English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 26/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
Do not be mismatched with unbelievers.
Second Letter to the Corinthians 06/14-18.07,01/:”Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’ Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and of spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 25-26/2023
U.S. boosts depleted salaries of Lebanon security forces via U.N.
US reroutes $72M in aid for wages for Lebanese army, police
Top prosecutor orders release of Beirut port blast detainees
Oueidat sues Bitar, orders release of all blast probe detainees
Bitar says won't step down from probe
All port detainees released as 'shocked' victims' families threaten protests
Bassil warns against 'bypassing' Christians in presidential vote
Report: 'Very important' decisions expected in port file within 24 hours
Dozens protest central bank chief as pound plunges to 56,000
UNESCO lists Rachid Karameh International Fair as world heritage in danger
Khalil says Shiite Duo ready to elect Franjieh without FPM, LF votes
Lebanese pound slumps to new low amid political, judicial turmoil
Did Hezbollah, FPM mend fences in Mirna Chalouhi?
Lebanese environmental group accused of being Hezbollah arm
Beirut Port Blast Justice Postponed as Renewed Probe Is Rejected
Lebanese Protest Record-Low Value of Local Currency
One year passed, as many already. Too many/Ralph Sioufi/Face Book/January 25/2023
A functioning Lebanese government is in Europe’s interest/Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/January 25/2023
Hezbollah, Iran's next move as Lebanon's politics reach an impasse - analysis/Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/January 25/2023
Lebanon inflation rate at highest since 1987 at 171%/Country's Consumer Price Index hit an annual 122 per cent in December, according to official data/Massoud A Derhally/The National/January 25/2023

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 25-26/2023
Sunak Says Iran Must Give Answers on British-Iranian National Akbari
Iranian chess star reveals why she removed her hijab
US Increases Pressure on China to Stop Iran Oil
Somali President Accuses Iran of Implementing ‘Subversive Agenda’ Through Humanitarian Efforts
Germany Approves Sending Heavy Leopard Tanks to Ukraine
The majority of Russia's armed forces are against the policies of their leaders, FSB defector says
French politicians and generals weigh up plans to send Leclerc tanks to Ukraine
There’s no negotiating with Putin. NATO must mobilize military might, be ready to fight | Guest Opinion
Russia's $45 billion stash of Chinese yuan is helping Moscow weather massive plunge in energy revenues
Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to laugh off claims of assassination plot
Hundreds in Baghdad Protest Devaluation of Iraq’s Currency
Türkiye: No Normalization with Damascus at Syrians Expense
Egypt, India to Promote Trade, Investment, Fight Terrorism

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 25-26/2023
Treason in America - Again/Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute./January 25, 2023
Censorship, Mass Surveillance and Bugs: World Economic Forum vs. The Free World/J.B. Shurk/Gatestone Institute/January 25, 2023
The UNIFIL Follies Turn Deadly on the Israel-Lebanon Border/David Schenker/The Tablet/January 25/2023
The Great Powers Are Not So Strong/Robert Ford/Asharq Al-Awsat/January, 25/2023
The Libyan Capital is Captive to Militias/Dr. Jebril El-Abidi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 January, 2023

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 25-26/2023
U.S. boosts depleted salaries of Lebanon security forces via U.N.
Maya Gebeily/Reuters/January 25/2023
The United States announced on Wednesday it would provide $72 million as cash stipends to Lebanon's security forces through a bespoke United Nations programme after a currency meltdown slashed salaries. Lebanon's currency has lost about 97% of its value against the dollar since the country's financial system collapsed in 2019, driving down most soldiers' monthly wages to around $80. The military has been squeezed so badly that its canteens stopped serving meat to troops in 2020 and it began offering sightseeing tours in its helicopters to raise cash. U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea said the scheme was a "temporary" measure "in light of the urgency of Lebanon's economic situation". Announcing details alongside Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Joseph Aoun, she said the programme would disburse $100 in cash monthly for six months to members of the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces. Both have received previous security support from the U.S., including training and equipment, but it would be the first time the U.S. had bolstered salaries, she said. Aoun thanked the U.S. and U.N. for backing "troops and their families" struggling in a country "on the verge of collapse." Military sources told Reuters that some 5,000 force members had quit without authorization since 2019 and said the cash supplement could help prevent further depletion of Lebanon's forces. The U.S. announced its intent to provide financial support a year ago and set up the special mechanism with the U.N. in the hope other countries would also contribute, sources with knowledge of the programme told Reuters. Qatar pledged $60 million in June to support soldiers' salaries with $100 every.

US reroutes $72M in aid for wages for Lebanese army, police
Associated Press/January 25/2023
The United States is rerouting $72 million of America's assistance to Lebanon to help the country's cash-strapped government boost wages of its soldiers and police officers, the U.S. ambassador said Wednesday. Washington is a key donor of the Lebanese Army and its 80,000 members, providing over $3 billion in military aid since 2006. The announcement Wednesday is the first time the U.S. is allocating funds for wages of security personnel in Lebanon. Lebanon, a tiny Mediterranean country of 6 million people, is struggling with an unprecedented economic crisis, one that the World Bank says is among the worst worldwide since the 1850s. Three-quarters of the population live in poverty, while the Lebanese pound has lost over 90% of its value against the dollar. Lebanese leaders, deep in political deadlock, have failed at implementing economic reforms to make the country viable again. The economic meltdown has also impoverished Lebanese soldiers and members of the police — two forces that have been rare unifiers in a country deeply divided by sectarian politics. Their inability to pay viable wages and feed their personnel has threatened Lebanon's overall security and stability. Before the crisis, an enlisted soldier earned the equivalent of about $800 a month, but that has now dropped to just over $100 due to the devaluation of the pound. A higher-ranking officer's monthly salary is now worth around $250. Many security personnel and troops have subsequently left the service or taken up second jobs while the Lebanese Army has resorted to unorthodox fundraising tactics to cover expenses such as offering paid helicopter rides and charging high fees for journalist permits. The U.S. State Department notified Congress last January of its intention to redirect the funds for military and police wages. Some Republicans in Congress have called for eliminating military aid to Lebanon altogether, citing the growing political power of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Unlike some other U.S. programs that have covered full wages of allied troops, the assistance announced Wednesday by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea is a one-time action.
It will provide every Lebanese soldier and police officer with an extra $100 a month on top of their wages for the next six months, to soften the blow of the economic crisis. The United Nations Development Program will disburse the funds. Shea, Lebanon army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun, police chief Maj. Gen. Imad Osman, and the UNDP's representative to Lebanon, Melanie Hauenstein, announced the aid at a press conference. "Given these circumstances, we were forced to raise our voice, loudly, and have appealed to the international community for their support and assistance, and this is due to the lack of local solutions," Aoun said. "The current crisis and its impact might be the most dangerous the Lebanese Army has faced to date."Osman admitted that the financial crisis has "impacted the performance" of security personnel.
Shea, meanwhile, renewed calls for the Lebanese government to end the ongoing political paralysis and implement economic reforms that Lebanon has agreed to with the International Monetary Fund.
"Due to the temporary nature of this assistance ... it is incumbent on Lebanon's leaders to use this time to bring to fruition an IMF program," Shea said. Lebanese authorities in April 2022 reached a tentative agreement with the IMF for a recovery plan conditional on a host of economic reforms and anti-corruption measures, but has been sluggish in meeting those demands. The Lebanese army and security agencies have especially been strained since the economic crisis erupted in late 2019, from having to respond to countrywide mass protests, distribute aid following the massive Beirut Port blast in August 2020 and donate their fuel to hospitals. "State security forces have essentially been doing more with less, above all because the currency collapse has eviscerated the value of the remuneration they all receive," said Anthony Elghossain, an advisor at the Newlines Institute think tank in Washington.

Top prosecutor orders release of Beirut port blast detainees
Najia Houssari/Arab News/January 25, 2023
BEIRUT: Ghassan Oueidat, Lebanon’s top prosecutor, on Wednesday ordered the release of 17 detained suspects in the Beirut port blast investigation, and filed charges against the judge leading the probe.
Investigative judge Tarek Bitar had defied Lebanon’s entrenched ruling elite this week by daring to charge several powerful figures — including Oueidat — over the blast in 2020, while reviving a probe that was suspended for more than a year amid vehement political and legal pushback. Oueidat has sued Bitar and issued him with a travel ban. This judicial coup took place less than 48 hours after Bitar resumed the investigation into the explosion, following a 13-month halt over legal challenges raised by politicians accused in the probe. In his move to resume investigations, Bitar relied on a legal study he personally prepared that authorizes him to continue working in the capacity because he was appointed as an investigator by a decision of the Council of Ministers. Hezbollah and the Amal Movement called for and worked on the suspension of Bitar from the case. Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah demanded his dismissal more than 14 months ago. Decisions to release the detainees with immediate effect were sent to the security authorities by Oueidat. The detainees left their detention with smiles on their faces, including Badri Daher, director general of customs, who is affiliated with the Free Patriotic Movement. Bitar responded via the NTV channel, saying that “any compliance by the security forces with the decision of the public prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat to release the detainees would be tantamount to a coup against the law.”Bitar added that “only the judicial investigator has the right to issue release decisions, and therefore Oueidat’s decision has no legal value.”Judicial police informed Bitar at his home to appear before Oueidat on Thursday, in accordance with the lawsuit against him. However, Bitar told an officer: “I am the one who wants to meet Oueidat because I sued him before he sued me, and I set him a date for a hearing next week.”Bitar charged Oueidat on Monday, along with three other judges and four administrative officials, with “intentional murder” over the crime. He said that his 750-page indictment included “dangerous security information.”A judicial source told Arab News that “the Supreme Judicial Council would appoint another judicial investigator in the case. This step does not require a Cabinet decision or a decree.”The judicial dispute has sparked anger among families of the victims of the blast. Tight security measures were taken around and inside the Palace of Justice in Beirut to prevent anyone from entering. Most families of the victims have endorsed Bitar and called on the authorities to allow a thorough and unobstructed investigation. Some, however, have lost hope in a domestic probe and have advocated a UN-mandated fact-finding mission.

Oueidat sues Bitar, orders release of all blast probe detainees
Agence France Presse/January 25/2023
State Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oueidat on Wednesday charged Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar for "rebelling against the judiciary" and slapped him with a travel ban, a judicial official told AFP. Oueidat said that he charged Bitar in order to "prevent sedition."
He also summoned Bitar for questioning on Thursday morning, a judicial official said. MTV later reported that Oueidat dispatched a judicial officer to Bitar’s home in Rabieh to inform him of the need to appear before him on Thursday and that Bitar refused to receive both the judicial officer and the lawsuit filed against him. Moreover, Oueidat ordered the release of all suspects detained in connection with the deadly 2020 Beirut port blast, according to a judicial document seen by AFP Wednesday. Oueidat ordered the "release of all those detained over the Beirut port explosion case, without exception" and banned them from travel, the document said. "Security forces' enforcement of the state prosecutor's order to release the detainees will be a coup against the law," Bitar meanwhile told al-Jadeed. "Only the judicial investigator has the right to issue release orders and accordingly Stat Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat's decision has no legal value," Bitar added. Bitar this week had resumed work on the port blast investigation after a 13-month hiatus, charging several high-level officials, including Oueidat over the blast. The prosecutor general in turn rejected the charges and Bitar's return to the politically charged case.

Bitar says won't step down from probe
Agence France Presse/January 25/2023
The judge leading the investigation into Beirut's deadly 2020 port blast will not step down from the probe, he told AFP Wednesday, rejecting charges brought against him by Lebanon's prosecutor general. "I am still the investigative judge and I will not step down from this case," Tarek Bitar said, adding that prosecutor general Ghassan Oueidat "has no authority to charge me".Oueidat, earlier on Wednesday, charged Bitar for "rebelling against the judiciary", slapped him with a travel ban and summoned him for questioning on Thursday morning.

