LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
November 12/16
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
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Bible Quotations For Today
I do not call you
servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is
doing; but I have called you friends
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 15/15-21/:"I do not
call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master
is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything
that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I
appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father
will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands
so that you may love one another. ‘If the world
hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to
the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to
the world, but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hates
you. Remember the word that I said to you, "Servants are not greater than
their master." If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they
kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to
you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me."
For just as by the one man’s disobedience
the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made
righteous
Letter to the Romans 05/17-21/:"If, because of the one man’s trespass,
death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who
receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise
dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore
just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of
righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience
the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made
righteous. But law came in, with the result that the trespass multiplied; but
where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, just as sin
exercised dominion in death, so grace might also exercise dominion through
justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Titles For
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on November 11-12/16
Lebanon: Losers And Winners In Michel Aoun’s
Presidency – Analysis/ Mohammad Khajouei/Eurasia
Review/November 11/16
Lebanon now led by Iran's emissary/Dr. Edy Cohen/Israel
Hayom/November 11/16
The First Signs/Ahmad El-Assaad/November 11/16
House rushes to block Boeing sales to Iran/ Author Julian/Al Monitor/November
11/16
Walid Phares, Trump’s top
foreign policy adviser says Trump won’t rip up Iran deal, signals he may not
move embassy/Joshua Davidovich/Times Of
Israel/November 11/16
Why Egypt's Sisi welcomes Trump win/ Shahira Amin/Al Monitor/November
11/16
Trump Adds to His List of Advisors/ Bob Adelmann/New
American/November 11/16
Policy recommendations for Trump in The Middle East/Dr. Majid
Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/November
11/16
Welcome to the Trump world order/Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/November 11/16
Trump presidency: Quo vadis Turkey-US relations in
Mideast/Menekse Tokyay/Al Arabiya/November 11/16
Donald Trump’s energy wild card/Dr. Naser al-Tamimi/Al Arabiya/November 11/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese
Related News published on on November 11-12/16
Sami Gemayel Criticizes Geagea:
He Accepts Hizbullah in Cabinet but Rejects Kataeb
Aoun Renews Call for 'Separating Foreign Political
Choices' from Domestic Situation
Jumblat Denounces 'Attempts to Obstruct' Formation of
Cabinet
Berri: Government Will Be Ready When You See Hariri
in Ain el-Tineh
Hizbullah Shells Nusra
Militants in Arsal Outskirts, Inflicting Casualties
U.N. Chief Condemns Hizbullah Intervention in Syria,
Says Violates 1701
Man Kills Two Sons, Commits Suicide in Akkar
Rahi, interlocutors take up relevant affairs
Berri, Arslan tackle
current situation
Hariri receives Russian Ambassador, Mufti Chaar
Zahra: Lebanese Forces won't accept exclusion
Aoun in front of economic committees: To separate
external political options from Lebanese interior
Aram I visits Pope, welcomes election of Lebanon President
Kejian on Lebanese Chinese diplomatic relations' 45th
anniversary:
Will Lebanon follow
EIB Vice President: A positive political environment is always good for EIB
green investments in Lebanon
Saudi Starts Paying Billions Owed to Saudi Oger and
Other Private Firms
UN envoy hails 'optimistic' Lebanon after President Aoun's
election
Lebanon: Losers And Winners In Michel Aoun’s
Presidency – Analysis
Lebanon now led by Iran's emissary
Trump foreign policy adviser: Trump will demand changes to the Iran nuclear
deal
The First Signs
Titles For Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on
November 11-12/16
Trump adviser: US to create coalition with GCC
Trump to Work for 'Just, Lasting' Mideast Peace
Trump Begins White House Transition as Protests Simmer
Gulf official: US assertions not to change policy toward region
No ‘legal reason’ US could not opt out of Iran deal
Glitch briefly removes ‘Muslim ban’ proposal from Trump website
Iraqi forces massing to break into Mosul airport
Elite Iraqi Troops to Resume Mosul Push
Why Russia rejected UN Aleppo request
Russia Accuses Syria Rebels of Using Chemical Weapons in Aleppo
Egypt Protest Calls Largely Unheeded
With Shovels and Bulldozers, Iraq Kurds Draw Line in Sand
IS Slaughters 60 People over 'Treason' in Mosul
IS Cornered but Undefeated 6 Months into Libya Battle
Canada Eyes Three Years of U.N. Peacekeeping in Africa
Yemeni FM calls UN envoy to put forward new roadmap
Links From Jihad Watch Site
for on November 11-12/16
Germany:
Muslim migrant plotted to bomb Brandenburg Gate for Islamic State
ISIS
supporters hope to “inflame the dissension and troubles” in US over Trump
victory
Austria:
Grandmother raped by Muslim migrant has “lost the will to live”
Six
of the jihadis involved in Paris jihad massacres
entered Europe as “refugees”
Pakistan
offers to work with Trump on counterterrorism
Trump:
“I look forward to strengthening unbreakable bond” between US and Israel
Turks
hold “anti-Islamophobia” events in US while
persecuting Christians
Pakistani
Taliban: Trump “should abandon anti-Islam policy and release all Muslim
prisoners”
Louisiana:
Hijab-wearing Muslima
fabricated story of attack by Trump supporters
Islamic
Jihad on Facebook, Part II — on The Glazov Gang
UK:
Mosque caretaker tried to join the Islamic State
Links From Christian Today
Site for on November 11-12/16
Girls
As Young As 11 In War-Torn Syria Forced To Marry In Exchange For Money
Iraqis
Have Mosul Airport In Their Sights As Advance Continues
Priest
Says Christians Are The Salt Of Iraq – And Are Praying For God To Have Mercy On
ISIS
Iraqi
Priests Celebrate Mass In Destroyed Church For First Time Since ISIS
After
Months Of Political Division, What Now For The Church?
Pope
Francis Welcomes 4,000 Homeless People to Rome, Apologises For Christians Who
'Look The Other Way'
Christian
And Muslim Leaders Condemn Use Of Holy Books To Justify Terror
Why
Thousands Of Poppies Will Float Through This Ancient Cathedral On Saturday
Christians
From Pakistan Refused Visas To Visit UK Church – Because They Are Too Poor
Christian
Ashers Bakery Looks To Supreme Court Over 'Gay Cake'
Case
Vatican's
Christmas Display To Highlight Plight Of Refugees
We're
Keeping Our Spirits High': Indonesian Christians Still Worshiping A Year After
Churches Destroyed By Islamic Extremists
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on November 11-12/16
Sami Gemayel Criticizes Geagea:
He Accepts Hizbullah in Cabinet but Rejects Kataeb
Naharnet/November 11/16/Kataeb party chief Sami Gemayel lashed out at Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and accused him of
planning to exclude his party from a new cabinet lineup,
An Nahar daily reported on Friday. “Geagea does not mind to be with Hizbullah
in a single government, but he does not want the participation of Kataeb,” said Gemayel. Addressing
Geagea, he asked: “Did not we vote in your favor in the presidential election?” “We have always been
in the target circle, it is not the first time we find
ourselves in a difficult position and amid attempts to isolate us. Let them try
and the public opinion shall judge the actions of all,” he went on to say.
On the latest presidential elections, Gemeyal
welcomed the election of President Michel Aoun
although he believes that the decision to end the vacuum was not totally
Lebanese, he said: “The Kataeb party has voted for
the constants that we believe in, contrary to others who abandoned theirs. “The
circumstances that engulfed the election of Aoun were
moved through a foreign settlement,” Gemayel
believes, as he remarked that “the regional player which has been obstructing
the country all through the presidential vacuum period is the same player that
helped reach this settlement.” “A pre-agreed settlement is what brought Aoun president, while we adhered to our consistent
positions and beliefs. Bargains do not equate with constants and principles,”
he said. Stressing that
Aoun Renews Call for 'Separating Foreign Political
Choices' from Domestic Situation
Naharnet/November 11/16/ President Michel Aoun on Friday reiterated his call for “separating the
foreign political choices” of the Lebanese parties from the domestic situation.
