Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 25-26/2023
Elias Bejjani/Video & Text: Reading in the Biblical Verse:The seven things God hates
United or divided: What did the quintet agree and disagree on?
Report: Qatar to ask Iran to convince Hezbollah of third-man solution
Al-Chami meets Shea, discusses required reform measures
Berri to hand Hochstein land border draft as file reportedly linked to presidency
Doha tells Hezbollah, FPM it's not clinging to army chief
Report: Shiite Duo clings to Franjieh in talks with Doha envoy
Bassil: If FPM fully moves to opposition, it will become stronger
Geagea, Jumblat see no light at presidential tunnel end
Lebanon's Tourism Minister addresses World Tourism Day in Riyadh
Possible opportunities: Beirut Port's role in the emerging economic corridor
Former Minister Chouccair Meets Derian, Calls for Political Reform and Economic Recovery
Mawlawi discussed with the Ambassador of Cyprus the Syrian refugee issue and with the Palestinian Minister of Local Government the camps’ conditions
Joint Palestinian Force implements deployment plan in Ain al-Hilweh after reinforcement
Dar-al-Fatwa: Mufti Derian stands at an equal distance from all candidates to Supreme Islamic Council elections
Statement by the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean at the press conference on RC70

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 25-26/2023
Thousands of Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh as Turkish president visits Azerbaijan
Russia says Armenia trying to sever ties
US Central Command forces capture Daesh official in Syria after helicopter raid
US-backed Kurdish forces impose curfew in eastern Syria after new clashes with rival Arab militia
Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza for 3rd day as West Bank violence intensifies
Israelis to be allowed to travel to US without visa
Ukraine is building an advanced army of drones. For now, pilots improvise with duct tape and bombs
Russia's defensive line is 'bending but not breaking' after Ukraine breached it, analyst says
Russia May Be About to Get a New Friendly Leader in Europe
One dead, four injured in incident at Iran’s Bandar Abbas refinery -state news
Saudi Arabia Takes a Step Closer to Achieving Nuclear Power
France withdrawing ambassador, troops from Niger after coup
Washington to examine next steps after French announcement of withdrawal from Niger
Libya orders 8 officials arrested after flood
Kosovo mourns slain police officer as some Serb gunmen remain at large after monastery siege
Egypt to hold presidential election Dec 10-12
Leader of Canada’s House of Commons apologizes for honoring man who fought for Nazis
Countdown begins in Washington to avoid federal government shutdown

Titles For The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 25-26/2023
The bloc of countries that wants to overthrow the US dollar is set to gain 6 new members — here's what the potential recruits have said about de-dollarization/Huileng Tan/Business Insider/September 25, 2023
China and Russia: The New Axis of EvilCon Coughlin/Gatestone Institute./September 25, 2023
Today in History: ‘Pride Was Their Downfall’ at the Battle of Nicopolis/Raymond Ibrahim/September 25/2023
Iraq’s militia state replicates Daesh’s terrorism and criminality/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/September 25, 2023

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 24-25/2023
Elias Bejjani/Video & Text: Reading in the Biblical Verse:The seven things God hates
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/122560/122560/

United or divided: What did the quintet agree and disagree on?
Naharnet/September 25, 2023
The U.S. has denied any disagreement between the members of the five-nation group on Lebanon who convened last week in New York but failed to issue a statement. U.S. regional spokesman Samuel Werber denied any disagreement between France, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the U.S., affirming in an interview Sunday with al-Jadeed TV channel, that the five members all agree that Lebanon must carry out reforms. "The meeting of the five-nation committee was one of the most important meetings on Middle East affairs, and there is no disagreement between the members," he said. Meanwhile, al-Akhbar newspaper quoted former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat as saying that the disagreement between the members was not about Lebanon, but about the Niger file where France is facing a difficult situation, as the U.S. rejected an international military intervention in the West African country. Jumblat reportedly said that if France backpedals on supporting Suleiman franjieh to go along with KSA, it will not adopt the United State's candidate, army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun., nor will KSA allow Qatar to strengthen its influence in Lebanon without anything in return. "We will remain in contact with all parties," Werber said, adding that the presidential election is a Lebanese affair and that the U.S. cannot "impose its will" on the Lebanese but is ready to provide "any technical assistance if needed." Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri had sarcastically said last week that "we will end up reconciling the five nations ourselves", amid reports of disagreements between its members, while Jumblat said that "the quintet has become a quartet."

Report: Qatar to ask Iran to convince Hezbollah of third-man solution
Naharnet/September 25, 2023
Qatar is inclined to talk to Iran about the Lebanese presidential file in the near future, the Beirut-based Akhbar al-Yawm news agency said Monday. Strongly backed by the U.S. and Egypt, and after it played a role in the American-Iranian prisoner swap deal, Qatar will likely succeed in convincing Tehran of mediating with Hezbollah in order to break the impasse, the privately-owned news agency said. Qatar is reportedly promoting a third candidate, who could be Army Commander General Joseph Aoun or any other candidate who might enjoy the consensus of the parliamentary blocs, after the divided Lebanese parliament failed to elect one of the two main candidates Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh and former Minister Jihad Azour. Hezbollah and Amal have renewed many times their support for Franjieh, despite international efforts to reach a third-man solution. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea for his part said that the opposition will also cling to Azour as long as the Axis of Defiance is clinging to its candidate and refusing a third option.

Al-Chami meets Shea, discusses required reform measures
LBCI/September 25, 2023
Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh al-Chami discussed on Monday with US Ambassador to Beirut, Dorothy Shea, the economic situation and the required reform measures. They also discussed the outcomes of the recent visit by the International Monetary Fund mission and the IMF team's assessment in light of the statement issued at the end of the mission's task. Both sides agreed, according to a statement from al-Chami's office, on the "necessity of progressing with all economic and financial measures that would put Lebanon on the path to recovery, allowing the international community to assist Lebanon in overcoming the current crisis."

Berri to hand Hochstein land border draft as file reportedly linked to presidency
Naharnet/September 25, 2023
During his expected visit to Lebanon in mid-October, U.S. energy mediator Amos Hochstein will receive from Speaker Nabih Berri a draft framework agreement on the demarcation of the land border with Israel, a media report said. Berri’s draft will comes on response to a U.S. draft that Hochstein had handed to him during his latest visit to Beirut, the privately-owned al-Markazia news agency reported on Monday. “Land border demarcation and the presidential juncture have been tightly linked as part of (ongoing) bargains and the election of a president has become part of the U.S. mediator’s border mission,” the agency said. “The demarcation of the land border with Israel will lead to the election of a president for Lebanon,” the agency quoted unnamed sources as saying. Al-Liwaa newspaper meanwhile reported Monday, quoting political sources, that the five-nation group on Lebanon will maintain French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian’s presidential mission in parallel with the mission of the Qatari envoy. “At the same time, U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein will carry out efforts with the Lebanese parties to help reconcile viewpoints between them, which would support both the missions of Le Drian and the Qatari envoy in the presidential file and would speed up the efforts to end the presidential vacuum,” the daily added.

Doha tells Hezbollah, FPM it's not clinging to army chief
Naharnet/September 25, 2023
Qatari envoy Abou Fahad Jassem Al-Thani has told Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement that Doha is not clinging to the nomination of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, a media report said on Monday. In his meetings with Hezbollah secretary-general’s political aide Hussein Khalil and FPM chief Jebran Bassil, Al-Thani spoke of new candidates not including Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh, “not because there is a problem with him, but rather due to the stance of the Christian blocs that have rejected him,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported. “The Qatari envoy stressed that no one is clinging to the army chief if his nomination is provocative to anyone, noting that the Qataris would support any other candidate who might enjoy the consensus of the parliamentary blocs,” the daily added. “It has become clear that for a while now, Qatar has been keen on including the name of General Security acting chief Brig. Gen. Elias Bayssari as one of the candidates whose chances have surged,” al-Akhbar said. And as Bassil told Al-Thani that he supports “an effective dialogue in order reach a common candidate,” Hezbollah reiterated to the Qatari envoy that it is still clinging to Franjieh’s nomination, the daily added.

Report: Shiite Duo clings to Franjieh in talks with Doha envoy
Naharnet/September 25, 2023
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement have not responded positively to the proposals of a Qatari envoy who is visiting Lebanon, sources close to the Shiite Duo said. "The Qatari envoy, who met with Speaker Nabih Berri and later with Loyalty to Resistance bloc head MP Mohammed Raad, informed them that he is seeking consensus on a third (presidential) candidate" other than Suleiman Franjieh and Jihad Azour, the sources told Annahar newspaper in remarks published Sunday. "But Berri and Raad told him that the Duo is clinging to Suleiman Franjieh's nomination," the sources added. According to media reports, the Qatari envoy has proposed three candidates: Army chief Joseph Aoun, an independent MP and a security official.

Bassil: If FPM fully moves to opposition, it will become stronger
Naharnet/September 25, 2023
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has warned some political rivals that “if the FPM fully moves to the opposition it will become stronger.”“It’s true that the country would weaken with such an establishment and such a president, but the FPM would become stronger and stronger, because it will not be a partner in any failure equation,” Bassil said during a tour of the Akkar district. “Betrayal can destroy mountains, but it has not and will not destroy us,” Bassil added. As for Speaker Nabih Berri’s proposed dialogue, Bassil said the FPM “cannot be against effective and beneficial dialogue” but noted that the FPM is “keen on dialogue’s success.”“We have not put conditions but we have specified the circumstances that would lead to dialogue’s success, or to the election of a president according to a program, because the program is more important than the person in these circumstances,” he added. “Should the FPM show positivity and willingness, the answer should be through leniency and not imposition, because it has been proved that imposition is not effective with us,” Bassil went on to say. He added: “We tell those who want to endorse any settlement… without us: May God grant you success, but you will fail.”Hitting back at Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, Bassil said: “Our Movement has a firm base stemming from our army’s slogan ‘Honor, Sacrifice, Loyalty’, and no one can separate between the FPM and the Lebanese Army.”

Geagea, Jumblat see no light at presidential tunnel end
Naharnet/September 25, 2023
Lebanese politicians are no longer pinning hopes on domestic and foreign initiatives to break the presidential impasse soon. Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat are both losing hope, as Geagea and Jumblat expressed pessimism over an imminent solution. "I don't see any solution in sight," Geagea told Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida, in remarks published Monday, as he criticized Hezbollah and its allies of inflexibility, stubbornness and obstruction. "As long as Hezbollah and Amal are clinging to their candidate (Marada leader) Suleiman Franjieh, there will be no solution on the horizon," he said. "I believe that the crisis will be long." Also on Monday, pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper quoted sources close to Jumblat as saying that there are no signs of positive progress in the foreseeable future, especially after the five-nation group on Lebanon failed to issue a statement after its meeting last week in New York, due to disagreements between its members.