All port detainees released as 'shocked' victims' families threaten protests
Associated Press/January 25/2023
All detainees in the Beirut port blast case were released on Wednesday after State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat ordered their release in a move disputed by the lead investigator in the case Judge Tarek Bitar. A picture circulated by media outlets showed Customs chief Badri Daher smiling in his home following his release. He had been detained on August 7, 2020, three days after the catastrophic blast which killed over 215 people, injured more than 6,500 and destroyed entire neighborhoods. "Oueidat did the right legal thing," Daher's lawyer, Celine Atallah, said. Daher himself was not available for comment. Mody Koraytem, the sister of the former port authority head, said the detainees' release was long overdue and she claimed that they were all innocent. "As port administration there wasn't anything they could have done about it (the ammonium nitrate)," she said, adding that they did their jobs given that the judiciary cleared the deadly cargo to enter the port. William Noun, a spokesman for the relatives of the victims, meanwhile told MTV that the families were “shocked” by Oueidat’s decisions. Asked about the steps that they will take, Noun said that the families will study their moves after consulting with their lawyers.
“If the decision to release the port detainees is implemented, we will certainly act on the street,” Noun added, lamenting that “the current situation was caused by the judges who implement agendas and do not respect the law.”“What’s happening in the judiciary is a farce,” Noun said. “The release orders must be signed by Judge Tarek Bitar before obtaining the authorization of Judge Oueidat, after which the detainee would be released,” Noun added. “What’s happening will make us call again for an international investigation,” he went on to say.

Bassil warns against 'bypassing' Christians in presidential vote
Naharnet/January 25/2023
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil met with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Wednesday evening after which he warned against “bypassing the Christian component” in the presidential vote. “There can be no solution except through the election of a president,” Bassil said from Bkirki after the talks. “There can be no solution except through dialogue and there can be no election except through consensus,” he added. “That’s why we reiterate our call for dialogue and rapprochement with everyone and Bkirki is the most appropriate place for such a dialogue,” Bassil went on to say. Noting that the presidential post is for all Lebanese, the FPM chief, however, stressed that “no one can bypass the Christian component in it.”“We will not allow such attempts to pass,” he emphasized. Bassil added: “We view any remarks about bypassing the Christian component with a lot of negativity.”And noting that “Christians should seek to have their main say in this juncture,: Bassil said that “the initiative remains in the hand of the patriarch” and that the FPM “will cooperate with any such initiative.”Bassil’s remarks come a day after MP Ali Hassan Khalil said that Hezbollah and the Amal Movement are willing to push for Suleiman Franjieh’s election as president with 65 votes even if he does not win the support of any of the two main Christian blocs – the FPM and the Lebanese Forces.

Report: 'Very important' decisions expected in port file within 24 hours
Naharnet/January 25/2023
“Very important decisions” will be taken in the Beirut port blast file within 24 hours, a pro-Hezbollah journalist said on Wednesday. “All eyes on the Justice Palace.. Very important decisions will be taken in the port file within 24 hours,” the journalist Salem Zahran tweeted. LBCI television meanwhile reported that the Higher Judicial Council will convene at 1pm Thursday at an invitation from its chief Judge Suheil Abboud to discuss “the effects resulting from the judicial investigator’s decision” to resume the probe. “The issue of appointing an alternate judge will be discussed,” the TV network added. Sources close to the camp opposed to Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar meanwhile told Nidaa al-Watan newspaper that “the issue of naming an alternate judicial investigator was put on the front burner over the past hours.”“Once the state prosecutor provides the needed quorum for the convention of the (Higher) Judicial Council to discuss an agenda not limited to the judicial investigation, this article will be approved by a simple majority in order to withdraw the file from the hand of the incumbent judicial investigator, especially in terms of releasing all the detainees pending further investigations,” the sources said.

Dozens protest central bank chief as pound plunges to 56,000
Agence France Presse/January 25/2023
Protesters on Wednesday blocked roads and burnt tires near the central bank in Beirut as the weakened local currency plummeted to a new low against the dollar. Alaa Kharchib of the Depositors' Outcry Association that had organised the demonstration warned of an impending "social explosion". "No one trusts our corrupt officials or the central bank governor," Kharchib told AFP. Lebanese banks have imposed draconian restrictions on withdrawals since the country's economy collapsed three years ago, essentially cutting off people from their savings and prompting public anger. Dozens of protesters gathered Wednesday near the central bank headquarters amid heavy deployment of security forces, AFP correspondents said. Protesters chanted slogans lambasting long-time central bank governor Riad Salameh, one of several officials widely blamed for Lebanon's economic demise, and burnt images of him. Salameh is under an international investigation in Europe on suspicions of financial misconduct including money laundering and embezzlement. Demonstrators held up posters calling Salameh "public enemy number one" and others saying: "We won't go hungry, we'll eat you," taking a jab at the country's ruling elite, the correspondents said. The Lebanese pound, which had already lost more than 95 percent of its value since 2019, plunged to nearly 56,000 to the U.S. dollar on the parallel market, dealers said. The main official exchange rate still pegs the pound at 1,507 to the greenback -- its value before the crisis. "People are tired, hopeless and migrating," said Kareem, a 38-year-old protester who only gave his first name. "All we want is a solution, a dollar will soon be worth 60,000 pounds yet nothing is being done," the telecoms employee told AFP. As the local currency nosedived, fuel prices have soared, reaching about $19 for 20 liters of petrol. Lebanon's economic woes have been exacerbated by mounting political troubles.

UNESCO lists Rachid Karameh International Fair as world heritage in danger
Agence France Presse/January 25/2023
The United Nations on Wednesday inscribed a futurist park in cash-strapped Lebanon on its world heritage list. The UN cultural agency listed the pask as a world heritage site in danger because of "its alarming state of conservation" and the lack of resources in Lebanon to maintain it. UNESCO's world heritage committee also voted to add the Rachid Karameh International Fair in Lebanon's northern coastal city of Tripoli to the list. The concrete park, a short walk away from the seafront, was designed by legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, but activists have warned it risked crumbling into ruin in recent years. "The fair was the flagship project of Lebanon's modernization policy in the 1960s," UNESCO said, describing it as "one of the major representative works of 20th century modern architecture" in the region. Its inscription as a world heritage site in danger "opens access to enhanced international assistance" to preserve it.Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who hails from the city, welcomed the decision as "a great achievement for Lebanon and Lebanese, especially for the city of Tripoli". Activists had been hoping for a UNESCO listing to open the way to donor funding to save the park, in a country mired since 2019 in one of the worst financial crises in recent history.

Khalil says Shiite Duo ready to elect Franjieh without FPM, LF votes
Naharnet/January 25/2023
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement are willing to push for Suleiman Franjieh’s election as president with 65 votes even if he does not win the support of any of the two main Christian blocs – the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces, MP Ali Hassan Khalil said overnight. “If Suleiman Franjieh gathers 65 votes without the two Christian blocs, we will push for his election, seeing as our priority is consensus, but when the battle becomes a battle of numbers, each side would do what its interest dictates,” Khalil said in an interview with MTV. “Who said that Franjieh will not receive any vote from the two Christian blocs?” Khalil added. The lawmaker also said that it is “too early” to “declare that Franjieh’s election is impossible,” hinting that Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat is willing to endorse the Marada Movement chief’s nomination at the right time.

Lebanese pound slumps to new low amid political, judicial turmoil
Agence France Presse/January 25/2023
The arm-wrestling between Prosecutor General Ghassan Oueidat and judge Tarek Bitar, who is investigating the deadly 2020 Beirut port blast, is the latest of crisis-torn Lebanon's mounting woes, as the value of the national currency hit a new record low against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday. Dozens protested in front of the Central Bank in Beirut, denouncing the slide of the Lebanese pound, which began in 2019. Protesters blocked roads in front of the Central Bank in Hamra and in other regions inside and outside the capital, to voice anger over the weakened Lebanese pound and deteriorating living conditions, as the national pound slumped to 56,000 against the dollar. The value of the pound had hit a psychologically important threshold last Thursday, trading at 50,000 to the dollar, as the country's deeply divided Parliament failed to elect a president for the eleventh time.
Since an unprecedented financial crisis hit Lebanon in late 2019, the currency has lost more than 95 percent of its value and much of the population has been plunged into poverty. Factional deadlock has left the country largely leaderless in the face of the political and economic turmoil, with a vacant presidency, a central bank chief under European investigation and a government with only caretaker powers. The massive explosion on August 4, 2020 at Beirut port had devastated entire neighborhoods of the capital, killed more than 200 people and injured at least 6,500. State institutions have been reluctant to cooperate with the probe, which began the same month as the explosion. The prosecution service rejected Tuesday the resumption of the probe. "We were only informed of Bitar's decision (to resume the probe) through the media," Oueidat said. "Since he considers that the general prosecution doesn't exist, we will also act like he doesn't exist." Meanwhile, protesting the agonizing political gridlock, some independent lawmakers are sleeping in parliament until a new head of state is elected.

Did Hezbollah, FPM mend fences in Mirna Chalouhi?
Naharnet/January 25/2023
Although the meeting between a Hezbollah delegation and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has broken the ice between the two parties, it has failed to bring the relation back to what it was, a local media report said. Al-Akhbar newspaper reported Wednesday that the talks have failed to reach a solution, as Bassil insisted on refusing to elect Hezbollah's presidential candidate Suleiman Franjieh, blaming Hezbollah for attending two cabinet sessions boycotted by the FPM. Bassil added that Hezbollah's participation in any upcoming session would exacerbate the problem between the two parties, the daily said. The political advisor of Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hussein Khalil, told Bassil, during the meeting, that he can not promise to boycott the upcoming sessions, as Hezbollah considered the sessions to be urgent while the FPM insisted that the cabinet is usurping the president’s powers, blaming Hezbollah for naming Najib Mikati as a Prime Minister. Concerning the presidential file, Bassil did not propose any candidate but stressed that Hezbollah can not bypass the FPM when it comes to electing a new Maronite president. He asked the delegation if Hezbollah had the intention to impose Franjieh as president, the daily said, claiming that the delegation answered him that Hezbollah would "absolutely not" do it.

Lebanese environmental group accused of being Hezbollah arm
Associated Press/January 25/2023
On the outskirts of a southern Lebanese village, workers in a pickup truck parked at a nature reserve named after a fallen fighter of the militant Hezbollah group. They took two large eucalyptus tree seedlings out of the truck and planted them. The men are from Green Without Borders, a non-governmental organization that says it aims to protect Lebanon's green areas and plant trees. But Israel, the United States and some in Lebanon accuse the NGO of being an arm of Hezbollah to hide its military activities. They say the organization has been setting up outposts for the militant group along the border with Israel. Last month, residents in the southern Christian village of Rmaych near the border said they encountered armed men at an outpost of the organization that was blocking them from farmlands. Green Without Borders denies any link to Hezbollah, which also says it is not connected to the environmental group.
"We are not an arm for anyone," the head of Green Without Borders, Zouher Nahli, told The Associated Press. "We as an environmental association work for all the people and we are not politicized." He spoke at the Bassam Tabaja Nature Reserve, named for a Hezbollah fighter killed in Syria in 2014, where the NGO has planted hundreds of trees. He said the organization's funding comes from the ministries of environment and agriculture as well as from wealthy Lebanese who care about the environment and municipalities, mainly in the eastern Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. He said he is an Agriculture Ministry employee. Since it began operations in 2009, the group has helped plant about 2 million trees, Nahli said.
Israel and Hezbollah are archenemies and have fought several wars over the past decades, the last of which ended in August 2006. The 34-day conflict killed 1,200 in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. The U.N. Security Council resolution that ended that war said the border area should be free of "any armed personnel, assets and weapons," other than those of the government and U.N. peacekeepers. After the war, thousands of Lebanese troops were deployed in the border zone and the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, which has been present there since 1978, was beefed up.
In a November report, UNIFIL said shipping containers and prefabricated buildings, some of them with visible Green Without Borders markings, had been set up at 16 sites along the border. In several instances, UNIFIL patrols were prevented from nearing the locations, it said. The Israeli military says Green Without Borders outposts on the border are used by Hezbollah to gather intelligence information. At a Security Council meeting in September, the U.S. deputy U.N. ambassador, Richard Mills, said the proliferation of the group's outposts along the border obstructs UNIFIL access and "is heightening tensions in the area, further demonstrating that this so-called environmental group is acting on Hezbollah's behalf."
At the meeting, the council unanimously approved a resolution strongly condemning harassment, intimidation, attacks and restrictions on UNIFIL. Last month, an Irish U.N. peacekeeper was killed and several others were wounded when attackers opened fire on a UNIFIL convoy in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah denied any connection to the attack. Nahli said he was not aware of any shipping containers or buildings being set up by his organization. "All we do along the border is protect forests and all the claims are illogical and baseless," he said.
Residents in border Shiite villages that support Hezbollah praise the organization. It "is doing good for the environment and planting trees along the border. We are very happy with their work," said Salah Rammal, a shop owner in the border village of Odaisseh.
Residents of the Christian village Rmaych, however, have complained for years about a position set up by Green Without Borders on farmland belonging to village families in a nearby valley. They say the organization did not plant any trees there and actually chopped down trees and cut a 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) dirt road on their land.
"It is a cover for Hezbollah to have positions. We have no problems with Hezbollah, but it should be outside our lands," said Bassam al-Haj, a Rmaych schoolteacher. In December, al-Haj and other residents went to the outpost and confronted the men there. Al-Haj said some of the men at the site were masked and armed, and that the outpost included several rooms, a tent and a fence that blocked off village farmland. The residents and the men argued, he said. One resident who was videoing the encounter was told by one of the men, "We will crush you if you don't delete the photos that you took," al-Haj said.
Days after the confrontation, a Hezbollah official and members of the organization visited the village and met residents at the mayor's office, said Father Najib al-Ameel, a priest from Rmaych who attended the talks. The mayor and residents asked that the post be removed, he said. Al-Ameel said he told the Hezbollah official, "We will not accept anyone but the Lebanese army to protect us." A few days later, Green Without Borders removed the post and now residents can freely access their land, he said. Nahli said the media had blown the incident in Rmaych out of proportion and refused to discuss details. In the past, Hezbollah has blamed frictions at Rmaych on members of the Christian Lebanese Forces party, which is among Hezbollah's harshest critics.
When asked if peacekeepers could visit the organization's sites, UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said, "We had the possibility, of course, to monitor the whole area of operations and also areas and places where Green Without Borders operated."
He said there has not been "a breach of 1701," the Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 war. Nahli argued that Green Without Border's work is sorely needed. Over the past few decades, Lebanon has experienced one of the world's worst deforestation rates, which he said has accelerated since the economy collapsed, starting in late 2019, as poor people cut trees to use the wood for heating. The forested area has dropped from 25% of the country's territory to only around 3% now, he said.
"We are trying by all our means, in coordination with all concerned authorities, to prevent more deforestation," he said.