“In the last (national) dialogue session that I participated in, and
after a political debate erupted over the
Jumblat Denounces 'Attempts to Obstruct' Formation of Cabinet
Leader of the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc criticized Friday
the parties trying to hamper the formation of the government under PM-designate
Saad Hariri. “Some parasites are hampering the
formation process of the government. Burt they are being dealt with,” said Jumblat via Twitter. Jumblat was
referring to attempts of some political parties, without naming them, to delay
the cabinet line-up. Hariri is finding some difficulty in finalizing the final
touches to form the government in light of the demands of some political
parties for specific ministerial portfolios. The Mustaqbal
Movement chief, Hariri, was tasked to form a cabinet after his designation on
November 3 shortly after the election of President Michel Aoun
on October 31. Hariri's appointment and Aoun's
election as president after two and a half years of presidential vacuum have
raised hopes that
Berri: Government Will Be Ready When You See Hariri in Ain
el-Tineh
Naharnet/November 11/16/PM-designate Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri have agreed to meet when a new government formula is
complete and when Hariri has finished the final touches of lining up the new
cabinet, media reports said on Friday. “Hariri and I have agreed to meet when
he is ready. I will help him out if he needs my help. When you see him at my
place, you should know that white smoke has billowed,” said Berri.
Unnamed sources quoted Berri as saying that he still
has hope that
Hizbullah Shells Nusra Militants in Arsal Outskirts, Inflicting Casualties
Naharnet/November 11/16/Hizbullah fighters on Friday
bombed militants from al-Nusra Front in the outskirts
of the northeastern border town of
U.N. Chief Condemns Hizbullah Intervention in Syria,
Says Violates 1701
Naharnet/November 11/16/U.N. chief Ban
Ki-moon has condemned Hizbullah's
military intervention in neighboring Syria, noting
that it violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006), media reports
have said. Ban called on Hizbullah and all Lebanese
parties to halt any interference in the Syrian conflict, Al-Arabiya
television reported on Friday. The U.N. secretary-general said Hizbullah's involvement breaches
Man Kills Two Sons, Commits Suicide in Akkar
Naharnet/November 11/16/A man killed his two young
sons before shooting himself to death in the northern border town of Mashta Hassan in Akkar, the
National News Agency reported on Friday. The perpetrator Youssef
Saado,
shot dead his son Mohammed, 7, and Ali, 5, before pointing the hunting rifle at
himself and shooting, NNA said. Security forces and Red Cross ambulances
arrived at the crime scene. The bodies of the victims were taken to
Rahi, interlocutors take up relevant affairs
Fri 11 Nov 2016/NNA - Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rahi met on
Friday morning at Bkirki with the Representative of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Mireille
Girard, on a visit to discuss the Syrian refugees' issue. There was agreement
during the meeting on the need to "exert efforts to consecrate peace in
Berri, Arslan tackle current
situation
Fri 11 Nov 2016/NNA - Speaker of the House, Nabih
Berri, met on Friday noon at Ain el Tineh with the head of the Lebanese Democratic Party,
Deputy Talal Arslan. "I
came today to thank Speaker Berri on his stance and
insistence on including the Lebanese Democratic Party in the new cabinet. Berri insisted that a national unity cabinet should be
formed," Arslan said following the meeting.
Separately, Berri met with Chairman of the National
Dialogue Party, Fouad Makhzoumi
with talks featuring high on the general situation in the country. Makhzoumi congratulated Berri on
the election of President Michel Aoun and the
designation of PM Saad Hairri.
Berri received in the afternoon a delegation from the
Hariri receives Russian Ambassador, Mufti Chaar
Fri 11 Nov 2016/NNA - Prime Minister Saad
Hariri received today at the "Center House" the Russian Ambassador to
Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin in the presence of
Hariri's advisor for Russian Affairs Georges Chaaban.
The meeting focused on the political developments in
Zahra: Lebanese Forces won't accept
exclusion
Fri 11 Nov 2016/NNA - Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra indicated on
Friday that his party will not accept the exclusion of any side from the lineup of the next government. "This is year 2016 and
not 1975; exclusion is useless, and will not give the results it gave back in
1975, and which drove all Christians to sympathize with Kataeb
party," he told an interview on MTV, adding that time has changed.
"It was the LF who refused the veto policy," he reminded, denying
that the LF are trying to isolate Kataeb. "The
LF has refused injustice and exclusion and isolation attempts in the past, and
will not accept them today, whether they were aimed against it or against any
other side," he corroborated. "We are partners in this new tenure and
we are keen on facilitating its work. We will participate in the government
effectively as we deserve," he said. He lastly uttered relief over
the agreement between the LF and the Free Patriotic Movement, as well as over the
share of the LF in the coming government.
Aoun in front of economic committees: To separate external
political options from Lebanese interior
Fri 11 Nov 2016/NNA - President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, stressed that a nation's uprising can solely be
achieved through a popular workshop, calling for separating external political
options from the Lebanese interior. "Everyone is invited to reconstruct
Aram I visits Pope, welcomes election of
Lebanon President
Fri 11 Nov 2016/NNA - Head of Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Aram I, visited today Pope Francis at his
Vatican office, a statement by the Church indicated on Friday. During the
meeting,
Kejian on Lebanese Chinese diplomatic relations' 45th
anniversary:
Fri 11 Nov 2016/NNA - Chinese Ambassador to
Will
EIB Vice President: A positive political environment is always good for EIB
green investments in
Fri 11 Nov 2016/NNA -Will Lebanon follow
EIB Vice President: A positive political environment is always good for
EIB green investments in Lebanon
Written by Rana Al-Hajj
As Lebanon groans under the heavy weight of power outages and their dire
repercussions on the nation's economy, most parts of the world have been increasingly
utilizing renewable energy (RE) and putting energy efficiency (EE) into the
core of their transition towards low-carbon and green economy. In this
framework,
Implemented by the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN), "Noor" aims to reach a potential capacity of 580 MW,
which is equivalent to powering a city of 1,500,000 inhabitants. Once fully
developed, this solar complex will be one of the largest in the world.
It is high time
Albeit, the increase of energy efficiency and building of smart cities
have proven to be major drivers en route to sustainable development and
accelerated economic growth, not to mention that they don't only concern the
substantial improvement of the conditions and environment in which we are
living, but also help bolster a competitive national economy.
According to a study published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
(FES), the current situation of the energy sector in
The state-run Electricite du Liban (EDL) is producing only 70% of the electricity
needed. EDL has a strong monopoly in the supply of energy, and it suffers from
severe financial problems. Therefore, it relies on the government to cover its
expenditures. Concisely, this means that energy is highly subsidized by the
State.
However, and in spite of this financial support, the tariffs for
consumers are significantly higher than in neighbouring countries. The monthly
energy bills represent a large share of the private households' expenses, as
the consumers pay the EDL and often pay as well for power generators to bridge
the power cuts. Apart from being expensive, these generators have high rates of
emission and contribute to the already severe air pollution in residential
areas. In addition, the Lebanese power sector relies mainly on fossil fuels and
obsolete technologies, facing important environmental challenges like water
constraints, air pollution and climate change issues.
Furthermore, Energy demand in
In an exclusive interview to NNA, EIB Vice president, Roman Escolano, voiced mounting optimism concerning the new
political developments at the Lebanese scene, especially at the economic level.
"We have been following up on a lot of interesting developments in
Touching on EIB's activity with the
"In the context of the resilience initiative, which is an initiative
that the European Union has asked the EIB to develop in order to address the
Syrian refugee crisis, we think that we are going to develop with both, the
private and public sectors, more projects of innovative nature in the sense
that we are going to require more sophisticated instruments by which the bank
will be in a position to take more risk. I would like to stress again, with
both, the private and the public sectors. So, yes,
As for RE-related investments in the making between Lebanon and the EIB, Escolano said that due to the Bank's unique expertise in
this field, the EIB didn't only play the role of a financer, "but a
provider of expertise in this area," citing the example of Ouarzazate Solar Complex "Noor".
