English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 19/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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15 آذار/2023

Bible Quotations For today
I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need
Letter to the Philippians 04/08-14/:”Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it. Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress.”
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Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on May 18-19/2023
The May 17, 1983, agreement between Lebanon and Israel was a fair opportunity for peace that Lebanon lost/With the Agreement textظElias Bejjani/May 17/2023
Demands grow for dismissal of Lebanese central bank governor amid economic crisis
LF calls government to appoint new Central Bank Governor
Salameh stands ready for legal challenges, commits to currency stability, announces term-end departure
Bassil 'hurt' by Hezbollah, finds 'common ground' with opposition
Franjieh supporters expect his election after Arab Summit
How will PSP, Sunni and Change blocs vote?
Frem intends to officially declare his presidential nomination
Mikati: No Saudi, int'l aid for Lebanon before reforms
MP says FPM trying to be 'bridge between Defiance camp and opposition'
Behind the lens: Uncovering the challenges faced by journalists and photographers in Lebanon
Health Ministry's circular sends solid message to pharmacies across Lebanon
General Security confirms that it has enough passports to meet all requests
Scent of tradition lingers in Lebanon's 'village of roses'
Makary meets 'National Intellectual Forum' delegation
Archbishop Soueif meets French Ambassador
Oil prices ease on caution over US debt ceiling talks
Bou Habib meets Arab counterparts on sidelines of Arab Summit
Berri broaches situation with Bou Saab, meets Lebanon's Ambassador to Germany, Liwaa newspaper Editor- in-Chief
Mikati and accompanying ministerial delegation arrive in Jeddah to participate in Arab Summit
USAID Celebrates Closing of Workforce Development Project to Enhance Access to Quality Technical and Vocational Education for More than 1,000...
Lebanon’s problems are not always due to sectarianism/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/May 18, 2023

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 18-19/2023
Arab leaders, including Syria’s al-Assad, arrive in Jeddah for Arab League summit
Leaders including Assad arrive in Jeddah for Arab League Summit
Assad heads to KSA for regional summit, sealing country's return to Arab fold
Hope and anger as Saudi-based Syrians await Assad visit
Iran ‘never’ considered Saudi Arabia as an enemy: President Raisi
Jordan’s King Abdullah II urges ‘close cooperation’ to address challenges facing Arab countries
Israeli settlers and politicians storm Al-Aqsa ahead of far-right march
Israel deploys heavy police presence ahead of contentious Jerusalem march
Ukraine says it advances, repels Russia attacks at Bakhmut
Russia targets Kyiv, Odesa with missiles, Ukraine says most were shot down
All targets 'destroyed' in overnight Ukraine strikes: Russia
Visit of African peacekeeping mission to Moscow being prepared, says Russian envoy
At Japan's G7 summit, the big elephants are China and Russia
New Pentagon missile defense radar is delayed and over budget, GAO says
Senators introduce bill to scrap last nuclear arms treaty with Russia
“Treaties aren’t effective when one party lies and cheats,” Senator Marco Rubio said.
Tunisian president evokes 'tolerance' after synagogue attack
UN envoy cautiously optimistic Yemen parties will resume UN-led negotiations


Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 18-19/2023
Blasphemy in European Parliament. They respect anyone but not Christians/Catholic Block spot/May 18, 2023
Dithering Biden is Seriously Harming Ukraine's Victory Prospects/Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute./May 18, 2023
A deal with Russia on Syria could shorten the war in Ukraine/Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/May 18, 2023
The disastrous consequences of Dagalo’s Sudan coup attempt/Ali Mohamed Ahmed Osman/Arab News/May 18, 2023
Syria needs Gulf states for stability and security/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/May 18, 2023
Tunisia Can “Bounce Back” from Authoritarianism with Proper Support/Sabina Henneberg, Sarah Yerkes/The Washington Institute/May 18/2023

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 17-18/2023
The May 17, 1983, agreement between Lebanon and Israel was a fair opportunity for peace that Lebanon lost/With the Agreement text
Elias Bejjani/May 17/2023

https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/118293/118293/
Today, Lebanon remembers the May 17 peace agreement that was signed by the Lebanese and Israeli states on May 17, 1983, during the reign of President Amin Gemayel, and Prime Minister Shafiq Al-Wazzan, after through and arduous negotiations, through which the skilled Lebanese negotiators managed to succeed par excellence in consolidating and preserving all the elements of sovereignty and rights. And most importantly securing complete unconditional, peaceful withdrawal of the Israeli army from all Lebanese territories.
The agreement was supported by the majority of the Lebanese people, the Presidency of the Republic, the Council of Ministers, and the parliament. It was also welcomed by most Arab countries, and all countries of the free world. It was indeed a great and irreplaceable opportunity to establish true peace in the Middle East region in general, and between Lebanon and Israel in particular.
However, through its Local cancerous influence on armed Lebanese groups, mercenaries, merchants of the false resistance, leftists and fundamentalists, the Syrian Baathist regime thwarted the agreement and forcibly prevented its implementation. The Syrian regime did not want Lebanon to have peace with Israel in a bid to maintain its barbaric occupation and hegemony.
The Syrian Baathist regime, as well as the current Iranian occupier continue striving to keep Lebanon an open arena for absurd wars, a mailbox for their fiery terrorist messages, and a negotiating and bargaining chip. Syria and Iran falsely claim to be anti - Israel, and use this camouflaging and deceiving tag as an excuse to freely oppress their people and remain in power.
The May 17 agreement, was and still is a need, because the Lebanese want peace, stability and prosperity for their country, just as the Egypt, Jordan, Sudan Morocco, and the majority of the Arabian Gulf states did through peace agreements with Israel. However the Baathist Syria and Iranian mullahs' regimes, along with all merchants of the resistance, the Leftist and fundamentalists, thwarted the May 17 agreement by force, and they are still continuing to impose the same dirty plot on Lebanon and the Lebanese, but with different faces and under new malicious titles.
Certainly, Lebanon will not obtain from Israel at any time, and under any circumstances a peace agreement with better terms and conditions than the May 17 agreement one, therefore all those mercenary mouthpieces who attack the agreement must shut up and swallow their sharp tongues that are only fluent in a wooden language and in all arts of lies, hypocrisy, blasphemy, fabrication, and transgression against others... at the forefront of those are Iran, Hezbollah and their Lebanese mercenaries.
Yes, Lebanon has the right, legally and nationally, for striving to preserve its interests, security, sovereignty and independence, and that was exactly the main goal of the May 17 agreement, which unfortunately was thwarted by the Syrian regime, the resistance merchants and terrorists.
In conclusion, All Patriotic Lebanese leaders are required to put an end to their hypocrisy, trading with the blood and the livelihood the Lebanese, and work hard to serve both their people and country through forging real peace with all countries, including the state of Israel, as the majority of Arab countries did. And YES, The Lebanese have the right to enjoy peace and tranquility in a state that resembles them, and does not resemble the axis of evil, Syrian and Iranian regimes.

Demands grow for dismissal of Lebanese central bank governor amid economic crisis
Najia Houssari/Arab News/May 18/2023
BEIRUT: Ten reformist MPs issued a joint statement on Thursday demanding the immediate removal of Riad Salameh from his position as central bank governor. The MPs condemned Salameh’s approach of “financing the policies of successive governments without accountability” and pledged to form a parliamentary investigation committee. Lebanese newspaper Al-Nahar reported on Thursday that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati requested Salameh’s resignation in a letter. It said, however, that the governor categorically refused to step down before the end of his term in July as that would be an “admission of (guilt regarding) the accusations against him, which is unacceptable.” A judicial source said the Lebanese Public Prosecution had not yet received any memorandum from France over 48 hours after the issuance of the French judicial decision to prosecute and arrest Salameh. “If the memo arrives, the Lebanese judiciary will request Salameh’s case, which is with the French judiciary, to know the charges against him,” the source said. Consequently, Salameh would be tried in Lebanon and before the Lebanese judiciary, the source added, and would not be handed over to the French authorities, as happened with Lebanese businessman Carlos Ghosn. The French judge responsible for investigating Salameh’s funds and assets in Europe, Aude Buresi, issued an international arrest warrant against Salameh after he failed to attend his questioning session before a Paris court, which was scheduled for May 16. The European investigation — involving France, Germany, and Luxembourg — focuses on the relationship between Banque du Liban and Forry Associates, owned by the governor’s brother, Raja Salameh. The company is registered in the British Virgin Islands, with an office in Beirut, and is alleged to be a shell company used to transfer money out of Lebanon to European banks. It is suspected that more than $330 million were embezzled from the central bank through a grant contract with the company, in addition to illegal commissions from local Lebanese banks. Salameh did not appear before the first investigating judge, Charbel Abou Samra, in Beirut on Thursday as part of the Lebanese investigations. He — along with his brother Raja and his assistant Marianne Hoayek — has been indicted for crimes including embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, forgery, use of counterfeits, illicit enrichment, and tax evasion. The legal representatives of the accused appeared before Judge Abou Samra to inquire about the court’s response to the formal objections raised by them. They had demanded the removal of the Cases Authority at the Ministr of Justice from the case due to lack of jurisdiction.
Judge Abou Samra, however, rejected the objections, saying that the involvement of the Cases Authority in the lawsuit was legally justified. He also scheduled June 15 for Raja Salameh’s interrogation. The date for the interrogation of Riad Salameh and Hoayek will be determined later.
Salameh’s defense attorneys did not appeal Judge Abou Samra’s decision. Despite the charges against him, Salameh is still considered a suspect in the Lebanese investigations. The judicial source said that the issuance of the indictment made him an accused person, and the judgment made him a convicted person.
The demands for Salameh’s dismissal from his position grew on Thursday because of the judicial developments.
This step requires a Cabinet session, but there are differences of opinion regarding the legitimacy of holding such a meeting in light of the caretaker government and the presidential vacuum. Samir Hammoud, former head of the Banking Control Commission, said: “The decision to circulate Salameh’s name to Interpol seems to have been made in advance, and what is happening in the judiciary is still within the preliminary procedures.”Hammoud said Lebanon was experiencing an unprecedented financial crisis, ongoing in the context of the presidential vacuum, the presence of a caretaker government and the controversy over its powers to appoint a new central bank governor.
Ten reformist MPs issued a joint statement on Thursday demanding “the immediate removal of the accused, Riad Salameh, from his position.” The MPs questioned: “Is it acceptable for the person pursued in these heinous and dangerous crimes to remain at the helm of governance, given the powers granted to him to oversee the safety of the national currency and the financial system? “Is it acceptable for the Lebanese judiciary to engage in unpredictable adventures aimed at covering up the governor’s reluctance to attend investigation sessions in France?”
In the joint statement, opposition parties and groups emphasized that “the issuance of an international arrest warrant against Salameh is a crucial milestone in holding the ruling political and financial class accountable, which has become accustomed to general amnesty and impunity despite their numerous crimes against the Lebanese people.” They stressed that “the extremely serious and unprecedented charges against the governor of the central bank necessitate his immediate removal from his position.” The arrest warrant, they said, “represents a historic and very dangerous precedent for Lebanon’s financial reputation and evidence of the state’s decay due to the absence of accountability and supervision under the rule of the mafia and militia.” They added: “The governor must resign immediately, in compliance with the principle of responsibility and the relevant provisions of the Code of Money and Credit, which hold the pursued governor accountable for his dereliction of duty and gross mismanagement of affairs.” The opposition parties and groups hold the parliament responsible for the vacancy in the governorship of the central bank, as it has thus far failed to elect a president.
A president can serve as a gateway to reconstitute an executive authority with full powers to appoint a governor, they added.

LF calls government to appoint new Central Bank Governor
LBCI/May 18/2023
The media division of the Lebanese Forces Party has issued the following statement: Waiting for the end of the Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh's term is no longer feasible, as an international memorandum has been issued against him, making his resignation imperative, and the immediate appointment of a new governor for the Central Bank of Lebanon is necessary. Failure to do so would result in international entities ceasing to engage with him, exacerbating and complicating the financial crisis. The national crisis in Lebanon, characterized by the absence of a functioning state, has also severely impacted the financial sector, reaching catastrophic levels. Swift action is required to address this issue, with the role of the central bank governor being pivotal in resolving the crisis. In light of the internal and external developments surrounding Salameh, it is no longer in Lebanon's best interest to allow him to remain in his position until the end of his term. It has become imperative for him to resign immediately for the central bank to regain its responsibilities and role, free from the burdens associated with his continued presence. Despite being a caretaker, the government is urged to promptly appoint a new governor who can restore Lebanese and international confidence in this position. However, caution is advised against appointing individuals known for their questionable practices, particularly in a position of such sensitivity and significance. The role of the central bank governor carries great importance and rests on the success of the country's financial crisis management.