Lebanon's Tourism Minister addresses World Tourism Day in Riyadh
LBCI/September 25, 2023
Tourism Minister Walid Nassar will head to Riyadh on Tuesday to lead Lebanon's delegation to the "World Tourism Day" events. Nassar will present a vision for Lebanon in the tourism sector and its role in the Arab and global context during his speech.
Lebanon's Ambassador to the Kingdom, Fawzi Kabbara, will host an extensive meeting at the embassy where stakeholders from the Saudi and global tourism sectors will participate.
It is worth noting that "World Tourism

Possible opportunities: Beirut Port's role in the emerging economic corridor
LBCI/September 25, 2023
With the announcement of the economic corridor from India to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, passing through the port of Haifa and extending into Europe, questions have arisen about the role of the Beirut Port. Officials at the port have been quick to reach out to their Saudi counterparts. Still, they were met with the response that discussions regarding Lebanon's future role in this corridor cannot occur until a presidential election and a reconfiguration of power take place. It would be a significant added value if the Beirut Port finds a place on this route. However, its absence does not necessarily mean the end of its role. The declared economic corridor excludes China, Taiwan, and Thailand. Thus, trade with these countries continues, raising the possibility of Lebanon connecting to the Chinese route that includes countries like Iraq and Syria, especially considering that Iraqi transit through the Beirut Port currently constitutes eight percent of the port's total activity. When inquired about the possibility of expanding the container terminal's working area, officials at the Beirut Port confirmed that it is feasible and under consideration. Transiting from the Beirut Port to Iraq currently accounts for approximately eight percent of the port's total activity. Observers of the India-Europe corridor's repercussions suggest that despite expected negative effects on the Suez Canal, data indicates that dozens of ships will continue to pass through daily towards the Mediterranean basin. Hence, questions arise regarding how many ships the port of Haifa, and potentially Ashdod Port, can accommodate, even if Beirut Port is included in the equation. Analysts respond that it is implausible for Haifa and Ashdod to absorb all the vessels heading to the eastern Mediterranean. Therefore, Beirut Port could claim a share of this activity. With Israel's presence on this India-Europe route, can Hezbollah agree to Lebanon's participation? Naturally, Beirut Port requires logistical improvements and modernization of its management and operations. Several options are on the table: joining the India route, possibly involving Israel, becoming part of the China route, or maintaining its current status, which is favorable. However, this port, along with Tripoli Port, may also require a network of railway lines connecting the two ports in the north and south to facilitate transit to Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and possibly beyond.

Former Minister Chouccair Meets Derian, Calls for Political Reform and Economic Recovery
LBCI/September 25, 2023
Former Minister Mohammad Chouccair, the head of the "We Are All for Beirut" gathering, expressed his views on the current situation in Lebanon. He said that "this summer has been good, and the situation has significantly improved compared to the previous year.""We expect the local GDP for this year to be between 34 and 36 billion dollars. However, we need God to guide some misguided politicians so that we can elect a president," he added. "Despite the efforts of the private sector and their fight for it, the country cannot be fixed without electing a president and forming a government," Chouccair stressed. His remarks came after he met with Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, at Dar al-Fatwa. He further commented that "the private sector has managed to reform itself during this period and adapt to the situation.""We have overcome this difficult phase. Unfortunately, the biggest problem today lies in the public sector, with salaries reduced to 10 percent of what they used to be. In contrast, the private sector's salaries have reached 80 percent and, in some cases, even 100 percent compared to before the crisis," he explained. "That's why we hope for the election of a president, the formation of a government, and the first item on the agenda should be resolving the situation in the public sector because what is happening to them is a crime," Chouccair stressed. He also said that "there is no doubt that the economic situation is linked to the political situation. "Despite the private sector's struggle, we have managed to stand on our feet again. To continue this, we need to improve the political situation and establish a plan for banks and an economic and financial recovery plan. Without these steps, things will not improve," he noted.

Mawlawi discussed with the Ambassador of Cyprus the Syrian refugee issue and with the Palestinian Minister of Local Government the camps’ conditions
LBCI/September 25, 2023
The caretaker Interior and Municipalities Minister, Judge Basam Mawlawi, received on Monday the Palestinian Minister of Local Government, Engineer Majdi Hafez Abdullah Al-Saleh, in his office. They discussed the conditions of the refugee camps and the latest developments. He also met with the Ambassador of Cyprus, Maria Hadjitheodosiou, in a courtesy visit to assume her duties in Lebanon. They discussed the issue of Syrian displacement in Lebanon and its impact on Cyprus. Governor of Wayne County, Michigan, in the United States, Warren Evans, met with Minister Mawlawi and his delegation to discuss the framework for cooperation. Mawlawi also received Dina Hasrouni, the daughter of Elias Hasrouni, and they discussed the ongoing investigations under the supervision of the competent judiciary.

Joint Palestinian Force implements deployment plan in Ain al-Hilweh after reinforcement
NNA/September 25, 2023
The Joint Palestinian Force on Monday began implementing the first step en route to re-establishing security in Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp through its deployment across contact points. This step aims to eliminate tension and reassure people upon their return to their homes inside the camp. Member of the Palestinian Joint Action Committee in Sidon, and Democratic Front official in Ain al-Hilweh, Fouad Othman, said, “This is the first step (...) to be followed with a second one, which is the withdrawal of militants from schools to be handed over to the Relief Agency - UNRWA, with the aim of re-constructing them (…).” He appealed to relief agencies to secure the necessary funds to restore what had been destroyed by clashes.Othman then stressed the camp’s unwavering support for the right of return.“All the plots that have been designed to end the camp will fail; everyone must understand that Ain Al-Hilweh camp is not mailbox for any party,” he added. Othman concluded: “The extradition of those accused of the assassination of Brigadier General Abu Ashraf Al-Armushi, his companions, and Abdel Farhoud is now in the custody of House Speaker, Nabih Berri, and the pillars of the Lebanese state, with the consensus of all national, Lebanese, and Palestinian political forces.”

Dar-al-Fatwa: Mufti Derian stands at an equal distance from all candidates to Supreme Islamic Council elections
NNA/September 25, 2023
Dar-al-Fatwa stressed, in a statement by its press office on Monday, that Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdellatif Derian "stands at an equal distance from all the candidates to the elections of the Supreme Islamic Sharia Council in Beirut and all the Lebanese governorates.""Derian does not interfere in the formation of the Islamic Sharia Council's electoral lists, and he does not support any candidate or side or force," the statement added. The statement comes in response to reports by "some newspapers that are known for their incredibility and twisting the truth."

Statement by the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean at the press conference on RC70
NNA/September 25, 2023/September 25, 2023
The following is the statement by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, at the press conference on RC70: "2023 has been unique in many ways. In May, WHO declared that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency of international concern. It remains a threat. Scientists continue to detect new strains and subvariants in circulation. But it is now one issue among many, to be managed alongside other infectious diseases and other health challenges. We must stay vigilant and never let our guard down.
The 70th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean – also known as RC70 – will take place between 9 and 12 October under the slogan “United for a healthier future”. It coincides with global celebrations of the 75th anniversary of WHO, and with the conclusion of my own five-year term as Regional Director. A report on WHO’s work in the Region over the past five years will be presented to the Regional Committee. It documents the tremendous, tireless work carried out by our countries and territories, partners and the Regional Office to achieve the strategic priorities of WHO’s vision for the Region, Vision 2023: to expand access to universal health coverage, address the challenge of emergencies, promote the health and well-being of people in every country and territory of the Region, and change the way WHO itself operates. Achieving all four of those priorities is essential to realize our ultimate goal of Health for All by All. I am pleased to say that the report includes many examples of progress. Despite many challenges, we were able to seize opportunities to improve health and well-being across the Region, making use of important policy instruments and initiatives introduced by the Regional Committee with high-level support from leaders in the Region. As I prepare to step down, my successor will be nominated by the Regional Committee. I would like to take the opportunity now to wish the new Regional Director every success in the post. Our Region is home to almost 745 million people. Along with some of the world’s highest-income countries, the Region contains a number of fragile states. Eleven of our 22 countries and territories have experienced conflict in recent years. The social and economic upheaval and mass population displacements that result also affect other countries. The agenda for RC70 highlights several public health issues that are of concern across our very diverse Region, but with a strong focus on emergency preparedness and response. At the heart of discussions are four technical papers on: integrating care for noncommunicable diseases in emergency settings in light of lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic; strengthening public health readiness for mass gatherings in the Region; strengthening and developing the Region’s health workforce based on the pandemic experience; and galvanizing action to address the links between health and climate change.
Colleagues, I invite you to visit the RC70 website to view technical papers and other RC documents including, among others, the provisional agenda and progress reports on a wide range of health issues that featured in resolutions from previous sessions of the Regional Committee. RC70 will also include numerous events and activities, including panel discussions on the Regional Health Alliance and youth health and well-being in the Region. To mark the 75th anniversary of WHO, a photo exhibition of success stories and significant health initiatives from the Region will be on display both in the Regional Office and online. And as promoting physical activity and sport for health is a high priority, we invite you to join our “Walk the talk” event in Child’s Park, opposite the Regional Office, to kick off RC70."

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 25-26/2023
Thousands of Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh as Turkish president visits Azerbaijan
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP)/September 25, 2023
Thousands of Armenians streamed out of Nagorno-Karabakh after the Azerbaijani military reclaimed full control of the breakaway region while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Azerbaijan Monday in a show of support to its ally. The Azerbaijani military routed Armenian forces in a 24-hour blitz last week, forcing the separatist authorities to agree to lay down weapons and start talks on Nagorno-Karabakh's “reintegration” into Azerbaijan after three decades of separatist rule. A second round of talks between Azerbaijani officials and separatist representatives began in Khojaly Tuesday following the opening meeting last week. While Azerbaijan pledged to respect the rights of ethnic Armenians in the region and restore supplies after a 10-month blockade, many local residents feared reprisals and said they were planning to leave for Armenia. The Armenian government said that 4,850 Nagorno-Karabakh residents had fled to Armenia as of midday Monday. “It was a nightmare. There are no words to describe. The village was heavily shelled. Almost no one is left in the village,” said one of the evacuees who spoke to The Associated Press in the Armenian city of Kornidzor and refused to give her name for security reasons. Moscow said that Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh were assisting the evacuation. Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said Monday that two of its soldiers were killed a day earlier when a military truck hit a landmine. It didn't name the area where the explosion occurred. In an address to the nation Sunday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his government was working with international partners to protect the rights and security of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. “If these efforts do not produce concrete results, the government will welcome our sisters and brothers from Nagorno-Karabakh in the Republic of Armenia with every care,” he said. Demonstrators demanding Pashinyan's resignation continued blocking the Armenian capital's main avenues Monday, clashing occasionally with police. Russian peacekeepers have been in the region since 2020, when a Russian-brokered armistice ended a six-week war between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinyan and many others in Armenia accused the peacekeepers of failing to prevent the hostilities and protect the Armenian population. Moscow rejected the accusations, arguing that its forces had no legal grounds to intervene, particularly after Pashinyan's recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. “We are categorically against attempts to put the blame on the Russian side, especially the Russian peacekeepers, who have shown a true heroism,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. He demurred when asked whether the Russian peacekeepers would remain in the region, saying that “no one can really say anything for now.”
Nagorno-Karabakh came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by the Armenian military, in separatist fighting that ended in 1994. During the war in 2020, Azerbaijan took back parts of Nagorno-Karabakh along with surrounding territory that Armenian forces had claimed during the earlier conflict.
In December, Azerbaijan imposed a blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, alleging that the Armenian government was using the road for mineral extraction and illicit weapons shipments to the region’s separatist forces.
Armenia charged that the closure denied basic food and fuel supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh’s approximately 120,000 people. Azerbaijan rejected the accusation, arguing the region could receive supplies through the Azerbaijani city of Aghdam — a solution long resisted by Nagorno-Karabakh authorities, who called it a strategy for Azerbaijan to gain control of the region. On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged support for Armenia and Armenians, saying that France will mobilize food and medical aid for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, and keep working toward a ‘’sustainable peace’’ in the region. France, which has a big Armenian diaspora, has for decades played a mediating role in Nagorno-Karabakh. A few hundred people rallied outside the French Foreign Ministry over the weekend, demanding sanctions against Azerbaijan and accusing Paris of not doing enough to protect Armenian interests in the region. "France is very vigilant about Armenia’s territorial integrity because that is what is at stake,” Macron said in an interview with France-2 and TF1 television, accusing Russia of complicity with Azerbaijan and charging that Turkey threatens Armenia’s borders. Russia has been the main ally and sponsor of Armenia and has a military base there, but it also has sought to maintain friendly ties with Azerbaijan. But Moscow's clout in the region has waned quickly amid the Russian war in Ukraine while the influence of Azerbaijan's top ally Turkey has increased. Erdogan arrived in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave on Monday for talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to discuss Turkey-Azerbaijan ties and regional and global issues. Nakhchivan is cut off from the rest of Azerbaijan by Armenian territory but forms a slim border with Turkey. During his one-day trip to the region, Erdogan will also attend the opening of a gas pipeline and a modernized military base, his office added in a statement. Asked about Erdogan's visit, Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesman, voiced hope that it will “contribute to the regional security and help normalize life in Karabakh.”