"A positive political environment is always good for EIB's green investments in
In turn, Senior EIB Loan officer Catherine Barberis
told NNA, "We are always very keen to finance projects in
The renewable energy sector in
Saudi Starts Paying Billions Owed to Saudi
Oger and Other Private Firms
Naharnet/November 11/16/The Saudi Ministry of Finance
began paying billions of dollars owed to private firms and construction
companies after oil revenues collapsed, including Saudi Oger,
that have already carried out work for the state totaling
about 100 billion Saudi riyals or about $ 26 billions. The orders came after an
announcement of the Council of Economic Affairs and Development, headed by
powerful Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,
said the kingdom will pay the outstanding amount before the end of December.
One of the companies that will benefit from this decision is the Saudi Oger construction firm which is led by newly nominated
premier Saad Hariri, and the Bin Laden Group which
announced last month that the Saudi government had paid it "some
benefits", allowing it to cover some of the salary arrears to employees.
The Saudi decision came in parallel with information that Saudi Oger had asked the banks to agree on freezing its debt
payments, paving the way for rescheduling the debt on the one hand and paying
its employees from the money it will get from
Mohammad Khajouei/Eurasia Review/November 11/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/11/mohammad-khajoueieurasia-review-lebanon-losers-and-winners-in-michel-aouns-presidency-analysis/
The Gordian knot of
The question, however, is why this development is important and how it
should be seen in the light of the political rivalries in
The end of the political deadlock, which had left
Those who agreed to Michel Aoun’s presidency
belong to both main political currents, that is, the March 8
Election of Aoun as
The importance of presidency in
Although the deadlock surrounding election of
While some cabinet members support the government of Bashar
Assad and consider it as the legitimate government of
Dr. Edy
Cohen/Israel Hayom/November 11/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/11/dr-edy-cohen-lebanon-now-led-by-irans-emissary/
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=17623&r=1
Iranian influence is continuing to
bore its way into
Many Lebanese were disappointed by Aoun's first speech to the nation after his election.
Instead of speaking about the
burning issues, Aoun chose to focus on freeing
Aoun
could not have been elected without
Instead of these issues, Aoun chose to bash
When it comes to expectations for
the future, we must get to know who Aoun really so as
to analyze and predict which steps he will take. In his day, Aoun symbolized more than anything the Lebanese resistance
against
Even now, many Lebanese do not see him as a man worthy of the presidency, after he abandoned his wife and daughters at the palace and left hundreds of his soldiers alone against the Syrian forces that took over. Nearly 100 soldiers were executed by the Syrians at the time and dozens more were taken prisoner. It would have been better if Aoun had mentioned those poor soldiers, whose fate is still unknown, in his speech.
Without Iranian help, Aoun would have only dreamed of serving as president, as he has done since the 1980s. Dozens of former Lebanese politicians now live in obscurity and no one hears about them. But Aoun chose to support Hezbollah in 2005 and to bet on the winning horse.
In the 1980s, he was among the
opponents of
There is nothing left for us to do but wonder if he will again change his stripes and support the dismantling of Hezbollah's weaponry.
**Edy
Cohen is a research fellow at
Trump foreign policy adviser: Trump will
demand changes to the
By Andrew Kaczynski, CNN/Thu November 10, 2016
"He's gonna take that agreement, it's been
done before in international context, and then review it," Phares said. "He will take the agreement, review it,
send it to Congress, demand from the Iranians to restore few issues or change
few issues, and there will be a discussion," Phares
said. (CNN)Walid Phares,
one of Donald Trump's foreign policy advisers, says the President-elect is
going to demand changes to the
The
First Signs
Ahmad El-Assaad/November 10, 2016
It might be early to determine the
type of policy that President General Michel Aoun
will adopt regarding regional dossiers,
As it might be premature to be reassured regarding some of the sovereign headlines stated in the presidential oath address, or at the “People's House” podium; or, on the contrary, be pessimistic about some nominal initiatives taken by the Syrian and Iranian regimes towards the Baabda Presidential Palace.
These initiatives, in the form of
calls or visits, occurred in a nominal context as part of protocol, even if
they were in fact an attempt to embrace the new Presidency, and suggest that
General Aoun’s access to power is a victory for the
Syrian-Iranian camp. As for the sovereign headlines, they are still of a
general order, and we must wait for their actual translation into clear
positions on certain dossiers, including the war in
We believe that the first of these
practical translations is the rhetoric used by the Presidency, through one of
its most prominent pillars, minister Gebran Bassil, on the necessity
of leaving
This rhetoric falls exactly in
line with
Furthermore, the Presidency’s
determination to repair
In any case, it seems as though things are going in the direction we predicted two years ago, which is that the behavior of General Michel Aoun as President will be different than his behavior as Hezbollah's candidate.
Only time will further confirm this theory.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous
Reports And News published on November 11-12/16
Trump
adviser: US to create coalition with GCC
Ramadhan
al-Saadi, AlArabiya.net Friday, 11 November 2016/Walid
Phares, one of US President-Elect Donald Trump's
foreign policy advisers, has confirmed that the upcoming administration plans
on creating a coalition with the GCC,
Trump
to Work for 'Just, Lasting' Mideast Peace
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
11/16/U.S. president-elect Donald Trump pledged Friday to work for a
"just, lasting peace" between Israel and the Palestinians, in his
first public message on the issue since his upset victory. "I believe that
my administration can play a significant role in helping the parties to achieve
a just, lasting peace," Trump said in a message published by the Israel Hayom newspaper. He also said that any peace deal
"must be negotiated between the parties themselves, and not imposed on
them by others."
Trump Begins White House Transition
as Protests Simmer
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
11/16/Donald Trump said Friday he had a "busy day" planned as the
Republican president-elect -- confronted with the magnitude of the task ahead
-- begins building his administration before entering the White House in 70
days. Trump's challenge in unifying a restless nation after the most divisive
campaign in memory was immediately put under pressure by thousands of angry
protesters who took to the streets of
Gingrich, Giuliani, Christie?
The 70-year-old incoming president has a mammoth task of fleshing out his
cabinet. He took the first step on Thursday when he traveled to
'Not my president'
Overnight, anger over Trump's big win again
spilled out into the streets. Accusing Trump of racism, sexism and xenophobia,
protesters from
Reaffirming global ties
White House officials said Obama and Trump discussed a range of issues
including global hotspots and the president's meetings next week with leaders
from
Gulf official: US assertions not to
change policy toward region
Alsharq Al-Awsat Friday, 11
November 2016/A high-ranking official in the Gulf region has said that US
officials had comforted Gulf countries about an unchanged policy in the region,
adding that the image of the US-Gulf relations would become sharper in the
coming weeks. Commenting on the recent election of Donald Trump as the
No ‘legal reason’ US could not opt out
of Iran deal
AFP, Washington Friday, 11 November 2016/The Iran nuclear deal would fall apart
if a US administration walked away from it, as President-elect Donald Trump has
vowed to do, the State Department said Thursday.
Glitch briefly removes ‘Muslim ban’
proposal from Trump website
Reuters, New York Friday, 11 November 2016/Some of the most controversial
proposals Donald Trump made while running for US president disappeared from his
campaign website on Thursday, but a spokesman said what some observers took as
a softening of Trump’s policies was due to a technical glitch. The link to
Trump’s Dec. 7 proposal titled: “Donald J. Trump statement on Preventing Muslim
Immigration,” in which he called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims
entering the
Iraqi forces massing to break into
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English
Friday, 11 November 2016/Iraqi forces are currently in position to take over
Elite
Iraqi Troops to Resume
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
11/16/Troops of
Why
By Staff writer Al Arabiya English Friday, 11
November 2016/Russia rejected a U.N. request to extend future ceasefires to
permit the delivery of aid into
Russia Accuses
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
11/16/The Russian military said Friday it has evidence of the use of chemical
weapons by rebels in
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
11/16/Egyptian police quashed a few small protests across the country on Friday
and arrested dozens of protesters as calls for an uprising against the rising
prices largely went unheeded. Police rounded up at least 130 protesters across
the country, a security official said. In
With Shovels and Bulldozers,
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
11/16/Iraqi Kurdish forces are building a berm near
"If the peshmerga enters an area and
liberates it, it will stay with the peshmerga,"
said peshmerga Major General Jamal Weis. Kurdish
forces have gained or solidified control over swathes of
Military goals accomplished
Starting from near the
De facto border crossing
Going forward, the KRG will focus "on
ensuring that they retain control over the terrain that the peshmerga
presently occupy and work to integrate these areas into the Iraqi Kurdistan
region," said Martin. Nate Rosenblatt, a researcher at the
IS Slaughters 60 People over 'Treason' in
Mosul
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
11/16/Islamic State group fighters reportedly shot dead more than 60 people
this week and hung some of their bodies from poles after alleging they had
collaborated with Iraqi troops, the United Nations said Friday. The U.N. human
rights office has raised alarm over hundreds of grotesque atrocities allegedly
committed by IS as Iraqi forces have pushed their nearly month-long offensive
to retake
IS Cornered but Undefeated 6 Months into
Libya Battle
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
11/16/After a swift initial thrust into the Islamic State group's bastion in
Libya, six months on unity government forces still face dogged resistance from
jihadist holdouts cornered in the Mediterranean city of Sirte.
