Lebanon’s file in Washington
Walid Phares DC/Face Book/August 13/15
From an assessment of where is Lebanon’s file in Washington, and in the midst of the deep divide between the Administration and Congress on the Iran deal, the projection is that no serious move away from the current status quo is to be expected before January 2017, depending on which party and candidate would win in November 2016. So one year and five months before a possible new consensus is reached. Meanwhile, Lebanon is perceived by the Administration as a second level issue to address -other than the security issues related to ISIS on the border- under the vast umbrella of the Iran deal arrangements. However two factors can change this reality. One factor, most likely, related to possible military developments in Syria, and the other, less likely, would relate to an internal development in Lebanon resulting from a reaction to events in Syria.
Report To NATO Lawmakers On Alternative Airports In Lebanon
Walid Phares DC/August 12, 2013 ·Mideast Newswire
Dr Walid Phares, Congressional advisor and Co-Secretary General of the Transatlantic Parliamentary Group on Counter Terrorism (TAG) is preparing a “report about interim alternative airports to the Beirut International Airport (Rafiq Hariri IA) to members of the US Congress and the European Parliament as a result of the Terror threat and kidnappings menace targeting the Beirut Airport. “The alternative airports in Lebanon are Rayak, Qleiaat and Hamat, all three manned by the Lebanese Army. However according to the best assessment we have received, Hamat seems to be most suited at this point, on security and transportation levels” said Phares. “The International Airport south of Beirut may continue to operate, but since its environment has become a Terror and security risks, another international airport must be opened soon, not just for Lebanese passengers but for international companies as well. Hamat has excellent technical, structural, and could have rigorous security, requirements. We will inform the lawmakers about this alternative, hoping Western and other embassies in Lebanon will inform the executive branches in the West and the international community of this necessity.”
***(Picture)Archive Photo: Congressional advisor Dr Walid Phares and Secretary of Transportation in the Obama Administration, Ray Lahoud at a Lebanon celebration in Congress
“Jible’..”
Walid Phares DC/Face Book/August 13/15
Possibly the oldest Phoenician city, but certainly the urban center where the original 19 letters of the Alphabet were carved before they became a universal human legacy. This is no light heritage for any nation. Byblos, or Jible’ in Phoenician, later becoming Jbeil. Did the first written texts in the known Alphabet originate from there and sailed around the Mediterranean? Very possible. The city should be a destination for cultural pilgrimages, but obviously not in this day and age, between the modern day Khilafa and Wilaya. Forget about big dreams of culture at this point. Focus on lesser dreamy things, like carving up an area of full freedom with Byblos in its midst, until the world is ready. Even this is a tall order.
I spent an amazing year in Jbeil in at St George school before the war. There I had the opportunity to have long conversations with guest speakers such as Said Aql and Imam Musa Sadr. For months I had the joy of exploring the ruins, sites and get educated in Phoenician history, but also Marada and Crusader eras. A brief time under the Mameluks before the Lebanese Emara. This photo is by family members strolling in today’s Jbeil and its souks.
More on this in a forthcoming interview to be published soon
