English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 15/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Everyone Who Sins is a Slave of Sin
John 08/31-37: “So Jesus said to those who believed in him, “If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “We are the descendants of Abraham,” they answered, “and we have never been anybody’s slaves. What do you mean, then, by saying, ‘You will be free’?” Jesus said to them, “I am telling you the truth: everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave does not belong to a family permanently, but a son belongs there forever. If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free. I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are trying to kill me, because you will not accept my teaching!

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 14-15/2021
Health Ministry: 947 new Corona cases, 5 deaths
Berri comments on events in Hardened hearts, Poor insights, and death of consciences/Elias Bejjani/November 13/2021
Al-Rahi defends Gulf-Lebanese relations
Al-Rahi Slams Those 'Undermining' Lebanon's Ties, 'Paralyzing' Judiciary, Govt.
Next Week May Witness Cabinet Session, Political Solutions
Berri: Most Dangerous Blazes are Sectarian Blazes
Fires In South Lebanon
Adwan: Any disruption of the elections is a prelude to complete collapse
Lebanon’s Tony Hanna, Sherine Njeim reap victory in the Beirut Marathon 2021
La Honte et le comble/Jean-Marie Kassab/Novembre 14/2021
In a changing Middle East, Hezbollah is losing relevance/The group could be the victim of a regional realignment that appears to be focused on detente/Raghida Dergham/The National/November 14/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 14-15/2021
Pope thanks journalists for helping expose Church sex scandals
People flee homes as quakes strike southern Iran, killing at least one
Gadhafi's Son Seif al-Islam Registers to Run for Libya Presidency
UK Says Russia Has 'Responsibility' to End Belarus-Poland Crisis
Kuwait emir accepts govt resignation
Government-Allied Forces Leave Yemeni City, Rebels Re-Enter
IS Ambush Kills 13 Loyalist Fighters in Syria
Queen Elizabeth Sprains Back, Misses Remembrance Sunday Service
Turkey resists exit of mercenaries from Libya, risks disrupting process

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 14-15/2021
Dictators Delinquency and the New Cold War/Charles Elias Chartouni/November 14/2021
Tehran and Riyadh are talking, but bad blood remains between bitter Mideast rivals/Cheryl K. Chumley/The Washington Times/November 14/2021
What to Expect from the Biden-Xi Meeting - And It's Not Good/Pete Hoekstra/Gatestone Institute/November 14/2021
France: Nationalism Makes a Comeback/Amir Taheri/Asharq al-Awsat/November 14, 2021
Some things never change and Assad is one of them/Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/November 14/ 2021
Hold Iran to account for deplorable human rights record/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/November 14/ 2021
Belarus’s refugee atrocities are a taste of things to come/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/November 14/ 2021
The EU’s migrant crisis is not going to disappear/Ranvir S. Nayar/Arab News/November 14/ 2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 14-15/2021
Hardened hearts, Poor insights, and death of consciences
Elias Bejjani/November 13/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/104083/elias-bejjani-hardened-hearts-poor-insights-and-death-of-consciences/
"Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.” (John 09/39)
Undoubtedly, our beloved occupied Lebanon has been going through extremely harsh and difficult times for several years.
Sadly, the great and bright Lebanon has been by force  replaced by everything that is not Lebanese, because of the hegemony and occupation imposed by the terrorist Iranian Armed proxy, Hezbollah.
The savage and cancerous Iranian occupation has hit badly all sets of norms, values, faith and the basic foundations of patriotism.
In bid to cajole and appease the occupier, many Lebanese individuals and groups chose to be blind in both heart and insight.
What actually is disastrous the most, lies in the fact that many Lebanese are not able any more to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong.
Therefore, they live in a complete cognitive darkness, far from God and His teachings.
They fell into the traps of sin, and became enemies of their own sacred homeland, Lebanon. They sided with the Iranian occupier and abandoned their fellow citizens who are impoverished, persecuted and tortured.
As a result of this terrifying “faith abandonment,” many of our people, leaders, and political parties have become role models to every thing that is shame, surrender, and corruption.
Self inflicted atrocities in thinking and acts are no longer confined to the majority of  the corrupted leaders, who sold themselves to the demons of occupation because of selfishness and greed, but are also prevalent among large segments of our citizens.
In the same frames of defamation and obscenity of standards, we find that many free Lebanese people and true believers in sovereignty, freedoms, identity, and the deeply rooted history of Lebanon are subjected to unfair official and judicial harassment and persecution.
This sad reality exposes the shame of many politicians, and the so-called leaders who replicate the evil acts of those who bet on the clothes of Christ and shared them after His crucifixion .
However, despite all sorts of  abandonment, disbelief and denial, the free and the faithful among our people and leaders, although they are few, will ultimately leaven the dough of the whole nation, and return it to where it was, and to where it should be..
Those free and patriotic Lebanese citizens, and despite all the harassments that befall them, shall continue to resist stubbornly, relying on God's will, who made Lebanon His temple and blessed it with dozens of saints.
It remains, that currently the rudder of the ship of our mother country, Lebanon is held and controlled by wicked shepherds, leaders, politicians and officials who not wise, blind and not insightful.
Lebanon's corrupted Leaders, officials and politicians have fallen into the devil's temptations because of their lack of faith, hope greediness, and accordingly put our sacred Lebanon into all kinds of dangers, hazards and difficulties.
In summary, when a blind person leads another blind person, both will definitely fall into the pit . Therefore, what is required of our people, for the sake of their salvation and the salvation of our country, is that they do not put their support behind blind leaders with hardened hearts, poor insights, and death of consciences, and the same time stand tall  to say No to all kinds of earthly temptations.

Health Ministry: 947 new Corona cases, 5 deaths
NNA/Novembre 14/2021
In its daily report on the COVID-19 developments, the Ministry of Public Health announced on Sunday the registration of 974 new infections with the Coronavirus, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 652,735. The report added that 5 deaths were reported during the past 24 hours.

Al-Rahi defends Gulf-Lebanese relations
NNA/Novembre 14/2021
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, said in a homily on Sunday that "some officials and those who engage in political work are seeking to impoverish citizens instead of fighting poverty," adding that "the soaring of the dollar price against the Lebanese Lira is what affects dignity and humiliates citizens.""It is unfortunate to see officials' reluctance to address the acute crisis with the Gulf states, while the drain of time leads us to an economic and living drain that makes solutions difficult and harms the interests of the Lebanese," Patriarch Rahi went on. "No party has the right to impose its will on all the Lebanese, contribute to the turmoil of the relationship with the Gulf, disrupt the work of the government, paralyze that of the judiciary, and create an atmosphere of threat and intimidation in society," Rahi underlined. “If some consider neutrality a difficult burden, we see it as the only solution to save Lebanon. Dignity is not linked to stubbornness, but rather to wisdom and a good relationship with the sisterly Gulf states, and their role has always been positive and unifying, not negative, divisive and militaristic,” he concluded.

Al-Rahi Slams Those 'Undermining' Lebanon's Ties, 'Paralyzing' Judiciary, Govt.
Naharnet/Novembre 14/2021
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday lashed out at those who are “undermining Lebanon’s ties with the world, paralyzing the judiciary and impeding the government.”“Wasting time and not solving the crisis with the Gulf countries plunges us into an exhausting economic and social crisis that would harm the interests of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese,” al-Rahi said in his Sunday Mass sermon. “Resolving the crisis with the Gulf with national courage does not harm Lebanon’s dignity; subjecting the Lebanese to expulsion, poverty, need and isolation is what harms dignity, pride and sovereignty,” the patriarch added. He also noted that “the soaring dollar exchange rate is what is harming dignity and humiliating citizens.”“No party has the right to impose its will on the Lebanese, undermine Lebanon’s ties with the world, paralyze the judiciary and impede the government, and officials do not have the right to stand idly by in the face of all of this while begging for the approval of this or that group. This is the loss of dignity and humiliation itself,” al-Rahi said. “What logic allows for freezing the government’s work and the international reforms and negotiations?” al-Rahi wondered, pointing out that “everything happening today totally contradicts with our democratic system” and stressing that “the majority of the Lebanese people want to exit the atmosphere of strife and conflict and to enter the world of peace.” “What do we have to do with the conflict of nations and axes and what do we have to do with deciding the fate of the other peoples while we are unable to decide our own fate?” al-Rahi asked. He also noted that “if some consider neutrality to be a heavy burden, we see it as the solution for Lebanon’s salvation.”

Next Week May Witness Cabinet Session, Political Solutions
Naharnet/Novembre 14/2021
There are new efforts to resolve the governmental deadlock and a Cabinet session might be held in the middle of next week should things go as planned, governmental sources said. “Hizbullah is willing to facilitate the resumption of Cabinet sessions,” the sources told the PSP’s al-Anbaa news portal in remarks published Sunday. Ain el-Tineh sources also revealed that Speaker Nabih Berri “exerted intensive efforts over the past period and is seriously seeking to resolve the crisis.”The efforts are aimed at resolving “the governmental and diplomatic crises” and “the next 72 hours might carry positive surprises on the condition that the other political parties meet Speaker Berri half way,” the sources added. Al-Liwaa newspaper had reported Saturday that Information Minister George Kordahi had discussed the possibility of his resignation in his meeting with Berri on Friday.It added that Kordahi might visit Bkirki soon as part of the solution and that an exit could be announced during a visit by Berri to Bkirki.