Forces loyal to
Canada Eyes Three Years of U.N.
Peacekeeping in Africa
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
11/16/Canada is planning to send 600 troops on a U.N. peacekeeping mission to
Africa for three years, a spokesperson for the defense
minister told AFP Friday. However, the plan still requires cabinet approval,
said Jordan Owens, the spokeswoman for Defense
Minister Harjit Sajjan. In
a Remembrance Day statement, Sajjan hinted at an
imminent start to the mission, saying: "The government is about to ask up
to 600 Canadian Armed Forces members to deploy in aid of UN peace-support
operations." The minister recently returned from visiting trouble
spots in Africa, most recently
Yemeni FM calls UN envoy to put
forward new roadmap
SPA, Riyadh Friday, 11 November
2016/Yemeni Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister (FM) Abdulmalik
Al-Mikhlafi called on the Special Envoy of the United
Nations Secretary General to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh to put forward a fresh roadmap to bring about peace,
in Yemen, contrary to a recently presented and rejected one by the legitimate government.In a press statement, following a meeting here
with the Ambassador of Russia to Yemen, he emphasized the significance of
putting forward a new map, that takes into consideration the references of the
Gulf sponsored initiative, UN Security Council resolutions and the outputs of
the National Dialogue Conference, in addition to accords reached, in
consultations conducive to peace, previously, taken place, in Switzerland as
Kuwait. Yemeni official news agency reported that the two sides, discussed
during the meeting, latest events, in
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 11-12/16
House
rushes to block Boeing sales to
Author Julian/Al Monitor/November 11/16
Congress is rushing to block President Barack Obama's administration from
allowing Boeing aircraft sales to
The Rules Committee will set up floor action on the measure on Monday.
The House Rules Committee has made action on the legislation its very
first priority when Congress returns from recess on Nov. 14. The full House
could then vote on the bill from Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich.,
as early as Nov. 16. “The Obama administration's nuclear agreement with Iran …
opened the door for the sale of American-made aircraft to the world's leading
state sponsor of terror,” Huizenga, who chairs the committee’s trade panel,
said in a statement ahead of a July hearing on the bills. “I am extremely
concerned that by relaxing the rules, the Obama administration has allowed US
companies to be complicit in weaponizing the Iranian
regime."
The Treasury Department granted Boeing a license to export 80 planes to
The nuclear deal with
Walid Phares, Trump’s top foreign
policy adviser says Trump won’t rip up Iran deal, signals he may not move embassy
Joshua Davidovich/Times Of Israel/November
11/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/11/walid-phares-trumps-top-foreign-policy-adviser-says-trump-wont-rip-up-iran-deal-signals-he-may-not-move-embassy/
http://www.timesofisrael.com/adviser-says-trump-wont-rip-up-iran-deal-signals-he-may-not-move-embassy/
Appearing to walk back statements made by president-elect and other
advisers, Walid Phares says
nuclear pact will be ‘renegotiated,’ US mission will only be moved to Jerusalem
under ‘consensus,’ brokering Israeli-Palestinian peace deal will be top
priority
A senior adviser to President-elect Donald Trump said the new US leader
will “review” the Iran nuclear agreement, but will stop short of ripping up the
landmark international pact.
Walid Phares, one of
Trump’s top foreign policy advisers, also signaled
that Trump might not move the US Embassy to Jerusalem immediately and indicated
he would make negotiating an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal a priority right
off the bat. The comments appeared to represent a break with some comments made
by other Trump advisers and the president-elect himself, and highlighted
persisting confusion over what the contours of a Trump administration’s foreign
policy may look like.
Speaking to BBC Radio on Thursday, Phares said
the nuclear deal, which Trump has railed against and vowed to dismantle, would
instead be renegotiated with Tehran.
“Ripping up is maybe a too strong of word, he’s gonna
take that agreement, it’s been done before in international context, and then
review it,” he said, according to a CNN recording of the interview.
“He will take the agreement, review it, send it to Congress, demand from
the Iranians to restore a few issues or change a few issues, and there will be
a discussion,” Phares added. “It could be a tense
discussion but the agreement as is right now — $750 billion to the Iranian
regime without receiving much in return and increasing intervention in four
countries — that is not going to be accepted by the Trump administration.”
During the election campaign, Trump described the nuclear deal as
“disastrous” and said it would be his “number one priority” to dismantle it.
Yet he also sowed confusion when he said he would demand greater
oversight over the deal and enforce it, at a speech to the pro-Israel lobby
group AIPAC in March. In that same speech, he also said he would dismantle the
deal.
“We must enforce the terms of the previous deal to hold Iran totally
accountable. And we will enforce it like you’ve never seen a contract enforced
before, folks, believe me,” he said then.
On Thursday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner warned that nothing
was stopping Trump from tearing up the agreement, rebuffing comments from
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that the pact was
enshrined by the United Nations Security Council and could therefore not be canceled by one party.
The agreement, reached in July 2014 to thwart suspected work toward an
atomic weapon, requires Iran to curb its nuclear enrichment activities in exchange
for sanctions relief.
Israel was and remains the world’s leading critic of the deal, calling it
a “historic mistake” and arguing that it falls woefully short of preventing
Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Toner said if Trump pulls out of the agreement, it could fall apart and
lead to Iran restarting work toward a bomb.
It’s not clear if Iran, which remains deeply distrustful of the United
States and has complained of receiving a raw deal under the nuclear pact, would
be open to renegotiating the agreement, the hard-fought result of years of
intensive diplomatic activity.
Will move embassy ‘under consensus’
Phares also told the BBC that while Trump was
committed to moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as other
presidential candidates have vowed, he would not do so unilaterally.
“Many presidents of the United States have committed to do that, and he
said as well that he will do that, but he will do it under consensus,” Phares said.
Phares did not elaborate on what consensus
would be sought for such a move, which would break with decades of precedent
and put Washington at odds with nearly all United Nations member states.
A number of Israeli politicians, including Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, have seized on
Trump’s victory by asking him to make good on his promises to recognize
Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital and move the embassy there, breaking
with long-standing US policy to await a final status agreement on the city.
During the campaign, Trump called Jerusalem “the eternal capital” of
Israel and said he was “100 percent for” moving the embassy there.
Earlier Thursday, Trump Israel adviser Jason Dov
Greenblatt told Israel’s Army Radio that the
president-elect would make good on his promise.
“I think if he said it, he’s going to do it,” Greenblatt
said. “He is different for Israel than any recent president there has been, and
I think he’s a man who keeps his word. He recognizes the historical
significance of the Jewish people to Jerusalem, unlike, say, UNESCO.”
Congress passed a law in 1995 mandating the move of the embassy to
Jerusalem, but allowed the president a waiver. Each president since then has
routinely exercised the waiver, citing the national security interests of the
United States, despite repeated campaign promises.
Phares also indicated efforts for an
Israeli-Palestinian peace deal would be a top agenda item for Trump, casting
doubt on a claim by Greenblatt that Trump would not
necessarily prioritize trying to push the Israelis and Palestinians into peace
negotiations.