Beirut Port Blast Justice Postponed as Renewed Probe Is Rejected
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 January, 2023
Lebanon's top public prosecutor on Wednesday charged the Beirut port blast investigating judge and ordered the release of those detained in connection with the explosion, after rejecting the judge's surprise resumption of the probe. The moves by Ghassan Oweidat signal escalating opposition by Lebanon's ruling establishment to efforts by Judge Tarek Bitar to reopen the probe into the Aug. 4, 2020, blast that killed more than 220 people. In a text message exchange with Reuters, Oweidat said he had summoned Bitar for questioning but did not specify whether he had charged him. Bitar said he had been charged but did not give details.A judicial source had earlier said Oweidat had filed charges against Bitar over alleged wrongdoing in his handling of the probe. Bitar on Monday unexpectedly resumed his investigation into the explosion after high-level political interference and legal complaints had paralyzed the probe for more than a year. He also charged top current and former officials including Oweidat without specifying the charges against the top prosecutor. Bitar said on Wednesday he would continue his probe despite mounting resistance. He told Reuters he would "continue until I issue an indictment" and said that Oweidat "had no right" to file the charge or release detainees. For Lebanese desperate to see accountability over the explosion, Bitar symbolizes hope that justice may one day be served in a country where impunity has long been the norm. Oweidat on Tuesday sent a letter to Bitar saying his probe remained suspended and on Wednesday issued a decision, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, saying the judge did not have the authority to resume his investigation. In the same decision, Oweidat released all those detained in connection with the probe "without exception" but said they would face a travel ban. At least 17 people, mostly low- to mid-level officials, had been detained since 2020 in relation to the case, said Amnesty International, in conditions it said could violate their due process rights. Badri Daher, who headed the customs authority at the time of the blast and was the most senior official detained following the explosion, was freed on Wednesday, Daher's sister told Reuters. The explosion, one of the largest non-nuclear blasts on record, was caused by hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate unloaded at the port in 2013. To many Lebanese, the disaster symbolized the wider corruption and mismanagement of a ruling elite that had also steered Lebanon into a devastating financial collapse.

Lebanese Protest Record-Low Value of Local Currency
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 January, 2023
Protesters burned tires and held up handfuls of local currency bills on Wednesday at the entrance of the Lebanese Central Bank in Beirut, furious over the spiraling devaluation of the lira. Lebanon's economic meltdown, which began in 2019, has cost the lira around 97% of its value. The decline has been particularly steep in January, dropping from 42,000 Lebanese lira per dollar to a new low of 56,000 this week. That has prompted demonstrations and short-lived street closures in Beirut this week, and a few dozen protesters gathering outside the Central Bank on Wednesday. "I used to use this 16,000 Lebanese lira to buy a kilo of meat for me and my kids. Now 250 grams costs 100,000. Our kids are hungry, we're hungry," said Abu Ali, an older man from Lebanon's south who was clutching a handful of Lebanese notes. Another man ripped up a dollar as protesters threw rocks at the Central Bank. Since the crisis began, Lebanese banks have severely restricted withdrawals of dollars and lira, also known as Lebanese pounds - measures that were never formalized by law but have become governed by circulars issued by the Lebanese Central Bank. "Maybe the Central Bank governor will feel some empathy and stop these ignorant circulars at the expense of the depositors – which are masked haircuts and at the same time systemic theft of depositors' funds," said Saeed Suweihi, a member of advocacy group Depositors' Outcry, which organized the protest. Petrol prices also jumped on Wednesday to more than a million Lebanese pounds for a 20-liter tank, unaffordable for many of those earning in local currency. Lebanese Central Bank governor Riad Salameh in November said the official exchange rate, which has remained unchanged at 1,507 pounds despite becoming all-but obsolete - would change on Feb. 1 to 15,000 - the first official revaluation in 25 years.

One year passed, as many already. Too many.
Ralph Sioufi/Face Book/January 25/2023
Still, people are confused and wonder how to get rid of an armed militia called "Hezbollah" in a country supposed to be a democracy, but in reality a disguised dictatorship, where third of the capital Beirut gets blown to pieces, 230 people die, 10.000 get injured and over 300.000 leave, with no justice at the horizon whatsoever over two years later.
Well, #United Nations have a duty to find a way to apply 1559, 1680 and 1701 resolutions!! Their main purpose and reason to be is to avoid bloodshed and protect democracy and human rights. They were originally founded for that purpose, following world war 2. And Lebanon is a founding member, and remains so, despite defaulting payment a few days ago.
A major part of us, free Lebanese, demand to be freed from the separatists and having the state of law reinstated after decades of chaos.
Isn't it the right of every human being to live in democracy and prosperity!?
It's true we need to organize our internal resistance against this tyrannical system involving a mafia in power backed by the separatists, but the international community has its responsibilities and totally failing so far.
If those who can make a difference pursue their course of negotiation with the criminals occupying our official chairs and do nothing, then let history judge them for what is coming, for we will not be silenced and freedom will prevail.
God bless Lebanon.
God bless the resistance.
#WeAreTheResistance
#apply1559now
#iranout
#lebanon_needs_1559

A functioning Lebanese government is in Europe’s interest
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/January 25/2023
A Lebanese media outlet reported last week that contact had been lost with a boat carrying 250 migrants soon after it left the shores of the city of Tripoli. This came just three weeks after a boat sank while trying to make the trip across the Mediterranean to Europe. Luckily, the armed forces were able to rescue most of the passengers in the latest incident. However, illegal migration has become a chronic problem. The catastrophic situation in Lebanon will be the source of a new wave of refugees to Europe. As much as the international community tries to help Lebanon, there is no alternative to a functioning government.
Today, Europe cannot handle another wave of refugees. It is already struggling with Ukrainian refugees and there are no clear signs that the end of the war is nearing. Hence, it is in Europe’s interest to have a stable Lebanon, with an economy that can cater to the needs of the country’s residents and ensure they do not venture to the sea. Nongovernmental organizations are very active in Lebanon, but their work is full of inefficiencies as they cannot replace a state. They help in terms of emergency responses, but it is very difficult for them to conduct the real development the country needs in the absence of a functioning state. For people to stay in Lebanon, they need to have work. How can an NGO help people in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis?
It is very simple. If Europe wants to spare itself the hassle of accommodating a new wave of refugees, it needs to push for a functioning state in Lebanon. However, there is no way to do that unless pressure is applied on the regime’s gatekeepers. Unless they are coerced into accepting reforms, they will not carry them out. Popular pressure by itself is not enough. The protests that erupted in 2019 did not make them blink. Elections did not make them go away, as they still control people’s livelihoods by controlling the so-called state and its so-called institutions. Hence, they have access to any services citizens seek to get from the state.
The West, Arab states and the wider international community accommodated the corrupt system for a long time. Now, they realize this is not sustainable. Saudi Arabia, which has always been very generous with aid, has announced that it will not send money to any country unless it conducts reforms.
And, for a change, the Europeans have altered their style and are adopting a more assertive attitude. They have sent investigators to Lebanon who have been digging in the files and questioning officials as part of the central bank anti-corruption investigation. One of central bank governor Riad Salameh’s main brokers, Nabil Aoun, decided to give his testimony in Luxembourg. Does that mean he has accepted a plea deal? Probably, but we are not sure.
The street has been galvanized again after a long period of depression and inactivity.
However, the corrupt system in Lebanon is like glass — hard but fragile. One crack might break up the entire system. Where will this investigation lead? We still do not know. But the political class is nearing its end for sure. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry, who is the godfather of the political regime, is in his late 80s. In last year’s bid for reelection for the role, he barely made it. The position he has held for three decades, which everyone took for granted as being his, suddenly was at risk for the first time. The system just needs a final blow to collapse. Even French President Emmanuel Macron, who was accommodating and thought after the Beirut blast that the country’s leaders would straighten up, recently made an announcement saying that the political class needed to be changed.
However, the street has been galvanized again after a long period of depression and inactivity. The change group’s deputies are spending their nights in the halls of parliament to put pressure on the speaker to elect a president.
The pressure is increasing domestically and internationally, but it has not reached the point of forcing a change. France and the rest of the European community should use targeted pressure. This means they should go to each block in parliament and put pressure on the head. And they can. Lebanese politicians were not hit by the banking crisis as their funds were secure in European banks. Their money is their last safety valve, so they cannot risk losing it.
Also, the international community now understands that those people are unwilling and incapable of conducting any reforms. They thrive on corruption. They use government departments as platforms to provide employment to garner the allegiance of their supporters and as a cash cow for the inflated contracts their companies benefit from. The good thing is that the pressure has started and this time it is serious. The important issue is how this pressure will be used. The international community should have specific demands — demands that they push to the politicians, not general demands that the corrupt class can turn around. For example, when they demand that they elect a president, they should be specific as to who they would be willing to deal with and what would be the shape of a government they could accept. This is the time to be blunt and precise. They should be specific with their demands, as well with the repercussions for failing to comply. Some Europeans will shy away from such behavior, as they would consider it to be infringing on the sovereignty of another nation. However, they have to understand that a functioning state in Lebanon is integral to their own security and that there is no alternative to keep the residents of Lebanon inside the country’s borders.
• Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is president of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.