Salameh stands ready for legal challenges, commits to currency stability, announces term-end departure
LBCI/May 18/2023
In an exclusive interview with Al Hadath, Riad Salameh, the Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, stated that the country had been predicted to collapse after months of crisis. However, he stressed that it would not fall under his watch. Addressing the report from the World Bank about the Sayrafa platform, Salameh described it as "stupid". He asserted that deposits could return to their owners as is, far removed from populism. He vowed not to allow the bankruptcy of the banks and said that the Central Bank governor was being targeted because of fears of targeting politicians. He mentioned that his deputy at the Central Bank would assume his position after his term ends and he confirmed he would not remain in his position after his term concludes. In light of the allegations and investigations, he advised the judiciary to start with politicians and not with the Central Bank governor. He assured that if any judgment is issued against him, he would step aside. Salameh also addressed the Al-Qard Al-Hasan, an entity affiliated with Hezbollah, stating that it is not licensed by the Central Bank of Lebanon. He urged authorities who allowed this unlicensed operation to be held accountable. While he referred to the legal process as unjust, he professed his preparedness to face it. He confirmed his readiness to attend any investigative session notified to him properly. In response to the recent uproar around French investigations, Salameh dismissed them as baseless. He added that they had asked the French judge to notify them properly, a request which was declined. The governor reassured that the Central Bank would intervene and would not allow further exchange rate fluctuations. Investigations by the International Monetary Fund, he added, show no falsification in the budgets of the Central Bank of Lebanon. Finally, he mentioned that the notification by the French judge was not according to the proper procedures of the agreement between Lebanon and France. In closing, Salameh indicated the Central Bank's readiness to purchase all local currency in the market.

Bassil 'hurt' by Hezbollah, finds 'common ground' with opposition
Naharnet /May 18/2023
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil is deeply hurt by Hezbollah, he told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, in remarks published Thursday. "There is a big disagreement" Bassil said, adding that the country needs to resist through its economy and the dignity of its people, and not just through arms.
Yet, there is no divorce between the two parties, as Bassil considered communication a must. "Communication with the Axis of Defiance is not severed," Bassil said. "Dialogue over a presidential agreement is also making progress with the opposition parties, and there are points of agreement, on the names, the approach or the project," Bassil said, although he accused some parties of "stubbornness" that, according to him, led to an unneeded waste of time and delayed dialogue. "We have no other choice but consensus," Bassil said, stressing that if every party continues to challenge the other party by clinging to its candidate, the vacuum will drag on."

Franjieh supporters expect his election after Arab Summit
Naharnet/May 18/2023
The political parties that support Suleiman Franjieh’s presidential nomination are “very relieved” over the latest developments, a media report said on Thursday. Speaker Nabih Berri has “publicly expressed this relief,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported. “It is based on a host of indications linked to the Saudi efforts,” the daily added. “Franjieh’s election as president is expected to take place after the Arab Summit, specifically between May 20 and June 15, as a reflection of the calm regional atmosphere that is expected to be achieved by the Summit after the latest regional reconciliations,” the pro-Franjieh sources expected.

How will PSP, Sunni and Change blocs vote?
Naharnet/May 18/2023
Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat had recently suggested the addition of ex-MP Salah Honein to the list of the proposed presidential candidates, but Free Patriotic Movement leader Jebran Bassil rejected the suggestion, seeing as Honein’s nomination would “provoke” Hezbollah, a media report said. “Jumblat then agreed to (Jihad) Azour’s nomination and asked his bloc to vote for him, but he told the bloc’s members that he would await the decision of the Christian blocs,” al-Akhbar newspaper quoted informed sources as saying in remarks published Thursday. “As for the Sunni MPs bloc, its members told those who contacted them from the three Christian blocs that they have decided to delay their stance until after a session is scheduled,” the sources said. “They stressed that they will not be part of any camp and that they have aspects that concern them which might not make them unified in voting,” the sources added. The Sunni MPs, however, emphasized that they “will not be part of any decision to block the quorum.” As for the Change bloc, some of them are supporting Honein, some are backing Azour while some are “rejecting any candidate on whom the parties of the political establishment might agree, be them from Hezbollah or its rivals.”

Frem intends to officially declare his presidential nomination
Naharnet/May 18/2023
MP Neemat Frem has said that he intends to officially announce his presidential nomination. According to al-Akhbar newspaper, Frem expressed his intention during a dinner banquet that he held at his home last week. The dinner was attended by a number of MPs, including Alain Aoun, Fouad Makhzoumi and Melhem Riachi, in addition to ex-MP Hadi Hbeish and a number of economists. Frem told the attendees that he is awaiting the “right moment” to make the announcement, the daily said. “Frem has been quoted as saying that he believes that he would be the second choice when Jihad Azour’s nomination gets dropped, because contrary to the latter, he enjoys the ability to draw votes from the other camp, especially Hezbollah,” the newspaper said. “He has carried out contacts and meetings with Hezbollah officials, which he kept under wraps in order not to harm his chances,” the daily added.

Mikati: No Saudi, int'l aid for Lebanon before reforms

Naharnet/May 18/2023
There will be no solution and no aid for Lebanon before reforms are carried out, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said. Mikati told Saudi al-Riyadh daily, in remarks published Thursday, that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has told him that Saudi Arabia will support Lebanon on the condition that it implement reforms, elect a new president, and take all measures to prevent any action that would harm the Saudis, like drug smuggling. Mikati said he sensed from all his meetings abroad that there is almost complete unanimity that there will be no aid for Lebanon before reforms are implemented.

MP says FPM trying to be 'bridge between Defiance camp and opposition'

Naharnet/May 18/2023
MP Salim Aoun of the Free Patriotic Movement has stressed that “the FPM does not intend to move from one alignment to another, because Lebanon’s structure necessitates consensus over the presidential juncture, not confrontation.” “The FPM is trying to be a bridge between the (Hezbollah-led) Defiance (camp) and the opposition in order to reach common denominators,” Aoun said in an interview with Radio All of Lebanon. Expecting the presidential vacuum period to protract, the MP said that “the FPM’s mission is not easy.” Aoun also denied that “the FPM backpedaled after endorsing ex-minister Jihad Azour,” noting that “things have not yet reached the stage of agreeing on a candidate.”

Behind the lens: Uncovering the challenges faced by journalists and photographers in Lebanon
LBCI/May 18/2023
Between their duty to document and cover events and the economic crisis plaguing the country, photographers and journalists in the media field are working. But where are their social and economic rights?
Shocking numbers published by the Samir Kassir Foundation reveal:
- 84% of journalists and photographers do not receive a decent living wage.
- 38% of journalists have verbal contracts, as they need to work in multiple media institutions to secure additional income.
- The numbers also indicate that 37% of journalists reported that their transportation expenses during event coverage are not reimbursed.
- Furthermore, 34% of journalists and photographers do not have health insurance or any form of coverage.
Regarding arbitrary dismissals, 71% of cases were collective due to the closure of the media institution, and approximately 67% of those who received full compensation were paid at an exchange rate of 1,500 Lebanese lira.
The study also found that 60% of photojournalists use their personal equipment while working. Since protective equipment such as helmets and bulletproof vests are expensive in Lebanon, most of them do not wear such gear to ensure their safety while working. The media institutions participating in the study conducted by the Samir Kassir Foundation confirmed that they respect the journalists' employment contracts during their daily work, including adherence to salary payments and flexible working hours. They also stated that they are working on developing internal policies within the institution to improve daily work conditions.

Health Ministry's circular sends solid message to pharmacies across Lebanon
LBCI/May 18/2023
In a time when many pharmacists have disregarded regulations and ethical standards, turning the profession into a business, the daily life of Lebanese citizens has become a constant search for affordable medicine. However, most of the time, they do not receive what they're looking for. The greed to achieve unlawful profits at the expense of patients' medication has backfired on its perpetrators. That is what happened at this pharmacy. The red wax stamp and the closure were carried out after the Health Ministry discovered that the pharmacy did not adhere to the price index set daily on the MedLeb application. What happened here on Tuesday served as a warning for all pharmacists. After confirming that the pharmacist manipulated drug prices and sold them higher than the official price index, the Ministry warns that any pharmacy following suit will face legal action. The Order of Pharmacists quickly circulated the news of the Health Ministry closure of the pharmacy in the Bouchrieh real estate area through WhatsApp groups dedicated to pharmacists, demanding compliance with the laws and price index. Otherwise, the syndicate will not cover anyone. Will the commitment and adherence to the official price index be officially enforced among pharmacists? To ensure that pharmacies in Lebanon adhere to the price index set by the Health Ministry, it is recommended to download the MedLeb patient guide on their mobile phones, which allows access to all the information related to medication, especially its selling price. We asked several pharmacies about the medications, some of which adhere 100% to the Ministry's index, especially after the syndicate's circular. In contrast, others refused to answer our questions or stated that those medications were unavailable. Here, the search for the truth begins.

General Security confirms that it has enough passports to meet all requests
LBCI/May 18/2023
Lebanon's General Directorate of General Security confirmed that it has enough passports to meet all requests at home and abroad and appealed to citizens to make way for those forced to obtain it while emphasizing that every Lebanese is eligible to have a passport.
In this context, the General Security said the following: - The daily capacity for printing is 3,000 passports, while the number of citizens who come daily to general security centers exceeds 5,000. - About 80 percent of the completed passports have not been used yet, meaning that the reasons for rushing to obtain passports are not justified, especially when they are available in sufficient quantities.Based on these facts, the General Directorate of General Security appealed to Lebanese citizens that the Directorate bore the responsibility of securing the rights of citizens and asked the citizens not to rush in front of the centers to obtain passports, except for those who are in dire need of it.

Scent of tradition lingers in Lebanon's 'village of roses'
Agence France Presse/May 18/2023
On a gentle slope looking out over Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, villagers work their way across pink-dotted terraces, gathering perfumed Damask roses that are used for essential oils, sweets and cosmetics. The rose harvest "gives you a bit of hope, it makes things beautiful, it calms you down -- it gives you strength to carry on", said Leila al-Dirani, picking the flowers from her family's land in the village of Qsarnaba. A soft bag tied around her waist and her hands scratched from the thorns, the 64-year-old plucks the small, pink buds from their bushes as their rich and heady scent wafts across the hill. The oil derived from the famed Damask rose --- named after the ancient city of Damascus located just across the mountain range separating Lebanon and Syria -- is a staple of perfumers. Experts swear by the flower's therapeutic properties in fighting infection and as a relaxant, while rose water is used across the Middle East both as a refreshing drink, in sweets such as Turkish delight, to scent mosques and even to bestow luck at weddings. After a morning collecting roses, the workers in Qsarnaba drop their fragrant bundles at a warehouse in the village where they are paid based on their harvest. At the facility carpeted with pink petals, Zahraa Sayed Ahmed -- whose first name means "flower" -- buys the raw materials to produce her rose water, syrup, tea and jam. Around four years ago, she set up a small workshop at her house, using a traditional metal still that "belonged to my grandfather", said Sayed Ahmed, 37.
'Roses help put food on the table'
With a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of rose petals, she said she can make up to half a liter of rose water. She then also bottles and labels her modest production by hand, putting it on limited sale locally. "The production of rose water is a part of our heritage," said Sayed Ahmed. "In every home in Qsarnaba there is a still, even if it's just a small one." The rose season only lasts a few weeks, but it is a busy time for Qsarnaba's residents. "This year is the first year that we didn't bring workers to help us because the production is low and we couldn't afford it," said Hassan al-Dirani, 25, who has been picking the flowers alongside his mother, Leila. Since late 2019, Lebanon has been grappling with a devastating economic crisis that has seen the local currency collapse and pushed most of the population into poverty. "The rose harvest and all other harvests have lost about 80 percent of their value... because of the economic crisis," said local official Daher al-Dirani, who hails from the extended family that is the biggest in Qsarnaba. "But the roses help people put food on the table," he added.Exported from Syria to Europe for centuries since the time of the Crusades, the ancient Damask rose is also cultivated in countries including France, Morocco, Iran and Turkey. "Our village produces the most roses out of any village in Lebanon" and more than half of the country's rose water, Sayed Ahmed claimed proudly, as the captivating scent lingered in the air.
"Qsarnaba is the village of roses."