“He is ready and he will immediately move to try and solve the problem
between Palestinian and Israelis,” Phares said. “He
told me personally that, as the author of ‘The Art of the Deal,’ it’s not going
to be impossible for him to broker a deal between the Israelis and
Palestinians. At least he’s going to go in that direction and not waste eight
years — four years for now — not doing something for the Palestinians and
Israelis.”
On Wednesday, Greenblatt told The Times of
Israel that Trump would only prioritize solving the conflict if that’s what the
sides wanted him to do.
“He will make it a priority if the Israelis and Palestinians want to make
it a priority,” Greenblatt said. “He’s not going to
force peace upon them, it will have to come from them.”
The gap in signals coming out of Trump’s camp is consistent with
frustration some have pointed to in trying to demystify what Trump’s foreign
policy will be.
In comments published in German weekly Der
Spiegel Thursday, Germany Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier
said it was urgent for the incoming US administration to set out its positions
quickly since “very many questions are open” on its foreign policy.
Steinmeier said he had spoken several times
with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger about what President-elect
Donald Trump’s foreign policies might look like. But Steinmeier
said even Kissinger had no insights to offer.
“Many have already tried to read a foreign policy doctrine, or at least
clear and coherent positions, out of Donald Trump’s comments. Without much
success,” Steinmeier said.
In Israel, the Yedioth Ahronoth
newspaper reported Thursday that Israeli officials were viewing Trump as “a
puzzle,” without a clear sense of whether he will match his words with actions
or how he will manage ties with Jerusalem.
Others close to the Israeli government, though, said the new US president
will fall closer in line with their views than the current administration.
Tzachi Hanegbi, a
minister-without-portfolio who is a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, said Thursday that the Iran nuclear deal and construction over the
Green Line — the two most contentious topics between the Obama administration
and Netanyahu — will no longer be a source of tension between Israel and the
United States under a Trump presidency.
“On both of these issues, our view was much different than Obama’s, while
it is likely much more similar to that of Trump,” Hanegbi
told Army Radio.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Why
Shahira Amin/Al
Monitor/November 11/16
Egyptians received news of Donald Trump’s victory in the
While
While President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his
supporters welcomed the news of Trump becoming the 45th president of the United
States, Egypt’s liberals and pro-democracy activists expressed shock and
anguish on social media networks. The widely divergent views on the shocking
election outcome reflect the increased polarization in Egyptian society, a
society as divided as the American electorate itself.
Sisi was among the first world leaders to
congratulate Trump on his win. In a presidential statement released Nov. 10, he
said, “Egypt hopes Trump’s presidency will breathe a new spirit into
US-Egyptian relations.” Sisi had met the two US
presidential hopefuls in New York in September and later said he had no doubt
that "Trump would make a strong leader." While Hillary Clinton had
raised the issue of human rights and called for the respect of rule of law during
her meeting with Sisi, Trump had decided to look the
other way. Instead, he told Sisi he looked forward to
visiting Egypt and later called the Egyptian president “a fantastic guy.” Trump
has in campaign speeches also advocated for torturing terrorists and called for
the targeting of their families.
Disregard for human rights is not the only common ground between Trump
and Egypt’s strongman. The two men also share similar views on a number of
issues, including their stance on the Muslim Brotherhood, which is designated a
terrorist group by Egypt and described by Trump as “radical” in a foreign
policy speech he gave in New York in June. They have both called for a “war on
extremism” and given their blessings to the Russian-led airstrikes on
rebel-held positions in Syria. In New York last month, Sisi
backed a Russian draft resolution that stopped short of calling for a halt to
the devastating bombing of Aleppo, a move that prompted Saudi Arabia to suspend
its oil aid to Egypt over the last two months. Similarly, Trump had said in his
campaign speeches that backing the rebels in Syria was "a mistake” and
“the US would be better off supporting Assad as a hedge against Islamic
radicalism.” And while Sisi has pursued warmer ties
with Russia, Trump too has expressed willingness to cooperate with Putin, even
if it involved a “difficult path.”
Furthermore, both Sisi and Trump have expressed
opposition to the Iran deal brokered in July 2015 between the Islamic Republic
and the P5+1 group — United States, China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and
Germany. Trump has called the deal — which puts limits on Iran’s nuclear
program in exchange for sanctions relief — “a disaster” and has vowed to “rip
it up.” Meanwhile, a US congressional delegation visiting Egypt in August 2015
later told Israel that Egypt opposed the deal, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The majority of Sisi’s supporters are also
celebrating Trump’s election victory. Relieved to see Clinton — whom they
believe supported the Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power — lose the race, many
of them have said on Twitter that they see Trump as “the lesser of two evils.”
Margaret Azer, a member of the Egyptian
Parliament’s Human Rights Committee, said she was confident that Trump’s win
would see a change in US policy vis-a-vis the Middle
East. "It’s a new beginning,” she told Al-Masry
Al-Youm, adding that she expected a marked
improvement in US-Egyptian relations and enhanced US-Egyptian cooperation in
fighting terrorism and extremism.
“A Trump victory signals the end of ISIS and other terrorist groups in
the region,” Azer said.
Emad Gad, also a lawmaker, has said that
“Trump’s victory is in Egypt’s interest as it spells the end of the US
administration’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood." It is a view that is
common among Sisi supporters and was echoed by former
Egyptian first lady Gehan el-Sadat. In a telephone
interview broadcast on the privately owned satellite Channel 10 on Wednesday,
she said that the American people had elected Trump, a Republican, as a result
of Obama’s failed policies. She added that Trump would focus more on domestic
affairs rather than continue with Obama’s plan to divide the Middle East.
Unlike Obama, Trump considers the Muslim Brotherhood “terrorists,” she said,
and then in a sarcastic tone she told the Muslim Brotherhood to "hold a
funeral procession for Hillary, your preferred candidate.”
Business tycoon Naguib Sawiris
has also been vocal in his support for Trump, describing him as “a successful
entrepreneur who has done well for himself” and anticipating that “he will do
well for America.”
Ironically, militants waging an insurgency in Sinai against the Egyptian
military are in the same camp as Sisi’s supporters
regarding Trump’s win, albeit for different reasons. They too struck a
celebratory note at the outcome of the US election. “Trump’s winning might be
bad for us in the short run. However, it is better for Muslims in the long run
as he’ll ruin the US,” prominent Egyptian-born jihadi
cleric Tariq Abdel Haleem wrote on Twitter.
In contrast, Egypt’s liberals and pro-democracy activists have expressed
disappointment at the outcome of the US election. In an apparent backlash
against Sisi and his supporters for their support of
Trump, former Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei — who
served on an interim basis for one month after the July 3, 2013, overthrow of
Islamist President Mohammed Morsi — urged them to
fully grasp the statements of Trump and his allies on Islam and Muslims. In the
message on his Twitter account, he further exhorted them to “have some self
dignity.”
Khaled Dawoud, former
spokesman of the liberal Dostour Party, has expressed
concern that under Trump the United States will care even less about human
rights and that US rhetoric on the need to improve the human rights situation
in Egypt will stop — a view echoed by many other Egyptian youth revolutionaries
on social media. In a TV interview on the privately owned channel Al Kahera Wal Nas
on Wednesday, Dawoud said he expects US-Egyptian
relations to be restored to the level they were when George W. Bush was US
president — when there was "little focus on democratization in Egypt.”
Meanwhile, Egypt’s media have compared the most recent US election with past
elections in Egypt. On Nov. 8, TV talk show host Amr Adeeb poked fun on ONTV at Trump’s allegations of election
rigging in favor of rival candidate Clinton. He
jokingly asked if Egyptians were supervising the ballot boxes in the United
States, in reference to the widespread rigging that often occurs during polls
in Egypt. Talk show host Ibrahim Eissa,
appearing on Al Kahera Wal Nas on Nov. 9 after the election results were final, told
viewers, “This is the democracy our leaders in the Arab world want to deprive
us of! Rulers don’t stay longer than their term in office, nor do they change laws
to extend their presidency. It is the people that decide! Egypt will not rise
without democracy!”
But many ordinary Egyptians, engrossed in their daily lives amid rising
inflation and soaring prices of basic commodities, seem to care little about
who occupies the Oval Office.