Russia says Armenia trying to sever ties
Agence France Presse/September 25, 2023
Moscow on Monday accused Armenia of trying to sever ties after Yerevan accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to stop Azerbaijan's military offensive against Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh last week. "The leadership in Yerevan is making a huge mistake by deliberately trying to destroy Armenia's multifaceted and centuries-old ties with Russia, and by holding the country hostage to the geopolitical games of the West," Russia's foreign ministry said. On Sunday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan criticized Moscow for refusing to intervene in the conflict, which ended with Armenian-backed separatists agreeing to lay down their arms. Pashinyan said Armenia's current foreign security alliances were "ineffective" and "insufficient". Moscow said Pashinyan's statement contained "unacceptable attacks on Russia". "It is an attempt to absolve himself of the responsibility for the failures in domestic and foreign policy," its foreign ministry said. Russia had brokered the ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia and deployed several thousand peacekeepers in the region. "Russia has always... respected Armenian statehood," the foreign ministry said, adding that Yerevan "preferred... running to the West to working with Russia and Azerbaijan". Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) -- a Russian-dominated group comprised of six post-Soviet states. The group pledges to protect other members that come under attack. But Russia is bogged down in Ukraine and has grown more isolated on the international stage.

US Central Command forces capture Daesh official in Syria after helicopter raid
Reuters/September 25, 2023
DAMASCUS: The United States Central Command on Monday said its forces had captured a Daesh official after conducting a helicopter raid in northern Syria on Saturday. “Abu Halil Al-Fad’ani, an Daesh Syria Operational and Facilitation official, was captured during the raid. Al-Fad’ani was assessed to have relationships throughout the Daesh network in the region,” the US Central Command said in a statement. Troy Garlock, a spokesperson for the US Central Command, said: “The capture of Daesh officials like Al-Fad’ani increases our ability to locate, target, and remove terrorists from the battlefield.”No civilians were killed or injured during the operation, the statement said.

US-backed Kurdish forces impose curfew in eastern Syria after new clashes with rival Arab militia
BEIRUT (AP)/September 25, 2023
U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces imposed a curfew after clashes erupted again on Monday in eastern Syria, where their fighters had battled for weeks with rival Arab militiamen, Syrian media and activists reported. The fighting in a region where hundreds of American troops are deployed has pointed to dangerous seams in a coalition that has kept on a lid on the defeated Islamic State group for years. The reports say the Syrian Democratic Forces imposed the open-ended measure in several towns in Deir el-Zour province, including the town of Ziban, close to the Iraqi border where the Americans are based. Hundreds of U.S. troops have been there since 2015 to help in the fight against the militant Islamic State group. The oil-rich province is home to Syria’s largest oil fields. Al Mayadeen, a pan-Arab TV station, said several fighters from the Kurdish-led forces were killed after Arab gunmen took over several parts of Ziban on Monday. Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said some of the Arab fighters had crossed from government-held areas. Local media in the province reported that some Kurdish fighters had fled the area as the clashes intensified. There were no further details.
The Kurdish-led forces have accused the Syrian government of inciting the violence by allowing the rival Arab militiamen to crossing the Euphrates River. The clashes first erupted in late August when two weeks of fighting killed 25 Kurdish fighters, 29 members of Arab tribal groups and gunmen, as well as nine civilians, according to the Syrian Democratic Forces . The Syrian government of President Bashar Assad in Damascus sees the Kurdish-led forces as secessionist fighters and has denounced their alliance with the United States in the war against IS and their self-ruled enclave in eastern Syria.
Meanwhile, Turkey, which has troops inside Syria, and Turkish-backed oppositions groups in Syria’s northwest, routinely clash with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza for 3rd day as West Bank violence intensifies
Associated Press/September 25, 2023
Israeli airstrikes have struck militant sites in Gaza on Sunday for the third straight day, the Israeli military said, after Palestinian militants near the border fence launched incendiary balloons into Israel and threw an explosive at soldiers. The strike came on the heels of an Israeli military raid in the northern West Bank that Palestinian health officials said killed two Palestinians. It was the latest bloodshed in a surge of violence during a sensitive Jewish holiday period. A series of violent escalations on the border between Israel and Gaza over the past week has raised the specter of an escalation for the first time since a brief round of conflict last May between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group. It comes at a fraught time. Jews are set to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day on their calendar, on Sunday night followed by the weeklong Sukkot festival later in the month.There were no reported casualties from the strikes in Gaza. Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military shot and wounded five Palestinians who were rallying at the separation fence along the Israeli frontier with the crowded enclave. It's a familiar tactic for Palestinians in Gaza protesting a 16-year blockade imposed by Israel with Egypt's help. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent the ruling Hamas militant group from arming itself. The Israeli army said Sunday it had targeted two posts belonging to Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, just east of the Bureij refugee camp and Jabaliya. The posts were close to the fence separating the territory from Israel, where dozens of Palestinians have been holding daily demonstrations for the past week. For the third time in as many days, media outlets posted photos of militant protesters sending a barrage of balloons attached to incendiary devices over the eastern border. The Israeli army said the balloons set two fires in Israel.
Rising tensions were also palpable in the West Bank.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said it moved into the Nour Shams refugee camp, near the town of Tulkarem, to destroy what it described as a militant command center and bomb-storage facility in a building. It said that engineering units detonated a number of bombs planted under roads and that militants opened fire and hurled explosives, as troops responded with live fire. The Palestinian Health Ministry said two men — Asid Abu Ali, 21, and Abdulrahman Abu Daghash, 32 — were killed by Israeli fire. The raid caused heavy damage to the camp's main road, severing water pipes and flooding parts of the street. The ground floor of the targeted building was heavily damaged, while part of the exterior wall of the second floor collapsed. The Hamas militant group claimed Abu Ali as a member. Elsewhere in the West Bank, Birzeit University, a major Palestinian institution, said the Israeli army carried out a rare raid on its campus near the city of Ramallah and arrested nine students, including the head of the student council. It said the students were all supporters of the Hamas militant group. The university denounced the raid, which it said caused damage to university property. The Israeli military claimed the suspects were plotting an attack on Israeli targets. Israel has been carrying out stepped-up military raids, primarily in the northern West Bank, for the past year and a half in what it says is a campaign to root out Palestinian militants and thwart future attacks. But Palestinians say the raids entrench Israel's 56-year occupation over the West Bank. The raids have shown little sign of slowing the fighting and contributed to the weakening of the Palestinian Authority, the self-rule government that administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Some 190 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the year, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Israel says most of those killed have been militants, but youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in the confrontations have also been killed. At least 31 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis this year. On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes hit a militant site for the second time in two days, after Palestinians sent incendiary balloons into Israeli farmland and Palestinian protesters threw stones and explosives at soldiers at the separation fence. The spike in violence comes during the Jewish New Year holiday season. Jews are set to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day on their calendar, on Sunday night followed by the weeklong Sukkot festival later in the month. During Sukkot, large numbers of Jews are expected to visit Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. The compound, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is often a focal point for violence. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those territories for their hoped-for independent state.

Israelis to be allowed to travel to US without visa
Associated Press/September 25, 2023
The Biden administration is poised to admit Israel this week into an exclusive club that will allow its citizens to travel to the United States without a U.S. visa despite Washington's ongoing concerns about the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinian Americans. U.S. officials say an announcement of Israel's entry into the Visa Waiver Program is planned for late in the week, just before the end of the federal budget year on Saturday, which is the deadline for Israel's admission without having to requalify for eligibility next year. The Department of Homeland Security administers the program, which currently allows citizens of 40 mostly European and Asian countries to travel to the U.S. for three months without visas. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is set to make the announcement Thursday, shortly after receiving a recommendation from Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel be admitted, according to five officials familiar with the matter who spoke Sunday on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been publicly announced. Blinken's recommendation is expected to be delivered no later than Tuesday, the officials said, and the final announcement will come just eight days after President Joe Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. The leaders did not raise the issue in their brief remarks to reporters at that meeting but it has been a subject of intense negotiation and debate for months as has been the Biden administration's effort to secure a deal to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Both State and the Homeland Security departments said they had "nothing to announce publicly at this time," adding that the two agencies will make a "final determination in the coming days." The U.S. is working with Israel toward "fulfilling the full range of law enforcement, national security, and immigration related requirements" of the program, according to the State Department. Israel's admission has been a priority for successive Israeli leaders and will be a major accomplishment for Netanyahu, who has sparred frequently with the Biden administration over Iran, the Palestinian conflict and most recently a proposed remake of Israel's judicial system that critics say will make the country less democratic.
Netanyahu's far-right government has drawn repeated U.S. criticism over its treatment of Palestinians, including its aggressive construction of West Bank settlements, its opposition to Palestinian statehood and incendiary anti-Palestinian comments by senior Cabinet ministers. The U.S. move will give a welcome boost at home to Netanyahu. He has faced months of mass protests against his judicial plan and is likely to come under criticism from the Palestinians, who say the U.S. should not be rewarding the Israeli government at a time when peace efforts are at a standstill. Israel met two of the three most critical criteria over the past two years — a low percentage of visa application rejections and a low visa overstay rate — to join the U.S. program. It had struggled to meet the third, which is a requirement for reciprocity that means all U.S. citizens, including Palestinian Americans, must be treated equally when traveling to or through Israel. Claiming national security reasons, Israel has long had separate entry requirements and screening processes for Palestinian Americans. Many complained that the procedures were onerous and discriminatory. Americans with Palestinian residency documents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were largely barred from using Israel's international airport. Instead, like other Palestinians, they were forced to travel through either Jordan or Egypt to reach their destinations. In recent months, Israel has moved to adjust its entry requirements for Palestinian Americans, including allowing them to fly in and out of Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and going directly to the West Bank and Israel proper, according to the officials. Israel also has pledged to ease movement for Palestinian Americans traveling in and out of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. New regulations took effect earlier this month to codify the changes, although concerns remain and the Homeland Security Department intends to stress in its announcement that it will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that Israel complies, according to the officials. Failure to comply could result in Israel's suspension from the program, the officials said. Palestinian American activists have been critical of the impending decision, which has been expected for some time due to the priority placed on it by both the Israeli and U.S. governments. "There are so many problems with this decision," said Yousef Munayyer, the head of the Palestine-Israel Program and senior fellow at Arab Center Washington. "The reciprocity requirement is clearly still not being met since Israeli policy continues to treat some Americans, specifically Palestinian Americans, differently. The administration however seems committed at the highest levels to overlooking this continued discrimination against American citizens to rush Israel into the program before the deadline." Munayyer said it was "unclear why the Biden administration seems dead set on offering political victories for Benjamin Netanyahu at a time when his far-right government is outraging Palestinians and many Israelis with their extremist agenda." Under the waiver program, Israelis will be able to travel to the U.S. for business or leisure purposes for up to 90 days without a visa simply by registering with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