Hezbollah, Iran's next move as Lebanon's politics reach an impasse - analysis
Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/January 25/2023
Hezbollah knows that it must tread carefully, as it also benefits from the vacuum of power at the heart of Beirut.
Hezbollah, Iran's next move as Lebanon's politics reach an impasse - analysisA judge investigating the 2020 Beirut port explosion resumed his work this week in a surprise that may cast a shadow over key figures in Lebanon. Judge Tarek Bitar has been slammed by Hezbollah in the past and his work had been interrupted since December 2021. The news of the continued work by the judge comes as Lebanon still lacks a new president. The politicians in Beirut voted recently for the 11th time and couldn’t come up with a new leader. This leaves the country continually divided and leaves a power vacuum.
That vacuum is usually filled by Hezbollah. Hezbollah’s goal is to have a leaderless bankrupt Lebanon so that it can feed off the remains of the country and hollow it out and then fill it with weapons to threaten Israel.
Hezbollah benefits from chaos in Beirut
Hezbollah has a kind of stranglehold on power in Lebanon, not because it is that large a party, but because it has key allies and it has enough power to block the opposition from doing anything. Because it benefits from chaos, it, therefore, wants a political impasse.
Gebran Bassil, the head of the Christian party, the Free Patriotic Movement, has generally been an ally of Hezbollah. Lebanon’s politics are sectarian by law, so almost every party has sectarian-ethnic-religious roots, whether Christian Maronites or Shi’ite Hezbollah or Sunnis, Druze, etc. Bassil is related to the outgoing president Michel Aoun. Aoun was behind the alliance between his Christian party and Hezbollah. Last year, Bassil slammed the US and Israel, accusing them of being behind a conspiracy that supposedly affected the Lebanese parliamentary elections.
This is the usual Iranian talking point: Blame the Americans and Israel for everything. It is used to distract from the failure that Iran has brought to countries in the region. Iran's interest in Lebanon's politics
Today, Iran is interested in Lebanon’s politics. An article at Tasnim news in Iran, a pro-government publication, has looked at the recent controversies in Lebanon. It considers how interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Bassil have differing positions. It seems Iran is concerned that Bassil may be breaking with Hezbollah. “Hezbollah, which has been trying to keep the situation calm since some disagreements with the Free Patriotic Movement were reported in the media, had to react to Bassil's words by issuing a statement saying: We do not want to have any relationship become a dispute with any of our friends,” Tasnim reported. Hezbollah appears to be threatening the Christian leader.
Hezbollah has also demanded the government not hold any meetings without a “consensus.” What this means is that Hezbollah doesn’t want its allies in the government to hold any meetings unless Hezbollah dictates the agenda. The Tasnim report says Bassil is annoyed with the lack of progress among the other political leaders in the country and that he objects to the influence of the Amal movement, a Shi’ite political grouping. The report says that Hezbollah deputy Hussein Khalil has met with Bassil. “The two sides discussed the issue of electing the president and the positive and negative points of the Mar Mikhail agreement.” The agreement refers to a memorandum in 2006 between Aoun and Hezbollah. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly said he is committed to the agreement. Tasnim notes that “the noteworthy point is that both Hezbollah and the National Free Movement were interested in media coverage of this meeting in order to end the rumors about the severing of relations between these two parties in some circles.”
L’Orient Today reported on January 4 that “in addition to showing openness to a broader political compromise around the presidential election, Hezbollah wanted to send a message to an ally who has been giving it a hard time: Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil, who categorically refuses to endorse [Joseph] Aoun, and is also opposed to the election of Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh, Hezbollah’s preferred candidate.” The Tasnim article notes that there are only two realistic candidates for president; Frangieh and Aoun. Frangieh is the son of Tony Frangieh, who was assassinated in 1978 during the Lebanese civil war; and he is the grandson of political leader and President Suleiman Frangieh. He is also related to Samir Frangieh. Joseph Aoun is the commander of the Lebanese army.
Iran hopes that Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement leadership can come to some kind of understanding despite the impasse. Meanwhile, other lawmakers in Lebanon are demanding that the vote for the president continues and that the lawmakers not continued to walk away from their responsibility. But no one seems to be able to agree. Former President Aoun has slammed parliament speaker Nabih Berri last month. As the crisis continues, Hezbollah continues to entrench. It continues to build watchtowers and fortifications in southern Lebanon and to threaten Israel. Israel and US Central Command are carrying out large-scale military drills this week. Hezbollah knows that it must tread carefully. It also benefits from the vacuum of power at the heart of Beirut.

Lebanon inflation rate at highest since 1987 at 171%/Country's Consumer Price Index hit an annual 122 per cent in December, according to official data
Massoud A Derhally/The National/January 25/2023
Inflation in Lebanon surged to 171.2 per cent in 2022, the highest in nearly four decades, as the country continues to grabble with its worst economic crisis, according to official data. Hyperinflation continued for the 30th consecutive month, rising annually to about 122 per cent in December from the same month a year earlier, led by triple digit increases in communication, food, water and energy costs, the Central Administration of Statistics' Consumer Price Index showed. The CPI increased about 6.73 per cent from November 2022.Inflation in the country remains far from a peak of 741 per cent that was hit towards the end of 1987, during Lebanon's last civil war from 1975 to 1990. The country was expected to post the second-highest inflation rate in the world last year, behind Sudan, which was forecast to see its CPI hit about 180 per cent, according to Fitch Solutions.
Inflation in Sudan reached about 383 per cent in 2021, according to the World Bank, but started to decline last year as it rolled out an economic reform programme and plans to unify various national currency rates and the lifting of subsidies on basic consumer commodities. Lebanon's crisis has been described by the World Bank as one of the worst in modern history, leading to a surge in unemployment, more than half the population sliding below the national poverty line and waves of citizens leaving the country. Despite the crisis, the country's political elite have yet to enforce critical structural and financial reforms required to unlock $3 billion of assistance from the International Monetary Fund. Securing the IMF funds would also pave the way for an additional $11 billion of assistance that has been pledged by international donors at a Paris conference in 2018.
Reforms hinge on the formation of a new government, the election of a president and consensus among the country's political elite.
Politicians are deadlocked over the formation of a new cabinet eight months after parliamentary elections were held and after the six-year term of former president Michel Aoun expired at the end of October. In a recent research note Goldman Sachs said the cost of the ongoing presidential vacuum on the Lebanese economy is “likely to delay already lagging reform efforts and progress on the International Monetary Fund's prior actions”. Political impasses in Lebanon have led to political vacuums in the past, which stalled its economic progress and led its public debt to balloon.
Lebanon was without a president for two and a half years until Mr Aoun's election by the 128-seat parliament in 2016. His predecessor, Michel Suleiman, was elected in 2008 after the position had been vacant for 18 months.
Lebanon's economy collapsed after it defaulted on about $31 billion of eurobonds in March 2020, with its currency losing more than 90 per cent against the dollar on the black market. With the Lebanese pound trading as high as 50,000 to the US dollar in the parallel market, the peg of 1,507 to the greenback in place since 1997, has been effectively obsolete. Foreign exchange inflows to the country that traditionally helped the government finance its deficits have dried up and tourist spending in the country has plunged. Tourism spending declined 19 per cent in 2022 compared to a 14 per cent fall the previous year according to Global Blue, the value added tax refund operator. Occupancy rates at Beirut hotels was 49.6 per cent in the first 11 months of last year, compared with 42.5 per cent in the same period in 2021, according to EY's benchmark survey.
According to the latest CPI reading, the price of miscellaneous goods and services in December increased nearly five-fold, while the cost of water, electricity, gas and other fuels nearly tripled.
Communication costs increased more than six-fold while education and transport prices soared more than three times each. Rates at restaurants and hotels and the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages tripled. The World Bank projects that Lebanon's real gross domestic product will contract 5.4 per cent in 2022, due to the “political paralysis” lack of action to put in place an economic recovery strategy. The economy shrank about 58 per cent between 2019 and 2021 — the largest contraction among 193 countries, the Washington-based lender said in a report in January 2022.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 25-26/2023
Sunak Says Iran Must Give Answers on British-Iranian National Akbari
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 January, 2023
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called on the Iranian government to provide answers about the death and burial of British-Iranian dual national Alireza Akbari who was executed by Iran earlier this month. "The regime is prolonging the suffering of the family and it is sadly typical of that disregard for basic human dignity," Sunak told parliament. "Iran must now provide answers about the circumstances of his death and his burial."

Iranian chess star reveals why she removed her hijab
Luke Baker/The Independent/January 25, 2023
Iran’s top female chess player, Sara Khadem, has explained her decision to controversially not wear a hijab at a recent major tournament after it caused a stir on the international stage. At the Fide World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan in December, photos began circulating of Khadem – Iran’s premier female chess player, who is ranked inside the women’s world top 20 – competing without a headscarf for the first time. The hijab is compulsory for women under Iranian law and Khadem explained to El Pais that decision was partly a sign of support for the protests that have gripped the country since the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody and also a move to be true to herself. “To be honest, even before playing this tournament, I never wore a hijab,” said Khadem. “I mean, I only put it on for the cameras because I was representing Iran. “Somehow, it didn’t feel good to not be myself, so I just decided not to do that anymore.”And in an interview with The Guardian, she added: “It felt, let’s say, unfaithful to people if I had gone with the headscarf. It just didn’t feel right.”Amini was being held by the country’s morality police after being arrested for allegedly breaching Iran’s strict dress code for women when she died in custody, sparking widespread protests against the Iranian government.
Thousands of protestors have since been arrested – more than 18,000, according to Iranian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in exile – and so far, at least 16 people have been sentenced to death, while four have been executed. By not wearing a hijab on the international stage, Khadem has marked herself out to the Iranian regime and she has since moved to Spain with her husband, 32-year-old Ardeshir Ahmadi, the Iranian filmmaker, TV host and businessman, and their 11-month-old son Sam. The 25-year-old, who was born Sarasadat Khademalsharieh but now prefers to be called Sara Khadem, hadn’t competed at a major chess tournament for three years due to the pandemic and the birth of her son, so when the invite to the event in Kazakhstan came, it proved to be the optimal moment to make her statement. Ahmadi explained: “She told me, ‘I would love to go to the tournament but I’m not going to wear the hijab.’ I said ‘OK, if that’s your decision, I support you and we can go to Spain.’”Khadem is understandably concerned about any potential reprisals, both towards their families back in Iran and from the Iranian community in Spain, but plans to continue representing Iran when she competes at chess tournaments and is eager to return home when it’s safe to do so. “I think mixed is the best way to express my feelings right now,” said Khadem. “But honestly, before our son was born, we never considered moving away from Iran. Also, I was travelling most of the year because of my chess career. “You know, the situation in the Middle East is unstable and many people need a second option if things get bad. I was never worried about that because I could get visas easily because of my chess career but when Sam was born, everything changed. “I started thinking about living in a place where Sam could go outside and play without us worrying, and a lot of things like that. Spain seemed to be best choice, and seeing him happy here makes us happy. The Spanish people are like Iranians in a way – they are very warm, and everyone is very nice to us.

US Increases Pressure on China to Stop Iran Oil
Washington - Ali Barada/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 January, 2023
The US said it will increase pressure on China to stop buying Iranian oil, as the White House seeks to enforce sanctions aimed at curbing the Iran's nuclear activities. This comes two weeks before the anticipated visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing. “China is the main destination of illicit exports by Iran” and talks to dissuade Beijing from such purchases will be “intensified,” Robert Malley, the Biden administration’s special envoy for Iran, told Bloomberg Television on Monday. The US tightened sanctions on Tehran and its petroleum exports in 2018 after pulling out of an agreement aimed at containing its atomic program. In response, Iran has ramped up uranium enrichment. Iranian shipments of crude oil and refined products have surged in recent months. Much of the oil appears to be heading to China, the world’s biggest importer. The country’s exports climbed to about 1.4 million barrels a day last month, the highest in around four years, according to Vortexa Ltd., a shipping analytics firm. Malley denied the US is — as some energy traders speculate — happy for Iranian oil to be on global markets as long as it helps keep prices in check. Brent crude surged to almost $130 a barrel in the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine last year, causing a sharp rise in US gasoline prices and hurting President Joe Biden politically. Brent has since dropped to $88, but many analysts, including those at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley, forecast that it will climb above $100 again later this year. “No, we’re not fine with it,” Malley said of Iran’s increasing oil exports. “Can we enforce our sanctions perfectly? No. But we’ll do everything in our power to make sure they’re enforced.” He reiterated comments from other US officials that talks with Iran on reviving the nuclear agreement from 2015 have largely broken down. The US is concentrating on stopping Iran from using violence against protesters at home and on preventing it from supporting Russian operations in Ukraine, Malley said. “Our focus has shifted to Iran killing its own citizens and what we can do to counter that, and to Iran assisting in Russia’s killing of Ukrainian citizens and what we can do to deter and stop that,” he said. “The nuclear deal has not been on our agenda.”