Berri: Most Dangerous Blazes are Sectarian Blazes
Naharnet/Novembre 14/2021
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Sunday commented on the wildfires that engulfed several Lebanese regions over the past hours, especially in the Tyre region.In a statement, Berri noted that the “timing and geography” of the fires raise “a host of questions that security and judicial authorities must answer.”He also said that “as the flames gut what’s left of Lebanon’s green areas,” officials must move to appoint forest guards without any sectarian quotas. “The most dangerous blazes that cannot be put out are the sectarian blazes that are raging in minds,” Berri warned.

Fires In South Lebanon
NNA/November 14/2021
Commenting on the fires that erupted and are still occurring in more than one Lebanese region, especially those that destroyed vast areas of forests in the villages of Tyre District and on the banks of the Litani River, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri placed these events in the custody of the competent security and judicial authorities that must expedite their investigations and determine the responsibilities of this crime, which affected not only the environment, but also humankind. "At a time when the flames are almost devouring the last remaining green spaces in Lebanon...isn't it time to approve the appointment of a forestry officer outside the sectarian constraint?” the Speaker questioned. “The most dangerous fires that cannot be extinguished are the sectarian fires burning in the souls,” Berri concluded.

Adwan: Any disruption of the elections is a prelude to complete collapse
NNA/November 14/2021
MP George Adwan said, in an interview with “MTV Channel” on Sunday, that "the major problem behind everything that is happening in Lebanon today is the existence of a group that controls and dominates the Lebanese state and its decision,” adding that “this group is in confrontation with all the other Lebanese, or the free Lebanese, who do not accept this reality.”He added: “Today, we say that there is no possibility to form another government before the elections, and thus the role of PM Najib Mikati at this stage is to alleviate the pain, because the alternative is not available and the alternative is a vacuum, which will disrupt the elections, the utmost goal of the parties in power!”“There is Hezbollah and all the Lebanese, and amongst the Lebanese there are multiple capabilities, whereby the Lebanese Forces Party is the most capable and daring to confront Hezbollah. However, the Party does not wish nor claim to be alone in the confrontation, and wishes to cooperate with all the free Lebanese to expand this confrontation, which must take place in the elections,” Adwan explained. “We call on everyone to rally towards those who are capable and able to act, so that we can achieve the required change. We can form a broad understanding, in which each one maintains his independence and approach, but with a common goal and that is to reach change and lift Hezbollah's hegemony over the Lebanese state,” the MP underscored. Over the awaited parliamentary elections, Adwan said: "I am certain that the elections will take place, because any disruption would be a prelude to total collapse, and I call on the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior to set a date and start working on this basis.”Regarding the electoral alliances, Adwan considered that "they are still underway, and there are several plans with more than one possibility, because we consider this event to be fateful."

Lebanon’s Tony Hanna, Sherine Njeim reap victory in the Beirut Marathon 2021
NNA/November 14/2021
Nearly 7,000 Lebanese, Arab and foreign runners participated in the "Race of Hope" organized by the Beirut Marathon Association along the capital’s waterfront area, with only local elite runners partaking in the absence of foreign elite runners.
Lebanon's Tony Hanna, the winner of the men's race, managed to boost his record by registering 2:33:02, while Lebanese Sherine Njeim led the women’s race by a record of 3:00:18 hours.
Attending the event were: Governor of Beirut, Judge Marwan Abboud; President of the Lebanese Olympic Committee, Pierre Jalakh; Secretary General of the Committee, retired Brigadier General Hassan Rustom; President of the Lebanese Athletics Federation, Roland Saadeh’; Commander of the UNIIL Peacekeeping Forces in the South, General Del Col; Commander of the High Center for Military Sports, Brigadier General Elias Hanna; Head of the Emergency and Paramedic Services at the Lebanese Red Cross, Rosie Boulos; Assistant to the President of the Lebanese American University, Saad El-Zein; Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Beirut Digital District, Mohammad Rabah; President of the Organizing Association, May El-Khalil, and representatives of local, Arab and foreign media.Diplomatic missions also took part in the Marathon, as US Ambassador Dorothy Shea ran an 8-kilometer race, and so did General Del Col, alongside dozens of members of the international peacekeeping forces.

La Honte et le comble
Jean-Marie Kassab/Novembre 14/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/104110/%d8%ac%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%83%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b0%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%a9jean-marie-kassabla-honte-et-le-comble/
La honte : L’équipe Emiratie de foot est arrivée accompagnée de militaires armés censés assurer sa protection durant son séjour. Le pseudo Etat Libanais n’est plus capable d’assurer la sécurité des visiteurs du pays.
Le comble : La semaine passée, les barbares qui se prétendent être Libanais, avaient soutenu « leur équipe » Iranienne contre l’équipe du Cèdre... La honte.
La honte : Ces militaires Emiratis, selon le ministre de l’Intérieur, avaient reçu au préalable un permis des autorités et ont été fouillés à l’arrivée. Ils seront fouillés autant au départ pour s’assurer qu’ils n’ont pas laissé derrière eux un fusil, un revolver, ou quelques cartouches… Strict le monsieur…
Le comble : La frontière Libanaise ressemble à une passoire où circulent chaque jour des camions chargés d’armes de tous genres en plus de la contrebande. Dernièrement 80 citernes bourrés de je ne sais quoi l’ont traversée tranquilles et allègres. De plus Hassan Nasrallah a récemment déclaré avoir 100,000 combattants à part les non Libanais (des afghans selon les sources).
Ce cirque finira bientôt, tôt ou tard. Plutôt tôt que tard.
Vive la Résistance
Vive le Liban
Rejoignez la TASK FORCE LEBANON

In a changing Middle East, Hezbollah is losing relevance/The group could be the victim of a regional realignment that appears to be focused on detente
Raghida Dergham/The National/November 14/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/104113/%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%ba%d8%af%d8%a9-%d8%af%d8%b1%d8%ba%d8%a7%d9%85-%d8%ad%d8%b2%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d9%87-%d9%8a%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%b4-%d9%87%d8%b0%d9%87-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84/
egional realignment is storming ahead in the run-up to November 29, the date set for the resumption of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the global powers in Vienna. This is being driven by sudden, major regional developments. This includes the alleged actions by Iran’s proxies in Iraq, such as an assassination attempt against Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi as well as Hezbollah’s activities in Lebanon.
And yet, a breakthrough has also taken place in Syria, after a meeting between Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, and Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in Damascus. Following the visit, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Sheikh Abdullah had a phone call. At the same time, Iran staged large-scale military drills in the Red Sea and the Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz, as the UAE, Bahrain and Israel held joint military exercises, led by the US Central Command in the Red Sea and the Gulf, the first of its kind.
Predictably, angry comments against such drills by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah were quickly proven wrong. Nasrallah has said he was in the loop about recent Saudi-Iranian talks in Iraq. He claimed that they did not mention “Lebanon or Hezbollah, neither with regards to Yemen or other issues”. However, Nasrallah’s claim reflects Hezbollah’s anxiety over deals taking place behind its back.
The current regional landscape is focused on the nuclear deal with Iran, and the development of US and European relations with Tehran and the effect this has on regional approaches to Israel. This means a number of things.
One is that all this time Gulf states have not been sitting around waiting until international deals were cut with Iran. Instead, they have taken strategic initiatives.
Saudi-Iranian talks are part of this, which naturally are focused on the Yemeni issue, given its implications for Saudi security. However, there are also broader security talks on the national security of Arab states, particularly Iraq. Lebanon does not appear to be a priority in these talks.
Syria is another place where Arab, American, Russian, Israeli and Iranian positions intersect, acknowledging the inevitability that Mr Al Assad will remain in power. Jordan has recently been active in promoting Arab normalisation of relations with him. King Abdullah’s efforts involved bringing US President Joe Biden on board over the issue of delivering gas via Egypt, Jordan and Syria to Lebanon. The Biden administration justified its consent by invoking humanitarian aid to Lebanon. But the truth is that this agreement was the first step to limiting the effect of the Caesar Act, which sanctions commercial dealings with the Syrian regime, imposed by US Congress under Donald Trump’s presidency.
The US is considering withdrawing its troops from Syria. The view of the Biden administration is that this exit would require the co-operation of Russia, Assad and Iran. The ousting of Javad Ghaffari, the IRGC general hostile to US forces in Syria, could be an indication of the agreements being made.
Syria is a crucial component of the drive for normalisation with Israel – something desired by Russia, the US and the Arab states that have normalised ties with Israel. One of the obstacles to it between Syria and Israel is Iran. Iran is a significant military power in Syria, and therefore has leverage. But Israel’s military role in Syria has tacit understanding from Russia and even the Assad regime. Strategically, Russia is stronger than Iran in Syria.
Arab normalisation with Damascus is taking place at multiple levels. Its purpose may be to limit Iran’s influence in certain regions of Syria. These Arab states acknowledge Russia’s interests in Syria and the subsequent sense of legitimacy this bestows on Mr Al Assad. These same countries have normalised ties with Israel and are leading the normalisation with Syria, which is not a coincidence.
If Syria normalises relations, it will not be alone. Perhaps it will affect Lebanon, which is joined at the hip to Syria. Libya could follow suit. What would Hezbollah do with its resistance then? The same conundrum would apply in any US-Iranian normalisation.
This week, US envoy for Iran Robert Malley is holding talks with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Israel to discuss several issues, some involving the normalisation drive and others on concerns over Iran’s destabilising activities. The absolute priority for the Biden administration remains that nothing should affect the coming round of the nuclear talks seeking to revive the nuclear deal.
On the surface, the conditions that Iran has set for Washington appear to be deliberately unfeasible. However, some statements issued by Iran carry different implications, such as the remarks by its foreign minister about his country being open to a “good agreement”. For Mr Biden, the return to Obama era terms is a priority.
But a major difference is that back then key Arab states were taken by surprise. Today they have repositioned themselves to be ready. These are the same states Hezbollah is aggravating. In reality, Hezbollah’s escalation has only come at the expense and anger of Lebanese people. The group claims Israel feels an existential threat from it. But as the regional and international deck is reshuffled, it seems that it is Hezbollah that should be worried.
Published: November 14th 2021, 12:00 AM

