Are they willing to take the pain that would come with that?
Kluth: I think that option is more plausible now than it was just a few days ago. Opinion is teetering and Germany — which is both the largest European economy and very dependent on Russian energy — could tilt the balance. If Germany went around and said, “Yes, we’ll go along with a complete and immediate embargo,” then it would happen.
But let’s step back and look at why that’s still not likely. In the past week, we’ve had one group of German analysts saying Germany could pull it off: It would hurt the economy, but wouldn’t devastate it. Then a different think tank came out and said it would bring the German economy to its knees, and that it would not make the West stronger in the long term.
The economy minister, Robert Habeck, is frantically going everywhere, from Norway to Qatar to the United Arab Emirates, trying to organize alternatives to Russian gas. The problem is that in recent decades Germany, foolishly, has not only made itself dependent on Russian pipeline gas, but also has neglected to build out the terminals that could receive the ships carrying liquefied natural gas. So there is no short-term solution, no way to replace Russian gas with LNG from the Middle East.
So it’s a bind, but at least people are now talking. Germany is still transferring about 200 million euros a day to Russia, despite the sanctions. People are saying, “Wait a second: How can we be funding Putin’s war machine? We have the duty to stop that somehow. How can we do that?” If Putin escalates very dramatically, then the moral case might be so strong that even Germans will become willing to bear almost any economic price — turn off their gas, leave their lights off, stop driving — and impose an embargo.
Ghosh: An escalation looks almost certain. The Russian deadline for Ukrainian forces to leave Mariupol has expired, and the Ukrainians have said they’re not going to leave. I fear something even worse than what we’ve seen over the last few days is about to visit upon the city.
Ferreira Marques: But this is happening at a time of real strain within the upper ranks of the security system in Russia. There are reports of purges. Mariupol is obviously going badly for all involved.
Unfortunately, we know what the Russian forces did in Aleppo, and we know what they did in Grozny.
We all saw the video of Putin speaking at that rally at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium last week. It was a terrible speech, and he failed to rouse the crowd. But he talked about carrying on plans as expected, which tells you a lot about the path dependency of the regime. This is not a regime that will accept error.
And then at the end he quoted the biblical verse: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” To have president of Russia, at a time when his troops are committing atrocities in Ukraine, appeal to this particular line of the New Testament was quite something. It tells you a lot about the way the Putin regime has instrumentalized Christianity and the church in general.
Ghosh: What will you be watching out for in the week ahead?
Bershidsky: Obviously, the place to watch is Mariupol and the areas of eastern Ukraine where the old contact line used to be between Ukraine and the separatist republics. If the Russian military does destroy Mariupol and end the resistance there, they will try to encircle the Ukrainian forces that have dug in there for the past eight years. Militarily, this is an important week.