LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِAugust
07/2011
Bible Quotation for todayRomans
06/15-23/
What then? Shall we sin, because we are
not under law, but under grace? May it never be! Don’t you know that to
whom you present yourselves as servants to obedience, his servants you are whom
you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness? But thanks
be to God, that, whereas you were bondservants of sin, you became obedient from
the heart to that form of teaching whereunto you were delivered. Being
made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness. I speak in
human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your
members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so
now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification.
For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
What fruit then did you have at that time in the things of which you are now
ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now, being made free
from sin, and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of
sanctification, and the result of eternal life. For the wages of sin is
death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Neither Syria nor the world has
changed!/By
Tariq Alhomayed/August
06/11
The Lebanon exception/By: Hussain
Abdul-Hussain/August
06/11
Turkey and the Neo-Ottoman dream/By
Amir Taheri/August
06/11
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for August 06/11
Lebanese Ex-Arab League Envoy
Assaad Abi Akl Knifed to Death at Cairo Apartment
GCC Urges Serious Reforms, End to
Syrian Bloodshed
Syrian Foreign Minister Says
Elections by End 2011
Saudi Arabia revises anti-terror
law, after criticism by human rights groups
Syria promises free
election as it tightens siege
U.S., Germany, France Consider New
Measures on Syria
State Department Urges Americans to
Leave Syria Immediately
Germany Says Assad has No Political
Future
Report: U.N. Accuses Iran,
Hizbullah of Killing Syrian Soldiers
31 U.S. Troops Killed in Afghan
Chopper Crash
Obama Salutes Troops Dead in Afghan
Chopper Crash
Weapons Smugglers Charged in Beirut
as Solidere Says it Doesn’t Have Inspection Duty at Marina
Lebanese Officials Snap Back at
Muslim Brotherhood, Defend Miqati
Fatah Hands Lebanese Intelligence
the Accused in al-Lino Attempted Murder
Lebanese
Parliament to Meet Wednesday to Discuss Draft Laws
More pain for Beirut
investors as stocks resume decline
PAS commander survives Ain al-Hilweh
assassination attempt
Iran's Salehi 'hopes' court will
free Americans
Lebanon to recognize Palestinian
state
Rai makes historical visit
to Sidon
Al-Rahi Makes Pastoral Visit to
South, Prays for Nation’s Unity
Russian Delegation Seeks to Clinch
Oil Exploration Deal with Lebanon
Palestinian factions clash in
Lebanon’s refugee camp
Sleiman supports electoral law
based on proportionality
Aoun's MO. Ibrahim Kanaan hails
Lebanon’s UN stance on Syria
Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad al-Hout says Lebanon’s UN decision on Syrian crisis
is “immoral”
State Department Urges
Americans to Leave Syria Immediately
Naharnet /The State Department on Friday urged Americans in Syria to leave the
country immediately and advised those who remain in the country to restrict
their movements, as the Syrian government intensified a violent crackdown on
opposition protesters. The warning came as congressional calls grew for the
Obama administration to impose severe new sanctions on President Bashar Assad's
regime. In a new travel warning, the department said Americans should depart
Syria while commercial flights and other transportation are still available
"given the ongoing uncertainty and volatility of the situation." It noted that
Syrian authorities had imposed tight restrictions on the ability of U.S. and
other diplomats to move around the country.
The advisory echoed a warning issued in late April when the department ordered
the non-essential personnel and the families of all American staff at the U.S.
Embassy in Damascus to leave the country. But it came as the Assad regime has
stepped up efforts to quell the uprising with military force, particularly in
the opposition stronghold of Hama.
**Source Agence France PresseAssociated Press
GCC Urges Serious Reforms, End to Syrian Bloodshed
Naharnet /Gulf Arab states on Saturday turned up the heat on Damascus, joining a
growing chorus of pressure after Syrian security forces shot dead at least 22
people as tens of thousands staged anti-regime protests. The six-member Gulf
Cooperation Council called for an "immediate end to violence... and bloodshed."
Its statement urged a "resort to wisdom and introducing serious and necessary
reforms that would protect the rights and dignity of the (Syrian) people, and
meet their aspirations."