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 14-15/2021
Pope thanks journalists for helping expose Church sex scandals
Reuters/November 13, 2021
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis on Saturday thanked journalists for helping uncover the clerical sexual abuse scandals that the Roman Catholic Church initially tried to cover up. The pope praised what he called the “mission” of journalism and said it was vital for reporters to get out of their newsrooms and discover what was happening in the outside world to counter misinformation often found online. “(I) thank you for what you tell us about what is wrong in the Church, for helping us not to sweep it under the carpet, and for the voice you have given to the abuse victims,” the pope said. Francis was speaking at a ceremony to honor two veteran correspondents — Philip Pullella of Reuters and Valentina Alazraki of Mexico’s Noticieros Televisa — for their long careers spent covering the Vatican. The sexual abuse scandals hit the headlines in 2002, when US daily The Boston Globe wrote a series of articles exposing a pattern of abuse of minors by clerics and a widespread culture of concealment within the Church. Since then, scandals have rocked the Church in myriad countries, most recently France where a major investigation found in October that French clerics had sexually abused more than 200,000 children over the past 70 years. Critics accused Francis of responding too slowly to the scandals after he became Pontiff in 2013 and of believing the word of his fellow clergy over that of the abuse victims. But in 2018 he tried to address past mistakes, publicly admitting he was wrong about a case in Chile and vowing that the Church would never again seek to cover up such wrongdoing. In 2019 he called for an “all-out battle” against a crime that should be “erased from the face of the earth.” Francis on Saturday said journalists had a mission “to explain the world, to make it less obscure, to make those who live in it less fear it.”To do that, he said reporters needed to “escape the tyranny” of always being online. “Not everything can be told through email, the phone, or a screen,” he said.

People flee homes as quakes strike southern Iran, killing at least one
Reuters/November 14, 2021
DUBAI: Two strong earthquakes struck southern Iran near the port of Bandar Abbas on Sunday, prompting residents to flee their homes and killing at least one person, state TV reported.
The quakes measured 6.3 and 6.4 magnitude, jolting the province of Hormozgan, state TV said, and the tremors were felt across the gulf in Dubai. "One person died after an electricity pole fell on him," Iranian state TV said, citing local officials. Iran is crisscrossed by major geological fault lines and has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre put the magnitude of one of the quakes at 6.5 at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles). "The quake was felt in several southern Iranian cities in Hormozgan province," an official told state TV, adding that rescue teams had been sent to the area. State TV showed residents in Bandar Abbas fleeing their homes in panic. Iran's state news agency IRNA said there was no structural damage to homes in the area. The quakes were also felt across the gulf in Dubai, according to some residents. "It was felt in northern and eastern side of the United Arab Emirates without any effect," the UAE's National Centre of Meteorology said in a tweet.

Gadhafi's Son Seif al-Islam Registers to Run for Libya Presidency
Agence France Presse/November 14/2021
Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, son of slain Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, registered Sunday to run in December presidential polls seen as crucial to helping the country turn a page on a decade of conflict. Libya's first ever direct presidential poll, with a first round on December 24, is the climax of a process launched last year by the United Nations to draw a line under years of violence since the revolt that toppled Gadhafi in 2011. "Seif al-Islam Gadhafi submitted... his candidacy for the presidential election to the High National Electoral Commission office in the city of Sebha," a statement by the commission said.
It said he had completed "all the required legal conditions" and that he was also issued with a voter registration card for the southern Sebha district. Seif al-Islam, long-considered his father's erstwhile heir apparent, was seen registering his candidacy, dressed in traditional robes and headdress.
Libya opened registration on Monday for candidates in presidential and parliamentary polls. Both are slated for December 24, but in early October parliament split the dates of the vote by postponing legislative elections until January. Foreign powers have been pushing hard for both elections to be still held on the same date, as agreed at UN-led talks last year. On Friday, world powers at a Paris summit repeated that call, saying Libya was at a "crossroads" that would determine its future. Speculation had been mounting for months over a possible presidential bid by Seif al-Islam, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the 2011 NATO-backed popular revolt.
Political comeback
In July, Seif al-Islam, 49, emerged from years in the shadows and told The New York Times he was planning a political comeback. In a rare interview, he said he wanted to "restore the lost unity" of Libya after a decade of chaos and did not exclude standing for the presidency. "I've been away from the Libyan people for 10 years. You need to come back slowly, slowly. Like a striptease. You need to play with their minds a little," the paper quoted him as saying. Until the interview, Seif al-Islam had not been seen or heard from since June 2014, when he appeared via video link from Zintan, in the west of the country, during his trial by a Tripoli court. Four years later, the Tripoli court sentenced him in absentia to death for crimes committed during the revolt. A rival administration in the east later pardoned Seif al-Islam but the decision was never confirmed by authorities in Tripoli. French President Emmanuel Macron hosted world powers in Paris on Friday for an international conference on Libya, in a bid to help turn a new page in its bloody history. "We urge all Libyan stakeholders and candidates to respect their commitments towards holding elections on 24 December 2021 (and) to accept the results of free, fair and inclusive elections," the powers said in a statement after the talks. But despite a year of relative peace following a ceasefire between eastern and western camps, the process has been overshadowed by wrangling over the legal basis for the votes and the powers of whoever wins. Speculation has also been mounting for months over possible presidential bids by eastern-based military chief Khalifa Haftar. Former interior minister Fathi Bashagha has confirmed he will run, while others expected to do so include diplomats Aref al-Nayed and Ibrahim Dabbachi, as well as comedian Hatem al-Kour.

UK Says Russia Has 'Responsibility' to End Belarus-Poland Crisis
Agence France Presse/November 14/2021
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Sunday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene in the crisis that has left thousands of migrants trapped on the Belarus-Poland border. "Russia has a clear responsibility here. It must press the Belarusian authorities to end the crisis and enter into dialogue," Truss wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. Putin on Saturday denied claims Moscow is helping to orchestrate the situation, blaming Western policies in the Middle East for creating the migrant crisis. "I want everyone to know. We have nothing to do with it," he told state television. The migrants, mainly Kurds, have been stuck for days on the border in near-freezing temperatures, setting up a tent camp and burning wood to keep warm. Belarus says there are about 2,000 people in the camp, including pregnant women and children. Poland says there are between 3,000 and 4,000 migrants on the border, with more arriving every day. Truss said that the stand-off marked the "latest step" by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko "to undermine regional security.""He is using desperate migrants as pawns in his bid to create instability and cling on to power, regardless of the human cost," she wrote. "The United Kingdom will not look away. We will stand with our allies in the region, who are on the frontier of freedom."Britain on Thursday sent a team of around 10 soldiers to help Poland strengthen its border. Truss also called on European neighbors to oppose the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, running from Russia to Europe across the Baltic Sea, warning it would allow Moscow to "tighten its grip on those nations who rely on its gas."

Kuwait emir accepts govt resignation
Reuters/November 14, 2021
DUBAI: Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah accepted on Sunday the resignation of the government, state news agency KUNA reported. Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah submitted the resignation of his cabinet on Nov. 8.