Somali President Accuses Iran of Implementing ‘Subversive Agenda’ Through Humanitarian Efforts
Cairo - Khalid Mahmoud/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 January, 2023
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud accused Iran of interfering in his country, at a time when the US military announced that it had killed two members of the extremist Al-Shabaab movement, in an airstrike on a remote area near Haratiri, 396 km northeast of Mogadishu. Somali media quoted Sheikh Mahmoud as telling the Somali Scholars Conference on Tuesday that the country’s intelligence service monitored Iranian moves to spread Shiite ideologies during his first presidential term that ended in 2017. The Somali president added that Iran was implementing a “subversive agenda” through relief efforts, pointing to the involvement of Iranian diplomats and officials of humanitarian organizations in the case. Referring to “compelling evidence”, Sheikh Mahmoud said that he decided at the time to prohibit any Iranian presence in the country, by closing the Iranian embassy, and banning the activities of the Iranian Red Crescent and the Khomeini Charitable Foundation. Meanwhile, at least one person was killed when a car exploded at the Sinai intersection in Mogadishu, on Tuesday morning. Several mortar shells fell near the headquarters of the Somali Presidency and the Ministry of Information. According to local sources, one of the shells hit a primary school near the headquarters of Hamarween district in Mogadishu, injuring three people. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Also on Tuesday, the United States reported conducting a new airstrike against Al-Shabaab in Somalia, killing two militants.
In a statement, the US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) said it carried out a “collective self-defense” strike against al-Shabaab following a request from the Somalian government. The strike was in support of Somali National Army engagements against Al-Shabaab, AFRICOM said. “At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia and in support of Somali National Army engagements against al-Shabaab, US Africa Command conducted a collective self-defense strike on Jan. 23, 2023. The strike occurred in a remote area near Xaradheere, Somalia, approximately 396 km northeast of Mogadishu where Somali forces were conducting operations,” the statement read. It added: “The initial assessment is the strike killed two al-Shabaab terrorists. Given the remote location of the operation, the initial assessment is that no civilians were injured or killed.”

Germany Approves Sending Heavy Leopard Tanks to Ukraine
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 January, 2023
Germany will supply its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, it announced on Wednesday, overcoming misgivings about sending heavy weaponry that Kyiv sees as crucial to defeat the Russian invasion but Moscow cast as a needless provocation. Pressure has been building for weeks on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to send the tanks and allow other NATO allies to do the same ahead of expected spring offensives by both sides that could help turn the tide of the war. Scholz's government had stalled on the decision, wary of moves that could prompt Russia to escalate or suck the NATO alliance into becoming party to the conflict. Germany's decision paves the way for other countries such as Poland, Spain and Norway to supply their stocks of Leopard tanks to Ukraine. "This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability. We are acting in a closely coordinated manner internationally," Scholz said in a statement. The goal was to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, the statement said, adding Germany would in a first step provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from military stocks. Training of Ukrainian troops in Germany will begin soon, and Germany will also provide logistics and ammunition, it said. Germany will issue the appropriate transfer permits to partner countries that want to quickly deliver Leopard 2 tanks from their stocks to Ukraine, it said.

The majority of Russia's armed forces are against the policies of their leaders, FSB defector says
Sinéad Baker/Business Insider/January 25, 2023
A former doctor with Russia's spy agency said she collected secrets before she fled. Maria Dmitrieva is seeking asylum in France, and brought with her documents from the FSB. She told CNN that she learned that most of Russia's army is unhappy with their leaders' policies. The majority of Russian soldiers are unhappy with their leaders' policies, a former doctor with Russia's security and spy agency FSB told CNN. Maria Dmitrieva, 32, told CNN that she had been working as a doctor for the FSB before she fled to Europe, and that she collected secrets from the agency in order to prepare for her defection.
Dmitrieva said she flew from Moscow to France on October 12, 2022. According to CNN, she's part of a flood of senior Russians, including soldiers, mercenaries, and FSB officials, who are arriving in Europe to escape the war. Dmitrieva, who is now in France, where she is seeking asylum, told CNN: "I brought photos, audio and video recordings which confirms that the majority of the Russian army is against some of the policies of the current leaders."She did not clarify what policies were particularly unpopular with Russia's army. But other defectors and soldiers have said that the Russian army does not give troops enough training and equipment, and that they were ordered to kill civilians. Another defector, who used to be an FSB lieutenant, told CNN that "every second FSB officer wants to run away" as they understand that Russia won't win the war. It's unclear how unpopular Russia's invasion is among its troops, but Russia's partial draft last year resulted in tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of citizens fleeing the country. Dmitrieva also said that she brought documents with her to France. These included twice smuggling her phone into an FSB building, where she recorded conversations with patients and with senior officials, as well as officials discussing the Russian army's collapse, CNN reported. CNN described Dmitrieva's life as one of "privilege and access" when working with the FSB. But that didn't stop her from defecting. "What inspires me the most is that I am sure that I am taking the correct actions to stop what's happening so that less people will die," she told CNN. "Putin and his retinue and everyone who approves of this war – these people are murderers," she added.

French politicians and generals weigh up plans to send Leclerc tanks to Ukraine
Paul Myers/RFI/January 25, 2023
Top French politicians and military chiefs were on Wednesday night thrashing out proposals over whether to send the country's Leclerc tanks to Ukraine. The 56-tonne French machines can reach speeds of up to 70kmh per hour and are comparable to the German-made Leopard tanks, which Berlin agreed to send to Kyiv on Wednesday. However, the Leclercs would pose different maintenance and logistical challenges. "Regarding the Leclerc tanks, we are continuing our analysis with the armed forces ministry," Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told parliament on Wednesday. "The issue of assistance for Ukraine is not limited to this or that weapon." France has provided its Caesar artillery system, Crotale air defence system and has offered the AMX-10 RC light tank among other weapons. Following Germany's decision and the United States gearing up to send around 30 M1 Abrams tanks, attention is expected to turn on France. However, it is understood military analysts question whether the Leclercs would be helpful at a time when Ukrainian forces are having to train on a variety of complex western weapons. "There's no political objection," a French defence ministry source told the news agency AFP. "We are just wondering whether the Leclerc would be a poisoned chalice. The aim is to be useful and effective."France has around 200 Leclercs, which were manufactured by the Nexter System defence group.
Capabilities
Germany had said the Leopards would not be sent unless the US sends its Abrams.

There’s no negotiating with Putin. NATO must mobilize military might, be ready to fight | Guest Opinion
David Wieder/Miami Herald/January 25, 2023
During the “wilderness years,” Churchill warned of Adolf Hitler’s ambitions, presciently shouting to a deaf world the dangers ahead. The Rhineland. Sudetenland. Czechoslovakia gobbled up while appeasers twiddled. England and France could have sent Hitler packing. Instead, they gave him three more years to arm. It was too late. Fifty million died. Stalin, double-crossed by his former Poland-dividing German friend, decided too late that he had to fight. Millions of Soviets soldiers and civilians died because of his dithering. FDR had to contend with America First-ers and could have entered the war sooner; he had third-term political considerations in 1940; but he knew he had to fight, too. Eventually. I have studied world history all my life, and am clear that we relive the mistakes of history at our peril. Vladimir Putin invades a sovereign country. Germans, the Frenchmen, the British, NATO, the United States haven’t stopped him. Ukrainian children are starving, freezing and losing their lives to a bloodthirsty pyromaniac. Using time as his weapon, Putin, like Hitler, is conscripting, propagandizing and incrementally marshaling massive manpower — constructing his war machine, gaslighting his people, building support, slowly, cunningly, odiously. Russians believe his lies about Ukraine as a Nazi haven. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Churchillian appearance before the U.S. Congress shows we must move swiftly, because time is on Putin’s side. A war of attrition is not on Ukraine’s side, even with U.S./European tanks, rockets, drones and artillery. Western fears and time are Putin’s allies. Wars start slowly, but inevitably spiral out of control; aid the West provides the Ukrainians resembles aid that the United States gave to England in 1940, followed by an exponential increase in materiel from our “arsenal of democracy.” It was not enough in 1940, and it’ not enough in 2023 as this war drags on. The Russians have , too much manpower and too much time. Victory requires a credible threat of NATO mobilization — an army ready to do battle.
NATO faces the eventual inevitability of mobilizing an army to eject Putin from Ukraine and Crimea. The alternative is too grim to contemplate: trench warfare; stalemate; Ukrainians under siege; massive Russian armies; world economic disruption; continued war crimes; a war of attrition.
I hope I am wrong. Billions of dollars for weapons in a proxy war with Ukrainians fighting Russians is impactful, but fatiguing. Americans can watch Netflix war movies while Ukrainians bleed. They can watch Tom Hanks storm the beach at Normandy. Let’s just ship some more rockets to Ukraine instead. “Yellowstone” is on. Military planners in the Pentagon and in Western European capitals should be preparing for a wider war. It would be wholly irresponsible for them not to. NATO must tell Putin to get out of Ukraine or face an allied army evicting him. Putin needs an ultimatum to get out. He understands only naked power. Lenin said, “Push forward the bayonet. If you find soft flesh, push. If you find steel, retreat.” Putin learned Lenin in school; Lenin is in his DNA. He learned it in the KGB. He learned it in Mother Russia.Russians never had democratic traditions. Ask Nicholas II and his family, brutally executed by Bolsheviks. Ask the millions starved by Stalin in Ukraine during his agriculture plans. Ask the people sent to the gulag, or the Hungarians who dared to revolt against the Soviets. Ask the subjugated people of Poland, carved up by Stalin and Hitler. Ask all of the terrorized people who suffered behind the Iron Curtain. Ask opposition leader Alexi Navalny, poisoned and now jailed. Putin seeks to raise the Soviet corpse by terrorizing a sovereign nation — which had its own history before Lenin and his disciples created a dark Bolshevik empire. Western ambitions about ending this war ending negotiation are delusional. If Putin sees that we are serious about the sovereignty of nations, he must face a serious military threat. Only then will he likely back down. Until then, brave Ukrainians will bleed, freeze and die bearing the brunt of our fears.
*David Wieder is an attorney based in Miami Beach.

Russia's $45 billion stash of Chinese yuan is helping Moscow weather massive plunge in energy revenues
Jennifer Sor/Business Insider/January 25, 2023
Russia has a $45 billion stash of Chinese yuan that could help it weather sanctions, per Bloomberg.
The nation could sell yuan reserves to make up for losses in its oil revenue. Moscow has sought to deepen ties with Beijing amid a barrage of western sanctions. Russia has a $45 billion stash of Chinese yuan that is helping Moscow weather a massive plunge in its energy revenues as western sanctions batter its economy. Selling its yuan reserves will help Russia cover its losses for the next three years, according to an analysis from Bloomberg Economics. Citigroup estimates that it will cover losses for a slightly shorter period of about two and a half years.
How long the reserves will last will depend on the fluctuations of the price of Russian oil, which is one of Russia's largest commodity exports. Its flagship Urals crude blend is now trading around $50 a barrel – a third of what it was last year, Bloomberg reported. If Urals falls further to the $40-$50 range, yuan sales per month may need to triple. If it falls to $25, Russia may sell its entire yuan stash this year. That comes after the latest round of western sanctions, including the European Union ban on Russian oil and $60 price cap, which prevents Russia from using western shipping and insurance services to sell its crude unless it's below the price level. The measures have severe crimped Russia's oil revenue, which could spell trouble for the nation in the long-term, economists warn. Russia's central bank called the oil price cap and EU ban "economic shocks" to its financial system, and the nation's oil revenue fell $15 million in the last week of 2022 alone, with just a few buyers of Russian crude left. The nation's budget deficit also hit a new record of 3.9 trillion rubles, or $56 billion in December. If it keeps spending at this level, Urals crude would need to be sold at $90 a barrel this year, or nearly double the current price, in order to breakeven, Bloomberg estimated. Putin has emphasized the resilience of Russia's economy and said it would expand partnerships with allies like China and India to make up for lost trade. The nation has leaned heavily on China in particular, and the yuan is the only world currency that Russia can use in the foreign-exchange market after western sanctions cut off access to reserves of dollars and euros.

Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to laugh off claims of assassination plot
Sky News/January 25, 2023
Russian mercenary group leader has Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to laugh off claims of a plot to assassinate him, describing it as "a very good idea". Russian politician Vladimir Rogov has claimed - without providing evidence - that Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the director of the CIA have discussed killing the oligarch. Once dubbed "Putin's chef", Prigozhin is head of the Wagner Group which has been recruiting convicts to fight in Ukraine. Russia sends warning to US over tanks - Ukraine war latest. Mr Rogov, chairman of a Russian organisation in occupied Zaporizhzhia, told state-owned media on Tuesday: "Prigozhin is effective, and his killing would make a lot of sense, given the media component and how they spin their victories. "Zelenskyy's inner circle and a fairly large number of people are aware of this request to ask, and even demand, that the Americans kill Prigozhin." It comes after Mr Prigozhin clashed with his long-time ally Vladimir Putin over the capture of Soledar in Ukraine. He claimed that Wagner Group forces were solely responsible for capturing the town, while Mr Putin attributed the success to the Russian military. Mr Prigozhin's criticism of the Russian Ministry of Defence has grown increasingly brazen in recent weeks, the Institute for the Study of War think tank has noted. Responding to the claims of an assassination plot on Tuesday, Mr Prigozhin was quoted by his press service as saying: "Yes, I'm aware. The press service told me about it. "That's a very good idea. I agree that it's time Prigozhin was eradicated. "In the event they ask me, I will definitely provide assistance." It comes as the Guardian reported that British lawyers were given government dispensation to bypass sanctions in order to help Mr Prigozhin sue a journalist, according to documents made available to the website Open Democracy.