"No matter who is in the White House, US policies vis-a-vis
“The
Trump Adds to His List of Advisors
Bob Adelmann/New American/November 11/16
In March, Donald Trump trotted out an early list of foreign-policy
advisors on whom he would be relying if he were elected president. In an
interview with the Washington Post, Trump said, “I can give you some of the
names … Walid Phares, who
you probably know, PhD, adviser to the House of Representatives Caucus, and
counter-terrorism expert; Carter Page, PhD; George Papadopoulos — he’s an
energy and oil consultant, excellent guy; the Honorable
Joseph Schmitz, [former] inspector general at the Department of Defense; [retired] Gen. Keith Kellogg; and I have quite a
few more.”
In August he added “quite a few more” and then, the day after he
was elected, Trump added still more, this time in the economic policy area.
There are at least four “wild cards” in the deck that Trump is
building, some with obvious ties to the establishment (Goldman Sachs, big
banks, the Council on Foreign Relations, etc.), and others whose ties are
somewhat more opaque but worth watching nonetheless. We'll look at these first,
before moving on to some of his more solid picks.
The first and most obvious wild card is Steven Mnuchin,
the head of Dune Capital Management and former director at Goldman Sachs where
he amassed a personal fortune estimated at more than $40 million as head of the
firm’s trading desk. A graduate of Yale, he served on the Yale Development
Board while gaining additional experience working for George Soros in his
Private Equity division.
The second is Peter Navarro, a professor of economics and public
policy at the University of California, Irvine after obtaining his Ph.D. in
economics from Harvard University. Navarro brings full-blown Keynesian
philosophy to Trump’s advisory table, and he ran (unsuccessfully) as a Democrat
for the 49th Congressional District in California in 1996.
The problem with Navarro isn’t his background or his political
experience, however. It’s his blind spot when it comes to trade policy. Tim Worstall, a Forbes contributor, took Navarro to task on
Wednesday, claiming that “he is simply flat out wrong in his analysis of how
trade works and why we do it.” Added Worstall:
"Navarro is absolutely certain of a number of things about trade which
simply aren’t so. [His views, if adopted by Trump, would] unlikely be the basis of a decent trade policy."
The third question mark among Trump’s present cast of advisors is
John Paulson, the founder and president of Paulson & Company. A very bright
individual, Paulson graduated summa cum laude in finance from New York
University’s College of Business and Public Administration. That earned him a
free ride on a Goldman Sachs scholarship to the Harvard Business School, where
he earned his MBA.
Paulson, best known for his ability to see his opportunity ahead of
the real-estate crash that led to the Great Recession, turned himself into a
billionaire as a result. The story was covered by author Gregory Zuckerman in
his The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How John Paulson
Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History, which was later turned into the
film The Big Short. That "trade" earned Paulson’s company more than
$15 billion, dwarfing George Soros’ currency trade that he made in 1992.
In June 2015, Paulson showed his gratitude for the education he got
at his alma mater by donating $400 million to Harvard, the largest gift ever
received in the school’s history.
The final potential wild card is suspect only because his
background is so opaque: Carter Page. Page is the founder and managing partner
of Global Energy Capital, an energy investment, consulting, and advisory firm
with clients all over the globe. For three years, he worked closely with
The others in Trump’s hand include Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.),
whom the Washington Times called “a tea partyer
before the tea party was cool.” Sessions’ long suit is his opposition to any
form of amnesty for illegals.
As previously mentioned, Walid Phares is Trump’s advisor on terrorism. Phares
has been an advisor to the Anti-Terrorism Caucus in the House of
Representatives and is currently serving as the co-secretary general of the
Transatlantic Legislative Group on Counter Terrorism. Phares’
greatest claim to fame and credibility comes from criticism he received from
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) when Mitt Romney named him to
his campaign staff in 2012. CAIR described Phares as
“an associate to war crimes” and a “conspiracy theorist.”
Next among Trump’s advisors is Joseph Schmitz, a lawyer and former
inspector general of the U.S. Department of Defense.
He is also the son of John G. Schmitz, a former California State Senator, member
of the House of Representatives, and U.S. presidential candidate in 1972.
Schmitz was a special assistant to Attorney General Edwin Meese and authored Sharia: The Threat to America.
Trump has also selected General Joseph “Keith” Kellogg to his advisory
staff. Currently the vice president of strategic initiatives at Cubic
Corporation, a supplier of communications technical support to the U.S.
military, Kellogg served as commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and worked
for the Joint Chiefs of Staff as director for all computing and communications
for U.S. forces.
Trump asked Dr. Ben Carson’s campaign advisor, George Papadopoulos,
to join his staff, bringing with him his background and experience in energy
policy obtained while serving as the director of the Center for International
Energy and Natural Resources Law and Security at the London Center for
International Law Practice. Papadopoulos also served as a fellow at the
conservative think tank the Hudson Institute.
On economic policy, Trump leads with Stephen Moore, the Heritage
Foundation’s chief economist and founder of the Club for Growth. He brings
free-market views and an understanding of “supply side” economics to the table.
Next there’s David Malpass, founder and
president of Encima Global LLC, an economic research
and consulting firm in New York City. Malpass served
as deputy assistant treasury secretary under President Ronald Reagan and
currently sits on the board of The Manhattan Institute, another conservative
think tank. Malpass is critical of government
spending policies, recognizing that small businesses “are the nation’s critical
engine for growth, innovation and job creation. Yet they are being starved for
credit and slammed with more taxes, government directives and litigation exposure.”
One of Malpass’ favorite
solutions is to cap government spending by tying excessive spending to cuts in
the salaries of the politicians responsible:
The U.S. has a law on the books called the debt limit, but the name
is misleading. The debt limit started in 1917 for the purpose of facilitating
more national debt, not reducing it. It still serves
that purpose [today]…. Replace the debt limit with an operational ceiling on
the debt-to-GDP ratio. It should be forced onto a downward glide path to below
50%. The new debt limit should penalize Washington enough to make it do its
job. If the debt ratio goes over the glide path, cut salaries each month for
upper-income federal employees, including the President, Congress and senior
officials. Make it very public that they are paid to control spending.
There’s Howard Lorber, the CEO of Vector
Group, the largest residential real-estate brokerage in New York City. There’s
Harold Hamm, best known for pioneering the development of fracking
the shale resources in the Bakken Formation in North
Dakota and Montana. There’s Steve Feinberg, the co-founder and CEO of Cerberus
Capital Management, a company with more than $30 billion in assets under its
management.
There’s Dan DiMicco, the CEO of Nucor
Corporation, the country’s largest steel producer and author of Steeling
America’s Future, in which he outlines strategies to rebuild and strengthen
America’s manufacturing sector. There’s Stephen Calk, who founded Federal
Savings Bank in 2000 specifically to assist returning veterans with financing
and other needs. In addition to running his bank, Calk also counsels and
mentors returning veterans personally, bringing that intimate perspective into
Trump’s advisory camp.
There’s Andrew Beal, the founder of a chain of “wholesale” banks
that offer financial services, but not consumer loans or checking accounts. In
1997, Beal invested significant personal funds and effort into starting an
aerospace company to build rockets to place communications satellites into
orbit. At one point he had 200 employees working for him, but was forced to
close down the operation in October 2000 when he couldn’t compete with the
government-funded NASA doing the same thing. That perspective no doubt will be
helpful as the Trump administration addresses government subsidies.
There’s Thomas Barrack, the founder of Colony Capital, a private
equity real estate investment company headquartered in Los Angeles. Barrack
served as deputy undersecretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior under
James Watt during the Reagan administration and now runs $25 billion of assets,
including hotels in Sardinia and throughout Asia.
Clearly, Donald Trump is building his portfolio of advisors around his
strengths and his weaknesses. There’s only one politician in the bunch, and
precious few government bureaucrats. The vast majority have been successful in
private industry, are familiar with the risks associated with running a
business, and know the detrimental effects of overweening government. Although
there are four “wild cards” in that bunch, none of them are listed in DiscoverTheNetworks, the collection of backgrounds on
far-left radical revolutionaries and their groups intending America’s
destruction. DiscoverTheNetworks' entries for members
of the Obama administration, on the other hand, add up to an astonishing 99
pages.