Government-Allied Forces Leave Yemeni City, Rebels Re-Enter
Associated Press/November 14/2021
Forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognized government have withdrawn from the strategic port city of Hodeida, allowing the rebels to retake key positions there, Yemeni officials and the United Nations said. The development was a setback to the U.N.-brokered cease-fire in 2018 that ended fighting over Hodeida. The deal was seen as an important first step toward ending the broader conflict in Yemen, devastated by years of civil war, but was never fully implemented. The pro-government militias, founded and bankrolled by the United Arab Emirates and known as Joint Forces, said late on Friday that they redeployed troops from Hodeida because there was no need for them to stay in the city after the 2018 deal. The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition that has been waging war against the Iran-backed rebels to restore the internationally recognized government to power. The Joint Forces also said the rebels, known as Houthis, repeatedly violated the 2018 deal. On Saturday, security officials and residents said the rebels rounded up dozens of people they accuse of supporting the government.
Meanwhile, other pro-government forces that now remain in Hodeida, repelled a Houthi attack south of the coastal city, the officials said. At least three pro-government troops, including a field commander, were killed, they added. A U.N. mission observing the cease-fire said it wasn't notified before the withdrawal. It said pro-government forces pulled back from their positions in Hodeida and south of the city, allowing the rebels to take over the vacated positions. The fighting in Hodeida erupted in mid-2018, after government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition moved in to wrest control of the strategic port from the Houthis. After months of clashes, the warring sides signed the case-fire deal in December that year and agreed to an exchange of more than 15,000 prisoners. Yemen's war began with the 2014 takeover of the capital of Sanaa by the Houthis, who control much of the country's north. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in 2015, determined to restore the government and oust the rebels. The conflict has since become a regional proxy war that has killed tens of thousands of civilians and fighters. The war also created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, leaving millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and pushing the country to the brink of famine. In recent months, the Houthis have attacked government forces in different areas, including the provinces of Shabwa, Bayda and Marib, despite calls by the U.N., the United States and others to stop fighting and engage in negotiations to find a settlement to the conflict. Government forces pushed back the rebels in fierce battels south of the crucial city of Marib, the provincial capital, officials from both sides said Saturday. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, and the residents did so for fear of reprisals.

IS Ambush Kills 13 Loyalist Fighters in Syria
Agence France Presse/November 14/2021
At least 13 fighters loyal to the Syrian government have been killed in an Islamic State group ambush in the country's east, a war monitor said. The attack by the jihadist group killed "at least 13 members of a local pro-regime group and wounded others", the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It took place in the Masrib area, in the west of Deir Ezzor province, while the fighters were conducting a sweep of the area, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria. Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP it was the deadliest attack on pro-government forces in five months. The IS group's self-proclaimed caliphate was declared defeated in Syria in the riverside hamlet of Baghouz in March 2019 following a grueling U.S.-backed offensive.But the group continues to conduct attacks on government forces from hideouts in the vast Syrian Desert which stretches all the way from the Damascus outskirts to the Iraqi border. Abdel Rahman said the jihadist group has recently increased its activity both in government-controlled areas and in territory controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The Observatory said that 1,593 pro-government fighters and 153 allied pro-Iranian fighters had been killed in IS attacks since late March 2019. It said 1,081 IS jihadists had been killed over the same period. Earlier Saturday, the Observatory said that three Iraqis, including a woman, were killed in violence inside the Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria that houses relatives of suspected jihadists. The overcrowded camp is under the control of the Kurdish administration that runs the region but violence, mostly perpetrated by IS, is frequent. The conflict in Syria erupted in 2011 with nationwide protests against the government that were met with a brutal crackdown. It escalated into a devastating war that drew in regional and international powers, and has killed nearly half a million people.

Queen Elizabeth Sprains Back, Misses Remembrance Sunday Service
Agence France Presse/November 14/2021
Queen Elizabeth II missed out on the Remembrance Sunday service in London to pay tribute to Britain's war dead because she sprained her back, Buckingham Palace said Sunday. The service, one of the most important on the 95-year-old monarch's calendar, was widely expected to be her first public appearance after canceling events in recent weeks on doctors' advice. "The Queen, having sprained her back, has decided this morning with great regret that she will not be able to attend today's Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph," officials said in a statement just hours ahead of the ceremony. "Her Majesty is disappointed that she will miss the service."The queen spent a night in a London hospital last month after being admitted for medical tests. It was her first such stay in eight years. On Oct. 29, the palace said she had been told by doctors to rest for two weeks and only take on light duties.
She canceled plans to attend the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, but sent a video message. But officials said at the time that "it remains the queen's firm intention" to be present for the national Remembrance Sunday service. On Thursday, Buckingham Palace said that the monarch planned to watch the ceremony at the Cenotaph war memorial in central London from a balcony, as she has for several years. The queen served in World War II as an army driver and mechanic, and attaches great importance to Remembrance Sunday, a solemn ceremony to remember the sacrifices made by fallen servicemen and women. The national service, which follows Armistice Day on Nov. 11, is traditionally marked by the wearing of poppies and a national two-minute silence observed at 11 a.m.
On Sunday, other royals and politicians led the ceremony in London's Whitehall, with hundreds of military personnel and veterans lined up around the Cenotaph memorial. It was the first time the event had returned to normal since the pandemic began.
After Royal Marine buglers sounded the "The Last Post," Prince Charles, 73, laid the first wreath on the queen's behalf, as he had done in recent years. He was followed by other royals and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The queen has continued to work from home, doing desk-based duties, during her period of rest. She has spent most of the time at Windsor Castle, west of London, and made a weekend visit to Sandringham, the royal family's eastern England estate. Britain's longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch, Elizabeth is due to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee — 70 years on the throne — next year.

Turkey resists exit of mercenaries from Libya, risks disrupting process
The Arab Weekly/November 14/2021
ISTANBUL--Turkey on Saturday rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s call on foreign powers to remove their forces from Libya as part of efforts end a decade of strife. Turkey has sent troops as well as thousands of pro-Ankara militia members and mercenaries from Syria to shore up the Islamist-backed Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli last year. Most of Turkey’s contingent is still stationed in Libya. The North African country has been mired in civil war since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled long time ruler Muammar Gadhafi.
The bloodshed has drawn in competing Libyan factions and Islamist groups as well as foreign powers. Besides Turkey, Russia and other countries are suspected to have supported the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
Macron told an international conference on Libya in Paris on Friday that “Russia and Turkey must withdraw their mercenaries without delay”. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s top foreign policy adviser told AFP on Saturday that putting the emphasis on a quick troop withdrawal was “wrong”.
“If you single out the pulling out of foreign forces… from Libya, as the most important, as the top issue, we believe that is wrong,” Ibrahim Kalin said in an interview. “Libya needs support for its political process, the elections, economic issues,” he said in reference to presidential polls that world leaders would like to go ahead on December 24. Turkey’s opposition to the departure of its troops and mercenaries risks to disrupt the settlement process and embolden pro-Islamist factions in Tripoli, which seek the postponement of elections. Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Khaled al-Meshri, chairman of Libya’s High Council of State, urged voters not to participate in the upcoming elections and seeks a three-month delay in elections in order to allow other candidates to run for president. France itself has faced accusations of backing Haftar but has always insisted it has been fully neutral in the conflict.
Turkey sent only a low-level delegation to Paris in a sign of continued displeasure with Macron’s foreign policy stance. Kalin said a continued Turkish military presence in Libya will help support political stability and security in the energy-rich state. “Our military presence there is to help the Libyan army train,” he said. “We are there as a force of stability and help to the Libyan people. And our priority as far as security is concerned is to help the Libyans establish their united Libyan National Army.”

The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 14-15/2021
شارل الياس شرتوني: جنوح الدكتاتوريين والحرب الباردة الجديدة
Dictators Delinquency and the New Cold War
Charles Elias Chartouni/November 14/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/104105/104105/
The manufactured refugee crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border highlights the anomic nature of the new Cold War, the volatility of strategic interfaces, and their pliability to the malevolence of vagrant dictators who are ready to contrive artificial crises in order to uphold their decaying legitimacy. What’s striking is the coordination with their kins all across the geopolitical spectrums. The Belarusian dictator A.Lukashenko engineered a political crisis at the heart of the European Union when he managed to organize planned flights between Damascus and Minsk for migrants in coordination with the Syrian regime. These groups were forwarded directly to the Polish borders equipped with wire cutters to force their way across the border to EU territories. This elaborate maneuver was orchestrated deliberately by the dictator to sway the EU after retaliatory sanctions were adopted to penalize the wave of domestic repression and State terrorism. While counting on the tacit support of Vladimir Putin, the latter was unhappy about the impact of the cynical machinations on Russian -EU relationships, especially when Lukashenko was intent on manipulating the gas and strategic issues to this end.
The firm stand of the European community behind Poland, in spite of the blatant political differences with the Polish coalition in power, demonstrated the unwillingness of the European community to fall back into the conventional traps masterminded by dictators trying to evade their nemeses, and instrumentalize the blackholes of a fractured world order. These new derfrauding schemes are quite hazardous and should be firmly countered if the international community were to avoid abrupt crises and the downgrading of its security thresholds. The disparagement of the international rules by hard pressed dictators is symptomatic of the new Cold War rising normlessness , and the challenge of common institutional platforms and norms of international civility.