That call followed a pledge by the U.S., French and German leaders to consider
new steps to punish Syria after a deadly crackdown on the first Friday of
Ramadan, the holy Muslim month of fasting. President Barack Obama spoke
separately to France's Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as
Western nations cranked up pressure on Syrian leader Bashar Assad. **Source
Agence France Presse
Report: U.N. Accuses Iran, Hizbullah of Killing Syrian
Soldiers
Naharnet /United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) committee said
that Iran and Hizbullah are involved in killing Syrian soldiers who refused to
shoot at anti-regime protesters. The committee reported that it will publish a
detailed report from 20 pages during the upcoming days. The report will include
images and testimonies from refugees and soldiers who defected from the army and
are now present in Turkey. The Syrian government has sought to crush the
democracy movement with brutal force, killing more than 1,649 civilians and
arresting thousands of dissenters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights Group. The committee said that Syrian soldiers who refused to shoot
at protesters were killed after they were detained by Hizbullah or Iranian
Revolutionary Guards members, “Who are now present in Syria to help the regime
repress protesters.”
Western Sources had previously confirmed that Iran and Syria are involved in
oppressing the anti-regime protesters. However, Iran and Hizbullah have
continuously refused the accusations.
The latest crackdown has centered on Hama. The crackdown on Hama has prompted
harsh words from Washington and Moscow, with Russia hinting at a possible change
of heart after stonewalling firm U.N. action against Syria, its ally since
Soviet times.
U.S., Germany, France Consider
New Measures on Syria
Naharnet /The U.S., French and German leaders pledged to consider new steps to
punish Syria after security forces shot dead at least 24 people as tens of
thousands staged anti-regime protests on the first Friday of Ramadan. President
Barack Obama spoke separately to France's Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor
Angela Merkel as Western nations cranked up pressure on Syrian leader Bashar
al-Assad. "The leaders condemned the Assad regime's continued use of
indiscriminate violence against the Syrian people," a White House statement said
Friday. "They welcomed the August 3 presidential statement by the U.N. Security
Council condemning Syria's actions, but also agreed to consider additional steps
to pressure the Assad regime and support the Syrian people." The telephone
consultations came as Washington appeared to be moving towards a direct call for
Assad to leave, after saying this week his presence was now fomenting
instability and leading the Middle East down a dangerous path.
The Syrian government has sought to crush the democracy movement with brutal
force, killing more than 1,649 civilians and arresting thousands of dissenters,
according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Group.State news agency
SANA, meanwhile, said two members of the security forces were killed and eight
wounded in an ambush on a road in the Idlib region of northwest Syria, near the
Turkish border. And gunmen on an apartment block rooftop in Duma, near Damascus,
shot and wounded two other members of the security forces, it said, while
assailants also opened fire in Homs. Communications were completely cut off as
the army stepped up an operation to crush dissent in Hama, north of Damascus,
where security forces killed at least 30 civilians and wounded dozens more
earlier in the week.
"Thousands of demonstrators marched in Deir Ezzor, Daraa and Qamishli in support
of the city of Hama despite the extreme heat," said Abdel Karim Rihawi, who
heads the Syrian League for the Defense of Human Rights. He said they numbered
30,000 in Deir Ezzor alone. "More than 12,000 people" also marched in Bench, in
Idlib province, "to demand the fall of the regime and express their support for
Hama and Deir Ezzor," according to Abdel Rahman.
"Hundreds of people came out of the Al-Mans Uri mosque in Jablah, chanting 'God
is with us,'" he told AFP.
On Friday the military continued an operation to combat what Assad's regime
calls "armed terrorist gangs" responsible for the deadly unrest.
State media reported that army units were removing "roadblocks set up by
terrorist groups that have blocked roads and damaged public and private
property, including police stations, using various weapons."
According to Abdel Rahman, more than 1,000 families have fled Hama. The
crackdown on Hama has prompted harsh words from Washington and Moscow, with
Russia hinting at a possible change of heart after stonewalling firm U.N. action
against Syria, its ally since Soviet times.
Obama has been under rising pressure from both Syrian dissidents and Congress to
add to several layers of sanctions against the Assad government which have
already been unveiled.
Washington has already imposed a raft of measures against Assad, his family and
associates of the regime, but the lawmakers called on him also to ban all U.S.
businesses from operating in Syria. They requested Obama also to halt any Syrian
property transfers under U.S. jurisdiction and to sanction any foreign firm that
transferred goods or technology that could help Damascus develop nuclear,
biological, or chemical weapons, or ballistic or cruise missiles.