Makary meets 'National Intellectual Forum' delegation

NNA/May 18/2023
Caretaker Minister of Information, Ziad Makary, received, at his ministry office on Thursday, a delegation from the executive office of the ‘National Intellectual Forum’.The delegation handed Minister Makary the Forum’s founding document, and briefed him on the Forum’s activities in the various Lebanese regions. The delegation also invited Minister Makary to attend the workshop organized by the Forum on the Syrian displacement on May 30 at the Catholic Information Center.

Archbishop Soueif meets French Ambassador
NNA/May 18/2023
Archbishop of the Maronite Archdiocese of Tripoli, Bishop Youssef Soueif, on Thursday received at the Archdiocese in Tripoli, the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Grillo, accompanied by a delegation from the Embassy. Discussions touched on national, developmental and educational affairs, and means to strengthen cooperation in terms of implementing vital projects that create job opportunities for unemployed young men and women, according to a statement by the Archdiocese. Archbishop Soueif hailed the Ambassador’s efforts especially in developmental, social and educational matters.For her part, Ambassador Grillo stressed that France will spare no means to help Lebanon and its people, stressing her country's support for national dialogue and the implementation of a strategic vision to preserve Lebanon's uniqueness and stability, so that its people can live in safety and prosperity.

Oil prices ease on caution over US debt ceiling talks
Reuters/May 18/2023
Oil prices fell on Thursday as traders warily watched for signs of progress on talks to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, after surging nearly 3% in the previous session on optimism over U.S. fuel demand. Brent crude futures dipped 29 cents, 0.4%, to $76.67 a barrel as of 0705 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 32 cents to $72.51 a barrel. A sharp plunge in U.S. gasoline inventories due to demand surging to the highest levels since 2021, and optimism surrounding negotiations over the U.S. debt ceiling, helped the main crude benchmarks settle more than $2 higher on Wednesday.

Bou Habib meets Arab counterparts on sidelines of Arab Summit
NNA/May 18/2023
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Dr. Abdallah Bou Habib, on Thursday partook in the preparatory ministerial meeting for the 32nd Arab League Summit. Within this framework, Bou Habib held a series of bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Jordan, Syria, Oman, Emirates, Kuwait, and Algeria, as well as with the special envoy of the Russian foreign minister for Middle East affairs. Talks between Bou Habib and his Arab counterparts reportedly touched on bilateral relations, with special focus on the need to coordinate efforts to activate joint Arab action in light of Syria's return to the League of Arab States.

Berri broaches situation with Bou Saab, meets Lebanon's Ambassador to Germany, Liwaa newspaper Editor- in-Chief
NNA/May 18/2023
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Thursday received at the Second Presidency in Ain El-Tineh, Lebanon’s Amabssador to Germany Mustafa Adib. Speaker Berri also received Al-Liwaa newspaper Editor-in-Chief Salah Salam. This afternoon, Berri met with Deputy House Speaker, Elias Bou Saab, with whom he discussed the current general situation, political developments and legislative affairs. Bou Saab left without making any statement.

Mikati and accompanying ministerial delegation arrive in Jeddah to participate in Arab Summit
NNA/May 18/2023
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, arrived this afternoon in the city of Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, chairing the Lebanese delegation to the meetings of the thirty-second regular session of the Arab League Council at the summit level, which will be held tomorrow afternoon, Friday.
The Lebanese official delegation to the Summit includes Caretaker Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdallah Bou Habib, Industry Georges Bouchikian, Trade and Economy Minister Amin Salam, Tourism Walid Nassar, and Agriculture Dr. Abbas Hajj Hassan, in addition to Premier Mikati’s Diplomatic Adviser, Ambassador Boutros Asaker. The delegation will be joined by the Lebanese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Fawzi Kabbara, and the Lebanese Ambassador to the Arab League, Ali Al-Halabi. Greeting Prime Minister Mikati at King Abdulaziz International Airport had been Makkah Deputy Governor Prince Badr bin Sultan, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Lebanon’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Fawzi Kabbara, and Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari.

USAID Celebrates Closing of Workforce Development Project to Enhance Access to Quality Technical and Vocational Education for More than 1,000...
NNA/May 18/2023
On May 17, 2023, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Community Support Program (CSP), held a closing ceremony for its four-year workforce development project in Lebanon. Since 2019, USAID invested $7.3 million to improve the skills of and
employment opportunities for 1,087 unemployed or underemployed residents of vulnerable Lebanese communities. USAID Lebanon’s Mission Director Mary Eileen Devitt, representatives from other donor agencies, technical and vocational education training (TVET) institution partners, and
partner businesses attended the ceremony. In her remarks, USAID Mission Director Eileen Devitt stated, “For years, we have invested in training and mentoring for students and young entrepreneurs here in Lebanon. Whether through engaging them in municipal-community projects, or offering scholarships, or helping them achieve their business ideas, we are constantly striving to ensure that young Lebanese can access opportunities that can enhance their career prospects and allow them to contribute to the development of a strong and vibrant economy.”During the event, participants reflected on project achievements, witnessed student testimonials, and held a panel discussion on recommendations for future workforce development programing in Lebanon. These included continued stakeholder collaboration to enhance TVET’s institutional capacity, sustained coordination to develop a national action plan to reform the TVET sector and investing in efforts to continue addressing the negative stigma associated with TVET education. Through USAID’s workforce development project, CSP developed, adapted, and sought accreditation for five TVET curricula in three promising employment sectors: home-based health care, industrial repair and maintenance, and information and communication technology (ICT) in addition to a soft skills training course that was provided to all beneficiary students to improve their ability to compete for jobs. The courses are now available at CSP’s thirteen partner TVET institutes across Lebanon, where 1,052 job seekers aspiring to work in thesesectors – primarily from the North, South, and Beqaa Valley regions of Lebanon – benefitted from scholarships. In addition to full tuition coverage, scholarship recipients received health insurance, a monthly stipend for transportation, and a computer or tablet to facilitate
online learning. As part of its market-driven approach, CSP partnered with 48 private sector businesses and built linkages between them and the TVETs to facilitate graduates’ access to employment opportunities, resulting in more than 745 internship placements and full-time employment for 153 graduates. CSP also implemented an informative media campaign to raise awareness and improve public perceptions of TVET education which reached more than 1.5 million viewers.

Lebanon’s problems are not always due to sectarianism
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/May 18, 2023

I am surprised when listening to opposition leaders in Lebanon claiming that Hezbollah is blocking the election of the president. Indeed, one may ask who is the opposition and who is the ruling party? Hezbollah is in the government and, more importantly, in the parliament in charge of electing the next president. And so, if they are all together in the same government, who is really in charge? The answer lies in the famous “no victor and no vanquished” formula. In my opinion, it is the worst political formula there is. It may in theory sound good, but in practice it makes political leaders the winners and the population the losers. In fact, this formula is quite convenient for all political leaders. It is convenient because they can easily avoid accountability with their constituents and shift the blame. It gives Hezbollah what it wants. The armed militia can claim that it is not involved in politics but just has the notorious blocking third. And all the other political groupings can easily blame Hezbollah for not being able to achieve any reforms. And so, everyone can play make-believe politics, which, they always remind us, is better than a total vacuum, chaos or the burning down of the country.
This formula is causing the dead end in the presidential election. It is nevertheless not the only file preoccupying the Lebanese and facing a dead end. The other one is their lost deposits and the legal case against Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh. The first dead end is absolutely caused by the sectarian political system, but the second is not. The fact is that, despite what everyone claims, everything in Lebanon is not always due to sectarianism.
Starting with the election of a new president, everyone is focusing on what is happening outside Lebanon to determine the outcome inside the country. Yet, the reality is that all the political blocs have agreed to this status. They have agreed to have a system that cannot bring change; a system where each solution to a problem automatically causes the next problem. It never ends and nothing changes. It is like they feed off each other.
In order to get the votes to be able to form a government, a blocking third veto for Hezbollah was a necessity. And so, this was automatically going to stop any future positive change in the country. The same applies to the election of a president — a two-thirds majority is needed in the parliament. If this fails, then an absolute majority should be enough. The only problem is that the interpretation of the quorum needed changes according to the political affiliation. And so, once again, history will remember a deadlock, leaving Hezbollah as the final decision-maker.
This is why the advisers to French President Emmanuel Macron have chosen a cold and ruthless transactional pragmatism in their support of Suleiman Frangieh for the presidency. Macron engaged himself personally in this issue and this is the best way to bring about a diplomatic victory for France by filling the current vacuum. It is interesting to notice that, with the political downfall of Michel Aoun’s clan, the Christian political formations are now opposed to France, which has been their traditional foreign ally. This is a great symbol of the transactional politics of Lebanon. And so, the wait will continue until a deal is made that will almost certainly bring about the next problem for the country. We can also quickly notice how the sectarian political system is at the root of this situation.
The second “current thing” is the future of Salameh. And, here too, France plays a role, as it is leading the investigation into the corruption case. French prosecutors this week issued an arrest warrant for Salameh, who will appeal. The warrant followed his failure to attend a court hearing in Paris after the Lebanese authorities failed to hand him the official summons. Unable to question him about the alleged corruption charges, the prosecutors chose a non-transactional and direct approach.
Salameh is one man within an entire system. He may be an important one, but he is not its architect.
This will probably have no impact on the outcome of lost deposits. Yet, it puts pressure on the political class. The reality is that Salameh is one man within an entire system. He may be an important one, but he is not its architect. And the amounts stated in this corruption case are most probably his share of the Ponzi scheme. The important questions are who are the corruptors and where are they? These questions will not be answered. But if they were, it would prove that this is absolutely not a sectarian issue, but rather one of greed and abuse of the state.
It is very clear that the only losers in this state of affairs are the citizens, regardless of their confession. They are the ones who have lost their savings and have seen the value of their currency plummet. They are living through insecurity and hunger. They are living through abuse. They are being robbed of their dignity and their right to fight for a better future.
The “no victor and no vanquished” formula is just an illusion. The reality is that, by blurring the lines between ruling party and opposition, they have all become accomplices in a broken system. Whether willingly or not, they allow for the worst to happen: international interference, occupation, lack of accountability. And worst of all, they have allowed an armed militia to take over the country and its decision-making processes. They have fast-tracked this group’s international recognition and even promoted it.
*Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of Barbicane, a space-focused investment syndication platform. He is the CEO of EurabiaMedia and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 18-19/2023
Arab leaders, including Syria’s al-Assad, arrive in Jeddah for Arab League summit
Al Arabiya English/18 May ,2023
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived Thursday in Saudi Arabia to join an Arab League summit for the first time in more than a decade of war. Al-Assad “arrived at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to participate in... the Arab League summit” on Friday, Syrian state television reported. Leaders from Oman, Mauritania, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Lebanon, Palestine and Yemen also arrived in Jeddah to participate in the summit, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ahmed al-Ghazwani, arrived in Jeddah on Thursday to participate in the 32nd Arab Summit of the Council of the League of Arab States. (SPA)The President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ahmed al-Ghazwani, arrived in Jeddah on Thursday to participate in the 32nd Arab Summit of the Council of the League of Arab States. (SPA) The 22-member bloc suspended Syria in November 2011 over al-Assad’s deadly crackdown on protests which spiraled into a conflict that has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions. Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries either severed or downgraded ties with al-Assad at the time. But earlier this month, the pan-Arab body welcomed Damascus back, with host Saudi Arabia inviting al-Assad to Friday’s summit. Syrian pro-government newspaper al-Watan said al-Assad will likely meet “a number of leaders in bilateral meetings” Thursday evening and Friday morning. The last Arab League summit al-Assad attended was in 2010 in Libya. With AFP

Leaders including Assad arrive in Jeddah for Arab League Summit
Arab News/May 18, 2023
RIYADH: Arab leaders including Syrian President Bashar Assad have started to arrive in Jeddah ahead of the Arab League Summit that will be hosted by the Kingdom on Friday. First to arrive was Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, followed by Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Bahrain’s King Hamad, the President of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs Sayyid Asaad bin Tarik Al-Said, Tunisian President Kais Saied, and President Assad. After arriving in the port city, Bahrain’s king said the summit is a “good occasion” for leaders to consult, exchange opinions, and enhance joint coordination in order to support Arab action. King Hamad expressed his appreciation to King Salman for inviting Bahrain to participate in the summit and praised the bonds between their countries.