Tehran and Riyadh are talking, but bad blood remains between bitter Mideast rivals
Cheryl K. Chumley/The Washington Times/November 14/2021
Skepticism runs high despite series of direct discussions in Baghdad
Bitter rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran have engaged in a growing number of back-channel and public diplomatic meetings during recent months, but U.S. sources and regional experts say tension continues to soar between Riyadh and Tehran.
While the Sunni Muslim monarchy in Saudi Arabia has eased a once-impregnable diplomatic blockade of the Shiite-dominated theocracy in Iran, the two oil-rch Middle East powers remain locked in a proxy war in Yemen and divided over Tehran’s backing of militias blamed for destabilizing Iraq.
The Saudis, who lost an unflinching supporter in Washington with the defeat of former President Donald Trump, have spent the past year scrambling to reorient their regional posture in response to the Biden administration’s more ambiguous Mideast policy. The kingdom is particularly wary of President Biden’s push to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal — a development likely to result in major sanctions relief for Tehran and a surge of cash and weapons for Iranian allies across the region.
Talks toward reviving the deal that former Mr. Trump repudiated in 2018 are slated to resume Nov. 29 in Vienna, with Iranian officials recently signaling they’ll meet directly with their U.S. counterparts for the first time since Mr. Biden took office.
But even as debate swirls around the nuclear talks, there has been an unexpected thaw in Saudi-Iranian relations, with Iranian officials even contending that discussions with the Saudis were “on the right track” following a September meeting in Baghdad. For Iran, the talks are a way to ease a near-united hostile front among Gulf Arab powers over its regional ambitions. For the Saudis, the talks are a way to hedge some bets as Mr. Biden brings into question U.S. commitment to the region and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an Iranian ally, appears to be consolidating power once again in Damascus.
“We have achieved results and agreements, but we still need more dialogue,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told reporters when asked about the direct talks with the Saudis, according to Agence France-Presse.
To date, Saudi and Iranian officials have held four rounds of talks in Iraq, which with sizable Shiite and Sunni populations has been especially anxious to bring the two regional powers together, in addition to a meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly gathering in New York in September.
But details remain scarce and the talks have not kept bilateral tensions from soaring on repeated occasions. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran in retaliation for the kingdom’s execution at the time of a prominent Shiite cleric.
“The Saudis and the Iranians are having backchannel diplomatic meetings, but this has not changed the current situation of tension and competition,” says Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a Middle East expert with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “These meetings are not connected to any structural position or policy developments. They are more maneuvers that each side is using in different ways.”
Pushing a false narrative
Mr. Abdul-Hussain said in an interview that Iranian leaders are trying to characterize the talks as a sign that Saudi Arabia is seeking to accommodate a rising Iran, effectively accepting Tehran as a regional power whose influence is growing despite U.S. and Israeli attempts to contain it. Iran has been far more willing to acknowledge the talks have taken place than have the Saudis.
“Whenever the Iranians say they’re hanging out with the Saudis, their tone is one of, ‘Hear ye, hear ye, the Saudis have conceded to us. Anyone who still thinks it’s wise to stand up to Iran better change their mind because even the Saudis have come crawling,’” he said.
Others say the more ambivalent recent U.S. support for the Saudis under Mr. Biden — a product of the U.S. administration’s desire to focus on China and its criticisms of key Saudi foreign policy and domestic initiatives under de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — has made the Saudi leadership more willing to talk with the Iranian regime. Jennifer Gavito, deputy assistant secretary for Iran and Iraq at the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, told CNBC in an interview last month that the U.S. supported direct talks.
“We welcome any direct talks that lead to greater peace and stability in the region,” Ms. Gavito said.
While Washington under Mr. Trump backed a messy Saudi bombing campaign against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, Mr. Biden formally ended the support in February. The Biden administration also removed the Houthis from the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organizations list — a move widely seen as an attempt to entice Iran into rejoining nuclear talks with Washington.
Riyadh was outraged by the move, which came amid Houthi attacks on targets inside Saudi Arabia. Over the past six years, the Tehran-backed rebels have targeted military installations and critical oil infrastructure in the kingdom, while defying an intense bombing campaign led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in support of Yemen‘s previous leadership.
The Houthis and the Iranians have also been accused of going after airports. In August, Riyadh blamed the Houthis for flying a bomb-laden drone into an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, a strike that wounded eight people.
A high-level U.S. national security source in contact with individuals directly involved in the Saudi-Iran talks, said the Saudis and other Persian Gulf states, including the UAE, are eager to “lower the temperature” with Tehran. “The Saudis are trying to lower the likelihood that Iran will conduct additional drone and terror attacks against the kingdom,” said the source, adding that Riyadh is also pursuing talks because the U.S. and the international community are unwilling to truly confront Iran over its backing of militant proxies such as the Houthis and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah movement. Frustration over such backing triggered a new regional diplomatic spat in late October, with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait all pulling their ambassadors from Lebanon, which has fallen increasingly under the control of Hezbollah.
The four Gulf Arab powers acted in response to comments by a Hezbollah-aligned Lebanese minister who had publicly criticized the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. Hezbollah is listed by Washington as a terrorist organization, and the Saudis accuse the group of helping the Houthis in Yemen. The Associated Press has noted that both groups have strong ties to Iran, and consider themselves part of the so-called axis of resistance that includes the Syrian government and powerful Shiite militias in Iraq.
Chance for Detente?
Abdulaziz Sager, who heads the Gulf Research Center, and former senior Iranian diplomat Hossein Mousavian have argued that both Iran and Saudi Arabia perceive the other to be keen on dominating the region. “Riyadh views Iran as intent on encircling the kingdom with its allied non-state actors; Tehran views Riyadh as a key facilitator of U.S. efforts to contain and undermine the Islamic Republic,” Mr. Sager and Mr. Mousavian wrote in a commentary published early this year by British newspaper The Guardian. “Riyadh considers Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal to be a threat to its national security, especially its critical infrastructure. Tehran regards the kingdom’s purchase of large quantities of sophisticated Western arms as exacerbating the conventional weapons asymmetry in the region,” they wrote, adding that “Riyadh charges Iran with interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign states such as Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain and Iraq,” while “Tehran sees Saudi Arabia doing the same in these very countries.”
“We remain at the mercy of a single miscalculation that could turn the protracted cold war between our states hot, potentially ushering in disastrous consequences for the entire region,” Mr. Sager and Mr. Mousavian wrote, arguing that the arrival of a new administration in Washington offered a chance to “move from confrontation to dialogue.”
But the prospect of a serious Saudi-Iran rapprochement remains dim.
“It’s possible you could have restoration of diplomatic relations, but in no way should this be confused with the Gulf changing its views on Iran in the region or Iran changing its ambitions in the region,” said the high-level national security source who spoke on condition of anonymity with The Times. “It’s a profound error if anyone thinks otherwise.”
Daniel Roth, research director at the bipartisan advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, also argues there is “no way there’s going to be a thaw anytime soon.”
“The Iranians are literally funding terrorists who’ve recently carried out attacks inside Saudi Arabia,” Mr. Roth said in a recent interview. “Iran is always trying to push the idea of a Saudi-Iran detente, like a kind of … brotherhood or joining together as enemies against the United States, but I think the Saudis know [better].”
Said Mr. Abdul-Hussain, “The Iranians are also always telling everyone that, ‘America will be leaving the region sooner or later, but we will still be here.’ In other words, ‘Don’t bet on America to have your back.’”
The catch, he said, is that “the Saudis are not crawling to the Iranians,” and while the Saudis may agree the U.S. is withdrawing, Riyadh remains deeply suspicious of Iran‘s intentions. “If anything, the perspective that the Americans are leaving is actually pushing the Saudis to embrace the idea of a regional coalition that can stand up to Iran.”
Such sentiment, Mr. Abdul-Hussain added, may ultimately motivate closer relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, the sworn enemy of Iran.
But Riyadh has resisted joining the historic “Abraham Accord” diplomatic normalizations that other Gulf Arab powers — most notably the Emiratis and Bahrainis — have recently embraced with Israel. And, some in the region believe talk between the Saudis and the Iranians is a necessity to reduce the prospect of a major war between the bitter rivals.
“At the very least, an incremental process of detente might lower political and strategic temperatures in the Gulf while winning a measure of support from Western leaders,” Daniel Brumberg, a senior fellow with the Arab Center in Washington, argued in a commentary published by the think tank last month.
“Detente,” Mr. Brumberg wrote, “is more about managing rather than transcending conflicts.”
• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.
Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