An Ivy League graduate and former investment advisor, Bob is a
regular contributor to The New American magazine and blogs frequently at
LightFromTheRight.com, primarily on economics and politics. He can be reached
at badelmann@thenewamerican.com.
Please review our Comment Policy before posting a comment
Policy recommendations for Trump in The
Middle East
By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al
Arabiya/November 11/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/11/dr-majid-rafizadehal-arabiya-policy-recommendations-for-trump-in-middle-east/
The Trump
administration should pursue firm policies in countering Iran’s militaristic,
hegemonic and ideological ambitions. In the eight years of Barack Obama’s
presidency, the lobbyists for the Iranian regime have succeeded in pushing
appeasement policies with Iranian leaders, giving billions of dollars to Iran,
and in making Washington hesitant when it to comes to Iran’s military
adventurism and anti-American posturing. These policies have turned the tension
into regional conflagration.
President Obama and Iranian lobbyists played the public well by arguing
that appeasing Iran’s leaders will make Iran a constructive player and more
moderate. The creation of concepts such as “moderates” versus “hardliners” is a
Western fallacy and fabrication. In Iran, authorities do not use these concepts.
Iran’s politicians across the political spectrum might use
different means but they try to achieve the same objectives: preserving the
political establishment of the Islamic Republic, Velayate
Faqih (the Supreme Leader) and the revolutionary
principles of 1979.
A lesson in history
Trump should observe and learn the bitter lessons derived from the two
terms of the Obama administration. The last eight years gave us evidence that
appeasement policies with the Iranian government are not only fruitless, but
also a danger to Washington’s and its allies’ national security, geopolitical,
strategic and economic interests. President Obama began his presidency by
extending his hand to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei immediately rejected and humiliated the US.
Obama did not give up. The nuclear negotiations began with the promise
that lifting of the UN Security Council’s sanctions against Iran would be
considered a solution to satisfy Iran. Yet Iranian leaders did not show any
signs of change in their policies. Khamenei continued
lashing out at America, the “Great Satan”.
Following every anti-American speech that Iranian leaders delivered,
Obama gave more concessions and exemptions, and signed “secret” deals.
The last eight years gave us evidence that appeasement policies with Iran
are not only fruitless, but also a danger to Washington’s and its allies’
national security, geopolitical, strategic and economic interests
After the nuclear agreement, Iran began publicly, and more aggressively,
test firing ballistic missiles in violation of the United Nations resolutions.
Iran publicly admitted that its Revolutionary Guard Corps and Quds force – the elite branch of the IRGC that operates in
foreign countries – are fighting on the ground in Syria, helping President
Assad’s regime.
President Obama continued his reticent stance. Iran became economically
empowered as billions of dollars flowed into Iran and Tehran gained global
legitimacy as Washington did not condemn Iran for it violations and
aggressions.
Iran sent more weapons to its proxies including the Houthis,
while the US intercepted five Iranian shipments of weapons after the nuclear
agreement. Iran’s proxy, the Houthis, attacked the US
navy threatening US national security. However, President Obama continued with
his appeasement policies.
Iran became more emboldened and began publicly escalating harassment of
US Navy ships and detaining American Navy officers, forcing them to divulge
sensitive information, and posting videos of a US sailor crying and handcuffed,
in an attempt to further humiliate the US.
Hardball tactics
Iranian leaders learned that hardball tactics plays well with the US.
Anti-Americanism and Anti-Semitism increased. Khamenei
reasserted Iran’s position that the US will remain Iran’s number one enemy. He
stated that the Iranian nation ousted the Satan and that we should not let it
“back through the window”.
The IRGC leaders repeatedly threatened several countries in the region.
Iran threatened Israel with their missile capabilities and Khamenei
openly threatened the destruction of Israel as he pointed out: “Some Zionists
have said that regarding the result of the nuclear deal they (Israelis) have
been relieved of concerns about Iran for 25 years. But we tell them that you
will not see the coming 25 years and God willing there will not be something
named the Zionist regime in the region.”
Iran’s hostage taking of Americans took the spotlight again. The country
arrested American citizens as hostages while its military publicly demanded
billions of dollars as ransom to release them. Some politicians claim that Obama
paid a ransom to release four Iranian-American citizens. Iran arrested more
afterwards.
Iran’s military adventurism and the IRGC’s
deployment of hard power significantly increased across the region in order to
expand Tehran’s military empire and advance Khamenei’s
regional hegemonic ambitions.
The Russia-China-Iran axis has strengthened, tipping the global balance
of power against the US and its European allies. Russia intensified airstrikes
in Syria and ratcheted up its efforts to undermine the US global role.
Domestically speaking,
Three-pronged policy for Trump
Trump administration should take a three-pronged approach toward the
Iranian government. Regionally speaking, Washington needs to hold Iran
accountable for any aggression, anti-US and anti-Israeli rhetoric. Washington
should take legal action when Iran violates UN security resolution such as test
firing ballistic missiles or breaching the arms embargo.
The
Domestically speaking, the US should not turn a blind eye to, but
instead, needs to publicly condemn Iran’s increasing human rights violations.
Washington ought to support Iran’s civil society, opposition groups, and
Persian media outlets that seek to advance democratic values in Iran. With
regards to the nuclear agreement, several reports have revealed that Iran has
already violated the nuclear deal by attempting to purchase materials that are
only used for developing nuclear weapons.
The US should not solely rely on the IAEA to inspect Iran. IAEA has
repeatedly failed in monitoring Iran as several clandestine nuclear sites had
been revealed. The US should take serious action to bring these violations to
the attention of the UN Security Council members. Since Russia and China will
support Iran, the US should take unilateral proportionate action such as
re-imposing Obama’s repealed sanctions on Iran.
President Obama and lobbyists for the Iranian regime played the Americans
well in the last eight years. But we learned that reticence to
Trump administration should avoid silence and appeasement policies toward
the Iranian regime and should proportionately counter Iran’s hegemonic
ambitions.
Welcome to the Trump world order
Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/November
11/16
So Donald Trump is the new president of the United States. Allan Lichtman and his “13 Keys to the White House” have been
proved right. The 30-year tradition of predicting the out-come of the US
presidential elections continues uninterrupted. Political figures have started
checking their social media accounts, deleting Tweets that could be
uncomplimentary to Trump. It doesn’t help as the Internet remembers everything.
Some are even more unlucky. French President Francois Hollande
said in public recently that Trump “make you want to retch”. The global
political narrative is quickly drifting away from “the dumb Trump” to
“Congratulations, dear Mr. President, I always knew you would win!” Journalists
who had been vilifying Trump – and promising apocalypse in case he is elected –
have started debating how he would possibly save the
world. Most experts failed in their prognosis. They could not imagine that the
erratic Trump will be victorious over reserved, pragmatic, and experienced
Clinton. They had their reasons but in their analysis they missed a lot of
things.
Why Trump is president-elect
Trump is a living example of the American dream. From being a simple middle
class Ameri-can, child of second generation German
immigrants, he jumped to become a billionaire and then the US president. His
penthouse apartment is said to be more luxurious than the White House. He had
his own plane before becoming the US president. More importantly, he has
promised to revive the American dream for all Americans, irrespec-tive
of their social status. Experts and the so-called elite considered his
mannerisms and choice of language as a disadvantage. But instead it turned out
to be his advantage as he connected to people in their language. The fact
remains that the elite, and people considering themselves
intellectuals, do not form the majority in any society. The US is no different.
Trump’s tweets and declarations were shocking for the elites but were very
common for the masses. His imperfections made him closer to the ordinary
people, especially from the working class. The “he is one of us” image always
works when you deal with the masses. He gambled with it and emerged the winner.
Trump’s tweets and speeches were shocking for the elites but were very common
for the masses. His imperfections made him closer to the ordinary people,
especially from the working class
He got a chance to grab the Oval Cabinet as he is not liberal. Shadi Hamid seems right not
believing that humans naturally inclined toward liberalism. Moreover, some men
continue to remain sexist. If they don’t confess it, they keep this deep
inside. Women frequently like more bad guys than respectable family men. They
may not confess it but this sometimes reveals where their sympathies lie and
how they vote.