Hundreds in Baghdad Protest Devaluation of Iraq’s Currency
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 January, 2023
Hundreds of protesters rallied Wednesday near the Central Bank in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, angered by the recent devaluation of the Iraqi dinar and demanding the government take action to stabilize the currency. The protesters — mainly young people — rallied amid a heavy security presence, with many carrying the Iraqi flag and banners with slogans. One slogan read: “The politicians are the ones covering up the financial corruption for the banks.”Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Monday accepted the resignation of the governor of the country’s Central Bank, Mustafa Ghaleb Mukheef, following a weekslong plunge of the Iraqi dinar. Mukheef, who had been in the post since 2020, was replaced by Muhsen al-Allaq as acting governor. The dinar hit new lows last Friday, reaching about 1,670 to the dollar. The currency has lost nearly 7% of its value since mid-November. The official rate stands at 1,470 dinars for $1. On Wednesday, the street exchange rate was about 1,610 to the dollar. Some politicians in Iraq have blamed the drop on recent measures by the US Treasury. The US has significant control over Iraq’s supply of dollars as Iraq’s foreign reserves are held at the US Federal Reserve. Late last year, the Federal Reserve began imposing stricter measures on transactions, which have slowed the flow of dollars into Iraq, including blacklisting a number of banks from the dollar market over suspected money laundering. In Lebanon's capital, Beirut, dozens protested in front of the Central Bank, denouncing the slide of the Lebanese pound, which began in 2019. The value of the pound hit a new low last Thursday, trading at 50,000 to the dollar, as the country’s deeply divided Parliament failed to elect a president for the eleventh time. Until 2019, the Lebanese currency was fixed to the dollar at a rate of 1,500 pounds to the dollar. This remains the official rate, but in practice, nearly all transactions are conducted at the black market rate. Meanwhile, five European countries are probing Lebanon's embattled Central Bank governor, Riad Salameh — who remains in his post — on allegations of laundering public money in Europe. Switzerland first opened a probe two years ago, followed by France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein.

Türkiye: No Normalization with Damascus at Syrians Expense
Ankara - Saeed Abdul Razzak/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 January, 2023
Türkiye reaffirmed it will not take any decision regarding the normalization of ties with the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria so long that it could damage the lives of Syrians in opposition-run territory in the north. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stressed that his country will not take any decision that would harm the Syrians in Türkiye or those residing in northwestern Syria. During a meeting with army leaders on Monday night, Akar discussed many issues, including the fight against terrorism and the path of normalization with the Syrian regime sponsored by Russia. Akar reaffirmed that his country uses international relations and diplomacy extensively in combating terrorism. The minister also pointed out that Türkiye made it clear that it is determined to fight terrorism. According to Akar, his country made this clear at a tripartite meeting held in Moscow on December 28. The meeting included the defense and intelligence services of Türkiye, Russia and Syria. The Turkish side also expressed to its interlocutors its desire to put an end to the flow of migration and its intention to ensure that the Syrians in Türkiye return to their lands and homes “voluntarily, safely, and in a dignified manner” after the necessary conditions are met.
“We have Syrian brothers and sisters and we have no room to take a decision in any situation that would put them in trouble. This should be known to everyone as we follow a very clear policy in this regard,” said Akar. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, during a meeting with representatives of the Syrian community in New York last Friday, renewed Türkiye’s support for the political process in Syria in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Akar, for his part, stressed that Türkiye respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring countries, and that its military operations in northern Syria and Iraq solely target “terrorists.” The minister pointed to the attacks that targeted the Bab al-Salameh border crossing in the Syrian city of Azaz last Friday and said that Turkish forces retaliated to the assault in kind. He revealed that 20 “terrorists” had been killed in the retaliatory attack. Türkiye labels elements from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), of which the Kurdish People’s Protection (YPG) make up the primary component of forces, as terrorists. “We've done whatever needed to be done. We are determined to continue to do so in the future, and there is no room for concessions to terrorists, and we will continue our fight resolutely to end terrorism,” said Akar. On Saturday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that it had responded to the shelling launched from SDF-run sites in Tal Rifaat in the countryside of Aleppo. The SDF had targeted a Turkish base in Kilis, a city in south-central Türkiye, near the border with Syria. Akar also noted that Turkish forces had “neutralized” a total of 134 terrorists (SDF fighters) in the last month. In other news, Turkish authorities denied social media reports made by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and YPG loyalists. According to the Kurdish groups, the Syrian regime had attacked a Turkish base in Idlib, wounding and killing several soldiers. The Turkish Directorate of Communications, however, has labeled the reports as fake news. The Directorate corrected the report and said that the attack was launched by the SDF, not the regime. It said that the shells fell in Kilis but did not cause any casualties. “Turkish armed forces immediately responded to the sources of fire, targeted the terrorists’ concentration points, and managed to neutralize 20 elements,” the Directorate reported.