What to Expect from the Biden-Xi Meeting - And It's Not Good
Pete Hoekstra/Gatestone Institute/November 14/2021
With the U.S. suffering significant inflation, and with supply chain disruptions identified as one of the causes, expect little pressure on China to address intellectual property theft, currency manipulation, unfair Chinese government support in distorting markets, or disruptive Chinese trade barriers. The bias will be to put a happy face on this relationship.
We certainly can hope for Biden to put up a strong position on the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 750,000 Americans are dead.... America, and the world need answers. China needs to be held accountable.
One can only fear where this goes if the U.S. does not confront China. It is unlikely we will see any leadership from Europe on this issue; European leaders seemed determined to forge closer economic ties with China, which will doubtless use these revenues for bulking up its military to "take over the world." It is either Biden or nobody, and nobody seems to have the upper hand.
An even worse potential outcome on the COVID-19 pandemic issue may be a gauzy statement along the lines that ... the U.S. and China will closely cooperate on addressing the current situation.... Even worse, we will form the core of a new global organization to prepare for, confront, and combat any potential future pandemics.
Heaven help us if this is the outcome.
With the U.S. suffering significant inflation, and with supply chain disruptions identified as one of the causes, expect little pressure on China to address intellectual property theft, currency manipulation, unfair Chinese government support in distorting markets, or disruptive Chinese trade barriers. The bias during the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Communist China's President Xi Jinping will be to put a happy face on this relationship. Pictured: Then US Vice President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, then First Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, in Los Angeles on February 17, 2012. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
Here is what we likely can expect from the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Communist China's President Xi Jinping. Climate change, yes. Human rights, not so much. Throw in a little trade but take out all references to the Wuhan-origin of the coronavirus pandemic. This will be a summit that majors in minors. It will have significance, but only because of what it fails to do rather than what it does.
Expect the press releases coming out from the virtual summit to trumpet the ambiguous agreements that have been made on climate change. We saw the tease of this from the joint press conference just completed by Biden climate czar John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua. It will consist of some diplomat-speak language about how serious the threat of global warming is and how the Chinese Communist Party and the U.S. have agreed to certain actions to confront greenhouse gas emissions, but there will be few specifics. This is all about the Biden Administration trying to save face after the major disappointments coming out of COP26, the global U.N. conference ignored by Russia, China, Mexico and Japan. This was a major snub to Biden, who took a significant part of his cabinet to the conference only to have it ignored by other global leaders who did not care enough to be on the same stage with him.
At the Kerry-Xie press conference, Kerry was asked about the use of slave labor in the production of solar panels. His response was that it was "not my lane." It was reminiscent of the Dutch response when asked why they did not use their leverage on Nord Stream 2, including the participation of Dutch companies in the construction and funding of the pipeline, to exert pressure on Russia to be more forthcoming on the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014. The Russians had blocked the assignment of any blame and accountability. Today the pipeline is nearing completion and the Dutch still have no accountability. It seems that the U.S. is taking the same position. Using slave labor is supposedly a small price to pay when you are saving the planet.
Expect some nice phrases about the lessening of trade tensions. With the U.S. suffering significant inflation, and with supply chain disruptions identified as one of the causes, expect little pressure on China to address intellectual property theft, currency manipulation, unfair Chinese government support in distorting markets, or disruptive Chinese trade barriers. The bias will be to put a happy face on this relationship.
We certainly can hope for Biden to put up a strong position on the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 750,000 Americans are dead, new waves of infection are ravaging parts of Europe, global economies have been eviscerated, and China's actions have been a part of the problem, not a part of the solution. America and the world need answers. China needs to be held accountable. One can only fear where this goes if the U.S. does not confront China. It is unlikely we will see any leadership from Europe on this issue; European leaders seemed determined to forge closer economic ties with China, which will doubtless use these revenues to bulk up its military to "take over the world." It is either Biden or nobody, and nobody seems to have the upper hand. China will have escaped any and all accountability for its actions.
An even worse potential outcome on the COVID-19 pandemic issue may be a gauzy statement along the lines that the pandemic has been severe, and the threat continues on a global basis. As an ongoing threat, the U.S. and China will closely cooperate on addressing the current situation. We will also work together to investigate the roots of the current pandemic but will respect the sovereignty of both countries in the investigation. Even worse, we will form the core of a new global organization to prepare for, confront, and combat any potential future pandemics.
Heaven help us if this is the outcome. The priority of this bilateral virtual summit is to save the sinking Biden presidency. Xi comes in with all the leverage. The best outcome for the Biden administration is that the American people will not recognize that they are simply propping up an administration that has managed to torpedo [such as here, here and here] everything it touches.
*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.
© 2021 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone

France: Nationalism Makes a Comeback
Amir Taheri/Asharq al-Awsat/November 14, 2021
Like Macron five years ago, Zemmour is seen as the outsider opposed to incompetent and corrupt insiders.
He seems unaware of the difference between American "secularism," in which the state sees itself as protector of all religions, and the French laïcité in which the state regards all religions as potential or actual threats.
The problem that France faces comes from political groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafist groups, Khomeinist circles and home-grown militants radicalized through the Internet.
Like French President Emmanuel Macron five years ago, Éric Zemmour (pictured) is seen as the outsider opposed to incompetent and corrupt insiders. (Photo by Valery Hache/AFP via Getty Images)
Although the next French presidential election is months away, the way the media in Paris along with French chattering classes are behaving, one might think that we are on the eve of polling day.
Turn on any TV channel and open any newspaper and you are likely to run into oodles of speculation about the journey to the Élysée Palace.
One reason may be even the main one, for this premature interest is a 63-year old journalist who has cast himself as a modern version of the Prophet Jeremiah to depict gloom and forecasting doom for French democracy.
The man in question is Éric Zemmour, who has been lurking on the margins of French journalism, always in minor roles for almost three decades and, yet, is now entering as the rising star of French politics on the right or, as his enemies claim, the far right.
Two months ago, opinion polls credited him with around 3 percent of voter support. At the time of this writing, however, he is hovering above 20 percent and slated to be present in the second round of voting against incumbent President Emmanuel Macron. Such an outcome, of course, would mean total bankruptcy not only for the traditional parties of the right and left, the Republicans and the Socialists, but also for the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen and the far left Unbowed France of Jean-Luc Mélanchon.
But what is it that makes Zemmour attractive to so many Frenchmen?
To start with, he is seen as a new face at a time that the political elites are deeply unpopular. Like Macron five years ago, Zemmour is seen as the outsider opposed to incompetent and corrupt insiders.
Despite obvious differences, Zemmour benefits from the same novelty effect that Donald Trump did in the United States five years ago. Also like Trump, Zemmour has pared down his message to a number of simple ideas that resonate with large sections of a society struck by insecurity and doubts about the future.
Zemmour says France is on the decline, even facing death in its present form, for a number of reasons, among them continuous mass immigration especially by Muslim Arabs and Africans, and the offshoring of industrial jobs to China and other cheap-labor economies. He warns of what he calls "the Great Replacement," in which a fast-growing Muslim population will gradually replace the native French population, end the secular system of government and, as novelist Michel Houellebecq wrote a decade ago, turn France into an Islamic Republic. Zemmour's entourage insist that some 700 neighborhoods in France are already under Islamist control and turned to no-go areas for the "authentic" French.
The theme of "decline" isn't new in France or, indeed, in Western democracies as a whole. Schopenhauer warned of it over a century ago, and people like Noam Chomsky in the United States and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran have been harping on it for decades. What makes Zemmour a more convincing prophet of "declinism" is that, unlike Schopenhauer who philosophized but offered no defense against decline, and unlike Chomsky and Khamenei who are gleeful about it, he appears to be deeply hurt but determined to fight back and prevent "France's suicide". In fact, Zemmour's new book, a best-seller, is titled "France Has Not Said Its Last Word."
Zemmour also sounds convincing because he himself is an example of Frenchification, to coin a word. Born to a family of Algerian Jews, Zemmour witnessed how his grandparents and then parents submitted to the process of assimilation to become "authentic" French. His grandparents dropped their Algerian-Jewish names Liaou and Messouka for Justin and Rachel and gave "proper French names" to their children. Because a notorious gang named Zemour, with one M, had hit the headlines at the time, they also added a second M to their family name to avoid any confusion.
Zemmour's life story is built around a struggle against multiculturalism with French nationalism as its bedrock. Zemmour attended the then much coveted Paris Institute of Political Studies and, keen to join the elite, tried to enter the National School of Administration but was not admitted. His next disappointments came when he was refused a job with the Farming Syndicates Union because, born in a downmarket suburb, he lacked the rural roots that "authentic French" boast about.
An even worse disappointment came when his application to join the Cercle de l'Union interalliée, an exclusive elite club, was turned down.
In his role as the latest tribune of French nationalism, Zemmour revives the theme of "French specificity" and demands priority in giving jobs to the French rather than immigrants and other foreigners. In this he echoes the position taken by Charles Maurras, a monarchist writer and anti-Semite, and Pierre Laval, the politician who led the collaborators under German occupation, and pro-Pétain journalist Lucien Rebatet. The theme of "French priority", however, was also used by the Popular Front leaders in the 1930s and the French Communist Party under Maurice Thorez and Waldeck Rochet.
Zemmour makes much of secularism, or laïcité in French, as a guarantor of democracy in general.
He seems unaware of the difference between American "secularism," in which the state sees itself as protector of all religions, and the French laïcité in which the state regards all religions as potential or actual threats. The confusion is apparent when Zemmour says he wants to preserve the Judeo-Christian character of France while promoting laïcité as a means of countering the Islamic threat against France.
For a politician who has made combating Islam his principal goal, Zemmour appears ill informed about Islam in France, a religion without a church-like organization and hierarchy and divided into over 400 groups and sects. The formal, recognizable Islam in France is dominated by what one might call "consular Islam": mosques and lobbies created, financed and controlled by Muslim countries notably Turkey, Algeria and Morocco. Next to this "consular Islam," there is the primarily political networks masquerading as religious communities, chief among them the Muslim Brotherhood and mostly Lebanese Shiite circles controlled by Iran.
Taken together, these two forms of Islam represent no more than one or two percent of France's estimated 6.5 million nominally Muslim citizens. The problem that France faces comes from political groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafist groups, Khomeinist circles and home-grown militants radicalized through the Internet. To pretend that these tiny but deadly groups represent a much larger reality could be self-defeating even from Zemmour's nationalistic point of view.
It is no accident that wherever Zemmour appears, militants, usually from the Muslim Brotherhood or Khomeinist outfits, often Muslim "sisters," turn up to portray him as an enemy of all Muslims.
Zemmour echoes the fears and doubts of many Frenchmen and opens the debate on some key social and cultural issues. So far, however, there is no sign that he has a clear idea of how to shape the right questions let alone provide the needed answers.
*Amir Taheri was the executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from 1972 to 1979. He has worked at or written for innumerable publications, published eleven books, and has been a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat since 1987.