Ukraine is building an advanced army of drones. For now, pilots improvise with duct tape and bombs
Associated Press/September 25, 2023 
Flying above enemy lines, a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone sends a clear image back to soldiers hiding in a basement a few kilometers away: A Russian armored vehicle is idling along a key logistics route, looking like easy prey in the artillery-scarred green landscape.
Then, in a flash, the image disappears, and the drone operator's screen is replaced by a jumble of black and white pixels. "Snow," says a calm commander known by the battlefield name Giocondo, who allowed The Associated Press to follow him and his unit of drone pilots on condition of anonymity to protect their identities. High-tech warfare cuts two ways, and the Russians use electronic beams to disable the drone's signals. Seconds later, the drone pilot switches to a frequency the Russians cannot easily exploit. The bird's-eye image of the armored vehicle reappears, and a second drone – this one laden with explosives – is quickly launched. It zips toward the target. Nineteen months into the Russian invasion, and as a grueling counteroffensive grinds on, the Ukrainian government wants to spend more than $1 billion to upgrade its drone-fighting capabilities. Whether used for reconnaissance, dropping bombs or self-exploding on impact, drones save money, and soldiers' lives. They are also more precise than traditional artillery — which is in short supply — and can deliver outsized impacts, such as real-time mapping of the battlefield, destroying tanks and ships, and bringing Russian advances to a halt. The advantages of drones can be fleeting, however. The Russian army, which relies on Iranian expertise for its own horde of deadly drones, quickly catches up each time Giocondo's unit gains an edge. Success, he says, lies in constant battlefield iteration and innovation. Ukraine's minister for digital transformation, Mykhailo Federov, says the government is committed to building a state-of-the-art "army of drones" and that its value to the war effort will be evident by the end of this year. The country has already trained more than 10,000 new drone pilots this year."A new stage of the war will soon begin," Federov promises.
PERFECT TARGET
Giocondo's unit operates near the occupied town of Svatove, in northeastern Ukraine. It has spent months modifying drones to enable them to fly deeper behind enemy lines and to better evade Russian detection and sabotage. His drone pilots are all volunteers, and many of them had no military experience prior to Russia's invasion. Hiding in a barn house haloed in morning light, a pilot who goes by the battlefield name Bakeneko pops on a head-mounted display and is instantly transported, soaring above verdant fields bustling with Russian combat vehicles and infantrymen. He is flying a drone loaded with explosives toward a Soviet-made tank spotted moments earlier by a reconnaissance drone. Bakeneko listens in one ear to the German heavy metal band Powerful, explaining that he "can't fly in silence."A few feet away, another soldier — a sales manager before the war — prepares exploding bombs. Using plastic flex cuffs and duct tape, he secures artillery shells and bulky batteries, turning an inexpensive commercial drone into a killing machine. As the sun rises, Russian troops to the east have the advantage of good light, peering into Ukrainian positions with their own drones. But that advantage flips in the afternoon, when Ukrainian drone pilots can sometimes spot the moving shadows of Russian infantrymen. Combing through the vast landscape to find a target takes hours. Russian troops have gotten better at hiding and camouflaging themselves in the foliage. When Bakeneko's target is within view, he gives the remote control a jolt, and the drone plunges. His headset shows the bucolic countryside rushing at him, and then it goes blank. "Super, we got it," says Giocondo, who is watching on a separate screen, which shows a plume of smoke coming from the tank.
TRIAL AND ERROR
The growing reliance on short-range exploding drones on the front line has prompted the Russians to deploy more handheld jamming devices, Ukrainian officials say. That has forced Giocondo's unit, and others, to devise creative countermeasures.
After three months of trial and error, Ukrainian soldiers operating in the eastern village of Andriivka, south of Bakhmut, figured out how to evade Russian jamming devices that had long stymied their drones. The fix led to the village being recaptured in early September. A spokesman for the battalion that retook the village said exploding drones were key because they forced the Russians to pull back heavy weaponry by roughly 15 kilometers to stay out of range. But Ukrainian drone pilots say the Russians will learn from what happened, and adapt again. "This is an interactive, two-sided competition," said Stephen Biddle, a senior fellow for defense policy at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Since the war's early days, Russia has used long-range, military-grade drones to inflict devastating damage and psychological terror in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and in other cities. Over time, the Ukrainian military has responded by launching its own military-grade drones deep behind enemy lines, targeting warships in the Black Sea, an airport in Western Russia and even buildings in Moscow, according to Russian officials and media. The acceleration of short-range drone warfare by units like Giocondo's is in direct response to the trouble Ukrainian forces experienced this summer using conventional weapons to try to punch through Russia's fortified defenses. The counteroffensive that began in June has depleted money, artillery and soldiers — and hasn't yielded as much momentum as Ukraine had hoped for. Faced with these challenges, the leader of an elite drone squad called the Asgard Group, which oversees Giocondo's unit, sensed an opportunity. The leader, a wealthy former businessman who goes by the name Pharmacist on the battlefield, directed his soldiers to begin targeting Russia's large and expensive weaponry with small and inexpensive drones. The logic was simple, Pharmacist says: Exploding drones cost roughly $400 to make, while a conventional projectile can cost nearly 10 times as much. Even if it requires multiple drones to take out a tank — and sometimes it does — it is still worth it. The strategy had the additional benefit of putting fewer soldiers' lives at risk. But first they had to modify commercial drones with hardware and software to suit the battlefield, enabling them to penetrate deeper behind enemy lines without being detected or jammed. A breakthrough came through the clever use of several drones in unison. With his entrepreneurial spirit, Pharmacist helped turn a ragtag group of engineers, corporate managers and filmmakers into an elite fighting force. He estimates that his 12-man team, assembled with just $700,000, has destroyed $80 million worth of enemy equipment. The Russian army — which faces its own economic and military challenges as the war in Ukraine drags on — is also looking to accelerate the use of drones. Russia had stepped up production before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine early in 2021, but officials have acknowledged that they didn't do enough. Now, as Ukraine catches up, Russian shopping centers are being repurposed into research labs and factories dedicated to drones, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think tank.
"The enemy learns very quickly," said Pharmacist.
SCALING UP
The Ukrainian government has taken notice of the grassroots innovation carried out by people like Giocondo and the Pharmacist; now it wants to replicate those efforts with an infusion of cash. The draft budget for 2024 includes an extra 48 billion hryvnias in defense spending earmarked for drone purchases. One reason to prioritize enhancing Ukraine's domestic drone-making capabilities, experts say, is the increasing difficulty in sourcing parts from China, the world's leading drone maker. "We are doing everything for businesses to invest in the production of various drones," said Federov, Ukraine's minister of digital transformation. He estimates that domestic production will grow one hundred times above last year's level. Since March, at least eight new Ukrainian companies building explosive drones have been formed as part of the initiative. Looking out over the horizon, Federov said advances in artificial intelligence being employed by some brigades are only likely to sharpen the effectiveness — and cost-effectiveness — of drones. Still, some drone operators take all of the enthusiasm with a grain of salt. They are skeptical that Ukraine's military culture, which has vestiges of rigidity from the Soviet era, can change quickly enough. A successful drone operation doesn't hinge on just training and procuring drones, they say. The more critical piece of the puzzle is scaling up the ingenuity and real-time adaptability of units like Giocondo's. "It's a complex interaction within the unit itself," said Pharmacist.

Russia's defensive line is 'bending but not breaking' after Ukraine breached it, analyst says
Tom Porter/Business Insider/September 25, 2023
Ukraine's counteroffensive made important progress last week.
But a Finnish military analyst said that so far Russia's defenses had not been broken.
Other experts believe that Russia could struggle if Ukraine achieves a decisive breakthrough. Russia's defense line is "bending not breaking" amid intensifying Ukrainian attacks on a key part of the front line, a military expert said.
Last week, Ukraine's counteroffensive reached a pivotal point when its armored vehicles broke through Russian defenses for the first time in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine. It was the kind of progress that Ukraine had long been seeking in its counteroffensive — though observers were hesitant to declare it a major breakthrough that could alter the course of the war. Emil Kastehelmi, a Finnish military analyst with the Black Bird Group analysis firm, wrote about the situation a thread on X posted Sunday.
He said Russia was still able to conduct an "organized defence" and Ukraine had not yet achieved a decisive breakthrough. "Their lines are bending, but not breaking. The salient at the Robotyne-Verbove area is of course a problem for them, but they seem to have enough resources to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control," Kastehelmi said, refering to the recent Ukrainian breach. Russia is launching waves of counterattacks in a bid to roll back Ukrainian advances, with the village of Robotyne which Ukraine recently seized back from Russia, the focus of intense fighting. Reports from analysts last week indicated that Russian units are sustaining high casualties in the counterattacks. The push from Ukraine is part of a gruelling attempt to defeat Russia's formidable "Surovikin line" of defences and disrupt its access to occupied Crimea.
Ukraine is under pressure from its allies to achieve a breakthrough before winter sets in. So far it has made small gains on several fronts, but nothing sweeping. Kastehelmi said that though Ukraine had been making progress every month, its forces have yet to achieve an "exploitable and reinforceable success." This, he said "brings the defender into a reactive state, unable to carry out the original defensive plans." "In this situation, the defender should be disorganized, either forced to retreat or risk heavy losses." That was the case in late 2022 when Ukraine was able to recapture vast amounts of northeastern Ukraine after routing Russian forces around Kharkiv. There is debate among military analysts about whether Russia would be able to mount a fightback if Ukraine does achieve a decisive breakthrough. Gian Gentile, an analyst with the Rand Corporation, recently told Insider that Russia would struggle to mount a successful fightback if Ukraine beats its defenses once. But Kastehelmi said Ukraine was "unlikely" to achieve a breakthrough this year "if the Russians keep using their troops in a sensible manner and focus on repelling the Ukrainian attacks." However, he said that "incompetence is a big factor which can have significant effects, at least locally" referring to the missteps and miscalculations that have been a recurrent problem for Russia's military during the invasion.