Egypt, India to Promote Trade, Investment, Fight Terrorism
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 January, 2023
India and Egypt agreed Wednesday to boost trade between their countries during a visit by the Egyptian president. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi agreed on measures to increase two-way trade within five years to $12 billion. Trade totaled $7.3 billion in 2021-22. The two countries also signed agreements on expanding cooperation in cyber security, information technology, culture and broadcasting. Modi and Sisi expressed concern over disruptions to food supplies and other critical resources due to the war in Ukraine. Modi sought Egypt’s cooperation in fighting cross-border terrorism, extremism, and cyber threats. Egypt’s economy has been strained by the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine, which pushed prices for oil and other commodities to record highs. One of the world's biggest importers of wheat, it obtained help from the World Bank last year to finance its grain purchases as supplies from Ukraine were disrupted. Imports from India, which made an exception for countries like Egypt facing severe shortfalls even as it banned most wheat exports, helped to bridge the gap. India is among the top five importers of Egyptian products, including crude oil and liquefied natural gas, salt, cotton, inorganic chemicals and oilseeds. Major Indian exports to Egypt include cotton yarn, coffee, herbs, tobacco, lentils, vehicle parts, ships, boats and electrical machinery. Sisi invited Indian businesses to invest more in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. More than 50 Indian companies have invested around $3.15 billion in various parts of the Egyptian economy, including chemicals, energy, textiles, garments, agri-business and retailing, according to India’s External Affairs Ministry. Sisi will be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade on Thursday marking the anniversary of the adoption of the country’s constitution on Jan. 26, 1950. India won independence from British colonial rule in 1947.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 25-26/2023
Treason in America - Again
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute./January 25, 2023
As Benedict Arnold cynically realized centuries ago, treason may be the most threatening weapon our enemies can aim at the heart of a democracy, especially the one that leads the free world to keep it safe from tyranny. (Image source: MPI
Benedict Arnold, move over.
Loathed as one of America's most despised traitors, we are reminded that Arnold once was the hero of Saratoga during the Revolutionary War, only to become a turncoat prepared to hand over West Point to the British.
During the last century there was Aldrich Ames, a former Central Intelligence Agency officer turned KGB double agent. Now serving a life sentence without parole, he did enormous damage to our national security while sending many American intelligence assets to their deaths in the Soviet Union. You want an example of how one American can do incalculable damage to his country? Read the Ames file.
But wait. There is now a 21st Century indictment that, if proven in a court of law, is absolutely mind-numbing.
The FBI's former top spy-hunter based in New York, Charles McGonigal, has been charged with violating U.S. sanctions and other criminal counts stemming from alleged ties to Russian oligarch billionaire Oleg Deripaska, a confident of Vladimir Putin.
The indictment also says McGonigal is accused of trying to get Deripaska removed from a U.S. sanctions list.
A second indictment accuses the G-man of hiding payments totaling $225,000 that he allegedly received from an individual considered an asset by an Albanian intelligence agency.
For those who believe that our nation, with all of its faults, remains mankind's last best hope, this is stunning news. Not only does this indictment suggest that our country's security can be purchased by our enemies, but also that those sworn to defend America can allegedly be bought and paid for – again.
How is this possible? How low can the human spirit sink that there would be those who would sell their souls, and their nation's safety, for cash?
Ames once provided an answer to CNN during a 1998 interview.
He said his reasons were "personal, banal, and amounted really to greed and folly." The "payout" for his betrayal was approximately $2.7 million. Tell that to the men and women buried at Arlington.
This most recent indictment of a former FBI spy hunter is a searing reminder that treason is not some distant crime found in lamented chapters of our history. Its poison is still found among individuals of authority within our national institutions, where it remains insidious, lethal, and malignant:
"Article III, Section 3, Clause 1: Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court." (United States Constitution)
As Benedict Arnold cynically realized centuries ago, treason may be the most threatening weapon our enemies can aim at the heart of a democracy, especially the one that leads the free world to keep it safe from tyranny.
**Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Censorship, Mass Surveillance and Bugs: World Economic Forum vs. The Free World
J.B. Shurk/Gatestone Institute/January 25, 2023
People with fortunes have an economic incentive to hide them behind the appearance of benevolence, so as to avoid scrutiny while making those fortunes even bigger. Behind every "build back better" inch of the WEF's "great reset" of the global economy is some corporate titan, banking behemoth, power-hungry politician, bureaucratic chieftain, or plain old aristocrat making money or gaining influence from the multitude of secret transactions buttressing the whole philanthropic charade.
They depend upon African slave labor for the mining of "green" raw materials and Chinese slave labor for the manufacturing of "green" technologies while simultaneously smearing as bigots anyone who objects to their open border policies flooding Western nations with endless cheap labor at home. Predictably, those most responsible for undermining labor groups at home while subsidizing slavery abroad are the same ones who lecture the world on racism, fair wages, and human rights.
Stick, meet carrot. They may fly on private jets, but at the end of the day, the World Economic Forum cabal is just the greatest collection of thugs organized crime has ever managed to put together in the same room, orchestrating the most effective schemes ever devised to force formerly free peoples to do exactly what they say.
In a more just era, anybody attending the WEF's gatherings would be arrested for conspiracy to commit racketeering and fraud. Instead, because the "masters of our future" have invested heavily in the elections of the West's most prominent leaders, presidents, prime ministers, legislators, and even military staffs are only too happy to champion their cause.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told his WEF audience that the world's economy is in tremendous peril, while failing to point out that it has been the WEF's own COVID-19 lockdown policies and attempts to use the pandemic as a "great reset" for transitioning the West from hydrocarbon to "green" energies that are responsible for much of the harm.
[T]he UN chief was more interested in making two other points: (1) there should be legal "accountability" for social media platforms that promote "false information," and (2) politicians should force unpopular policies upon their populations for their own good.
In essence, the head of the globalists' preferred international governing body demands that national leaders intentionally disregard the will of their people and implement a system for the criminalization of free speech, so that dissent magically disappears much like a protester in a "re-education" camp. These are the same WEF "elites" who then have the temerity to turn around and preach about "democracy" and "Western values."
Sitting right next to "green" champion Al Gore, [Colombian President] Petro Urrego proclaimed that humanity must "overcome capitalism" if it is to survive. Given that Gore, a member of the WEF Board of Trustees, did not appear to disagree, it seems fair to say that Club Davos finds more to like in an "elite"-controlled version of communism (is there any other kind?) than a free market system in which ordinary people may thrive.
To coincide with its gathering, the WEF has published a report citing "misinformation and disinformation" among the most significant global "risks." WEF members publicly predict that "hate speech" laws will soon come to the United States — in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections for freedom of speech. Calls are growing for tracking and enforcing individual "carbon limits" in the endless battle against Earth's ever-changing climate. These same authoritarians push digital vaccine passports, contact tracing, mandatory use of experimental "vaccines," and ubiquitous testing. And following the WEF's determination that Westerners should transition to a diet of bugs, the European Union has now authorized the general consumption of house crickets. Censorship, mass surveillance, and bugs — welcome to the future, should the WEF get its way.
None of the WEF's expansive programs for remaking the world according to its members' interests sounds like anything free Westerners could ever voluntarily embrace. Surely that is why so many of the WEF's speakers urge the forceful adoption of these policies regardless of public support. Perhaps that is also why the Chinese Communist Party recently applauded this year's "Davos spirit." Communists know communism when they see it, and in Klaus Schwab's globalist oligarchy of "elites," China likes what it sees.
They may fly on private jets, but at the end of the day, the World Economic Forum cabal is just the greatest collection of thugs organized crime has ever managed to put together in the same room, orchestrating the most effective schemes ever devised to force formerly free peoples to do exactly what they say. Pictured: WEF founder Klaus Schwab speaks in Davos, Switzerland on May 23, 2022. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
The World Economic Forum's nation-crushing empire looks like a chop shop that has stolen parts from the world's worst dictatorships in order to create Frankenstein's "woke" monster. It has swiped the Aztecs' penchant for human sacrifice to ward off bad weather, the Chinese communists' love of total control and the eradication of traditional culture, the Italian fascists' society-squeezing partnership with corporate monopolists, and the German Nazis' belief in a "master race" — chiefly the celebrities, bankers, crony capitalists, and potentates who assemble in Davos and elsewhere to applaud their own achievements and further implement their "master plan," which the WEF affectionately calls "The Great Reset."
As Klaus Schwab, himself, recently declared to his potpourri of princely guests, the WEF intends to "master the future," and who better to "master" what has not yet been written than those who view the rest of the planet's inhabitants as little more than servants and serfs?
It would be nice to think that the twentieth-century's totalitarian monsters would have served as ample warnings to humanity never to tromp injudiciously down authoritarianism's bloody path again. Alas, it appears that the lessons briefly learned from a century of global wars, genocides, conquests, and revolutions have been blown away like the seeds of a dandelion, so that evil can take root and grow once more. The WEF, of course, does not see itself as anything like Stalin, Hitler, Tojo, Mussolini, Pol Pot, or Mao. It sees itself as John Kerry does: as a "select group of humans" who will save the planet for everyone else. Did last century's totalitarians see themselves any differently? As Albert Camus might have asked: when has "the welfare of humanity" not been "the alibi of tyrants"?
When the planet's most wealthy and powerful individuals assemble together under the protection of overwhelming military security assuring both their safety and the exclusion of everyone else, a warning from Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations comes to mind: "People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices."
With the madcap push to replace hydrocarbon energies with insufficient "green" alternatives jacking up the prices of commodities and goods around the world, while a rapidly rising cost of living suffocates all but the most well-off, Smith's words have never been more accurate. As John Kerry bluntly explains, the only way to fight even the most insignificant amount of climate change is through, "money, money, money, money, money, money, money." It is a strange thing to see a self-aggrandizing, plutocratic "elite" give the game away. If each of those "money" exhortations represents a hundred trillion dollars, he might even be close to spitting out some truth.
Before the brainwashed defenders of Club Klaus scream that the World Economic Forum's humanitarian motivations have nothing to do with making money, stop to consider the lunacy of such a statement. People with fortunes have an economic incentive to hide them behind the appearance of benevolence, so as to avoid scrutiny while making those fortunes even bigger. Behind every "build back better" inch of the WEF's "great reset" of the global economy is some corporate titan, banking behemoth, power-hungry politician, bureaucratic chieftain, or plain old aristocrat making money or gaining influence from the multitude of secret transactions buttressing the whole philanthropic charade.
"Love of humanity" is just for the bumper stickers the WEF can slap on their electric vehicles; "greed" still energizes the secret handshakes of the most powerful when they get together. They depend upon African slave labor for the mining of "green" raw materials and Chinese slave labor for the manufacturing of "green" technologies while simultaneously smearing as bigots anyone who objects to their open border policies flooding Western nations with endless cheap labor at home. Predictably, those most responsible for undermining labor groups at home while subsidizing slavery abroad are the same ones who lecture the world on racism, fair wages, and human rights.
As with all swindles in which the rich and powerful choose to steal even more from the poor and powerless, the WEF's "altruism" appears quite Mafia-esque. Their agents come knocking on the doors of businesses around the West with a simple proposition: So, you might not have heard, but there are a lot of bad elements out here that wish to do you harm. The good news is we can offer you protection for as little as fifty percent of your profits.
The business-owners, having had no problems turning a profit in the past, at first refuse.
I don't think you understand, their new "friends" explain, without us, you could have civil rights groups boycotting your products as racist and transphobic, investment groups devaluing your stocks for not pledging ESG commitments, and banks refusing to offer future loans because of your support for "hate" and "misinformation." All our corporate news staff might have to run negative pieces about your business. It would be a shame to see such a nice little business suffer when we are here to help.
And how might such assistance be gained?
Why, just do as Klaus Schwab's WEF says, do business with our approved banks and vendors, express support for our approved causes, and we will take care of the rest. Hey, we will even get the politicians on our payroll to publicly thank you for saving the world!
Stick, meet carrot. They may fly on private jets and forget how many mansions they own, but at the end of the day, the World Economic Forum cabal is just the greatest collection of thugs organized crime has ever managed to put together in the same room, orchestrating the most effective schemes ever devised to force formerly free peoples to do exactly what they say. It is Cosa Nostra reimagined as "Klaus's thing." In a more just era, anybody attending the WEF's gatherings would be arrested for conspiracy to commit racketeering and fraud. Instead, because the "masters of our future" have invested heavily in the elections of the West's most prominent leaders, presidents, prime ministers, legislators, and even military staffs are only too happy to champion their cause.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told his WEF audience that the world's economy is in tremendous peril, while failing to point out that it has been the WEF's own COVID-19 lockdown policies and attempts to use the pandemic as a "great reset" for transitioning the West from hydrocarbon to "green" energies that are responsible for much of the harm. Instead of using the global platform as a chance to issue a much-needed mea culpa to the whole world, the UN chief was more interested in making two other points: (1) there should be legal "accountability" for social media platforms that promote "false information," and (2) politicians should force unpopular policies upon their populations for their own good.
In essence, the head of the globalists' preferred international governing body demands that national leaders intentionally disregard the will of their people and implement a system for the criminalization of free speech, so that dissent magically disappears much like a protester in a "re-education" camp. These are the same WEF "elites" who then have the temerity to turn around and preach about "democracy" and "Western values."
Of course, Colombian President Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego had no problem saying the quiet part out loud. Sitting right next to "green" champion Al Gore, Petro Urrego proclaimed that humanity must "overcome capitalism" if it is to survive. Given that Gore, a member of the WEF Board of Trustees, did not appear to disagree, it seems fair to say that Club Davos finds more to like in an "elite"-controlled version of communism (is there any other kind?) than a free market system in which ordinary people may thrive.
If all this sounds wildly antagonistic to hard-fought Western freedoms prioritizing the protection of individual rights and liberties over indiscriminate intrusions from the State, that is because the World Economic Forum has turned Westerners' priceless Enlightenment inheritance on its head. To coincide with its gathering, the WEF has published a report citing "misinformation and disinformation" among the most significant global "risks." WEF members publicly predict that "hate speech" laws will soon come to the United States — in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections for freedom of speech. Calls are growing for tracking and enforcing individual "carbon limits" in the endless battle against Earth's ever-changing climate. These same authoritarians push digital vaccine passports, contact tracing, mandatory use of experimental "vaccines," and ubiquitous testing. And following the WEF's determination that Westerners should transition to a diet of bugs, the European Union has now authorized the general consumption of house crickets. Censorship, mass surveillance and bugs — welcome to the future, should the WEF get its way.
None of the WEF's expansive programs for remaking the world according to its members' interests sounds like anything that free Westerners could ever voluntarily embrace. Surely that is why so many of the WEF's speakers urge the forceful adoption of these policies regardless of public support. Perhaps that is also why the Chinese Communist Party recently applauded this year's "Davos spirit." Communists know communism when they see it, and in Klaus Schwab's globalist oligarchy of "elites," China likes what it sees.
*JB Shurk writes about politics and society.
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