Some things never change and Assad is one of them
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/November 14/ 2021
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan visited Bashar Assad in Damascus last week, in a further sign that some Arab countries hope the Syrian dictator may change his behavior.
The visit was part of the UAE’s effort to embrace Syria and reconcile with the Assad regime. However, the belief that Assad can change his behavior flies in the face of the proven fact that he is neither willing nor able to do so; a change of behavior would mean his end. No attempt to persuade him otherwise has succeeded, and none will, for the simple reason that his methods of ruling — authoritarian, centralized and brutal, exactly like those of his father Hafez — are the only way he can survive. Assad cannot share power, because sharing power would mean losing it.
Arab attitudes to Syria are divided. While the UAE is normalizing, with the declared aim of helping the Syrians and containing Iran, Qatar has categorically rejected any such approach, and its foreign minister has said that Assad should be held accountable for his regime’s crimes. The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said the Kingdom was not considering engagement with the regime, although it “understands” the effort by other countries to try to push a certain political process and break the unacceptable status quo. Jordan, meanwhile, feels the need to humor the brutal neighbor on its doorstep after the regime deployed troops in the southwest. It also poses a great danger to the Hashemite kingdom with the smuggling of weapons and drugs. Jordan refers to Assad as a “fact” — but the “fact” is that because Assad’s behavior will never change, there will be no peace, neither now nor later.
The Emiratis speak of bringing Assad into the Arab fold and creating a rift between him and Iran, but their assessment is based more on wishful thinking than on reality. The Russians have had a relationship with the Assad regime from the start, they have had bases in Syria since the early 1970s, and they saved Assad in 2015 when he was on the brink of defeat in the civil war. If they could not drive a wedge between Damascus and Tehran, will the Arabs — in whom Assad has no trust — be able to do so? I very much doubt it.
The Israelis, on the other hand, have a realistic approach to Assad. They say their problem is not with him, but rather with Iran. At the end of the day, however, it is Assad who is allowing Iran to use Syria as transit territory for weaponry to reach Hezbollah. Israel knows that after one week of fighting in 2006, 80 percent of Hezbollah’s arsenal had been destroyed, and it was only after Assad opened the border and supplies started to flow that Hezbollah could continue to fight. Israel’s nightmare now is Hezbollah’s “precision project” to equip some of its 150,000 missiles with sophisticated GPS and render them accurate to within 5 to 10 meters — bringing airports, desalination plants, power stations and other vital Israeli infrastructure within target range.
Assad cannot share power, because sharing power would mean losing it.
Hitting targets in Lebanon, or even Hezbollah positions in Syria, will not stop the stream of weapons as long as they can transit through Syria. And no matter how effective or precise the intelligence the Israelis have, it cannot detect every arms shipment. Moreover, Israel cannot act unilaterally against Syria without the blessing of the Russians, and Israel understands Syria’s importance to Russia — at least its previous prime minister did. This is why Benjamin Netanyahu had such a smooth relationship with Vladimir Putin, which Netanyahu’s successor Naftali Bennett hopes to maintain.
Assad is now seeking to open channels with Israel, but the latter has not been taking the Syrian dictator seriously. As far as the Israelis are concerned, “Assad has cried wolf too many times”, one US official told me. In 2007, Turkey tried to broker Syrian normalization with Israel, but Assad had cold feet at the last minute. The Israelis know Assad will not change his behavior, so they will not waste their time in futile discussions.
The Emirati plan is for a step-by-step normalization, meaning that for every concession Assad offers they will reciprocate, and vice versa. But Assad will simply obtain what he needs from them, and then find an excuse to stall the process. This tactic is already visible in the behavior of his delegation at Syria’s constitutional committee; they keep finding reasons to stall the negotiations and not commit to anything. At the same time, they want to give the impression that they are negotiating, when in fact they have no intention of compromising on anything, and have no goodwill.
Previous Arab overtures produced no results. The Emiratis reopened their embassy in 2018, and have lent a helping hand to the regime, but their support resulted in zero change in behavior. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is a popular definition of insanity. Overtures to Assad in hopes of a change in behavior appear to fall into that category.
• Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II. She is also an affiliate scholar with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut.