Russia May Be About to Get a New Friendly Leader in Europe
Andrea Dudik and Daniel Hornak/(Bloomberg) /Mon, September 25, 2023
When Slovakia’s longest-serving prime minister was forced out of office in 2018 following the biggest mass protests since the communist era, he grinned and vowed that he’d be back. Few, though, took him seriously. Robert Fico saw his closest ally defect to form a new party, prosecutors seek to put him and his associates behind bars for alleged corruption and his Smer party collapse to a record low in opinion polls. Yet reaction to the war in Ukraine has created a path back to power that would further test the European Union’s ability to remain united against Russian belligerence, even more so after Poland’s recent spat with Kyiv. Slovaks will vote on Sept. 30 in a tight election, and Fico has tapped into concerns over the fallout from the conflict. In a country of 5.4 million people who are the most pro-Russian in the region, he has vowed to end military aid to Ukraine, called Slovakia’s president an “American agent” and opposes NATO membership for its war-ravaged neighbor. “Fico has no problem crossing red lines,” said Boris Zala, a Smer co-founder who now works on policy papers for think tank Progressive Forum in Bratislava. “He will do anything to win more votes.”A member of the 27-nation EU, the euro region and NATO, Slovakia matters politically. It’s also sandwiched between Hungary, run by disruptor-in-chief Viktor Orban, and Poland, whose ruling nationalist Law & Justice Party is aiming to win a third-straight election on Oct. 15.
The three countries have angered Kyiv by pushing to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports to protect their farmers, something Fico said last week he would continue if he were to win power. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had escalated the quarrel by saying his country halted arms shipments to Ukraine, before government officials walked back the remarks.
Slovakia has generally remained steadfast on its support for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, even as successive surveys showed that more than half of Slovaks blame the West or Ukraine for the war.
The country still sent weapons eastward, accommodated more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and backed all sanctions on Russia even though the move had a direct effect on its energy supplies. The return of Fico, 59, could quickly change that, bringing into question Slovakia’s cooperation with NATO given his fierce criticism of the alliance and the US. It would also boost the influence of Orban, who has opposed sanctions and weapons deliveries. Fico hasn’t always been such a wildcard for Europe. Under his leadership, Slovakia joined the euro in 2009, its economy underpinned by an automotive industry that made the country one of the world’s biggest per-capita car producers. He also considered former German Chancellor Angela Merkel an ally.
The question is whether the next incarnation of his premiership would see a throwback to when Slovakia was more in the European wilderness, especially as he may have to bring in the far-right to form a majority government. “Fico’s goals will trigger opposition and dissent abroad, and that could lead to Slovakia’s isolation,” said Grigorij Meseznikov, the president of the Institute for Public Affairs think tank, who has followed the nation’s politics for over 30 years. While still remaining in the EU, he will pull Slovakia “outside the European mainstream,” he said.
Victory isn’t a done deal. Smer has about 20% support in opinion polls, giving it an advantage of three percentage points over its main rival, the Progressive Slovakia party led by Michal Simecka. That lead — in a fragmented political landscape where smaller parties will ultimately play kingmaker — has gradually narrowed from five points points in March. Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Slovakia diverged from the rest of the region initially. The first governments after communism ended ignored the rule of law, preventing the country from joining NATO in 1999 along with Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The then US secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, referred to the nation as “the black hole” of Europe.
At that time, Fico was in his early 30s and he consolidated the country’s center-left in a power grab, winning followers with passionate speeches on fighting corruption and promoting EU integration. His Smer party won its first general election in 2006. His popularity peaked at 44% in 2012 as he vowed to give more money to the underprivileged. Inspired by Orban’s ability to shift narrative to stay in power, Fico started to backtrack on issues he once supported. He and his party also faced allegations they allowed corruption to flourish, peaking in 2018 with the contract killing of a young investigative reporter, Jan Kuciak, and his fiancée.
Fico became the face of that public resentment and stepped down after pressure from his coalition partners. He said in an April interview with Bloomberg that he was the scapegoat, that he immediately knew the murder, “which has nothing to do with Smer, will be misused.”The incoming governments targeted him and his closest allies with graft allegations. Dozens of high-ranking police officers, secret service agents and former officials were convicted in related cases. Fico refuted allegations his party fostered a mafia-style state as “fabricated and laughable.” But the issue became the main focus of the 2020 election, the first in 14 years that Fico lost. Read More: Zelenskiy Is Showing the Strain as His Allies Turn Up the HeatThe Far Right Is Advancing in a Vulnerable Europe Again After Weaponizing Immigrants, Europe’s East Finds It Needs Them Ukraine Support Faces New Hurdle as Slovak Leader Eyes Return. As Fico’s popularity hit the rock bottom, he reinvented himself, becoming the voice against everything from coronavirus lockdowns and vaccines to immigration and green policies. Much like Orban, he rails against the EU as a dissenting voice within the bloc rather than to lead his country out of it.
“Fico has certainly changed,” said Bela Bugar, the leader of a former coalition party that was part of a Smer administration from 2016 to 2020. “When you are being hunted, you change.” It’s Slovakia’s support for Ukraine against Vladimir Putin’s invasion that has been his most bountiful political seam to mine. Fico, who agreed to the purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the US in 2018, has been particularly about the nation’s NATO partners. He compared German troops coming to Slovakia with the Nazi-era Wehrmacht.
Smer’s vice-chairman, Lubos Blaha, roused the crowd at a party event last month: “War and fascism have always come from the West, and freedom and peace from the East,” he said. Polls show Slovak support for EU and NATO membership has been slipping. Diplomats stationed in Bratislava have slammed Smer for repeatedly spreading misinformation about the Russian invasion. Like Orban, one of Fico’s tropes is that billionaire philanthropist George Soros is interfering in Slovak politics and liberal opponents are serving foreign interests. “I don’t want to supply deadly weapons to Ukraine just for the sake of a good image among the Western countries,” Fico said in the April interview in Bratislava. “It is irrational to think that Russia will withdraw from Crimea. This approach of the West will destroy Ukraine at some point.” Smer has recovered enough to give Fico a route back to the premiership with support from smaller groups. It would be his fourth time in office. His main challenger, Simecka, also would need cooperation from other parties should he upset the polls and come first. He has been urging Slovaks to not buy Fico’s narrative. He said this month that the prospect of a government with extremist parties is a risk for Slovakia. Indeed, Fico could be hard to stop, according to his former ally Zala: “He’s spreading conspiracy theories without any restraints and is able to use them to his advantage.” Coming Soon: Get the Eastern Europe Edition newsletter, delivered every Tuesday, for insights from our reporters into what's shaping economics and investments from the Baltic Sea to the Balkans.

One dead, four injured in incident at Iran’s Bandar Abbas refinery -state news
Reuters/September 25, 2023
The incident did not impact production at the refinery, which is one of Iran’s largest
DUBAI: One person has died and four others were injured in an incident at Iran’s southern refinery of Bandar Abbas last week, Iranian state media reported on Monday. The Iranian Oil Ministry’s Shana news agency said the incident occurred late on Sept. 22 during emergency repairs, adding that five maintenance workers were hurt, with one worker since dying of their injuries. “During the emergency repair operation in one of the process units of this refinery, five people were injured, and one of the injured died on Monday,” an official from Bandar Abbas refinery told state media. The incident did not impact production at the refinery, which is one of Iran’s largest, Shana added.

Saudi Arabia Takes a Step Closer to Achieving Nuclear Power
Jonathan Tirone/(Bloomberg)/September 25, 2023
Saudi Arabia took a key step toward advancing its nascent nuclear power program, telling international inspectors they’ll have wider access to facilities in order to account for atomic materials. The Gulf Arab power is implementing broader monitoring guidelines with the International Atomic Energy Agency and rescinding an outdated set of rules that have hindered its nuclear program, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman Al Saud said Monday in Vienna. “The kingdom is committed through its policy on atomic energy to the highest standards on transparency and reliability,” Prince Abdulaziz said in prepared remarks at the IAEA’s annual general conference. The move means that Saudi Arabia will be able to access supplies of fissile material and begin operating its first reactor, a small research unit built with the assistance of Argentina. The change will also support the Gulf Arab nation’s first tender for nuclear power plants. Nonproliferation analysts had voiced concern over Saudi nuclear plans in the absence of full IAEA safeguards and in light of comments by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Proliferation Concerns
The de facto Saudi ruler, known as MBS, has repeatedly warned that his country would have no choice but to enrich its own nuclear materials if its Persian Gulf rival Iran is allowed to continue doing so. He’s also warned that if Iran develops a nuclear bomb, Saudi Arabia could look to do the same. US President Joe Biden’s efforts to revive talks that would reimpose formal limits on Iran’s nuclear program have struggled to gain traction. The two sides have resorted instead to informal channels that have seen Iran dial down enrichment and the US turn a blind eye to Iranian oil exports.
The Saudi step at the IAEA comes as the Biden administration works with Prince Mohammed on a potential framework that would see Saudi Arabia normalize relations with Israel in exchange for firm security guarantees from the US and Israeli steps to preserve the possibility of a Palestinian state.
MBS said last week a deal on formal ties with Israel was getting closer “every day” but, privately, the Saudis have asked for advanced US weaponry and want America’s blessing to enrich uranium domestically as part of a plan to build nuclear power plants. Saudi Arabia’s decision to expand IAEA access was immediately welcomed by US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, who said her country remained committed to “upholding the highest nonproliferation standards in the world.”

France withdrawing ambassador, troops from Niger after coup
Associated Press/September 25, 2023
President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country as a result of the coup that removed the democratically elected president. Niger's junta said in response that the announcement signals a "new step towards the sovereignty" of the country. "Imperialist and neo-colonialist forces are no longer welcome on our national territory. The new era of cooperation, based on mutual respect and sovereignty is already underway," it said in a statement. The announcement was a significant, if expected, blow to France's policy in Africa, with French troops having had to pull out of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years after coups there. France had stationed thousands of troops in the Sahel region at the request of African leaders to fight Islamic extremist groups. France has maintained some 1,500 troops in Niger since the July coup, and had repeatedly refused an order by the new junta for its ambassador to leave, saying that France didn't recognize the coup leaders as legitimate. But tensions had mounted in recent weeks between France and Niger, a former French colony, and Macron said recently that French diplomats were surviving on military rations as they holed up in the embassy. Macron's announcement came after the coup leaders issued a statement earlier Sunday that they were closing Niger's airspace to French planes, commercial and military, so that the new leadership could "retake total control of its skies and its territory." The decision did not apply to other international aircraft. Ali Sekou Ramadan, an aide to Niger's deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, told The Associated Press that Bazoum requested that Macron withdraw the French ambassador, Sylvain Itte, "in order to reduce tension."
In an interview with the France-2 and TF1 television networks, Macron said he spoke to Bazoum on Sunday and told him that "France has decided to bring back its ambassador, and in the coming hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France."He added, "And we will put an end to our military cooperation with the Niger authorities because they don't want to fight against terrorism anymore." He said the troops would be gradually pulled out, likely by the end of the year, in coordination with the coup leaders ''because we want it to take place peacefully." He said France's military presence was in response to a request from Niger's government at the time. That military cooperation between France and Niger had been suspended since the coup, however. The junta leaders claimed Bazoum's government wasn't doing enough to protect the country from the insurgency. The junta is now under sanctions by Western and regional African powers. Insa Garba Saidou, a local activist who assists Niger's new military rulers with their communications, said they would continue to monitor developments until the French ambassador leaves the country. He also demanded a clear deadline for the withdrawal of the French troops.
"This announcement from the French president announces the victory of the people of Niger. However, we are going to take it with a lot of reservation because I no longer believe in Mr. Macron," said Saidou. The junta in August gave the French ambassador 48 hours to leave. After the deadline expired without France recalling him, the coup leaders then revoked his diplomatic immunity. In New York on Friday, the military government that seized power in Niger accused U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of obstructing the West African nation's full participation at the U.N.'s annual meeting of world leaders in order to appease France and its allies. Experts say that after repeated military interventions in its former colonies in recent decades, the era of France as Africa's "gendarme" may finally be over, as the continent's priorities shift. Andrew Lebovich, a research fellow with the Clingendael Institute, a think tank, said the decision marks both an acceptance of a "harsh reality for France in the region and may possibly put some limits on the U.S. deployments in Niger, though as we have seen, the U.S. and France have not followed exactly the same positionings in Niger."
Rida Lyammouri, a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Morocco-based think tank, said Niger will feel the loss of French support in its fight against violent extremist groups. "France has been a reliable partner providing support to its operations and Niger simply doesn't have an alternative to fill this void by the French, at least in short and mid term," Lyammouri said. Macron last year withdrew French troops from Mali following tensions with the ruling junta after a 2020 coup, and more recently from Burkina Faso, for similar reasons. Both African countries had asked for the French forces to leave.
France also suspended military operations with Central African Republic, accusing its government of failing to stop a "massive" anti-French disinformation campaign.