U.S. sources told An Nahar daily published Saturday that Washington is more than
before heading towards asking Assad to give up power.
Washington is continuing its consultations with Europeans and Canada to impose
sanctions against the oil and gas sector in Syria, they said. **Source Agence
France Presse
Lebanese Ex-Arab League Envoy Assaad Abi Akl Knifed to
Death at Cairo Apartment
Naharnet /Lebanon’s former envoy to the Arab League Assaad Abi Akl was found
stabbed to death at his apartment at the Cairo suburb of al-Omraniyeh, media
reports said Saturday.
They said the 70-year-old’s body was found by his nephew in his bedroom. He had
received 65 knife wounds. The nephew who is a dentist residing in Canada, was
visiting Cairo along with his wife. They were staying in the apartment. But on
the day of the killing, the visitors went for some tourism and when they
returned they found the body soaked in blood. Abi Akl worked in the trade of
clothing and lived alone, according to the media reports. Police launched an
investigation which has so far ruled out robbery as a motive for the murder.
Investigators said the killer hadn’t taken any private belongings or money from
the apartment.
Lebanese Officials Snap Back at Muslim Brotherhood, Defend
Miqati
Naharnet /Information Minister Walid al-Daouq accused the March 14 forces
without naming them of seeking to confront the cabinet by shoving Lebanon into
the events of Syria through the statement issued by Syria’s banned Muslim
Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood on Friday lashed out at Prime Minister Najib
Miqati, accusing him of “siding with the killers of Syrian children.” In a
statement published by the Italian news agency AKI, the Brotherhood’s official
spokesman Zuheir Salem said: “The Syrian people would never compromise, no
matter the sacrifices, the blood of our brothers in Lebanon, whether in Tripoli,
Beirut, Sidon … or anywhere in Lebanon.”“It is known who the political party
that wrote and distributed this statement is,” Daouq said. “It wants to shove
Lebanon into the events in Syria.”Another Lebanese official source told As Safir
newspaper that the statement of the Brotherhood is “a local invention as part of
the campaigns on the government and the prime minister.”“Lebanon took into
consideration its local issues, its ties with Syria and the international
community” when it dissociated itself from a U.N. Security Council statement
condemning the regime’s crackdown on protestors in Syria, the source said.
“Miqati doesn’t need lessons on patriotism from anyone. He always calls for the
adoption of dialogue to resolve all differences and stresses that things could
not be solved through violence,” the official added.
Weapons Smugglers Charged in Beirut as Solidere Says it
Doesn’t Have Inspection Duty at Marina
Naharnet /The military prosecutor general has charged two Lebanese men with
allegedly smuggling weapons from the Beirut Marina to Syria, a security source
told As Safir daily published Saturday.Wasim Tamim and Samir Tamim, who hail
from the northern port city of Tripoli, are members of the most prominent
movements in the former parliamentary majority, sources said in reference to
ex-PM Saad Hariri’s al-Mustaqbal movement. The men were arrested in Beirut last
Friday, they said, adding that they have carried out more than 30 smuggling
operations from Beirut to the Syrian city of Banias. But on Friday, Lebanon's
largest company real estate developer, Solidere, issued a statement saying “the
Lebanese security authorities are the only sides entitled with the preservation
of security, inspection and monitoring at the Beirut Marina.”The company, which
was founded by former Premier Rafik Hariri in 1994 to rebuild downtown Beirut,
denied its knowledge or link to any operation of arms smuggling from the
facility.
Al-Rahi Makes Pastoral Visit to South, Prays for Nation’s
Unity
Naharnet /Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi visited the South on Saturday, the first
tour of south Lebanon by a Maronite patriarch in 275 years.On his way to the
city of Sidon, he made a stop in Rmeileh where residents welcomed him with
claps, roses and banners carrying the patriarch’s photo and welcoming slogans.
“We pray for the unity of the church, the nation and the society,” al-Rahi said.
“The church cannot exist if their sons remain apart.” After Sidon, al-Rahi will
head to Jezzine. The last Patriarch to visit Sidon was Semaan Awwad who toured
the city when he was elected in 1736. On Friday, al-Rahi made a pastoral visit
to the northern town of Besharri where he met with the town’s political leaders.
Germany Says Assad has No Political Future
Naharnet /Syria's President Bashar Assad has no future in politics, German
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in an interview to be published Sunday.