A large number of white Americans continue to show racist tendencies. While
calls for toler-ance goes on, the influx of
immigrants gave a fertile ground for racism and somehow xeno-phobia.
During these elections, it appeared, that the
Americans had to choose between two candi-dates with
little credibility. They opted for change and fresh ideas. Also, the turnout
was far lesser than on the previous elections, which indicates disillusionment
over the current presi-dential campaign and both the
candidates.
Popular vote shows the deep divide in the American society, with Clinton
showing ad-vantage over Trump. However, it was the US electoral system that
brought Trump to power.
Homeland and foreign policy
Apparently he is set to make America great again not by foreign policy and
imposing its will but by boosting the economy, retuning to manufacturing and
giving new jobs. There is also a possibility that he will put even foreign
policy based on business ties. So no help or assis-tance
could come for free or without concomitant advantages for the economy. The
tycoon that he has been Trump is aware that money decides everything. He will proba-bly try to implement this rule in policymaking, both at
home and abroad. The main motive of the foreign policy could turn into bargain,
trading and profit. Trump is not going to be easy for the Arab leaders. “You,
guys, are out of business” – these were his words in response to a journalist
asking about the President-elect’s policy vision toward the Middle East.
Pro-Israeli and mostly anti-Arab, he will not try to solve Arab prob-lems anymore. However, he will continue the US fight
against terrorism and probably be more hawkish than Clinton. In any case, he will
not be inclined to treat the Arabs as equal partners. Such an attitude is going
to be unacceptable for the Middle Easters powers and could lead to cooling of
ties. The same fate – i.e. no allies, just business – probably awaits Europe.
Trump and
Trump presidency: Quo vadis
Turkey-US relations in Mideast?
Menekse Tokyay/Al Arabiya/November 11/16
Barack Obama’s being elected President of the
No clear foreign policy
Donald Trump’s not so much expected election victory has sent shock waves
across the
Putting oneself in Trump’s “stylish” shoes, the foreign policy approaches he
proposed during his candidacy campaign would inevitably influence Turkey’s
Mideast policy since he considers the region strategically less important then
it used to be. Talking on Turkish state TV, Erdogan’s
top adviser Yigit Bulut
argued that Trump will support Turkey’s Mideast leadership. In fact, Trump does
not have any clear foreign policy positions yet, while he does have some pretty
clear approaches to foreign policy. The extent to which these approaches will
translate into foreign policy positions will depend on what kind of a foreign
policy team President-elect Trump will be able to build and his transition team
will give us an idea of this. Trump’s strongest view on foreign policy is that
the world leadership role it is playing is too costly for the United States and
as a businessman he wants to cut costs. Therefore he would like the US to play
less of a world leadership role and he will be reluctant to mobilize the US
military unless it is directly about national interests. So, Turkey will see a
decreased presence of the US in its neighborhood.
Trump’s lack of enthusiasm for foreign policy activism also leads him to mutual
accommodation rather than confrontation with Russia. More disturbing approaches
are about immigration and Muslims. President-Elect Trump has proposed building
wall on the Mexican border to prevent Latino immigrants and not allowing Muslims
entering the
While these are his general approaches to foreign
policy, he has been somewhat more specific on two countries:
Fighting ISIS
Any halt of the US-led international coalition against
ISIS is not expected in the near future, and
A synthesis of the approaches of Trump and those of his future foreign policy
tram could lead us to a unilateralist US that will be active in the Mideast
through proxies. As Trump and his team agree on being cautious towards Islamist
groups, these proxies could be limited to governments they can agree with and
non-state actors that are not Islamist.
The prime example for the latter would be Democratic Union Party (PYD), the
Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) considered as a
terrorist group by both the US and Turkey. But it is the only
credible local partner on the ground against ISIS in
Donald Trump’s energy wild card
Dr. Naser al-Tamimi/Al Arabiya/November 11/16
Donald Trump’s stunning victory last Tuesday’s US presidential election sets
the stage for a new oil battle with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) and intensification of the competition in world oil markets.
While the president-elect does not yet have clearly articulated detailed
policies on most energy issues, his campaign promises indicate he would likely
adopt policies in favor of increasing fossil fuel
(oil, gas and coal) output, ease regulations on industry and undo most of
Obama’s “clean” policies. Trump’s proposals or what he calls it “energy
revolution” including open onshore and offshore leasing on federal lands,
eliminate moratorium on coal leasing, and open shale energy deposits. He
promised to free up energy industry from red tape; eliminating renewable energy
subsidies and vowing to ‘cancel’ the international Paris climate. He has made
sweeping promises to unleash what he argues “Americas $50 trillion in untapped
shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, plus hundreds of years in clean coal
reserves”. Trump’s energy plan indicates that his ultimate aim appears to
‘become, and stay, totally independent of any need to import energy from the
OPEC cartel or any nations hostile to our interests’.
OPEC’s dilemma
To be sure, since President Obama’s election, US production of oil and gas has
surged significantly, making America the world’s largest energy producer and
reducing oil imports from over a half to less than quarter of the country
consumption. This trend is most likely to continue as the Energy Information
(EIA) in its Annual Energy Outlook 2016 projects that US total net imports of
crude oil and products fall from 4.6 million barrel per day (mb/d) in 2015 to 3.3 mb/d in
2025, and 1.7 mb/d in 2035.
All of this comes ahead of OPEC’s meeting at the end of this month. Trump’s win
complicated the global energy landscape and OPEC now faces triple threats;
gloomy outlook for the global economy, weaker demand for oil and prospect of
surge in US oil production. This situation poses a dilemma for the
organization, while cutting the production could lead to a loss of market
share, yet walking without a deal will certainly increases the downward
pressure on oil prices.
In the medium or long term if Trump has fulfilled his promises related to the
energy sector, the United States could become an exporter of oil and liquefied
natural gas (LNG) competes with the Middle East countries in the global
markets.
Trump’s win complicated the global energy landscape and OPEC now faces triple
threats; gloomy outlook for the global economy, weaker demand for oil and
prospect of surge in US oil production
Trade war
Trump has opposed the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal
between the US and Asia; called for fundamental changes to the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada and threatened to pull the
US out of the World Trade Organisation. He has also threatened to impose
imposing steep tariffs 45 percent on Chinese exports, stoking fears of a trade
war.
If the president-elect were to follow through on these threats, he would spark
a global trade war and could well plunge the world into a recession and it will
be negative for oil demand Daniel Yergin,
vice-chairman of analysis firm IHS Markit and author
of The Prize, a well-known historian of the oil industry, told Reuters: ‘The
outcome of the US election adds to the challenges for the oil exporters because
it likely leads to weaker economic growth in an already fragile global economy,
(...) and that means additional pressure on oil demand.”
Iran ... A puzzle
However, the uncertainty that prevails in Mr. Trump’s policy toward the nuclear
deal or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran cast a shadow
over oil prices. Mr. Trump has strongly criticised the JCPOA with Iran and
threaten to revoke it or re-negotiate. But escalating tensions with Iran will
increase the upward pressure on oil prices.
According to some legal experts, the agreement is not a treaty, and therefore
is not binding for the next American president. However, Trump could resort to
“salami tactics” and instead of abrogating the entire agreement, he could undo
the executive orders signed by Obama, refuse to certify Iran as compliant with
the agreement and revoke a general license authorizing foreign subsidiaries of
US companies to seek business in Iran. However, uncertainty will for sure
hinder Iran’s policy in attracting significant foreign investment
Russian opportunity
Under Trump Administration there is also a strong possibility that Russia
relations with the US will improve, and may eventually result in a reduction in
the sanctions during the next year, allowing Russian energy industry to tap
more easily global finance. As a result, Russia surely will boost its oil production
capacity. Certainly, Russian oil hits new post-Soviet high of 11.2 mb/d in October, on track for annual record.
All in all, while OPEC or the Middle Eastern oil producers were busy competing
with only the shale oil, they will be entering in competition with shale oil
plus Trump and reserves previously untapped in America.