Washington to examine next steps after French announcement of withdrawal from Niger
AFP/September 25, 2023
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Monday that Washington would assess its future steps regarding the Niger crisis after France declared the withdrawal of its ambassador and troops from this country, which is experiencing a coup. Austin told reporters in Nairobi during a visit to Kenya, "While we give diplomacy a chance, we will also continue to evaluate any future steps that prioritize our diplomatic and security goals." However, he emphasized that Washington "has not made any tangible changes in the situation of our forces... and we really want to see a diplomatic solution and a peaceful end" to the crisis. French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday that France would withdraw its ambassador from Niger and then French troops, two months after the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, who was close to Paris. Macron said in an interview with French television, "France has decided to withdraw its ambassador. In the coming hours, our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France."He added that military cooperation "has ended," and that French forces would withdraw "in the coming months and weeks," with a complete withdrawal "by the end of the year."France maintained around 1,500 soldiers in Niger as part of its deployment to combat jihadists in the Sahel region. The United States deploys about 1,100 troops in the country. The military rulers in Niger swiftly responded to Macron's announcement in a statement broadcast on national television. In the statement, the Military Council described this move as a "historic moment," stating, "This Sunday, we celebrate a new step towards Niger's sovereignty." The coup on July 26 against Bazoum was the third of its kind in the region in several years, following similar movements in Mali and Burkina Faso in 2021 and 2022, which also forced French forces to withdraw.

Libya orders 8 officials arrested after flood
Associated Press/September 25, 2023
Libya's chief prosecutor said Monday he ordered the detention of eight current and former officials pending his investigation into the collapse of two dams earlier this month, a disaster that sent a wall of water several meters high through the center of a coastal city and left thousands of people dead. The two dams outside the city of Derna broke up on Sep. 11 after they were overwhelmed by Storm Daniel, which caused heavy rain across eastern Libya. The failure of the structures inundated as much as a quarter of the city, officials have said, destroying entire neighborhoods and sweeping people out to sea. Government officials and aid agencies have given estimated death tolls ranging from more than 4,000 to over 11,000. The bodies of many of the people killed still are under rubble or in the Mediterranean, according to search teams. A statement by the office of General Prosecutor al-Sidiq al-Sour said prosecutors on Sunday questioned seven former and current officials with the Water Resources Authority and the Dams Management Authority over allegations that mismanagement, negligence and mistakes contributed to the disaster. Derna Mayor Abdel-Moneim al-Ghaithi, who was sacked after the disaster, was also questioned, the statement said. Prosecutors ordered the eight to be jailed pending the investigation, the statement added. The dams were built by a Yugoslav construction company in the 1970s above Wadi Derna, a river valley which divides the city. They were meant to protect the city from flash floods, which are not uncommon in the area. The dams were not maintained for decades, despite warnings by scientists that they may burst. A report by a state-run audit agency in 2021 said the two dams hadn't been maintained despite the allocation of more than $2 million for that purpose in 2012 and 2013.
A Turkish firm was contracted in 2007 to carry out maintenance on the two dams and to build a third one in between them. The firm, Arsel Construction Company Ltd., said on its website that it completed its work in November 2012. It didn't respond to an email seeking further comment. Two weeks on, local and international teams were still digging through mud and hollowed-out buildings, looking for bodies. They also combing the Mediterranean off Derna, searching for boding swept away in the floods. The floods have left as many as a third of Derna's housing and infrastructure damaged, according to the U.N.'s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. Authorities have evacuated the most impacted part of the city, leaving only search and ambulance teams, OCHA said. The World Health Organization says more than 4,000 deaths have been registered dead, including foreigners, but a previous death toll given by the head of Libya's Red Crescent was at 11,300. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says at least 9,000 people are still missing. The storm hit other areas in eastern Libya, including the towns of Bayda, Susa, Marj and Shahatt. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in the region and took shelter in schools and other government buildings. The questioning and jailing of officials were a first crucial step by the chief prosecutor in his investigation which is likely to face daunting challenges due to the country's yearslong division. Since 2014, eastern Libya has been under the control of Gen. Khalifa Hifter and his self-styled Libyan National Army. A rival government, based in the capital, Tripoli, controls most national funds and oversees infrastructure projects. Neither tolerates dissent. The Supreme Council of State, an advisory body based in Tripoli, has called for a "thorough international investigation," echoing a call by many residents across Libya. Such call mirrors the deep mistrust in state institutions.

Kosovo mourns slain police officer as some Serb gunmen remain at large after monastery siege
Associated Press/September 25, 2023
Kosovo on Monday observed a day of mourning for the Kosovar Albanian police officer killed by Serb gunmen who then barricaded themselves in an Orthodox monastery in a siege that further raised tensions as the two wartime foes seek to normalize ties.
Flags were at half-staff on all public buildings in the capital Pristina to mourn Afrim Bunjaku. In the north, where most of Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority lives in four municipalities around Mitrovica, police were patrolling in search of the armed assailants after they left the monastery.
About 30 gunmen dressed in combat uniforms were involved in the attack, but it is not clear who they are or who is supporting them. Pristina accuses Belgrade of backing the "terrorists," an accusation Serbia denies, saying they are Serbs from Kosovo protesting the government there. On Sunday the masked gunmen opened fire on a police patrol at about 3 a.m. (01:00 GMT) in Banjska, a village located 55 kilometers (35 miles) north of Pristina, killing Bunjaku and injuring another officer. They then used an armored vehicle to break down the gates to the monastery in the village, where they remained in a stand-off with Kosovo police until evening. The two sides exchanged gunfire sporadically until darkness fell, when the assailants escaped from the monastery on foot. Three of the attackers were killed and two injured. Another Kosovar police officer was injured in the confrontation near the monastery. Two of the gunmen and four Serbs discovered nearby with communication equipment were arrested and are being investigated for terrorist acts. Police seized vehicles used by the gunmen which contained an arsenal of firearms of different calibers, explosives, ammunition and logistics capable of equipping hundreds of persons, according to Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla. "It's a terrorist, criminal, professional unit that had planned and prepared what they did and who are not a smuggling band but a mercenary structure which is politically, financially and logistically supported by official Belgrade," sad Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the gunmen were local Kosovo Serbs "who no longer want to stand Kurti's terror."Vucic condemned the killing of the Kosovo policeman, but said the clash was the result of "brutal" pressure on Kosovo Serbs by the government there. He denied any involvement by Belgrade. Vucic also blasted the West and its "hypocrisy" over Kosovo. "You can kill us all. Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo, that monster creation that you made by bombing Serbia," Vucic said, referring to the 1999 NATO intervention which led to Kosovo separating from Serbia.
Serbia and Kosovo, its former province, have been at odds for decades. Their 1998-99 war left more than 10,000 people dead, mostly Kosovo Albanians. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008 but Belgrade has refused to recognize the move.
The international community condemned the "hideous attack." The European Union and the NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo are in close contact with Kosovar authorities. Earlier this month, an EU-facilitated meeting between Kurti and Vucic to normalize ties ended in acrimony. The United States has supported the negotiations and the EU's position in trying to resolve the ongoing source of tension in the Balkans. In February, the EU put forward a 10-point plan to end the latest escalation of tensions. Kurti and Vucic gave their approval at the time, but with some reservations that have still not been resolved. The EU warned both countries that their commitments in February "are binding on them and play a role in the European path of the parties" — in other words, Serbia and Kosovo's chances of joining the 27-nation bloc.

Egypt to hold presidential election Dec 10-12
Reuters/September 25, 2023
CAIRO: Egypt will hold a presidential vote on Dec 10-12, the elections authority said on Monday, with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi widely expected to win reelection despite an economic crisis including record inflation and chronic foreign currency shortages.
El-Sisi, 68, can stand for a third term due to constitutional amendments in 2019 that also extended the length of presidential terms to six years from four, opening the way for him to stay in office until at least 2030. Election results are expected to be announced on Dec. 23 and, in the event of a run off round, final results should be announced on Jan. 16 at the latest, the election authority said.

Leader of Canada’s House of Commons apologizes for honoring man who fought for Nazis
AP/September 25, 2023
Just after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an address in the House of Commons on Friday, Canadian lawmakers gave 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka a standing ovation when Speaker Anthony Rota drew attention to him. Rota introduced Hunka as a war hero who fought for the First Ukrainian Division. “In my remarks following the address of the President of Ukraine, I recognized an individual in the gallery. I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to do so,” Rota said in a statement. He added that his fellow Parliament members and the Ukraine delegation were not aware of his plan to recognize Hunka. Rota noted Hunka is from his district. “I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. I accept full responsibility for my action,” Rota said. Hunka could not be immediately reached for comment. Canadian lawmakers cheered and Zelensky raised his fist in acknowledgement as Hunka saluted from the gallery during two separate standing ovations. Rota called him a “Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service.”Zelensky was in Ottawa to bolster support from Western allies for Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion. Vladimir Putin has painted his enemies in Ukraine as “neo-Nazis,” even though Zelensky is Jewish and lost relatives in the Holocaust. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office said in a statement that Rota had apologized and accepted full responsibility for issuing the invitation to Hunka and for the recognition in Parliament. “This was the right thing to do,” the statement said. “No advance notice was provided to the Prime Minister’s Office, nor the Ukrainian delegation, about the invitation or the recognition.”The First Ukrainian Division was also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis. The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies issued a statement Sunday saying the division “was responsible for the mass murder of innocent civilians with a level of brutality and malice that is unimaginable.” “An apology is owed to every Holocaust survivor and veteran of the Second World War who fought the Nazis, and an explanation must be provided as to how this individual entered the hallowed halls of Canadian Parliament and received recognition from the Speaker of the House and a standing ovation,” the statement said. B’nai Brith Canada’s CEO, Michael Mostyn, said it was outrageous that Parliament honored a former member of a Nazi unit, saying Ukrainian “ultra-nationalist ideologues” who volunteered for the Galicia Division “dreamed of an ethnically homogenous Ukrainian state and endorsed the idea of ethnic cleansing.”“We understand an apology is forthcoming. We expect a meaningful apology. Parliament owes an apology to all Canadians for this outrage, and a detailed explanation as to how this could possibly have taken place at the center of Canadian democracy,” Mostyn said before Rota issued his statement. Members of Parliament from all parties rose to applaud Hunka. A spokesperson for the Conservative party said the party was not aware of his history at the time. “We find the reports of this individual’s history very troubling,” said Sebastian Skamski, adding that Trudeau’s Liberal party would have to explain why he was invited.

Countdown begins in Washington to avoid federal government shutdown
AFP/September 25, 2023
Millions of Americans are preparing for the halt of salaries and social benefits in the coming days as Congress leans towards a government shutdown due to the obstruction of right-wing Republicans' efforts to pass the budget. Four months after narrowly avoiding a catastrophic debt default, the world's largest economy is once again on the brink of a crisis, with the effects of the shutdown expected to become evident by the end of the week.

Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 25-26/2023
The bloc of countries that wants to overthrow the US dollar is set to gain 6 new members — here's what the potential recruits have said about de-dollarization
Huileng Tan/Business Insider/September 25, 2023
The BRICS group of emerging nations has invited six new members to join its fold.Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images
The BRICS bloc of emerging nations has invited six new countries to join the group.
Iran has been the most vocal about de-dollarizing. The positions of other potential members vary.
Including major oil exporters Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the UAE intensifies the de-dollarization debate.
The BRICS group of emerging nations may have wrapped up its annual summit with no common currency last month and members issuing contradictory commentary about the greenback — but it doesn't mean its drive to de-dollarize is over.
The bloc is anchored by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. It has invited six countries to join the alliance, which hopes to upset the dollar's dominance and become an alternative to the dominant Western world order.
BRICS's newly invited members are Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia. Iran, which has been heavily sanctioned by the US, has been the most vocal about transacting in non-dollar currencies, while the others have taken various positions about alternatives to the greenback. The inclusion of major energy exporters such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the UAE on the list of potential BRICS members is a big deal because energy commodities — which are typically denominated in US dollars — are heavily traded and a key component of the global economy.
Therefore, any move by these energy exporters to trade in non-dollar currencies could gain momentum in the broader economy. "Together with fellow oil and gas exporters Iran and the UAE, the admission of Saudi Arabia to the BRICS grouping will inevitably focus the debate on the use of non-dollar currencies in trade," wrote analysts at the Dutch bank ING in an August 24 note, referring to the ongoing debate over de-dollarization. Here's what the six new potential members have signaled about the move away from the dollar.
Heavily sanctioned Iran has long been trying to de-dollarize
Iran — a major oil producer — has been on a drive to de-dollarize for years.
Tehran made a major push to de-dollarize in a May meeting with 11 other countries including India, Russia, and Sri Lanka. Given that Iran has been sanctioned for years, the Middle Eastern country has been discussing using the yuan to settle trade as far back as 2010. In 2012, China started buying crude oil from Iran using the yuan. In February, Tehran and Beijing discussed increasing the use of the yuan and the Iranian rial for bilateral trade, per the Financial Tribune, an Iranian media outlet.Iran also linked up with Russia's payment system, the System for Transfer of Financial Messages, in February, Al Jazeera reported.
Tehran has also called on India to conduct bilateral trade in local currencies — specifically in the Iranian rial and the Indian rupee, Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported in May. The UAE has agreed to trade oil with India in the rupee
The UAE doesn't appear to have made a public declaration on moving away from US-dollar trade — but its actions indicate otherwise.In February, top Indian oil refiners were buying Russian crude with the dirham, UAE's currency. In August, India's top oil refiner used Indian rupees to settle an oil trade with the UAE's state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. "The UAE has long deployed a multi-alignment strategy," wrote Kristian Alexander and Gina Bou Serhal, from Trends Research and Advisory in Dubai, on September 13, referring to the UAE's foreign-policy stance. "By joining the bloc, the UAE signaled that it wants to move away from overreliance on Western partnerships and play a more prominent role in shaping the global order," they wrote.
Egypt is 'very, very, very strongly considering' trading in non-dollar currencies
Like Argentina, Egypt has been suffering from a shortage of greenbacks since 2022, when the US Federal Reserve started hiking interest rates, which boosted the dollar's strength. The Egyptian pound has also lost about 50% of its value since March 2022, when the Fed started its rate-hike cycle. This makes dollar-denominated imports into Egypt more expensive. In April, Ali Moselhi, the Egyptian minister of supply and internal trade, said the country was "very, very, very strongly" considering paying for its commodity imports in non-dollar currencies, reported Saudi Arabia's Al Arabiya news outlet.
Moselhi said Egypt was discussing using the Chinese yuan, Indian rupee, or Russian ruble to pay for its imports but has not reached a deal yet with any of the countries. Egypt has already started issuing Japanese yen-denominated bonds earlier this year and is planning to issue Chinese yuan-denominated bonds soon as well. Argentina has started using the Chinese yuan, but one prominent politician is still backing the dollar
Argentina appears to be of two minds about de-dollarizing its economy.
The South American country has already started moving away from the US dollar for some transactions — mainly because the country's economy has run very short on the greenback. The option it has turned to recently is the Chinese yuan. In April, Sergio Massa, the Argentinian economy minister, said the country would start to pay for imports from China in the yuan instead of US dollars. Two months later, in June, Argentina's central bank said it was allowing commercial banks to open deposit accounts in the Chinese yuan. However, Argentinians have been hoarding the dollar for years to hedge against the volatile peso, so it's hard to envision the country completely de-dollarizing. Javier Milei, the front-runner in Argentina's presidential election, has proposed replacing the peso with the dollar amid a massive slide in the local currency against the greenback. The peso has halved against the dollar so far this year.
Saudi Arabia is open to trading oil in non-dollar currencies
The most high-profile of the newly invited BRICS members is Saudi Arabia, an oil-exporting giant and the de facto leader of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cartel. The kingdom's potential entry into the BRICS bloc is a surprise since it's in a strategic partnership with the US and has an agreement to price oil exclusively in the greenback. But the energy kingpin has signaled earlier this year it is open to trading in other currencies. "There are no issues with discussing how we settle our trade arrangements, whether it is in the US dollar, whether it is the euro, whether it is the Saudi riyal," Mohammed Al-Jadaan, the kingdom's finance minister, told Bloomberg TV in January. "I don't think we are waving away or ruling out any discussion that will help improve the trade around the world," Al-Jadaan told the news outlet. However, Saudi Arabia hasn't started pricing its prized oil exports in non-dollar currencies yet and hasn't accepted BRICS's invitation to join the bloc so far.
Ethiopia is dealing with a foreign-currency crunch.
A civil war broke out in Ethiopia in late 2020, further destabilizing the African country's economy, which was already reeling from COVID-19-wrecked supply chains and a drought. Ethiopia's civil war ended in 2022, but like Argentina and Egypt, it continues to face economic uncertainties and is experiencing a foreign-currency shortage. Ethiopia doesn't appear to have publicly said anything about moving away from US dollar-dominated trade. The country's bid for membership seemed to have stemmed from a desire for an alternative world order.
The Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, tweeted on August 24 that BRICS endorsement of the country's membership was a "great moment" for the country. "Ethiopia stands ready to cooperate with all for an inclusive and prosperous global order," he tweeted.

China and Russia: The New Axis of Evil
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute./September 25, 2023
Xi has been eyeing the South and East China Seas, coopting the Solomon Islands, building and militarizing his own artificial islands, and threatening not only Taiwan, but neighbours such as Australia, India and Japan.
Putin seized and occupied territory in Georgia in 2008, and Ukraine in 2014 (Crimea) and 2023, not to mention his relentless bellicosity towards the Baltic states and eastern Europe.
There are mounting concerns... in Western security circles that in return for providing any uplift in military support for Russia, Kim wants Moscow to provide technical assistance for his missile and satellite programmes, which would seriously enhance North Korea's ability to threaten the West with its nuclear arsenal.
Any attempt by Russia to help improve North Korea's military strength will also benefit China's Communist rulers: it will provide North Korea with the ability to intensify the threat that all three countries pose to the US and its allies -- and to global security.
Following the recent summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, home to Moscow's space programme, in Russia's far east, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin are clearly emerging as the ringleaders of a new axis of evil comprising China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. Pictured: Putin speaks with Kim at the Vostochny Cosmodrome on September 13, 2023. (Photo by Artem Geodakyan/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
It is more than twenty years since then US President George W. Bush first identified an "axis of evil" of rogue states that threatened global security, and now a new alliance of malign states is taking shape with Russia and China acting as its new lynchpins.
Back in 2002, when Bush first articulated his notion of rogue nations in his State of the Union address made in the wake of the September 11 attacks, he identified Iraq, Iran and North Korea as states that, together with their terrorist allies, "constitute an axis of evil...by seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger."
At the time, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, whose regime had actively sought to acquire an arsenal of nuclear and biological weapons, was seen as posing the gravest threat to Western democracy, a threat which was finally nullified in 2003 after the US-led coalition succeeded in overthrowing his regime.
Now, twenty years after Hussein's overthrow, a new axis of evil is forming, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin replacing Hussein as the leaders who pose the greatest threat to global security.
Indeed, as the leaders of countries that possesses the world's largest arsenal of nuclear warheads, Xi and Putin constitute a far greater threat to our wellbeing than Hussein ever did. Like Hussein, who during his rule launched invasions of Iran and Kuwait, Xi and Putin share a similar disregard for the sovereignty of neighbouring states.
Xi has been eyeing the South and East China Seas, coopting the Solomon Islands, building and militarizing his own artificial islands, and threatening not only Taiwan, but neighbours such as Australia, India and Japan.
Putin seized and occupied territory in Georgia in 2008, and Ukraine in 2014 (Crimea) and 2023, not to mention his relentless bellicosity towards the Baltic states and eastern Europe.
Unlike Hussein, though, Xi's and Putin's ability to achieve their territorial goals is greatly assisted by the powerful military and nuclear arsenals at their disposal, which has successfully persuaded the West against launching direct military action against Moscow.
Now, following the recent summit between Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, home to Moscow's space programme, in Russia's far east, Xi and Putin are clearly emerging as the ringleaders of a new axis of evil comprising China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.
While the main purpose of that visit was an attempt by Putin to secure military support from North Korea, as China's proxy, for Russia's faltering military campaign in Ukraine, the meeting of the two autocrats has raised concerns that the summit will result in deeper military ties between those two countries.
With the Russian military having sustained drastic losses during the 18-month conflict -- Western intelligence officials estimate the Russian military has lost around half its war-fighting strength -- Putin is desperate to acquire fresh military supplies.
North Korea has enjoyed close military ties with Moscow since the Soviet era, and many of its conventional armaments, such as artillery and rockets, are compatible with Russian systems.
China and North Korea have already provided Russia with limited military supplies, and any increase would substantially help Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, which is now under serious pressure as a result of Ukraine's recent gains on the battlefield.
There are mounting concerns, however, in Western security circles that in return for providing any uplift in military support for Russia, Kim wants Moscow to provide technical assistance for his missile and satellite programmes, which would seriously enhance North Korea's ability to threaten the West with its nuclear arsenal.
Earlier this year North Korea twice tried, and failed, to launch a spy satellite, with Pyongyang keen to develop the technology in order to boost its military surveillance.
US officials believe North Korea's satellite programme is also aimed at boosting its ballistic missile capabilities, as the technology is similar.
Speaking after Kim's summit with Putin, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said there was concern that Russian help with satellite technology would actively improve the North Korean missile programme.
"That is quite troubling and would potentially be in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions" which Russia itself had voted for in the past, he said.
Putin's choice of the cosmodrome for his meeting with Kim was certainly appropriate given the close personal interest Kim takes in missiles and satellites. This was the location where Russia's recent lunar probe, which ended up crashing into the moon, was launched in August. The prospect of Russia deepening its military ties with North Korea is troubling for other reasons. North Korea is known to have worked closely with Iran on the development of their respective nuclear and ballistic missiles programmes, both of which draw heavily on Russian technology.
For example, both North Korea's Nodong and Iran's Shahab medium-range missile systems rely heavily on the technology used in Russia's Soviet era Scud missiles.
When Israeli warplanes in 2007 bombed Syria's Al-Kibar nuclear facility, where Iran was financing the construction of a nuclear reactor, a number of North Korean nuclear scientists working on the project were killed. The other concerning aspect of Putin's bid to forge closer military ties with North Korea will be the implications it could have for Moscow's alliance with China. China has historically been regarded as North Korea's closest ally, as well as being its most important trading partner.
Any attempt by Russia to help improve North Korea's military strength will also benefit China's Communist rulers: it will provide North Korea with the ability to intensify the threat that all three countries pose to the US and its allies -- and to global security.
*Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Today in History: ‘Pride Was Their Downfall’ at the Battle of Nicopolis
Raymond Ibrahim/September 25/2023
Miniature of the execution of Europeans refusing to convert to Islam after Nicopolis, Jean Colombe, c. 1475
Today in history, on September 25, 1396, a major military encounter with Islam that demonstrated just how disunited Christendom had become took place.
Two years earlier, in 1394, the Ottoman Turks had been “doing great injury to Hungary,” causing its young king, Sigismund, to appeal “to Christendom for assistance.” It came at an opportune time. The hitherto quarreling English and French had made peace in 1389, and a “crusade against the Turks furnished a desirable outlet for the noble instincts of the Western chivalry.”
Matters were further settled once “men of all kinds”—pilgrims, laymen, and clerics returning from the Holy Land and Egypt—told of “the miseries and persecutions to which their Eastern co-religionists were subjected by the ‘unbelieving Saracen,’ and . . . appealed with all the vehemence of piety for a crusade to recover the native land of Christ.”
Western knights everywhere—mostly French but also English, Scottish, German, Spanish, Italian, and Polish—took up the cross in one of the largest multiethnic crusades against Islam. Their ultimate goal, according to a contemporary, was “to [re-]conquer the whole of Turkey and to march into the Empire of Persia . . . the kingdoms of Syria and the Holy Land.” A vast host of reportedly some one hundred thousand crusaders—“the largest Christian force that had ever confronted the infidel”—reached Buda in July 1396.
But numbers could not mask the disunity, mutual suspicions, and internal rancor that was evident from the start. Not only did the French spurn Sigismund’s suggestion that they take a defensive posture and forego the offensive, but when the king suggested that his Hungarians were more experienced with and thus should lead the attack on the Turks, the Frenchmen accused him of trying to take away their glory and set out to take the field before him. They easily took two garrisons before reaching and besieging Nicopolis, an Ottoman stronghold on the Danube. Victories and still no response from Sultan Bayezid led to overconfidence and complacency.
Suddenly, on September 25, 1396, as the Western leaders were feasting in a tent, a herald burst in with news that Sultan Bayezid—who only three weeks earlier had been far away besieging Constantinople—had come. Without waiting for Sigismund’s Hungarians, who were still trailing behind, the Westerners instantly formed rank and made for the first, visible line of the Ottoman force, the akinjis (irregular light cavalry).
Although they made quick work of them, the Muslim horsemen had “veiled from the sight of the enemy a forest of pointed stakes, inclined towards the Christians, and high enough to reach the breast of a horse.” Many charging horses were impaled and fell—as volleys of arrows descended upon man and beast, killing many of both.
So considerable was the loss inflicted on the Christians. A young French knight called on the men “to march into the lines of the enemy to avoid a coward’s death from their arrows and the Christians responded to the marshal’s call.” Although the Muslim archers harrying them were scattered along a sloping hill, the unhorsed and heavily armored crusaders marched to it on foot.
As they ascended, “the Christians struck vigorously with axe and sword, and the Ottomans retaliated with sabre, scimitar and mace so valiantly, and packed their lines so closely, that the issue remained at first undecided. But as the Christians were mailed, and the Ottomans fought without armor, the bearers of the Cross . . . butchered 10,000 of the infantry of the defenders of the Crescent, who began to waver and finally took to their heels.”
As the latter fled, another, larger host of Islamic horsemen became visible. The unwavering crusaders “hurled themselves on the Turkish horse, effected a gap in their lines, and, striking hard, right and left, came finally to the rear,” where they hoped to find and kill Bayezid with “their daggers [which they used] with great effect against the rear.” Startled at this unusual way of fighting—reportedly five thousand Muslims were slaughtered in the melee—“the Turks sought safety in flight and raced back to Bayezid beyond the summit of the hill.”
At this point, the Western leaders called on their knights to stop, recover, and regroup; yet despite “their exhaustion, the weight of their armor, and the excessive heat of an Eastern summer day,” the berserkers pursued “the fugitives uphill in order to complete the victory.” There, atop the hill, the full might of the Muslim host finally became visible: forty thousand professional cavalrymen (sipahi), with Bayezid grinning in their midst.
Instantly and to the clamor of drums, trumpets, and wild ejaculations of “Allahu Akbar!” they charged at the outnumbered and now exhausted Christians. The latter valiantly fought on, “no frothing boar nor enraged wolf more fiercely,” writes a contemporary. One veteran knight, Jean de Vienne, “defended the banner of the Virgin Mary with unflinching valor. Six times the banner fell, and six times he raised it again. It fell forever only when the great admiral himself succumbed under the weight of Turkish blows.” His “body was found later in the day with his hand still clutching the sacred banner.”
Still, no amount of righteous indignation or battle fury could withstand the rushing onslaught. Some crusaders broke rank and fled; hundreds tumbled down the steep hill to their deaths; others hurled themselves in the river and drowned; a few escaped and got lost in the wood (a handful made it home from their odyssey years later, in rags and unrecognizable).
The Hungarians arrived only to witness the grisly spectacle of a vast Muslim army surrounding and massacring their Western coreligionists. Sigismund boarded and escaped on a ship in the Danube. “If they had only believed me,” the young king (who lived on to become Holy Roman Emperor thirty-seven years later) later reminisced; “we had forces in plenty to fight our enemies.” He was not alone in blaming Western impetuosity: “If they had only waited for the king of Hungary,” wrote Froissart, a contemporary Frenchman, “they could have done great deeds; but pride was their downfall.”
Though it failed, the crusade caused considerable damage to Sultan Bayezid’s forces: “for the body of every Christian, thirty Muhammadan corpses or more were to be found on the battlefield.” But the Islamic warlord would have his vengeance:
On the morning after the battle the sultan sat and watched as the surviving crusaders were led naked before him, their hands tied behind them. He offered them the choice of conversion to Islam or, if they refused, immediate decapitation. Few would renounce their faith, and the growing piles of heads were arranged in tall cairns before the sultan, and the corpses dragged away. By the end of a long day, more than 3,000 crusaders had been butchered, and some accounts said as many as 10,000.
Whether because hours of this “hideous spectacle of mutilated corpses and spilt blood horrified [even] Bayezid,” or whether because his advisors convinced him that he was needlessly provoking the West, “he ordered the executioners to stop.”
When news of this disaster spread throughout Europe, “bitter despair and affliction reigned in all hearts,” writes a chronicler. Never again would the West unite and crusade in the East. “Henceforward it would be left to those whose borders were directly threatened to defend Christendom against the expansion of Islam.” All of this was a sign of the times, of a burgeoning secularization that prioritized nationality over religion in the West. As historian Aziz Atiya notes in his seminal study of the battle:
The Christian army consisted of heterogeneous masses, which represented the various and conflicting aspirations of their countries and nascent spirit of nationality therein. The sense of unity and universality that had been the foundation of Empire and Papacy in the early Middle Ages was passing away, and in its place the separatism of independent kingdoms was arising. This new separatist tendency demonstrated itself amidst the crusading medley before Nicopolis. There was no unity of purpose, no unity of arms and companies, and no common tactics in the camp of the Christians. The Turkish army was, on the other hand, a perfect example of the most stringent discipline, of a rigorous and even fanatic unity of purpose, of the concentration of supreme tactical power in the sole person of the Sultan. For an increasingly isolated Constantinople, such developments boded ill.
Thanks to its cyclopean walls, the city of the Byzantine emperors managed to survive for another 57 years, falling to the Turks in 1453, partially because of more Western disunity.
Note: All quotations in the above account were excerpted from and documented in the author’s book, Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West.