"I don't believe that Assad has a political future ahead of him which is
supported by the Syrian people", Westerwelle told the German Sunday newspaper
Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
Westerwelle's ministry is reportedly in talks with members of the opposition in
Syria, where the government has sought to crush a democracy movement with brutal
force, killing around 1,650 civilians and arresting thousands of dissenters
since March, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Group. On
Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama and the leaders of France and Germany,
President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel, pledged "additional
measures" against the Syrian regime after at least 22 protestors were shot dead
by security forces as conflict in the country intensifies over Ramadan. **Source
Agence France Presse
Russian Delegation Seeks to Clinch Oil Exploration Deal with Lebanon
Naharnet /A Russian team is visiting Lebanon in an attempt to sign contracts
with Lebanese authorities to have oil exploration rights in Lebanon’s Exclusive
Economic Zone, media reports said Saturday. As Safir daily reported that the
delegation was carrying a message from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to
his Lebanese counterpart.
It met on Friday with PM Najib Miqati, Speaker Nabih Berri, Energy Minister
Jebran Bassil, Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas, Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn and
Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji. While Miqati’s sources told An Nahar that the
issue of oil was not at the top of the agenda of the delegation’s talks with
Lebanese officials, As Safir said the two sides discussed the revival of
cooperation protocols in all sectors and mainly investment in gas and oil in
Lebanon’s territorial waters.
The delegation and the Lebanese officials also discussed energy, dam and
infrastructure projects and the possibility of the contribution of Russian
companies to such projects.
Its mission also included discussions of military cooperation between the two
countries. The delegation informed Ghosn and Qahwaji Russia’s readiness to fully
support Lebanon in that regard. Meanwhile, opposition MP Butros Harb said that
he was still waiting for an answer from Miqati’s cabinet on Syrian President
Bashar Assad’s alleged request from Bassil to give Russian companies rights to
explore oil and natural gas in Lebanese waters. Bassil “should have taken
permission from the president and the premier before travelling (to Damascus)
and should have immediately informed the cabinet about his talks (with Assad)
but this didn’t happen,” Harb said.
31 U.S. Troops Killed in Afghan Chopper Crash
Naharnet /A total of 31 members of the U.S. special forces have died in a
helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan along with seven Afghans, a statement
from Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office said Saturday. "The president of the
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai expressed condolences over a NATO
helicopter crash and the deaths of 31 members of U.S. special forces," the
statement said. Afghan provincial spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said the
helicopter crashed in the Sayd Abad district of Wardak province. The volatile
region borders the province of Kabul where the Afghan capital is located and is
known for its strong Taliban presence. NATO said the alliance was conducting a
recovery operation Saturday at the site and investigating the cause of the
crash, but did not release details or a casualty figure. "We are aware of an
incident involving a helicopter in eastern Afghanistan," said U.S. Air Force
Capt. Justin Brockhoff, a NATO spokesman. "We are in the process of accessing
the facts." NATO said insurgents were in the area at the time of the crash.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed the downed aircraft was a U.S.
military helicopter and that the Taliban fighters had brought it down with a
rocket attack. In a written statement released Saturday, Mujahid said that NATO
attacked a house in Sayd Abad where insurgent fighters were gathering Friday
night. Mujahid said the Taliban fired on NATO and downed the helicopter, killing
all the crew. He said eight insurgents also died. The Taliban often exaggerates
casualty numbers in their statements to the media.
**Source Agence France Presse
The Lebanon exception
Hussain Abdul-Hussain, /Now Lebanon
August 6, 2011
Now Lebanon/The majority of Arabs in five countries believe that Iran is playing
a negative role in the region, according to the results of a recent survey by
Zogby International, run by John Zogby, whose brother James is a consultant at
the company. Only Lebanon, the survey found, has a majority that views Iran
positively.
A closer look at the Zogby poll's methodology, however, shows that its numbers
are flawed.
Zogby's Lebanese sample shows that Lebanon is 37 percent Shia, 26 percent Sunni
and 37 percent Christian. Lebanon's demographic makeup, however, according to
the US Department of State and Statistics Lebanon, is 27 percent Shia, 27
percent Sunni and 41 percent Christian. Population percentages are taken from
the voter lists during parliamentary elections every four years. (There has not
been a census since 1932, since the topic is too charged for another tally to be
taken.)
Given Lebanon's sharp political divisions along sectarian lines,
over-representing the Shia and under-representing the Sunnis, if not weighted in
line with actual population parameters, produces skewed results.