Assad heads to KSA for regional summit, sealing country's return to Arab fold
Associated Press/May 18, 2023
Syrian President Bashar Assad headed to Saudi Arabia on Thursday to attend a regional summit, his first visit to the oil-rich kingdom since Syria's conflict began in 2011, the president's office said. Assad's attendance at the Arab League summit, which starts Friday, is expected to seal Syria's return to the Arab fold following a 12-year suspension and open a new chapter of relations after more than a decade of tensions. The 22-member league, which is convening in the Saudi city of Jeddah, recently reinstated Syria and is now poised to welcome Assad, a long-time regional pariah, back into the fold. The Syrian president was officially invited to attend the summit last week. During Syria's civil war, Saudi Arabia had been a key backer of armed opposition groups attempting to overthrow Assad. However, in recent months, Riyadh has called for dialogue to end the conflict that has killed half a million people and displaced half of Syria's pre-war population. Assad's troops have taken control of much of Syria thanks to his main allies Russia and Iran that helped tip the balance of power in his favor. Relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia had been turbulent since Assad took office in 2000, following the death of his late father and former president, Hafaz Assad. The two countries cut relations in 2012, at the height of Syria's conflict. Last week they agreed on reopening their embassies. In April, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visited Riyadh and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, visited Damascus and met with Assad. Mekdad also took part in Arab foreign ministers meeting in Jeddah on Wednesday ahead of the summit. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been pushing for peace in the region and over the past months, Riyadh has improved its relations with Iran, restored ties with Syria and is ending the kingdom's yearslong war in Yemen. Iran, a main backer of the Syrian government in the country's conflict, signed an agreement in China in March to resume relations with Saudi Arabia. The renewed Saudi-Iran ties are expected to have positive effects on Middle East countries where the two support rival groups. However, investments in war-torn Syria are unlikely as crippling Western sanctions against Assad's government remain in place and could prevent oil-rich Arab countries from rushing to release reconstruction funds. Washington has been strongly opposed to normalization of relations with Assad, saying a solution to Syria's conflict based on U.N. Security Council resolutions should happen first. Diplomatic contacts intensified between Damascus and Arab countries following the Feb. 6, earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria killing more than 50,000 people, including over 6,000 in Syria.

Hope and anger as Saudi-based Syrians await Assad visit
Agence France Presse/May 18/2023
Tributes to Syrian culture are everywhere at Riyadh's Damascu Cafe –- from the traditional bean stew on the menu to folk songs that pour from the speakers, name-checking the war-torn country's cities and towns. There's even a staffer who was hired for his resemblance to beloved Syrian comedian Duraid Lahham, and who spends long shifts posing for selfies with homesick customers. But while the crowds that flock to the cafe each day are united in love for their native country, they are sharply divided on whether their adopted home, Saudi Arabia, has done the right thing by welcoming President Bashar al-Assad to this week's Arab League summit. Some hope the move, which ends Assad's exile of more than a dozen years from the pan-Arab body, signals an easing of Syria's broader isolation and related economic hardship since the start of the war there in 2011. "We were waiting for this moment," said 37-year-old Syrian expat Hiba Sidawi. "It's a pain now to visit our country and see our family. War didn't bring us any added value." In the other camp are those who can't bear the thought of Assad on Saudi soil –- all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid riling both Saudi and Syrian officials. "I hate him! I hate him!" said one woman. "Let him come for what, what will he do? Will he fix things? Will he change the country? He's the one who needs to be changed. I want to say out loud I am against him but I have relatives in Syria, they will drag them all and kill them."
'Will he heal our pain?'
Saudi Arabia cut ties with Assad's government in 2012 in response to the brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests that triggered the civil war, which has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions. It was also the reason Syria was suspended from the Arab League. The steps leading to Syria's reintegration into the Arab fold go back to at least 2018, when the United Arab Emirates re-established ties with Damascus. But the process picked up speed after a deadly earthquake struck Syria and Turkey in February, prompting an influx of aid from the region. During the conflict, Saudi officials had openly championed Assad's ouster. But after the quake, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said a consensus was building in the Arab world that a new approach to Syria requiring negotiations with Damascus would be needed to address humanitarian crises. The two countries' foreign ministers have since exchanged visits, and Riyadh lobbied hard for Assad's invitation to Friday's summit in Jeddah. As waiters at Damascu sang birthday songs for a customer earlier this week, one man said news of Assad's impending arrival was nothing to celebrate. "How can I be optimistic about it? Whenever I look into his face, I remember how many people died because of him," he said. "Will he bring back our beloved who died? Will he heal our pain and injuries?" But Fatima, a diner, said the move stirred hopes of a return to pre-war normalcy, even though there is still no political resolution to the Syrian conflict.
"The main problem is travelling, imports and investment. Those are all things which have been closed," she said. "Now they will go back to normal and things will become better." Ahmed Abdulwahab, who performs at the cafe, said he shared Fatima's optimism. "In the past we were left alone... now we are coming back together," he said, referring to the Arab League. At the same time, he stressed that reintegration hardly undoes the pain of the past 12 years. "Any Syrian, when you talk to them about their country, you see tears in their eyes," he said. "It's more than sadness. It's like your heart is burning."

Iran ‘never’ considered Saudi Arabia as an enemy: President Raisi
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/18 May ,2023
Iran has “never” considered Saudi Arabia an enemy, President Ebrahim Raisi said on Thursday, adding that Israel is the “common enemy” of all Muslim countries. “We have never considered Saudi Arabia as our enemy. Based on the principled policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we consider the Zionist regime as a common enemy of the Islamic world,” Iranian state media quoted Raisi as saying during a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced that they had reached an agreement, brokered by China, to reestablish diplomatic relations after seven years of no formal ties. Under the deal, the two countries agreed to reopen embassies and consulates in each other’s territories and implement security and economic cooperation agreements that were signed over 20 years ago. Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in 2016 following an attack by pro-regime protesters on its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad. Last week, Iran’s finance minister traveled to Jeddah, marking the first visit by an Iranian official to Saudi Arabia since Riyadh and Tehran agreed to resume diplomatic relations. Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that Saudi Arabia had introduced its new envoy to Tehran, and that Iran will soon reciprocate by introducing its new envoy to Riyadh, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II urges ‘close cooperation’ to address challenges facing Arab countries
Arab News/May 18/2023
RIYADH: King Abdullah II of Jordan has expressed confidence in the success of the upcoming Arab League summit in Jeddah, anticipating the start of a new phase of Arab action based on a solid foundation of economic cooperation that benefits all parties. During an interview with Ghassan Charbel, editor-in-chief of the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, King Abdullah emphasized the need to address political challenges facing Arab nations, the foremost of which being the Palestinian cause. He stressed the importance of establishing an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders. “I am confident that the efforts of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have laid the groundwork for a successful summit, as everyone is committed to its success,” said King Abdullah. “What further strengthens my belief in its success is the conviction we have witnessed in recent months regarding the need to establish pan-Arab relations based on solid economic cooperation, ensuring tangible benefits for our people. “This would fortify our cooperation against occasional political divergences.”The Arab world faces a breadth of shared challenges regarding the environment, governance and development, which King Abdullah says will require greater regional collaboration to address. “Our countries face a range of challenges that necessitate close and profound cooperation, driven by mutual benefit,” he said. “These challenges include stimulating and developing the economy to create employment opportunities for future generations, advancing governance and reforms, combating corruption, addressing refugee and water issues, as well as illicit drugs, enhancing education and healthcare services, and tackling environmental concerns.” In particular, King Abdullah emphasized how deepening economic cooperation could open avenues of hope for the region’s youth and provide a solid foundation for stability and prosperity. With collaborative effort and effective planning, he said it is possible to improve regional standards of living, which have suffered as a result of conflicts and tensions. King Abdullah affirmed the strategic and historical nature of mutual ties between Jordan and Saudi Arabia, built on the principles of cooperation, consultation and pursuing stability through responsible policies. He also highlighted his excellent relations with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and expressed pride in witnessing the reforms and developments underway in Saudi Arabia, viewing the Kingdom’s endeavors as an inspiring example for other nations to follow. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman embraces Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein. (Crown Prince Hussein)
Embracing economic modernization, leveraging technology and engaging youth in the process, together with promoting culture, tourism and the arts, has positive impacts not only for the respective nation, but also for the surrounding region, he said. Highlighting the friendship and cooperation between the Saudi crown prince and Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan, King Abdullah said: “The aspirations, capabilities and hopes of this generation of Arab youth promise a brighter future for our countries.”In his concluding remarks, King Abdullah said he hopes the region will enjoy further opportunities to realize its collective potential, serve the development project and open avenues for prosperity and stability that serve the public interest.

Israeli settlers and politicians storm Al-Aqsa ahead of far-right march

Agencies/May 18/2023
Israeli settlers and politicians stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday morning, ahead of thousands taking to the streets of Jerusalem for a divisive annual ultra-nationalist march. Security officers cleared the Qibli prayer hall of Palestinian worshippers following the Fajr dawn prayers, according to sources cited by Palestinian media. At 7am local time, the Moroccan Gate (Bab al-Magharib) to Al-Aqsa's courtyards was opened and hundreds of settlers stormed the holy site. Several lawmakers were in there ranks, including Negev and Galilee Development Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, who belongs to the far-right Jewish Power party. Three MPs in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, Dan Illouz, Amit Halevi and Ariel Kallner, also partook. Al-Aqsa Mosque is an Islamic site where unsolicited visits, prayers and rituals by non-Muslims are forbidden, according to decades-long international agreements.
Israeli groups, in coordination with authorities, have long violated the delicate arrangement and facilitated raids of the site and performed prayers and religious rituals. Settlers who stormed the mosque on Thursday were reportedly given a tour of the courtyard before performing Talmudic rituals near the Dome of the Rock. The hill on which Al-Aqsa Mosque sits is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and is the site of the Jewish Temple destroyed by the Romans in the first century. Though many Jews believe it is forbidden to stand upon it, and the Status Quo agreement states Jewish prayer must also be avoided, far-right Israelis, most often settlers, have increasingly flouted these rules backed by Israeli authorities.