ديفيد شينكر/موقع التابليت: حماقات قوات اليونيفيل الدولية على الحدود الإسرائيلية اللبنانية نتج عنها عواقب مميتة
The UNIFIL Follies Turn Deadly on the Israel-Lebanon Border
David Schenker/The Tablet/January 25/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/115240/115240/
The recent murder of an Irish peacekeeper in southern Lebanon exposes the U.N. peacekeeping mission there as a costly failure
In late December, an Irish peacekeeper was killed in Lebanon. The soldier had been serving in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, an organization established in 1978 to stabilize the frontier between Israel and its enemies across the Lebanese border—first the PLO, and then the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah. With nearly 10,000 troops from 48 nations, UNIFIL’s presence in south Lebanon represents the densest concentration of peacekeepers per square kilometer in the world. Forty-five years after this “interim” force was deployed, the Israel-Lebanon border region remains precarious, and UNIFIL peacekeepers are increasingly threatened.
Seven suspects have been charged in the killing, although only one has been rendered by Hezbollah to the Lebanese Armed Forces. Still, if past is precedent, there will be no credible investigation much less accountability in the peacekeeper’s death. The reason is simple: Hezbollah dominates Lebanon, which is essentially a failed state, and its so-called “institutions,” especially the security organs.
There is little doubt that Hezbollah was responsible for the peacekeeper’s death. Not only does the militia tightly control the area in which the killing occurred, it has a history of inciting against and attacking UNIFIL, whose mandate in part is to help the LAF ensure that south Lebanon is “free of any armed personnel, assets, and weapons” other than those of the LAF and UNIFIL.
This mission, enshrined in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006), was intended to prevent Hezbollah from rearming after a costly 34-day war that saw the organization rain down more than 100 rockets a day on the Jewish state. UNIFIL’s presence was increased fivefold—from 2,000 to more than 10,000 peacekeepers—to accomplish this objective, but it has never fulfilled its mandate, and Hezbollah has since fully replenished its arsenal. Today, it’s believed Hezbollah possesses over 150,000 rockets and missiles, which it’s actively upgrading to precision-guided munitions.
In its biannual reports to the Security Council, UNIFIL openly concedes its failure to interdict weapons destined for Hezbollah. While the contingent acknowledges allegations of “arms transfers to non-State actors” in Lebanon, i.e., Hezbollah, UNIFIL says it’s “not in a position to substantiate” them. Given how ubiquitous U.N. peacekeepers are in the Hezbollah heartland, this perennial failure to observe—let alone appropriate—even a single weapons delivery is a fair measure of the utter failure of UNIFIL’s mission. Regardless, Washington continues to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into this failed enterprise, and its local partner, the LAF.
Since 2006, UNIFIL patrols have periodically been subjected to Hezbollah roadside bombs in what quickly proved to be a successful effort to proactively discourage the organization from executing its charge. In recent years, though, U.N. peacekeepers have increasingly been targeted by the terror organization that runs Lebanon, and which tightly controls the region that UNIFIL was set up to secure.
The latest U.N. reports tell a harrowing story of a spike in the pattern of harassment and assaults on the force. These threats and violence, typically perpetrated by men in “civilian clothes,” effectively denies UNIFIL access to Hezbollah’s military sites in south Lebanon.
Of course, the militia denies responsibility for the death of the peacekeeper; Hezbollah security chief Wafic Safa described the incident as “unintentional.” Still, pictures of the bullet-ridden vehicle and the visible attempt to pry open the car’s doors suggest the soldier was assassinated, in a clear message of Hezbollah’s growing hostility toward UNIFIL.
Consider that just four months before this attack, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah publicly criticized an amendment in the UNIFIL mandate’s most recent extension. The language, inserted by the Security Council in August 2022, permitted the organization to “conduct its operations independently,” a modification Nasrallah described as an Israeli “trap” and “a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.” For Hezbollah and its supporters, the message could not have been clearer.
Of course, the new language sanctioning independent UNIFIL operations was necessary not because of Hezbollah, but due to the dysfunctional dynamic between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces. The U.N. expects the LAF to conduct “coordinated and adjacent patrols” with the organization, as well as to “protect UNIFIL movements and access.” In collusion with Hezbollah, however, the Lebanese Armed Forces—which received $236 million in U.S. funding in 2021—routinely obstructs UNIFIL operations and access.
According to U.N. reports, the LAF prevented UNIFIL from “expanding its presence outside main routes and municipal centres,” implausibly claiming that proposed patrol routes were either private property or strategically important to the army. Among these off-limits sites are Hezbollah’s so-called “Green without Borders” alleged environmental NGO sites that serve as military bases as well as exposed entrances to the militia’s attack tunnels into Israel. Worse, the LAF and successive governments in Beirut have proved reticent to cooperate in investigations and hold accountable the perpetrators of the growing number of assaults against U.N. personnel. The government of Lebanon and UNIFIL itself have likewise refused to cooperate in the investigation of the 2021 murder of U.S. civil society grant recipient and Hezbollah critic Lokman Slim, who was abducted just yards away from a UNIFIL outpost in south Lebanon.
Despite its ongoing and problematic collusion, coordination, and deconfliction with Hezbollah, Washington continues to provide considerable and unconditional military assistance to the LAF. The Biden administration is also innovating a mechanism via the U.N., to pay LAF troops—that is, the same force working with and on behalf of Hezbollah and obstructing UNIFIL—with cash stipends.
Four decades on, UNIFIL’s mission has clearly become untenable. Not only is the organization ineffective, the deployment serves as a key driver of the economy in south Lebanon, employing and sustaining Hezbollah’s supporters and constituents. At $500 million a year—$125 million of which is paid by Washington—the deployment is also expensive. Already, the force is in harm’s way, and during the inevitable next war between Israel and Hezbollah, this 10,000-strong contingent will provide the militia with an impressive human shield.
Recognizing these deficits, in 2020, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened to veto UNIFIL’s renewal in the Security Council if changes weren’t made to the mandate to improve the security situation along the border. Judging from Hezbollah’s aggressive response to even the slightest amendment to the mandate’s language, it’s unlikely these changes would have improved UNIFIL’s performance.
Absent these revisions, the Trump administration pressed to downsize the force, consistent with its limited mission. But stiff opposition on the Security Council, particularly from France, prevented this proposed change to the mandate. Then with the August 2020 Beirut port explosion—which killed over 200 and decimated the capital—the administration balked, dropping any talk of vetoing the mandate renewal. In the end, it settled for strengthening the organization’s reporting requirements and symbolically lowering the troop cap from 15,000 to 13,000 peacekeepers
While UNIFIL provides a useful forum for talks between the Israeli and Lebanese militaries, and its maritime task force is beneficial, the peacekeepers will never play a role in constraining Hezbollah or securing the frontier. Making matters worse, neither the government of Lebanon nor the LAF will fulfill their U.N. obligation to support and protect the organization. Notwithstanding the enormous sums of U.S. funding provided to the LAF since 2006, the Lebanese military remains and will continue to remain beholden to Hezbollah. And Hezbollah’s sponsors in Tehran have zero interest in securing the Lebanese-Israeli border. As a result, south Lebanon remains volatile and UNIFIL isn’t helping. To wit, just weeks ago, Israel downed yet another Hezbollah drone in its airspace.
Three years into a devastating man-made economic crisis and months into a vacuum in the presidency in Beirut, Washington and Paris—the Security Council penholder for UNIFIL—are sure to resist significant changes in the status quo. Indeed, the annual French refrain during mandate renewal discussions has long been “now is not a good time.” To be sure, when it comes to Lebanon, which exists in a perennial state of crisis, there will never be a good time. But now, with Hezbollah increasingly threatening UNIFIL and with Lebanon actively obstructing the mission, it’s incumbent on the Biden administration to reassess the utility of the deployment and of America’s unqualified support for the LAF.
Given its deficiencies, a compelling argument could be made to scrap UNIFIL entirely. Washington could do so simply by vetoing the organization’s mandate renewal this summer—as the Pompeo State Department nearly did. Notwithstanding its shortcomings, however, Israel continues to support the persistence of UNIFIL, believing that the so-called tripartite mechanism, the maritime task force, and the continued presence of some peacekeepers along the frontier may be useful in deescalating tensions.
While the administration may not be able to dispense with UNIFIL, it’s time to downsize the deployment so its size is commensurate with the limited access the organization has in south Lebanon. It will take some heavy diplomatic lifting for Washington to right-size this self-perpetuating interim U.N. bureaucracy, but the effort will be worth it. Reducing UNIFIL will mitigate the risk to the peacekeepers while having only a negligible impact on stability along the Israel-Lebanon frontier. Along the way, it might even convey the message that Washington’s patience with an impotent UNIFIL and intransigent Beirut is limited.
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/unifil-follies-turn-deadly-lebanon
*David Schenker is the Taube Senior Fellow and director of the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The Great Powers Are Not So Strong
Robert Ford/Asharq Al-Awsat/January, 25/2023
News from Ukraine, China and the United States last week again reminded me that we are going into a new world system where no country will dominate and the need for wise diplomacy to prevent war is greater. As we near the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it more obvious than ever that Russia is a declining power. Putin’s Russia could not conquer Ukraine despite Russia’s population being three times the size of Ukraine’s and its economy almost ten times bigger. Russian technology and organization are inferior and corruption in its system is terrible.
Worse for Russia, its population is declining – it dropped by a million in 2021 and by another half million in the first part of 2022. Younger, educated workers fleeing the war in 2022 is part of the reason for the decline. Putin will have huge difficulty fixing these problems. Probably he cannot. Although Washington is busy with the Ukraine war, most American analysts focus not on Russia but instead on China. Last week we saw also an important sign of growing Chinese weakness: China’s population decreased for the first time since 1961. The decrease was only 850,000 from a population of 1.4 billion, but the population will continue to shrink.
A United Nations report last year estimated China’s population will decrease by 109 million by 2050; a report from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences anticipates China’s population will fall to 600 million by the end of the century.
As the population decreases, the labor force also will shrink and at the same time the number of retired workers in China will grow. Economic growth which came from abundant, cheap workers will slow, tax revenues will decrease and the Chinese government will have to spend more for pensions and health care. Although Beijing can spend much on the military now, in the long-term it will have fewer financial resources for its military.
The Americans cannot celebrate, however. Last week the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party in the House of Representatives threatened to block the Treasury Department from borrowing more money. Without more borrowing, the Treasury must reduce spending for civilian and military programs. At the same time, interest rates on American bonds will soar and, in the end, we will see a major shock to the American and world economy.
It is amazing what chaos twenty hardline conservative members of Congress could do. However, their primary concern is justified. The Chinese will have to worry about paying for pensions and health care, but so does the United States because American government statistics show that the number of Americans over the age of 65 will almost double to 95 million by 2060. Already pensions and health care eat half the American annual budget.
Probably the Treasury Department can escape a major financial crisis until early summer so there is still time for the Congress and the President to find a solution. Even if we avoid a financial crisis in 2023, America still has a fundamental financial weakness as its society ages. It is hard to see how in the long-term the American military budget can continue to eat more than one-fourth of our government budget with money borrowed from American and international capital networks.
American, Chinese or Russia power will not dominate the future world like the Americans after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Instead, other rising powers will have wide space to maneuver and negotiate.
India, for example, will soon have the largest population of any country in the world. (As historian Niall Ferguson has written, population alone is not an indicator of global power. Indonesia has the world’s fourth largest population, but it is not the world’s fourth power.)
Some international companies already are avoiding China and putting their investment projects in other countries like India; some economists call this changing supply change “reglobalization.”
At the same time, Russia and China have provoked Europeans and Japan to increase the size of their militaries. They want close American military alliances against the Russian and Chinese threats, but at the same time they will use the World Trade Organization to block America-first trade policies. China is buying more Iranian oil and the Indian (and Turkish) policy to maintain good political and commercial relations with Russia despite American unhappiness are more examples of the emerging multipolar world system.
Putin erred when he thought he could exploit the divisions in this new system to capture Ukraine. He expected more help from China and less unity in the West. His misunderstanding shows that changes in global power balances, or just a mistaken perception of a change in relative power, will raise the risks of war and emphasizes the requirement for accurate intelligence and wise diplomacy to maintain global balances and stability.
*Robert Ford is a former US ambassador to Syria and Algeria and a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute for Near East Policy in Washington

The Libyan Capital is Captive to Militias
Dr. Jebril El-Abidi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 January, 2023
Militias are enemies of the Libyan people. We will see the day when they are gotten rid of and each and every one of their members is held accountable. Tripoli, the bride of the Mediterranean, which has always been praised by poets and adored by its visitors, set a precedent with its civilized urban development in the sixties. However, over the past decade, it has been languishing under the weight of criminality and plunder. Since the state fell in 2011 because of NATO strikes on Libyan army bases, militias of all kinds that have an array of affiliations have managed to penetrate and control the capital Tripoli.
Tripoli is neither secure nor safe. You could be murdered in cold blood by criminals stealing your car or even your phone or wallet. These are all reasons to kill you in cold blood. You could also be kidnapped and held for ransom. Neither children nor the elderly nor women are off limits. They could also be kidnapped and murdered. You could also be killed because of your identity, be it your political beliefs or your tribal and religious group.
The militias of divergent creeds and allegiance see all of these affiliations as justifications for spilling your blood, taking your money, burning your home, or even demolishing it, to say nothing about the secret prisons where militias detain their opponents and those who stand up to their tyranny. Despite all of these heinous crimes committed over the past decade, the international community has met the militias' brutality with silence. In fact, the international community protected them when the Libyan army decided to purify the capital. It hit the Libyan army with drones and missiles launched from the sea to protect the militias in control of the capital who had turned its residents into human shields.
The militias, especially the ideological ones established by foreign powers, are proxies furthering the interests of those powers in Libya and neighboring countries. From the Muslim Brotherhood and their militias, which had originally been the "Libyan branch of al-Qaeda", to the alliance of criminal gangs and fugitives of Libyan state prisons who had escaped after the anti-regime protests of February 2011, to the "revolutionary" militias- a broad and vague term that applies to anyone "rebelling" against the law.
These militias continued to proliferate until more than 300 armed militias that were based in Libya. While some claim they are under the state's control, either through the ministries of Interior, Justice, Defense, and others, that is simply untrue, and several incidents witnessed over the past years have proven that none of them are under the control of the government in Tripoli.
The map of the militias operating in Tripoli is complex, and it is difficult to disentangle them, especially those founded on regional identities whose members all hail from the same city or tribe.
The Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade, Al-Halbous Brigade, Al-Mahjoub Brigade, the Al-Morsi Brigade, Sawa'iq, and Al-Qaqaa all claim to be "revolutionaries." Because of their regional composition or ideological commitments, these groups cannot form a national army unless they are dissolved and reconstituted into a diverse national force that includes all tribes and regions.
Questions have thus arisen about the capacity of the capital, Tripoli, to withstand remaining hostage to militias after these ten years, which have been the darkest decade in modern Libyan history. Tripoli is close to boiling point, and this threatens the population. It has become overcrowded, and the problem is especially pronounced during every attempt to control the capital, which has been under the control of a broad array of volatile militias with divergent loyalties, especially the opportunistic ones who are effectively mercenaries selling their services to the highest bidder.
The militias came to control the capital, Tripoli, shortly after the February 2011 "revolution" began. This "revolution" ended up leading to chaos and the proliferation of arms, but there has nonetheless been no real effort to bring order on the part of the United Nations and NATO. In fact, the latter is primarily responsible for bringing down the Libyan state and devastating the Libyan national army under the pretext of overthrowing the Gaddafi regime, and their actions brought down the state before the regime.
Militias continue to run Tripoli amid inaction and disinterest from the United Nations and the international community. They will create regional, if not global, threats in the foreseeable future, especially given the illegal immigration off the Libyan coast, which is only a few hundred miles away from Southern Europe, which can be accessed from there using small fishing boats.
Militias control everything in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. They have continued to blackmail governments and share ministries among themselves. They eventually came to make ministerial decisions and control entire ministries. They have crossed all the lines, and the government should leave Tripoli and set up a capital in exile instead of remaining captives to militia princelings, who now have a quota for every position, even ambassadors and attaches in foreign embassies. The real and only way to regain control of Tripoli from the militias’ control is to cleanse the capital of these militias. Otherwise, Tripoli, its people, and its government will remain captives of the militias, the government will go into exile, or the capital will be temporarily changed to a city free of militias influence.