Also in the poll, in response to a question on their views on Iran, 55 percent
of Lebanon's Sunnis were favorable toward Tehran. In the question that followed,
though, only 42 percent of those Sunnis who were favorable toward Tehran
answered yes to the statement "Iran contributes to peace and stability" in the
Arab world.
Why do Lebanon's Sunnis favor a country that they think contributes to
instability? Either there was an innocent mix up in numbers, or some political
agenda dictates Zogby's poll.
A third mistake in the Zogby poll was its overreliance on urban populations, as
opposed to rural ones. Those familiar with Lebanon's Christian demographic know
that rural Christians tend to endorse a tougher line against Iran than their
urban coreligionists. With those left out, the poll showed Lebanon further
tilted in favor of Tehran.
The errors in their poll did not deter the Zogbys from trying to market their
findings as a God-given truth in Washington. Over the past three decades, James
Zogby in particular grew accustomed to presenting whatever findings and
political arguments he pleased without being challenged—until recently.
Zogby told the Washington Post in October that when he "came to Washington 30
years ago, there were four of us [in the country] doing this work." But not
anymore. Today, Zogby seems unsettled with the growing competition that is
breaking his monopoly on speaking on behalf of Arabs and Muslims. "[N]ow, on any
one day, there are a couple hundred people doing this work," he said.
Zogby thinks he is the only bridge between America and the Arab world. In
December, he organized a meeting between a group of self-styled Arab-American
leaders and White House officials to discuss the indictment, impending at the
time, by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), the court investigating the
2005 murder of former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri and others. It just so happened
that all of the participants Zogby had chosen were loyalists to the Syrian
regime who have bashed the STL.
When news of the meeting broke out, Lebanese-American backers of the STL turned
the heat up on Zogby. He ranted in an online Op-Ed against what he called the
"exile political groupings" who represent a "fragmented Lebanon." The groups
"claiming to represent the March 14 coalition," according to Zogby, issued a
statement against the meeting. In retrospect, Zogby wrote that these groups
misrepresented his "desire to convene a meeting to support Lebanon," which made
him believe that he was "right to exclude them in the first place."
When it comes to representing Lebanon, Arabs or Muslims in Washington, Zogby
gets to cherry pick his people. Even representing March 14 is a mere "claim" on
the part of the "exile groupings," which Zogby depicted as fragmented, loud and
rude, perhaps unworthy of an audience with US officials.
Zogby should realize that times have changed. Arab-Americans, whether
naturalized or first generation, are well versed in the ways of Washington and
its political system. Many of them even have the advantage of being bilingual
and having lived in the Arab world, which gives them a deeper understanding of
its society.
Arabs too are not as disconnected from the world as they were when Zogby's
father Joseph first immigrated to the US. The Syrians who are disseminating news
of the uprising there to the world, despite the regime's ban on foreign media,
prove that exclusive inter-civilization bridges are things of the past.
When Zogby first started his lucrative business, he was a big fish in a small
pond. Many Arab governments hired him to lobby on their behalf and showcase
their perspectives. Now that many Arab rulers are either being challenged or
have been deposed, there is no reason why Zogby and his gimmicks should remain
on the scene in Washington.
**Hussain Abdul-Hussain is the Washington Bureau Chief of Kuwaiti newspaper
Al-Ra
Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad
al-Hout says Lebanon’s UN decision on Syrian crisis is “immoral”
August 6, 2011 /Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad al-Hout on Saturday slammed
Lebanon’s decision to abstain from voting on the UN Security Council
presidential statement pertaining to the crisis in Syria, calling the decision
immoral. The cabinet violated the Taif Accord and the “principle of neutrality,”
and took a side by making the decision to abstain from voting on the statement,
Hout told Future News television.He also called on the Lebanese cabinet to
pressure the Syrian regime to stop its crackdown on protests. The UN Security
Council on Wednesday condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's deadly
crackdown on protests and called for those responsible for violence to be held
"accountable."Lebanon did not block the adoption, but disavowed the document. At
least 1,583 civilians and 369 members of the army and security forces have been
killed since mid-March in Syria, according to a Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights toll.-NOW Lebanon
Neither Syria nor the world has changed!