Israel deploys heavy police presence ahead of contentious Jerusalem march
Associated Press/May 18, 2023
Israel deployed over 2,000 police on Thursday for a march by flag-waving Jewish nationalists through the main Palestinian thoroughfare in Jerusalem's Old City, a contentious event that comes as tensions are already running high. Authorities say the beefed up security is a determined effort to ensure the march passes without violence. Police have decided to allow the thousands of marchers to take the traditional route through the Old City's Damascus Gate — despite an uptick in Israeli-Palestinian violence over the past year and heavy fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza last week. Early Thursday, hundreds of Jews were ascending to a sensitive Jerusalem site holy to both Jews and Muslims as part of the day's activities, visits the Palestinians view as provocative. Among them was at least one Israeli Cabinet minister from the country's right-wing government, according to Jewish activists leading the visits.
While Israeli officials describe the march as a festive parade, it has been marred by anti-Arab racist chants and violence toward local Palestinians by some of the marchers. Two years ago, it helped spark an 11-day war between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, and the Hamas militant group has urged Palestinians to confront the parade this year. Chief Supt. Yoram Segal, a senior Jerusalem police official, told reporters Wednesday that authorities were determined to prevent violence this time around. He said some 2,500 officers were being deployed throughout the area, both to ensure safety and to react quickly toward any potential violence.
"We are going to deal harshly with anyone who tries to disturb the peace," he said. He said past troubles were caused by a tiny minority of people, but said there there would be no tolerance for incitement or violence that could "endanger the people that are along the route or living along the route."Segal said police have been working "hand in hand" with Jewish and Palestinian community leaders to keep things peaceful. He also confirmed that there had been a number of pre-emptive arrests of people who were believed to be planning violent disruptions. He declined to elaborate. The march marks "Jerusalem Day," which celebrates Israel's capture of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its eternal capital, but its annexation of the eastern sector, home to the city's most important holy sites, is not internationally recognized. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as capital of their future state.
Each year, thousands of Israeli nationalists participate in the march, waving blue and white Israeli flags and singing songs. But in some cases, protesters chant anti-Arab slogans as they pass by Palestinian onlookers and businesses. Israel's national security minister, far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, has joined the march in past years. It was not known whether he would join this year, his first as a Cabinet minister. On Wednesday, Gaza's ruling Hamas militant group called on Palestinians to oppose the parade. "We ask the people of Jerusalem to mobilize the masses to confront the march of the flags in Jerusalem tomorrow," said Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas official in Gaza.
Hamas urged Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and inside Israel to "clash with the occupation." It also said it would hold a demonstration, with people waving Palestinian flags along Gaza's heavily fortified frontier with Israel. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the Palestinian president, said allowing the march to snake through the Palestinian areas of the Old City "will only lead to a rise in tension and could lead to an explosion." In a test ahead of the parade, about 300 Jews were visiting Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site early Thursday, according to Beyadenu, an activist group that promotes Jewish visits to the site. Police were seen escorting groups of Jewish visitors walking through the compound and several coalition lawmakers also arrived at the site. The hilltop compound is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, home to the ancient Jewish Temples, and is the holiest site in Judaism. Palestinians revere it as the Noble Sanctuary, and today it is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam. Under longstanding agreements, Jews are permitted to visit the site but not pray there. But an increase in such visits, along with scenes of some Jews quietly praying, have raised concerns among Palestinians that Israel is trying to alter the status quo — a charge Israel denies. The competing claims to the site lie at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and often spill over into violence, including the 2021 war between Israel and Hamas.
The parade comes as fighting in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem is at its highest level in two decades. It also comes just days after a cease-fire took effect ending five days of heavy fighting between Israel and the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza. Hamas stayed on the sidelines during the fighting, and Israel avoided attacking the group in an effort by both sides to contain the violence. But if unrest erupts in Jerusalem, Hamas could enter the fray. Two years ago, weeks of unrest in Jerusalem erupted into the 11-day war during the parade. "The resistance is ready to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque and prevent the Judaization of Jerusalem," al-Masri said.

Ukraine says it advances, repels Russia attacks at Bakhmut
Reuters/18 May ,2023
Ukraine said it had repelled a day of Russian attacks in and around the ruined eastern city of Bakhmut on Thursday and made gains of a kilometer in some places while buying time for “certain planned actions.”While Russia boosted its forces in the city, attacked the suburbs to the north and engaged in fierce fighting in the southern suburbs, Ukraine’s forces advanced 500 meters in the north and in some areas in the south by one kilometer, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on her Telegram channel. “The defense of Bakhmut and its outskirts is meeting its military objectives,” she said. “As of now, we control the southwestern part of Bakhmut.” She said that Russia had attacked Bakhmut all day having “significantly strengthened” its grouping in Bakhmut by bringing most of its reserves there. “All the attacks were repelled by our defenders,” she added. Kyiv has for days been hailing battlefield successes around Bakhmut that could eventually trap forces of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group inside the city. Wagner is spearheading the Russian assault on the city. Moscow sees Bakhmut, a city of about 70,000 before Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly 15 months ago, as a stepping-stone toward capturing the rest of the eastern Donbas region.

Russia targets Kyiv, Odesa with missiles, Ukraine says most were shot down
Associated Press/May 18, 2023
Russia launched cruise missiles at Ukraine's capital and the Odesa region early Thursday, officials said, in an escalation ahead of a much-anticipated counteroffensive. Most of the missiles were shot down, and one death was reported from the attacks. Loud explosions were heard in Kyiv, and falling debris caused a fire in a nonresidential building. It was the ninth Russian air raid that targeted the capital this month, a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive using newly supplied advanced Western weapons. The attack was carried out by strategic bombers from the Caspian region, probably using cruise missiles, and Russia later deployed reconnaissance craft over the capital. According to preliminary information, all enemy targets were destroyed, Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv Military Administration, said in a Telegram post. Debris fell on two Kyiv districts and the fire at a garage complex was extinguished. There was no information so far about any victims, Popko said. In the southern region of Odesa, one person died and two were wounded in a Russian missile attack, Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the Odesa military administration, said on Telegram.
"Most of the enemy's missiles were shot down over the sea by the Air Defense Forces. Unfortunately, an industrial object was hit: 1 person died, two were injured," Bratchuk said. Earlier this week, Ukrainian air defenses, bolstered by sophisticated Western-supplied systems, thwarted an intense Russian air attack on Kyiv, shooting down all missiles aimed at the capital, officials said. The bombardment, which targeted locations across Ukraine, included six Russian Kinzhal aero-ballistic hypersonic missiles, the most fired in a single attack in the war so far, according to Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat.
The cruise missiles used Thursday were apparently X-101 and X-55 types developed during Soviet times. The hypersonic missiles used Tuesday have been repeatedly touted by Russian President Vladimir Putin as providing a key strategic competitive advantage and among the most advanced weapons in his country's arsenal. The missiles are difficult to detect and intercept because of their hypersonic speed and maneuverability. Sophisticated Western air defense systems, including American-made Patriot missiles, have helped spare Kyiv from the kind of destruction witnessed along the main front line in the country's east and south. While most of the ground fighting is stalemated along that front line, both sides are targeting other territory with long-range weapons. Meanwhile, Russian state media reported that five train cars carrying grain derailed in Russian-occupied Crimea Thursday morning. Quoting a source within the emergency services, state news agency RIA Novosti said that the incident occurred not far from the city of Simferopol. The Crimean Railway reported that the derailment was caused by "the interference of unauthorized persons" and that there were no casualties.
The Russia-installed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said that trains on the affected section of the line were suspended.

All targets 'destroyed' in overnight Ukraine strikes: Russia
AFP/May 18/2023
Russia said Thursday it hit all targets in a series of strikes on Ukraine overnight, after Kyiv said it downed 29 of the 30 missiles launched by Moscow. "All assigned targets have been destroyed," the Russian defence ministry said, adding that its forces hit "a significant stock of weapons and ammunition of the Ukrainian armed forces." --

Visit of African peacekeeping mission to Moscow being prepared, says Russian envoy
TASS/May 18/2023
The visit of the African peacekeeping mission to Moscow to seek a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis is being worked out, a Russian Foreign Ministry representative said on Thursday. "It is being worked out," Oleg Ozerov, Ambassador-at-Large and Head of the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, told TASS on the sidelines of the 14th International Economic Forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum", answering a question about whether a corresponding visit was being prepared. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on May 14 that African countries are "quietly" working to try to persuade Russia and Ukraine to start negotiations. The region is concerned about the crisis as it negatively affects African states. On May 16, the South African president said that the Russian and Ukrainian governments had agreed to host an African delegation to seek a peaceful settlement of the conflict. Ramaphosa was speaking on behalf of a group of six African countries: Egypt, Republic of Congo, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia.--TASS

At Japan's G7 summit, the big elephants are China and Russia
Reuters /May 18/2023
The longest shadows at the Group of Seven (G7) leaders' summit this week will be cast by two countries that weren't even invited to the Hiroshima gathering: China and Russia. As the heads of the world's advanced democracies meet for three days from Friday in the western Japanese city, they will need to overcome some differences of their own, officials say, as they aim to project unity against challenges from Beijing and Moscow. Divisions within the G7 appear to be the most notable over China, multiple officials told Reuters, with countries grappling on how to warn against what they see as China's threat to global supply chains and economic security without completely alienating a powerful and important trade partner. The G7 countries -- the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Italy -- are all closely tied economically to China, the world's second-largest economy and a key global manufacturing base and market. How the G7 will deal with the "great power competition" is an important issue for the summit, said Narushige Michishita, a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo.
"They have to address economic security and how to deal with sensitive technologies," Michishita said. "Everything is part of the great power competition that is taking place between the United States and Russia, and the United States and China." Their differences on China were put in sharp focus after French President Emmanuel Macron visited Beijing last month and called for the European Union to reduce its dependence on the United States. A senior U.S. administration official told Reuters this week the summit would show leaders unified behind a common approach to China, although he acknowledged it was "one of the more complex issues" for the meeting.--

New Pentagon missile defense radar is delayed and over budget, GAO says
Bloomberg/19 May ,2023
Delivery of Lockheed Martin’s new ground radar for the US system in Alaska intended to track and intercept missiles from North Korea or Iran will be delayed by more than a year, according to congressional auditors. The Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency announced in December 2021 the completion of construction of the site in Alaska to house the radar. Since then, however, “the program continues to experience cost increases and schedule delays, which have postponed the contractor’s delivery until at least Sept. 30,” the Government Accountability Office said in its annual report on US missile defenses. Missile Defense Agency officials previously told the GAO that delivery was planned during the fiscal year that ended last September. The new radar is intended to integrate with the US’s existing missile-defense network of space and sea-based sensors that tie into missile interceptors in Alaska and California. Like many defense programs, the radar project was dogged by disruptions related to COVID-19, which added 4 1/2 months of delays and $43.7 million in costs. The complexity of “calibrating the radar added an additional 4 1/2 months, the GAO said. And an investigation into a “radar component failure” and corrective action “further delayed delivery by nine months,” it said. The delays have pushed back by a year a key flight test designed to demonstrate the radar is operational to sometime between July to Sept. 30 — or about when the system is supposed to be delivered. So the radar is “at risk of being delivered before it “participates in any successful flight tests.” That means its “capability and limitations may not be fully known or verified prior to government acceptance,” the GAO said. Vice Admiral Jon Hill, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said in congressional testimony this month that the radar is intended to be operational in fiscal 2024, or sometime after Oct. 1. Lockheed and the Missile Defense Agency didn’t have an immediate comment on the GAO report.

Senators introduce bill to scrap last nuclear arms treaty with Russia
“Treaties aren’t effective when one party lies and cheats,” Senator Marco Rubio said.

Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/18 May ,2023:
Several US lawmakers on Thursday urged the Biden administration to scrap the last nuclear arms control treaty with Russia after Moscow suspended its participation in February. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin would not allow US inspections of its nuclear sites after Washington began supporting and arming Ukraine. According to the US, the treaty places “verifiable limits” on all Russian-deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons. It was extended to 2026 by the Biden administration. “Treaties aren’t effective when one party lies and cheats. We’ve seen evidence for the last decade that Russia is no longer honoring its obligations under the New START Treaty,” Senator Marco Rubio said after a group of Republican senators introduced the “No START Treaty Act.” Rubio called it “irresponsible and dangerous” for Washington to unilaterally limit itself in the face of growing hostility abroad, namely from China. On Monday, under its obligation in the treaty and despite previously vowing to stop sharing this information, the US publicly released data on its nuclear arsenal and urged Russia to reciprocate. The top Republican senator on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said the new legislation would correct the US mistakes by conditioning future arms control agreements with Russia to include all classes of nuclear weapons as well as China. “We must be prepared for a strategic environment in which the United States faces two nuclear peers – China and Russia,” Senator Jim Risch said. Meanwhile, Senator Tom Cotton slammed the Biden administration for extending the treaty and said the US should bolster its nuclear forces. “The New START Treaty handcuffed America while Vladimir Putin has taken advantage of the treaty’s flaws for years,” Cotton said.

Tunisian president evokes 'tolerance' after synagogue attack
Agence France Presse/May 18, 2023
Tunisian President Kais Saied has hosted Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders following a deadly mass shooting outside a local synagogue, telling them Tunisia was a country of "tolerance and coexistence". The May 9 attack on the resort island of Djerba killed five people and sparked panic during an annual Jewish pilgrimage at the historic Ghriba synagogue, Africa's oldest. The interfaith meeting on Wednesday "attests to the tolerance and coexistence that have characterised Tunisia for centuries", Saied said, according to a video released by the presidency. It included Tunisia's Grand Rabbi Haim Bittan, Mufti Hichem ben Mahmoud and Archbishop Ilario Antoniazzi. The gunman, a police officer, killed three other officers and two worshippers, a French-Tunisian and an Israeli-Tunisian man, before being shot dead himself by police. During the meeting, Saied said a probe was underway to determine whether the shooter had any accomplices. Four people linked to the gunman and suspected of involvement in the attack have so far been arrested, the private Mosaique FM radio reported late Wednesday. Tunisian officials have denounced the attack as "criminal" but refrained from referring to it as a "terrorist" operation which would imply anti-Semitic motives. Saied told the religious leaders on Wednesday that the attack sought to "undermine Tunisia and its stability, and sow discord and division". "You can live in peace, and we will guarantee your safety", he said, addressing the Jewish community. Saied noted a "distinction between Judaism and Zionism", rejecting any "normalisation" with Israel and calling on the international community to "put an end to the tragedy of the Palestinian people." Rabbi Bittan called the meeting "excellent" and said he had received "guarantees that what happened (in Djerba) would not repeat." The pilgrimage to Ghriba is at the heart of Jewish tradition in Tunisia, where only about 1,500 members of the faith still live -- mainly on Djerba -- compared with around 100,000 before independence in 1956. The Ghriba pilgrimage was previously targeted in a 2002 suicide truck bombing that killed 21 people and was claimed by Al-Qaida.