Iraq’s militia state replicates Daesh’s terrorism and criminality
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/September 25, 2023
One of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani's key governing pledges was to normalize the situation throughout central Iraq by transferring control from the military to civilian police, and regular military forces have indeed obediently withdrawn in many provinces. However, Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi paramilitaries, the Popular Mobilization Forces, clearly aren’t going anywhere, as they continue to loot billions of dollars from Iraq’s cities that suffer under militia occupation comparable in criminality, corruption and brutality to that of Daesh. A PMF commander, Ali Al-Husseini, categorized his factions’ presence in the liberated cities as “official forces deployed with the knowledge and approval of” the prime minister. He menacingly added: “Calls for withdrawing PMF forces are suspicious and serve an agenda that does not desire stability for Iraq.”
PMF researcher Michael Knights describes Sudani as a puppet. He says: “The real powers are three warlords, each closely tied to Iran” — Hashd leaders Qais Khazali of Asa’ib Ahl-Al-Haq and Hadi Al-Amiri of Badr, and former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. A PMF deputy described Iraq as having a “resistance” government. He said: “The resistance has come to represent the official view of Iraq, and it is the one running affairs today.”
The Hashd is often misrepresented as posing only a military threat to Iraq, particularly with the recent doubling of its forces to around 240,000 personnel and a similar increase in its budget. But, as with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the PMF has become highly adept at manipulating the corridors of power to monopolize political, judicial, economic, and administrative positions.
Knights has highlighted how in recent months Iraq’s National Intelligence Service, Baghdad airport, anticorruption bodies and customs posts have all fallen under the group’s control. This is in addition to major institutions such as the Interior Ministry, already dominated by the Hashd. PMF influence over Iraq’s Supreme Court, via senior judge Faiq Zaydan, enabled the PMF to dominate the incoming government, despite suffering humiliating losses in the 2021 elections.
In many larger cities, such as Mosul and Tikrit, a dozen different PMF factions rival one another for paramilitary and commercial dominance via various “economic offices.” In Sunni-majority cities and ethnic melting-pot rural regions, sectarian Shiite forces behave as conquering military armies, while parasitically bleeding every last dinar out of local economies.
When Hashd forces captured the multiethnic city of Kirkuk in 2017, large numbers of Kurds fled, including members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party who warned that the city had been “occupied” by hostile Shiite militias. This month, in response to KDP plans to reopen an office in Kirkuk, the Hashd’s Asa’ib Ahl-Al-Haq faction set up a protest camp and blocked major roads, reducing the city to chaos.
When citizens protested against these actions, the police opened fire on them, resulting in numerous casualties and one death. In May, a Turkmen PMF faction engaged in a gun battle against Badr PMF forces for control of lucrative checkpoints around Kirkuk airport, prompting intervention by Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers.
The Hashd has never had it so good. And one day soon it will fully emerge to constitute the regionwide threat of a hundred new Daeshes.
Investigators have shown how throughout central Iraq, the PMF illegally seized vast lands and thousands of houses as “war spoils.” A real estate lawyer investigating these matters in Mosul said that what occurred after 2017 was a continuation of what happened under Daesh “with only some changes in the titles.” He said the Hashd “took advantage of the security vacuum… and manipulated property records through their economic offices.”
Nineveh’s governor, Nawfal Sultan Al-Akoub, was jailed for crimes including colluding with PMF powerbrokers to embezzle more than $70 million of reconstruction funds. Akoub blamed Asa’ib Ahl-Al-Haq for corruptly seizing vast tracts of Mosul real estate, lamenting that they exploited him then abandoned him to his fate. The Nineveh Criminal Court investigated a network of PMF-affiliated real estate brokers complicit in forging documents to steal 9,000 properties.
With the establishment of the PMF’s Muhandis General Company, named after deceased Hashd leader Abu-Mahdi Al-Muhandis, militias can dominate Iraq’s economy with billion-dollar revenue streams, monopolizing government tenders and securing preferential trading terms. The PMF meanwhile controls government departments with multibillion-dollar budgets. One academic paper describes the phenomenon of “crime-terror convergence,” as Hashd forces and Daesh remnants transform the Iraq-Syria borders into “a hub for the smuggling of weapons, drugs, oil, and people.”
This corruption, brutality and organized crime is the surest way of driving Iraqi demographics back into the arms of groups such as Daesh. Thousands of individuals have been “forcibly disappeared” by Hashd militias. In one single incident in 2016 in Saqlawiyah in Anbar, at least 643 men and boys were abducted and presumably massacred by PMF paramilitaries.
As the Hashd has become more widely hated, even among Shiite demographics, it has become increasingly impossible to exploit election processes to cling on to power: so at some point the Hashd will inevitably abandon the sham “democratic” process altogether and use its military and political might to stage a full-blown coup, bolstered by Hezbollah and other aligned regionwide forces.
I lose count of the articles I write warning that the international community is asleep at the wheel, failing to respond to events with glaring global ramifications. The West will clearly not lift a finger to help cut the Hashd down to size. But we should at least be conscious of the ramifications of states such as Lebanon, Syria and Iraq falling under monopolized control of factions who are overtly committed to attacking the West and Arab states.
The Iran-GCC détente has merely neutralized international focus on the Hashd and its allies, allowing them to quietly and uninterruptedly expand in size, power and wealth — to the extent that they have become the dominant face of the Iraqi state.
The Hashd has never had it so good. And one day soon it will fully emerge to constitute the regionwide threat of a hundred new Daeshes.
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.