06/08/2011
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awst
The massacre that is being carried out by the al-Assad regime today against the
people of Hama, amidst this saddening Arab silence and international negligence
– with no serious international resolutions or decisions being issued to stop
this – means that neither the Syrian regime, nor the international community,
has changed.
The responses, or lack thereof, to the second Hama massacre suggest that it is
possible for Bashar al-Assad and his regime to walk away clean after committing
crimes against humanity similar to those committed by his father Hafez al-Assad
with regards the 1982 Hama massacre. There were many excuses and justifications
for the Arab and international inaction during the first Hama massacre which was
carried out by the al-Assad senior regime [in 1982], including the absence of an
independent media, regional circumstances, and a succession of other lame
excuses. However the massacre being carried out by the al-Assad junior regime
today is taking place before the eyes of the Arab world who are kneeling and
praying to God during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan but are not taking a firm
stand against what is happening in Syria. Rather all they have done so far is
issue ornate and timid statements [condemning the bloodshed], indeed there are
those who have stood with the al-Assad regime against the innocent Syrian
protesters, not caring what this looks like. Here we see Lebanon standing side
by side with the Damascus regime, with the Lebanese government becoming akin to
the al-Assad regime government, in the same manner that Lebanon’s financial
centers have also become the financial centers of the Syrian regime. The same
goes for Iraq, which confirmed to the world – as well as our own region – that
it has not changed. For those Iraqi [political] figures who previously
mistrusted the al-Assad regime – both the al-Assad senior and junior regimes –
are the same people who are today standing with the Syrian regime, and the
reason for this is simple, namely sectarian retrenchment, and so it does not
matter if the Syrian regime is killing its own people and even banning Friday
prayers!
As for the international community, and despite all the talk about democracy and
change, it has also not gone beyond verbal condemnation [of what is happening in
Syria]. However we must say that oppressive regimes such as the al-Assad regime
do not understand the language of condemnation, but rather view this as a green
light to continue their crimes, therefore it would have been better for the UN
Security Council to issue sanctions against the regime, including sanctions on
the petroleum industry that is funding the killers of the Syrian people, in
addition to resorting to the International Criminal Court. This is important as
it would represent a clear message to the Damascus regime informing it that the
path before it is blocked, even if it succeeds in repressing the Syrian popular
uprising, for this would mean that it would not be able to take its place in the
international community. This is similar to what happened to Saddam Hussein
following Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait, and it would also mean that the Syrian
regime would be unable to utilize [political] extortion as one of the future as
sources of its foreign policy.
As one thing reminds us of another, the international community today must also
review the mechanism with regards to how certain countries join the UN Security
Council [as non-permanent members]. Is it logical, for example for Lebanon to be
granted a seat on the UN Security Council to vote on important international
issues when it is not responsible for its own decisions? The international
community saw how the Lebanese government attempted to sell its abstention from
voting [on the UN Security Council presidential statement on the Syrian crisis],
telling the al-Assad regime that it would abstain as it finds itself in an
awkward international position, then telling its own people, and the rest of the
world, that this abstention is part of a “policy of positive neutrality.” The
question that we must ask the people of Lebanon here is: what happens if
countries decide to abstain from voting in Lebanon’s favor with regards to
issues such as Israeli aggression, for fear of being placed in an awkward
international position, in the same manner that Lebanon acted with regards to
Syria? This is not right, and the excuse is worse than the crime! Therefore we
say that what is happening today in Hama has revealed one thing, namely that
unfortunately neither Syria nor the international community nor the Arabs have
changed!
Syria: Not a state?
06/08/2011
By Adel Al Toraifi//Asharq Al-Awst
Nobody wants to describe their own country as a “failed state”, or see it
transformed into a battlefield. Anybody whose country has experienced a bloody
civil war knows what it is to be an exile, or not to be allowed to return home.
What is happening today in Syria can only be described as a civil war; with a
partisan army and sectarian armed militia confronting the peaceful majority.
When watching hundreds of unarmed protesters being shot and killed by pro-regime
forces, one can only ask: how can this happen in a modern civil state?
In an interview with Dr .Muhammad al-Houni, the long-time adviser to Saif
al-Islam Gaddafi stated that the situation in Libya was destined to become a
civil war, unlike the Egyptian and Tunisian cases where the military sided with
the demonstrators to protect the state against collapse. Dr. al-Houni stated
that “Libya is a country without a constitution, an army, a parliament, or
[political] parties. Libya is a country without a president or vice president.