UN envoy cautiously optimistic Yemen parties will resume UN-led negotiations
Associated Press/May 18, 2023
The U.N. envoy for Yemen has expressed "cautious optimism" that the country's warring parties will return to U.N.-led negotiations to end their deadly eight-year conflict. Hans Grundberg told the U.N. Security Council he is confident last month's prisoner releases agreed to by the government and rival Houthi rebels will "build further confidence between the parties" and support an environment conducive for dialogue. The conflict has claimed thousands of lives and further impoverished the Arab world's poorest nation. Grundberg said he was encouraged by positive and detailed discussions he had recently with officials from the government and the rebels, as well as with senior regional and Yemeni officials in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh and the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi, and with senior U.S. officials in Washington. The parties "demonstrated an understanding of the immensity of what is at stake and displayed willingness to constructively engage on the way forward," he said. "There is a clear determination on all sides to make progress towards a deal on humanitarian and economic measures, a permanent cease-fire, and the resumption of a Yemeni-led political process under U.N. auspices," Grundberg said. Yemen's devastating conflict began in 2014, when the Iranian-backed Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen and forced the government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition including the United Arab Emirates intervened in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government to power. A U.N.-backed truce initially took effect in April 2022 and raised hopes for a longer pause in fighting, but it ended on Oct. 2 after just six months. Grundberg told the council that seven months after its expiration "the truce continues to deliver," pointing to continuing commercial flights in and out of Sanaa and ships carrying fuel and other commercial goods arriving and leaving Yemen's main port at Hodeida. "While sporadic military incidents continue to occur, levels of hostilities are significantly lower than before the truce," he said. "But the fragility of the military situation, the dire state of the economy and the daily challenges facing the Yemeni people provide us with constant reminders of why a more comprehensive agreement between the parties is so vital." Grundberg pointed to continuing reports of violence across frontlines in the provinces of Al Jawf, Taiz, Marib and Saada. He also mentioned restrictions on freedom of movement, especially in Houthi areas, and the government's inability to export oil, which generated more than half its revenue last year, as examples of the fragility of the current situation. He said the situation underscores the need for a formal cease-fire. "The cornerstone of an agreement on the way forward must be the resumption of a Yemeni-led political process under U.N. auspices to bring an end to the conflict," Grundberg said, stressing that partial or temporary solutions can't tackle Yemen's myriad problems.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 18-19/2023
Blasphemy in European Parliament. They respect anyone but not Christians.
Catholic Block spot/May 18, 2023
Borchia on blasphemy in European Parliament: 'Anti-Christian escalation. I have written to President Metsola".
Blasphemous, offensive and objectionable content with the image of Jesus Christ offended. This is the feeling - and it is not just a feeling, but reality - that Elisabeth Ohlson's exhibition in the European Parliament provoked.
An exhibition - on show these days until tomorrow - that continues to provoke public discussion and indignation, especially among citizens of the Christian faith. In this regard, Paolo Borchia, MEP and member of the Identity and Democracy group, decided to send a letter to President Roberta Metsola expressing his disappointment, and that of other MEPs. Besides him, in fact, Alessandra Basso, Marco Campomenosi, Susanna Ceccardi, Angelo Ciocca, Rosanna Conte, Gianantonio Da Re, Paola Ghidoni, Valentino Grant, Danilo Oscar Lancini, Elena Lizzi, Alessandro Panza, Antonio Maria Rinaldi, Maria Veronica Rossi, Silvia Sardane, Isabella Tovaglieri, Annalisa Tardino, Stefania Zambelli signed the letter. We interviewed Borchia directly, asking if this is not yet another act of an anti-Christian conscience and a heavy escalation of this sentiment that we are experiencing in today's society. Borchia said: "We see the escalation of this on a daily basis, also because lately it seems to me that the value of the artistic work is subordinated to the notoriety, the visibility that is thought to derive from provocation. This is the logic we have seen in this exhibition of self-styled works of art organised by the European Parliament. It is not the first time. It reminds me a bit of Oliviero Toscani's style'.
There is therefore an anti-Christian advance that probably has deep roots and is rooted in the attempt to revisit today's society, pushing it towards nothingness of values and unbridled hedonism. For Borchia, the explanation is actually even more practical: "This polarises the debate, splits public opinion and alleged artists receive free publicity and visibility that they would otherwise not have received due to the mediocrity of the level of their works. Then clearly the difficulty found in Europe in protecting the dignity of Christian values is nothing new. We notice a total lack of respect if we think that an invitation email arrived at the parliamentary level in which an inclusive exhibition was mentioned. However, we have seen that the level of the works has been quite the opposite'.
EXCLUDE BLASPHEMY FROM THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT - SIGN HERE!
Borchia informs us that the President of the European Parliament may not have been aware of the content of the exhibition: 'This is something very divisive, disrespectful towards sensitivities, so I felt it was my duty to send a letter to President Metsola: as far as I know, she was not aware of the exhibition, because it seems that there is no authorisation from the presidency and therefore no upstream screening'. It is difficult to ascertain whether the president actually knew nothing. What is certain is that we can see how, for the umpteenth time, everything is being done in the European Union to protect the rights of single-minded minorities, while nothing is being done to protect the traditions and sensitivities of the world on which Europe itself should be based. The time to look the other way is now perhaps definitely over.

Dithering Biden is Seriously Harming Ukraine's Victory Prospects
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute./May 18, 2023
While U.S. President Joe Biden has constantly pledged his support for Kyiv, his rhetoric has invariably failed to result in providing the Ukrainians with the military support they require. Even when, as happened earlier this year, the White House reluctantly agreed to provide Ukraine with Abrams tanks - a move that was only approved after Washington came under intense pressure from allies such as Poland - the slow delivery timetable has made Ukrainian commanders despair that the equipment will ever actually arrive.
As for the promised Abrams tanks, U.S. officials readily admit that the Abrams are months away from arriving as the Pentagon looks at its stocks to see what it can send.
In a recent interview with Foreign Policy magazine, Sasha Ustinova, a Ukrainian lawmaker, confirmed the U.S. military had delivered far less than what Valeriy Zaluzhny, Ukraine's top general, had asked for from the Pentagon. U.S. military aid is only arriving piecemeal as the Biden administration warns it is nearing the end of its ability to provide weapons that can be pulled off of the Pentagon's shelves to give to the Ukrainians.
Ustinova said that Ukraine hoped to begin the offensive in April, but the lack of weapons has pushed the launch date back indefinitely.
Certainly, any delay in the Ukrainians launching their offensive will only help to convince the Kremlin that, despite all the setbacks it has suffered over the course of the past year, it may still end up winning the war.
With the White House refusing to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons that are capable of striking targets within Russia, the Ukrainians are increasingly resorting to making their own homemade weapons to fill the gaps in their arms supplies. The Biden administration's constant dithering over supplying weapons to Ukraine is proving to be a decisive factor in the Ukrainian military's decision to delay its long-awaited spring counter-offensive against Russian forces.
Since the end of last year, when the Ukrainians inflicted a series of humiliating defeats against their Russian foes, Kyiv has been warning that it is in urgent need of fresh supplies of military equipment from its Western allies if it is to continue its campaign to liberate Ukrainian territory from Russian occupation.
In particular, the Ukrainians say they are in urgent need of replacements of tanks and other heavy armour, long-range missiles and aircraft - including F-16 fighters. While the U.S. and its allies have pledged to provide limited supplies of weapons, however, the slow pace of delivery has prompted the Ukrainians to conclude they have no option but to delay their offensive until they are fully equipped.
The scale of the challenge facing the Ukrainians was highlighted by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said his country is still awaiting the delivery of promised military aid from its Western allies, which was holding up Kyiv's plans to launch its much-anticipated counter-offensive.
Speaking at his headquarters in Kyiv, Zelensky described combat units, some of which were trained by Nato countries, as being "ready", but said the army still needed "some things", including armoured vehicles that were "arriving in batches". "With [what we already have] we can go forward, and, I think, be successful," he said in an interview for public service broadcasters who are members of Eurovision News, like the BBC. "But we'd lose a lot of people. I think that's unacceptable. So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time."
One of the key reasons for the delay is the Biden administration's hesitancy about providing Kyiv with the firepower it requires to defeat the Russian occupiers, which has been a constant feature of its response to Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
While U.S. President Joe Biden has constantly pledged his support for Kyiv, his rhetoric has invariably failed to result in providing the Ukrainians with the military support they require. Even when, as happened earlier this year, the White House reluctantly agreed to provide Ukraine with Abrams tanks - a move that was only approved after Washington came under intense pressure from allies such as Poland - the slow delivery timetable has made Ukrainian commanders despair that the equipment will ever actually arrive.
In recent months Ukraine has taken delivery of German-made Leopard tanks that have been donated to the Ukrainian cause by frontline European countries such as Poland. The Leopards, though, are arriving from eight different countries and fire different types of shells, which means the Ukrainians cannot buy munitions in bulk.
As for the promised Abrams tanks, U.S. officials readily admit that the Abrams are months away from arriving, as the Pentagon looks at its stocks to see what it can send. In a recent interview with Foreign Policy magazine, Sasha Ustinova, a Ukrainian lawmaker, confirmed the U.S. military had delivered far less than what Valeriy Zaluzhny, Ukraine's top general, had asked for from the Pentagon. U.S. military aid is only arriving piecemeal as the Biden administration warns it is nearing the end of its ability to provide weapons that can be pulled off of the Pentagon's shelves to give to the Ukrainians. Ustinova said that Ukraine hoped to begin the offensive in April, but the lack of weapons has pushed the launch date back indefinitely. The Biden administration has been even less forthcoming with regard to Kyiv's request for F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles that can destroy targets deep within Russia. The White House is reluctant to provide such weaponry for fear of provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin into escalating the war further.
With the White House refusing to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons that are capable of striking targets within Russia, the Ukrainians are increasingly resorting to making their own homemade weapons to fill the gaps in their arms supplies. Recent reports have revealed that Ukrainian engineers have designed a "people's missile" using similar technology to the German V1 "doodlebug" rocket that terrorised London during the Second World War, and which has twice the range of the US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems.
In addition the Ukrainians have been busy developing their own fleet of long-range drones, which can carry payloads of 300 kilograms and fly hundreds of kilometres, depending on their configuration.
Having the ability to produce their own weaponry certainly allows the Ukrainians a degree of flexibility in choosing their targets, a luxury they were not allowed when they were obliged to accept the constraints imposed on their military operations by the West.
Even so, there are mounting concerns that without the heavy firepower that Ukraine's supposed Western allies can provide, Kyiv's ability to launch its spring counter-offensive will be severely diminished.
Certainly, any delay in the Ukrainians launching their offensive will only help to convince the Kremlin that, despite all the setbacks it has suffered over the course of the past year, it may still end up winning the war.
**Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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A deal with Russia on Syria could shorten the war in Ukraine
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/May 18, 2023
It was reported last week that Russian troops had retreated in Bakhmut due to a “severe shortage of credible combat units.” Moscow rushed to deny the news. While Westerners are rejoicing in every Russian setback, they should be careful what they wish for. The last thing the West needs is for Russia to become desperate and to take desperate measures.
The Russians will not accept defeat. This is beyond Vladimir Putin or the Kremlin, it is about Russian national pride. They will take every measure to prevent defeat. Hence, a negotiated settlement is needed to end the war with the fewest casualties and least damage possible. Syria could be a gateway to such a settlement, as the West and Russia have the common goal of stabilizing the country. But there is of course one point of contention: Bashar Assad.
So far, the West’s policy toward Russia has been to isolate it. However, isolating Russia is unlikely to end the war. Moscow is finding creative ways to survive. It is looking to US competitors for alliances. It is now closer to China and is definitely closer to Iran. US allies like Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have remained neutral on Russia. They have not deemed it worthwhile to sever their ties with Russia to please an unreliable and whimsical partner.
Despite the confiscation of Russian funds in Western capitals, Russia seems to be able to survive. Germany plans to stop almost all Russian oil imports this year, with the broader plan to wean itself off the country’s gas by mid-2024. The EU has a similar plan. It wants to quit Russian fossil fuels by 2027. These are all efforts to isolate Russia instead of engaging with it. Nevertheless, Russia will find alternative buyers for its gas and will make friends in the East. The economic hardship will not push Russia to surrender.
So far, a settlement does not appear to be a possibility, as the trend is to isolate Russia rather than to engage. A settlement needs engagement and, for engagement to work, it needs confidence to be built. Today, there is a high amount of mistrust between the West and Russia. The issue is also complicated. The Ukraine dossier involves Crimea, the Donbas, Georgia, the status of NATO in Europe and many other complications.
An easier path to take would be to start engaging with Russia on Syria, for the simple reason that the long-term goal of both the international community and Russia is to stabilize Syria. Arab states are today engaging with Assad on a step-by-step basis in order to contain the influence of Iran and Turkiye in Syria. Despite its narrative, the US would tolerate this process if it led to Russian influence being diminished.
However, Assad is unwilling and incapable of making any changes. He does not even have the muscle to capture a drug dealer in the southwest of the country. Instead, the Jordanian air force had to do the job for him. Assad also has a track record of reneging on his promises. There is no reason for him to change his behavior now, hence the need to engage with the regional powers. And Russia is a main player that needs to be on board to stabilize Syria.
Syria could be a gateway to a settlement, as the West and Russia have the common goal of stabilizing the country.
Though Assad is Russia’s ally, Moscow knows he cannot stabilize Syria. Russia has clashed with Assad on several files. For example, during the battle for Aleppo, Moscow sent in the Chechen military police. It sent Sunni units to make sure the local population did not feel offended or aggressed. The units were tasked with stabilizing the city and ensuring that no homes were confiscated. However, Assad and the Iranian militias kept on conducting operations against the Russians. Ultimately, the Russians retreated because they did not want to confront Assad or the Iranians.
And in a 2018 initiative to encourage the return of refugees, Russia pressured Assad to issue an amnesty for those who had failed to report for conscription. Assad, in order to prevent the return of refugees, had issued a law, under which all males who turned 18 and did not report for conscription were subject to a jail term and a fine. This pushed those refugee families with boys that had reached that age while they were outside the country to stay outside. Despite the amnesty, Assad found creative ways to prevent people from coming back. Returnees were arrested on arbitrary and false charges. Hence, people were deterred from returning. Another instance where Assad played the role of the spoiler was in Deraa, where he reneged on all his commitments as Russia’s effort to reconcile the regime and the rebels fell short of stabilizing the area.
Nevertheless, Russia has no one but Assad to protect its interests in Syria. If he goes, Moscow will lose all the investments it has made to protect its interests, namely its bases in Tartus and Hmeimim. So, if the West clinches a deal with Russia and treats it as an equal, this can be the first confidence-building step.
Though the Western frame of mind is against giving Russia any concessions and is driven by a zero-sum mentality, flexibility is needed, otherwise Ukraine is set for a long conflict with Russia — and, even worse, a more devastating war, in which Russia uses extreme measures. So, it is important to engage and Syria could be a relatively easy entry point. Also, a deal on Syria could save face for Putin. A deal that protects Russia’s strategic interests can encourage Putin to go for another deal, while telling his audience that he has finally come to terms with the West and that the West understands Russia cannot be humiliated.
The West should quickly engage with Russia and stabilize Syria, as this is a good entry point for the streamlining of other issues. However, the first step would be for the West to get rid of its zero-sum attitude when dealing with Russia.
• 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.