Hold Iran to account for deplorable human rights record
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/November 14/ 2021
The Iranian regime’s dire human rights record has only worsened in 2021, with growing numbers of violations, particularly in the months since Ebrahim Raisi, the so-called “Butcher of Tehran,” became president of the republic. Referring to the growing use of capital punishment and the alarming rate of executions in Iran, Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the country, told the UN General Assembly that “there are extensive, vague and arbitrary grounds in Iran for imposing the death sentence, which quickly can turn this punishment into a political tool.”Delivering his his fourth annual report on Oct. 25, Rehman warned: “In addition, the structural flaws of the justice system are so deep and at odds with the notion of rule of law that one can barely speak of a justice system. The entrenched flaws in law and in the administration of the death penalty in Iran mean that most, if not all, executions are an arbitrary deprivation of life.”
Suppression and execution of political prisoners and those who protest against the ruling mullahs are increasing. In fact, the Iranian regime is one of the leading executioners in the world, according to the Human Rights Watch 2021 global report.
In order to carry out its executions of political prisoners, Iran’s judiciary accuses defendants of vaguely defined “national security crimes.” These reportedly include “moharebeh” (enmity against God), “ifsad fil arz” (sowing corruption) and “baghi” (armed rebellion).
It is not only the number of executions that is appalling, but also the nature of some of the killings. Executions have involved juveniles, women and individuals from ethnic and religious minority groups, including Kurds, Arabs and Sunnis. Although Iran is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the government has made no effort to alter the country’s penal code, which allows girls as young as nine to be executed.
One can assume that those executed on political or religious grounds had no access to a fair trial or anything close to a legal defense. The regime also targets, intimidates and imprisons lawyers who dare to represent the defendants. According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran: “Three more human rights attorneys in Iran were handed unjust prison sentences in July 2021 amid an ongoing campaign to eliminate due process for activists and dissidents by intimidating the lawyers who defend them.”
European powers are not only failing to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its heinous human rights violations, but are doing business with Tehran as well.
The center said that four defense lawyers — Nasrin Sotoudeh, Mohammad Najafi, Soheila Hejab and Giti Pourfazel — were imprisoned in the country on trumped-up charges in August 2021, while two additional lawyers — Farzaneh Zilabi and Mohammad Hadi Erfanian-Kaseb — were prosecuted on false charges in June 2021.
In addition, men, women and children have been tortured during interrogation while being held, forced to confess and denied medical care as well as family visits. Torture methods include being flogged or beaten with sticks, batons and cables, and being placed in a solitary prison cells for lengthy periods without water and food.
Rehman on Oct. 25 urged the Iranian authorities “to undertake further reforms in order to end the imposition of the death penalty in violation of international law, in line with consistent recommendations made year after year to Iran by international human rights mechanisms.”
However, there is little incentive for Iranian leaders to reform their repressive judiciary system when they feel no pressure from the EU and Washington. The Biden administration appears to view Iran only through the prism of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or nuclear deal.
Furthermore, the European powers are not only failing to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its heinous human rights violations, but are doing business with Tehran as well. From January to July 2021, EU trade with Iran brought roughly $3 billion (SR11 billion) to the regime. According to Iran’s Financial Tribune newspaper, Germany remained the country’s top trading partner during the seven months under review, with the two countries €1.01 billion (SR4.3 billion) of goods. Italy came next with trade worth €347.96 million.
In summary, the Biden administration and the EU should not view the Iranian regime only through the lens of the nuclear deal, but must place the Iranian regime’s egregious human rights abuses at the top of their agenda.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. He serves on the boards of the Harvard International Review, the Harvard International Relations Council and the US-Middle East Chamber for Commerce and Business. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Belarus’s refugee atrocities are a taste of things to come
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/November 14/ 2021
First it was Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey, now it is Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus, each offering us a dystopian glimpse of how future international confrontations may be fought — by flooding thousands of desperate refugees into neighboring states.
Erdogan issues regular reminders that if Europe doesn’t concoct policies favorable to Turkey, and provide millions of euros in aid, then hundreds of thousands of refugees will be pumped into the EU. Lukashenko has evolved an even more cynical version of this model, handing out thousands of “tourist visas” to Middle Eastern refugees, then forcing them — often at gunpoint — across Belarus’s western borders into Poland and elsewhere. All of this is petty retaliation for European sanctions following Lukashenko’s falsification of the 2020 elections and the subsequent brutal crackdown on protesters.
As temperatures plunge, grotesquely mistreated refugees are dying of hypothermia and hunger, trapped in barbed wire-encircled no man’s land on the Poland-Belarus border, with hundreds more arriving every day. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin provocatively deploys warplanes along the border in support of his Belarusian ally, and Lukashenko threatens to shut gas pipelines and leave Europe to freeze.
Poland had also become a European black sheep, with the EU considering sanctions in response to Polish leaders’ co-option of the judiciary and anti-democratic legislation. However, now that Warsaw is taking aggressive action to repel refugees, suddenly European leaders rush to support Poland. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described Belarus’s actions as “a hybrid attack, not a migration crisis.”
Poland’s leaders are furthermore exploiting the crisis to fire up their extreme-right base: Tens of thousands of white nationalists staged a “march of patriots” through Warsaw, demanding that any refugees entering Polish territory be shot on sight. Hungary’s Victor Orban has likewise sought to head off EU pressures against his authoritarian policies with a brutalist approach to immigration, pledging to defend Europe from “Muslim invaders.”
The EU should take a firm stand against these neighborhood demagogues, including readiness to suspend or eject states such as Hungary and Poland. Because of the EU’s cumbersome decision-making processes, a single rogue state can have a disproportionate impact in subverting its foundational humanitarian principles. Western nations must set the global example of compassionate ways to support the oppressed and impoverished. But when America locks kids in cages and Europe lets refugees drown at sea, how can the West lecture Russia and China about human rights?
With global instability compelling over 82 million people to flee their homes, refugee mass movements will only worsen. The Syria and Yemen wars rumble on; Afghanistan, Myanmar, Lebanon, Sudan and Iraq look evermore fragile; intolerable conditions in Iran provoke hundreds of thousands to flee.
Wretched families and futureless young men will continue to cross seas and deserts to find a haven or die trying, and bigger walls will only slow the tide.
Africa will probably be the largest motor for emigration; as climate change causes coastlines to flood and turns savannah to desert, millions will be displaced, while youthful populations soar; by 2100, Nigeria’s population will exceed that of China. Competition over dwindling resources already fuels a plethora of conflicts, with some sub-Saharan states a step away from collapse. Similar factors drive ever-increasing northward flows of Latin American migrants. This would be a recipe for catastrophe even if Western nations weren’t slashing development aid while drawing down troops in conflict-prevention roles.
Politicians compete to implement the toughest measures, scoring cheap political points with inflammatory rhetoric about creating a “hostile environment” for migrants. Britain’s home secretary wants tougher measures for sending refugees back, including legal immunity for the coast guard when people drown after their boats are repelled. Nevertheless, lives continue to be lost as increasing numbers of refugees in tiny boats attempt the treacherous English Channel crossing —1,200 in a single day last week. Refugee arrivals in Europe via land and sea routes during 2021 already exceed 100,000.
These governments tout the amoral logic that letting a few hundred drown will deter hundreds of thousands from trying their luck. Such arguments ignore the realities of state collapse, environmental degradation and unimaginable human suffering — remorseless motors for refugee flows.
At the height of the Syria conflict in 2015, an unprecedented influx of about 1.3 million refugees to Europe triggered a horrifying rightward lurch in Western politics as xenophobic populists argued for sealing borders, building walls and repelling foreigners; this manifested itself in Trump and Brexit, transformed the fortunes ofextreme-right factions, and compelled moderates such US President Joe Biden to replicate hard-line immigration policies or risk being politically outflanked.
These isolationist, populist tendencies are accompanied by authoritarian, anti-democratic currents, auguring a shift away from the Western world’s traditional liberal, humanitarian leanings. White supremacist ideologues argue that their nations must be on a permanent war footing against the “incoming flood” of foreign terrorists and criminals.
Nobody abandons their home and their homeland on a whim. Wretched families and futureless young men will continue to cross seas and deserts to find a haven or die trying, and bigger walls will only slow the tide. Climate change may displace exponentially more people than all the world’s conflicts put together.
The only way Fortress Europe can curb migration is by stabilizing the regions that are its drivers, including through grappling with outrageous global inequalities. The World Food Programme’s director recently caused a stir by asserting that 2 percent of Elon Musk’s personal wealth could save millions from death due to hunger.
Syria continues to be an open wound because a deliberately neutered UN has long since abandoned its conflict-resolution role. Lebanon disintegrates before our eyes, yet the world scarcely lifts a finger, while Ethiopia becomes mired ever deeper in bloodshed. The “civilized world” will enjoy peace and stability only when it acts decisively in support of global security, good governance and climate protection.
This is impossible without greater investment in overseas development, conflict prevention, and muscular diplomacy — a small price to pay to avoid a dystopian future of a fundamentally destabilized world where much of the planet has been rendered uninhabitable by the twin plagues of climate change and conflict, while the most desirable regions have mutated into walled and militarized brands of despotism.
If we don’t want to live in a world where hardball diplomacy is routinely managed by flooding neighboring states with emaciated refugees, and abandoning thousands to drown at sea is regarded as responsible policymaking, let’s act for a more humane global model.
*Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

The EU’s migrant crisis is not going to disappear
Ranvir S. Nayar/Arab News/November 14/ 2021
Tensions between the EU and Belarus have risen sharply in recent weeks, with Brussels accusing the Eastern European nation of encouraging migrants from third countries to mass at the border with Poland, sparking violent clashes with Polish border guards.
Belarus has pleaded helplessness in the matter, saying that it is acting on humanitarian grounds, and denies pushing migrants westwards into the EU. Instead, it accuses Poland of using military muscle against unarmed civilians, injuring many and forcing thousands to stay for weeks in bitter cold in the open forests on the border between the two nations.
Poland admits that at least eight migrants have died on the frontier in the the past few weeks, but since it has barred journalists and human rights organizations from the area, there is no independent verification of the situation on the ground or even the number of migrants trapped around the main Polish border crossing of Kuznica.
The EU claims that Belarus has deliberately allowed migrants, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, to enter its territory in order to counter pressure from Brussels in the wake of the 2020 elections won by President Aleksandr Lukashenko. Critics and EU observers have condemned the election as fraudulent and also criticized the strong-arm leader’s violent repression of protests following the poll.
While there is some truth to the EU accusation that Belarus is allowing migrants to enter its territory, the entire crisis puts the focus back on the EU’s handling of migrants and its poor human rights record in this respect. It is also unfair to accuse Belarus of creating the crisis since it is not Belarusians who are crossing into the EU but migrants from far-off countries whose destination was always Europe. In many ways, blaming Belarus for creating the crisis would be similar to the US accusing Mexico if migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras trooped across the border.
For the EU, the crisis revives the spectre of 2015 when over a million migrants, mostly fleeing wars in Libya, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, arrived in Europe, mainly via Turkey. Initially, Turkey, too, refused to hold them back, partly due to rising tensions with France. But, subsequently, the EU reached a deal and compensated Ankara for holding the migrants and repatriating them to their country of origin.
The EU ought to recognize that migrants, on the whole, bring a lot of value to the societies where they finally settle.
After the migrant influx led to an outcry in the EU and a sharp rise in anti-migrant rhetoric among the extreme right in several EU nations, Brussels tried to halt the flow at its source, for instance by helping Libya step up coast guard patrols in order to prevent migrants from leaving in boats. There have been dozens of incidents in which boats have capsized in the Mediterranean, leading to thousands of deaths. Most EU nations have been accused by human rights groups of failing to respect migrants’ human rights and causing death due to callous policies.
Indeed, the EU and the other big magnet of migration, the US, need to review their migration policies and address the problem, not in a stop-gap and crisis mode, but with a long-term view, say over at least a couple of decades. The issue of migration, which is as old as humanity, is not going to disappear just because the EU does not like it or refuses to accept it.
Migration is a result of several factors. Yes, most migrants are economic migrants, but responsibility for this lies partly with developed nations that have failed to assist developing countries reach a level of economic activity that ensures their own citizens can be gainfully employed. And, certainly, the EU and the US have been guilty of setting off conflicts and other crises that have forced more economic misery on these countries, creating the flow of migrants.
The EU also ought to recognize that migrants, on the whole, bring a lot of value to the societies where they finally settle. Thousands of examples can be cited in the US and the EU where migrants have been at the core of economic development of the host country. Moreover, almost half of EU nations are facing a severe aging crisis that needs urgent attention if their economies are not to come to a grinding halt in a few decades. The only solution for these countries is migration.
Thus, it may be time for the EU and others to review their own long-term population and economic situation and take at least a couple of steps — to create a viable migrant policy that takes care of their own needs and which also creates conditions that encourages many of the would-be migrants to stay home. Both of these need strategic and long-term thinking, as well as genuine political will, in order to be able to stand up to critics and counter the rhetoric of the far right.
Unfortunately, at least in the EU, there is hardly any leader in sight who appears to have the courage to do the right thing, by their country and by humanity.
*Ranvir S. Nayar is managing editor of Media India Group.