The disastrous consequences of Dagalo’s Sudan coup attempt
Ali Mohamed Ahmed Osman/Arab News/May 18, 2023
The recent coup attempt by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo was a threat to the whole of Sudan, including his own Rapid Support Forces militia, and created grave dangers that will continue to have dire consequences for decades to come. This is particularly troubling for a country like Sudan, which is seeking to recover from multiple internal conflicts and which has suffered greatly throughout its modern history. As one of the most powerful military forces in Africa, the Sudanese Armed Forces has a rich tradition of patriotism, bravery and professionalism. Its military doctrine dates back nearly 100 years and it is known to have taken part in the fight against Nazism and fascism during the Second World War, including liberating two of our neighbors, Libya and Ethiopia/Eritrea, from the perils of fascism. It was the first threat that Dagalo, the rebel leader, disregarded.
There is no comparison between regular forces with this background and his forces, which are primarily made up of tribal and mercenary groups from other African nations seeking to profit from Sudan’s looted money, especially gold revenues. At the same time, Dagalo has benefited and greatly enriched himself by sending young fighters from poor African countries to take part in wars in the region. Above all, these rebel forces lack a well-established combat doctrine.
Dagalo’s biggest mistake was attempting a coup in a situation where the Sudanese political arena was experiencing extreme divisions and a complete lack of consensus — in addition to the international community’s position on military coups, including the firm opposition of the African Union. This represented both political and military suicide, even if the intention was to hand over power to a civilian government, as it was claimed. However, that was just a pretext for circumventing power and is not supported by the facts of the man’s history of treachery.
Dagalo previously betrayed the isolated President Omar Bashir, who had established and sponsored his RSF, as well as his president in the Transitional Military Council and the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. Before that, he had betrayed the masses of young revolutionaries in the vicinity of the General Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces in the wake of the fall of the previous regime and pounced on them, leaving large numbers of dead and missing.
It is the accepted norm globally that the path to democracy involves enhancing societal and political discourse in order to arrive at a fair agreement on the key issues and guiding principles for the state. One of Dagalo’s paradoxes is that he was the one who was adamant and refused to integrate his forces into the Sudanese Armed Forces. He demanded a minimum period of 10 years to integrate his forces, in contrast to the Sudanese Armed Forces’ position, which demanded two years, or the total length of the transitional period, allowing the elected government to take office without being constrained by the remnants of the past. The systematic destruction of water and electricity infrastructure, the theft of public funds from banks and government institutions, the looting of people’s money and the forced eviction of residents from their homes, while using them as human shields, are just some of the negative effects of the use of rebel forces that lack proper military doctrine and training. For example, Dagalo’s forces this week attacked a church, injuring the priest and some of the congregation. All of the violations committed by the dissolved rebel RSF in the wake of the failure of its coup attempt will be remembered for generations to come.
The RSF will face wider isolation from the international community if it attempts to take advantage of the latest ceasefire.
Along with the economic destruction brought on by the disruption of Sudan’s market mobilization, the deep psychological effects on the majority of Sudanese people caused by the rebel forces’ violations and hijacking of the political dialogue, which was in its final stages, will have a significant negative economic impact on the nation, especially in the shadow of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which has affected wheat imports to Sudan, thus threatening food security.
All these unfavorable consequences have extended to the many foreign nationals living in Sudan, including the staff members of diplomatic missions and international organizations. The rebel forces have continued to inflict harm on these people even after they made the decision to leave Sudan, as the RSF intercepted the evacuations of many diplomatic missions.
In conclusion, the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, which was agreed last week by the Sudanese government and the rebel forces’ leaders, is a first step toward resolving certain pressing humanitarian challenges. However, there are certified and documented violations by the rebel forces of the similar previous truce initiatives. Therefore, the rebel RSF will face wider isolation from the international community, which has indicated its support for this declaration, if it attempts to take advantage of the latest ceasefire.
*Ali Mohamed Ahmed Osman is the Charge d’affaires of the embassy of the Republic of the Sudan in Tokyo.

Syria needs Gulf states for stability and security

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/May 18, 2023
Syria’s regional policy ought to be grounded in respecting the national and security interests of other Arab states, particularly the Gulf states. It is in Syria’s interest if its foreign policy is based on pursuing diplomacy, dialogue and common interests to strengthen bilateral and multilateral relationships with the countries of the region.  Gulf states can play a critical role in helping to resolve Syria’s crisis. Several recent developments show that the Syrian people could also begin to experience more stability, security and economic development.
For example, the Arab League recently readmitted Syria, which ended a more than decade-long suspension. According to the Saudi Foreign Ministry, the Arab League foreign ministers “consulted and exchanged views on the efforts made to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis that ends its repercussions and preserves Syria’s unity, security, stability, and Arab identity; returns it to its Arab surroundings, to achieve the good of its brotherly people.”
Other important developments include the phone call between UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Syrian President Bashar Assad on bilateral ties between the two nations. In addition, Saudi Arabia has made an important decision to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in Syria.
Syria’s readmission to the Arab League, in addition to the latest diplomatic rapprochements between Damascus and the Gulf states, is most likely going to be just the start of a long process that will hopefully help to resolve the crisis in the country. This goal was also acknowledged by Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
The Arab League, a 22-member organization founded in 1945, can play a critical role in discussing and resolving Syria’s underlying problems, as the organization is one of the most influential and powerful intergovernmental bodies in the world.
It was established with the purpose of strengthening relations between Arab states, safeguarding their sovereignty and addressing general concerns about the affairs and interests of member nations.
The Arab League’s primary role is to coordinate the political, cultural, economic and social programs of its members, as well as to mediate disputes between them.
In addition, the Arab League is a key international player that has the capability to pave the way for tremendous social, economic and political changes. It can also push for specific measures and policies to be considered by other international organizations. For instance, the Arab League has successfully urged the UN to adopt resolutions that have had significant positive impacts on regional peace and security.
However, it is critical to note that Syria’s crisis is multifaceted and complex. The economy is crippled after years of conflict, which has inflicted an unimaginable degree of devastation. Syria’s gross domestic product has more than halved and its currency has lost a significant portion of its value, leading the World Bank to rank it as a low-income country.
Damascus needs to make it a priority to improve its economy and, more importantly, the living standards of its people.
Prior to 2011, when Syria’s economic and political relationships with the Gulf states were amicable, its economy was improving thanks to these bilateral ties and tourism.
But after the civil war began, sanctions on the regime changed the situation and left Syria with “a limited national budget to subsidize commodities such as bread and fuel … Displaced families and other vulnerable households are caught in the middle of a financial crisis caused by a rapidly depreciating currency and lack of available jobs. This means it is incredibly hard for Syrian families to provide for themselves, particularly amid growing food insecurity. Reports … describe families waiting for hours in bread lines, causing children to miss school or caregivers to miss work in order to find loaves of bread,” according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The second issue is related to enhancing the security of the country in a way that ensures safety and stability for the Syrian people, protecting them from the threats posed by militia and terror groups.
The Gulf states are skilled in adopting modern counterterrorism strategies and in establishing institutions that promote an alternative and moderate ideology, while educating and raising awareness about extremist ideologies online. Examples include Saudi Arabia’s setting up of the Ideological Warfare Center, the Digital Extremism Observatory, the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue and the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology. The Kingdom aims to challenge the messages of extremist groups through these initiatives.
If Syria’s economic crisis is adequately addressed, security will likely be enhanced in the country as well.
If Syria’s economic crisis is adequately addressed, security will likely be enhanced in the country as well, due to the fact that poverty and conflict-stricken states can often be ripe places for terror and militia groups to grow, gain power and inflict damage on the country and broader region.
Finally, the largest refugee crisis in the world belongs to Syria. This has impacted neighboring countries economically and politically. By addressing the nation’s security and economic issues, the refugee crisis will gradually see signs of improvement as well.
Syria’s crisis is deep and complex, but the region can play a key role in resolving it. The latest diplomatic initiatives between Damascus and the Gulf states have the potential to bring more stability, safety, security and economic development to the Syrian people. This requires that the Syrian government seize the opportunity by respecting the national and security interests of the Gulf states, while grounding its foreign policy in diplomacy, dialogue and shared interests.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Tunisia Can “Bounce Back” from Authoritarianism with Proper Support
Sabina Henneberg, Sarah Yerkes/The Washington Institute/May 18/2023
Other countries that have restored democratic norms in recent years have seen progress in five distinct areas.
Since July 2021, when Tunisia’s democratically elected president unilaterally launched a series of measures to consolidate power in his own hands, U.S. and Western policymakers have grown increasingly perplexed about how to restore democracy in that country. After instituting a decade-long transition process that saw enhanced civil liberties; multiple rounds of free and fair elections; and the elaboration of an exceptionally progressive constitution, President Kais Saied has dismantled almost all those gains in less than two years. Yet a global perspective on democratization shows that such “backsliding” can be reversed, and that the international community can play a significant role in assisting such reversals. The Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project, which seeks to measure democracy globally, identified eight countries in 2022 that “bounced back” from authoritarianism after having previously made democratic gains. A closer look at these cases can be instructive in crafting responses to the Tunisian case.
Common Elements of “Bounce Back” and Their Application in Tunisia
Five elements unite the eight cases of “bounce back” from autocratization. Although not every element was present in all eight cases, and although no single element was responsible for reversing autocratization in any country, together these five factors suggest areas for democracy supporters inside and outside Tunisia to focus on.
The first element is large-scale popular mobilization against the incumbent. For instance, major protests in South Korea in 2016 and Moldova in 2014—both sparked by corruption scandals— triggered institutional actions that ultimately forced the autocrat out of power. In Tunisia, large-scale popular mobilization has been a catalyst for democratization in the past. But today, several barriers hamper such mobilization. Even the Tunisian General Workers’ Union (UGTT), the country’s largest organization, hasn’t managed to organize protests that can pressure the president to initiate a dialogue, due to internal splits and lack of a unifying agenda. Notably, opposition demonstrations have taken place even though they are legal only with official approval. Protestors have also on occasion defied bans and use of force by authorities. This could potentially represent a tiny window of hope: as long as Saied’s opponents retain this avenue for expression, they might succeed in preventing more damage from being done and in buying themselves time to build new pathways of resistance.
The second element is unified opposition coalescing with civil society. In North Macedonia, for example, a parliamentary boycott in 2015 against the autocratic ruling party of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’s state capture organized by a lead opposition party allowed the latter to deepen its social ties with youth and other activists. This in turn helped enlarge the opposition party’s voter base and ultimately led to the election in 2016 of a new pro-democracy government. Unfortunately, the potential for opposition political parties and civil society actors to coalesce in Tunisia—despite the country’s experience with such cooperation—remains weak. Saied remains a deeply polarizing figure who has taken advantage of existing political and social divisions to incapacitate his opponents. To date, the UGTT and some opposition political parties refuse to work with the main Islamist party, Ennahda, which has lost support due to its perceived incompetence and corruption while in government. Such underlying divisions remain a key barrier to resisting autocratization.
The third factor is elections. In Ecuador, results of local-level elections demonstrated lack of support for the party of the autocratizing President Rafael Correa and ultimately allowed his vice president, Lenin Moreno, to take over and institute a series of democratizing reforms. Moreno’s takeover was facilitated by the ruling party’s attempt to secure power by removing term limits starting after Correa stepped down for a term, in response to the outcome of local elections. Moreno’s moves to reintroduce checks and balances in the interim therefore caught Correa off guard.
Recent elections in Tunisia—a constitutional referendum in July 2022 and two rounds of parliamentary elections in December 2022 and January 2023—produced abysmally low voter turnout. Explanations for these high levels of voter abstinence include an overwhelming preoccupation with economic concerns, a restricted legal framework for elections designed by Saied, and the stakes of the elections (for example, under the new constitution, the powers of parliament are significantly reduced). Widespread disillusionment with politicians and political parties and a boycott by some—but not all—opposition figures also contributed. Clearly, for a decisive election to occur in Tunisia, voters’ faith in democratic politics will need to be restored.
The fourth factor is judiciary reversing executive takeover. In Moldova, for example, constitutional court rulings helped protect the holding of free and fair elections from attempts by the ruling party to block them, ultimately giving the democratic opposition a majority in parliament. Judicial independence in Tunisia has historically been weak, but steps taken to address this since the authoritarian overthrow in 2011, along with sustained activism among some magistrates against Saied’s attempts to subordinate the judiciary to the executive, are indicative of the role the judicial sector could play over the long term. While Saied has called on the police to help advance this subordination, it is not clear that he has full support from security forces. Any break within the executive could give momentum to the opposition. Meanwhile, elements of the judiciary continue to resist Saied’s actions, using methods such as a month-long hunger strike by magistrates and an administrative court order in August 2022 to reinstate 49 of the 57 judges whom Saied had fired the previous June.
The Role of International Actors
The fifth uniting element among countries that bounced back from authoritarianism over the past 20 years is international support. In Bolivia, the Organization of American States (OAS) was a key player in helping nudge the country toward a democratic path following a series of anti-democratic actions beginning under President Evo Morales (2005–2019) and continuing under President Jeanine Áñez (2019–2020) and current President Luis Arce. While Bolivia still faces several challenges, including polarization and threats to judicial independence, continued attention by the international community has helped the country show marked improvement on democracy indices over the past year.
Morales undertook several anti-democratic steps in the lead-up to the 2019 elections, running for a controversial fourth term after his loyalist-packed constitutional court overrode the Bolivian people’s rejection of a 2016 constitutional referendum that would have prevented him from running. Statements by OAS election observers regarding improprieties and inconsistencies during the 2019 election provided a crucial counterpoint to Morales’s narrative, and ultimately contributed to Morales’s decision to step down and leave Bolivia in the wake of a popular uprising against him. The OAS continued to issue critical statements calling for investigations into the violence and “crimes against humanity” committed under his successor. And despite free and fair elections bringing Arce into office, international actors, including U.S. officials, called out the Arce government’s politicization of the judiciary and vengeful approach toward Áñez and her supporters. These sentiments were echoed in a Washington Post editorial in March 2021.
The United States has had a less influential role than the OAS, particularly since the Bolivian government expelled the U.S. ambassador in 2008 and kicked USAID out of the country in 2013. However, in FY2018 the United States spent nearly half of its $1.8 million foreign assistance package on support for government and civil society and provided an additional $5 million to support the 2020 elections. Those numbers fell dramatically in FY2022, when the United States provided only $275,800 in assistance for government and civil society, signaling less of a commitment to this sector.
In Ecuador, Moreno’s election as president in 2017 was expected to be a continuation of his predecessor’s administration, as Moreno was Correa’s vice president. But Moreno quickly broke with Correa and began rolling back some of his predecessor’s anti-democratic actions by reinstating presidential term limits, taking steps to restore judicial independence, and working to address polarization. However, Moreno faced his own corruption allegations in 2019 and did not run for reelection in 2021. While Moreno’s reforms did not fully return Ecuador to a democratic path, and he left office with an extremely low approval rating, his actions were rewarded by the United States with significant financial and diplomatic support. Following the reinstatement of the USAID mission in Quito in 2020, the United States and Ecuador signed an agreement for a $62.5 million grant to support democracy, governance, and environmental projects in Ecuador over five years. And in fiscal year 2021, the United States provided Ecuador with $4.13 million in support for government and civil society.
The United States also showed its support for Ecuador’s democratic progress with visits by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield in May 2021 to attend the inauguration of Moreno’s successor, President Guillermo Lasso, and by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in October 2021. And in May 2022, First Lady Jill Biden visited Ecuador and met with Lasso, his wife, and various civil society organizations with a specific focus on strengthening democracy in Latin America. During her visit, Biden applauded Ecuador’s progress.
North Macedonia strayed from the democratic path under Gruevski (2006–2016). Opposition figures accused Gruevski’s government of numerous abuses and corruption, triggering a widespread political crisis in 2015. The United States and the European Union played a key role in returning North Macedonia to a democratic path by brokering the 2015 Przino Agreement, which led to early elections in 2016, and the two international actors intervened repeatedly throughout the following year to help defuse tensions. The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) Party, which ran on a reform platform and pledged to implement a reform agenda backed by the EU, prevailed in the parliamentary elections in 2016. While many of the reforms have yet to come to fruition, North Macedonia has shown positive signs in addressing the political instability of the past decade.
One of the factors that analysts have pointed to as aiding North Macedonia’s bounce-back is the two large carrots of NATO and EU membership. North Macedonia joined NATO in 2020 and began the EU accession process, although the EU accession process has faced several hurdles including vetoes by France and Bulgaria. While the European Union is North Macedonia’s largest donor and partner, the United States has a defense partnership with North Macedonia and contributes significantly to North Macedonia’s political and economic reform efforts. Over one-third of U.S. assistance to North Macedonia is for government and civil society ($7,708,000 million out of $19,670,240 total bilateral assistance in FY22), with the goal of supporting reforms necessary for full EU accession.
Zambia also experienced a turn toward autocracy following the election of President Edgar Lungu in 2014, as the Lungu government oversaw attacks on opposition figures and freedom of expression. U.S. and European pressure, coupled with a strong pro-democracy civil society movement, helped return Zambia to democratic rule. The 2021 presidential elections were a major turning point for Zambia, with opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema defeating Lungu. While the election was marred by violence and initially contested by Lungu, he eventually stepped down.
The U.S. government played a key role in pressuring Lungu to abide by the election results, threatening sanctions, travel bans and visa restrictions on those who instigated election violence. The African Union’s election observer mission also made clear that Lungu’s complaints regarding electoral fraud had no bearing. And the European Union called out the election for “abuse of incumbency,” noting “selective application of laws and regulations, misuse of state resources and one-sided media reporting meant that a level playing field was not achieved.”
The United States has continued to applaud and highlight Zambia’s democratic steps. In FY22, the United States provided Zambia with $9.7 million in governance and civil society support. During the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, Hichilema received significant administration attention and signed multiple deals with U.S. public and private sector entities. Zambia was also selected to co-host the 2023 Summit for Democracy and Vice President Kamala Harris visited Zambia in March 2023.
Conclusions and Recommendations
There is no question that local popular support for democracy is a necessary condition for a return to a democratic path. Without a unified opposition to mobilize against an authoritarian incumbent and an independent elections commission and other such institutions to act as guardrails, no amount of international pressure will be sufficient to reverse the authoritarian drift.
Moreover, other research on “democratic bright spots” suggests that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to supporting countries at risk of authoritarian backsliding. International support is particularly tricky in Tunisia currently, where the president’s populist rhetoric about “foreign interference”—and even some cases of apparent arrests of individuals for having met with foreign diplomats—has helped create a climate of fear. Nonetheless, targeted international involvement can clearly make a difference in cases of democratization that are at risk, illustrating why abandoning Tunisia at this critical stage is more likely to lead to further backsliding.
In particular, Tunisians’ fight for judicial independence, as well as media and other freedoms that can help expose corruption, will rely on moral and operational support from the international human rights community. Under former dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, such ties between international and Tunisian human rights activists were critical in fighting for democratic reform. In addition, quiet influence from Tunisia’s international military partners—the U.S. military is close to Tunisian security forces and is thought to be particularly influential and rewarded Tunisia with Major Non-NATO Ally status in 2015—could conceivably discourage other disputed practices such as the use of military courts to try civilians. This in turn would send a signal to Saied that he cannot count on the military to support him as he plows ahead with his project of one-man rule.
A growing number of international actors have called for intervention to help prevent Tunisia’s economy from a collapse. The international community has learned the hard way that neglect for Tunisia’s economy will undermine even the most valiant democracy promotion efforts. Going forward, it will be important for the United States and other external actors to balance their support for Tunisia’s most vulnerable, such as through continued economic assistance and support for pro-democracy actors, with diplomatic efforts to isolate Saied to ensure that any assistance does not inadvertently strengthen Saied’s hand.
A final factor implied in the V-Dem findings important for bouncing back is what some research calls “democratic stock,” or developing strong democratic institutions over time. Tunisia’s experience with democratic rule is extremely limited, putting it at a disadvantage. Additionally, no unifying and democratic alternative ruler behind which Tunisians could rally can emerge overnight to halt autocratization, given Tunisia’s deep economic challenges and societal and political divisions. Until conditions allow for the right combination of elements to help the country reverse course, the United States and the international community must use consistent, behind-the-scenes support to make sure Tunisia does not sink deeper into autocratization. This should be done in coordination with non-Western actors such as the African Union and should be reinforced by rhetoric that condemns anti-democratic actions.
*Sabina Henneberg is a 2022–23 Soref Fellow at The Washington Institute. Sarah Yerkes is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Middle East Program.