Libya is not a state.” [Al Majalla Magazine, 19 July issue].
This might seem a harsh description of Libya and the Libyan people; however in
reality Libya is not alone in this, indeed there are a number of Arab republics
that can be viewed as countries ruled by authoritarian regimes but which cannot
be considered civil states that possess constitutional legitimacy and
sovereignty, unless we are judging this by the criteria of “Westphalian
sovereignty”. As for the concept of modern states – namely a state of
institutions that possesses constitutional legitimacy and follows secular
conventional laws – no such state exists in the ranks of modern Arab republics.
One only needs to look at the Syrian state today and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq to
confirm this. Neither country possessed civil institutions in the modern
understanding, for the apparatus and institutions that are in place are nothing
more than an extension of the ruling parties. As for institutions such as the
judiciary and the military, these are solely made up by members of the political
elite, whilst the constitution is nothing more than a document that sanctions
one-party rule and which nobody but the ruling party is allowed to interpret.
In situations such as this, it is difficult to find a modern civil state that
exists on the ground [in the Arab world], rather than a nationalist entity that
has the features of a state, and which can perform the tasks of a state, and
which can represent a people on the regional and international arenas, if
nothing more. We are, of course, speaking about countries that possess full
sovereignty in the eyes of international law as well as regional and
international organizations. However the concept of a state in this instance is
more than borders and diplomatic recognition according to international law.
Here we must distinguish between a state as a political entity (polity) and a
state based on constitutional legitimacy in which civil law prevails; meaning a
state of law (Rechtsstaat).
Readers might say that it is pointless to distinguish between these two meanings
whilst protests are raging against republican regimes in the region. However
this distinction is necessary and important because Arab people today only know
what they don’t want [with regards to the features of any future state], namely
an autocratic single party state under a president-for-life. However they do not
know what kind of state they want to replace this with. The Arab demonstrator
who loudly calls for his president to “depart” is sincere in his rejection of
the existing regime, but there is no agreement with the demonstrator standing
next to him – or indeed with other citizens who are not demonstrating at all –
regarding the mechanisms of rule, or the form of the future regime or state that
will replace the existing one. We have repeatedly heard that the majority of
people want a democratically electoral regime, but in reality the ballot box is
a neutral mechanism or system for bringing in a regime, it is not a regime in
itself. As for the issue of democracy, it is nothing more than the superficial
conception of what might be termed the “people’s will” or “majority rule.” There
are, of course, those who know what they want with regards to any future regime,
but what concerns us here is that there is no consensus in any Arab republic
today with regards to the nature or form of the future political regime that
will replace the existing autocratic one.
Such talk goes beyond mere philosophic self-indulgence, and rather represents
the crux of the matter with regards to the current popular uprisings taking
place in more than one Arab state. Some might say that the priority should not
be putting forward different models of rule, but rather toppling the autocratic
regimes that are confronting their own people with arms and killing them.
However we must say that the popular uprisings taking place in the region should
possess the bare minimum with regards to conceiving a realistic alternative to
replace the existing regimes. Everybody wants democracy, but everybody has their
own interpretation of what is required.
There are those who argue that the popular uprisings that have swept the Arab
republics have brought together contradictory ideological currents and trends,
uniting them in their opposition of hereditary rule and life-long presidencies.
However the question that must be asked here is: what happens after the former
regime departs peacefully or is forcibly overthrown? Will these different
political entities be able to agree to a realistic political and economic
mechanism with regards to establishing a modern civil state? We still don’t know
the answer to this question, and it is open to a number of possibilities, some
of which are good, and some of which are bad.
Arab states are political entities that have, for the most part, yet to fulfil
the modern civil state model. There is no shame in acknowledging this, but
rather the problem lies with those who are blinded to this fact. Let us take
Syria, for example, it is today witnessing unprecedented unrest in its modern
history and is on the verge of a civil war with sectarian dimensions. This
country, which had been formed out of several Ottoman administrative divisions,
suddenly became a state in itself, after the colonial power [the Ottoman Empire]
laid the foundations for this and the establishment of the [modern] state of
Syria. Some Syrians [following independence] thought of uniting with the
Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq, whilst Syria did unify with Egypt during the
Nasserite era [forming the United Arab Republic]. Following the collapse of this
joint-state, Syria might have united with Iraq were it not for the disagreements
between the Baathist parties in both countries. Over the past 40 years, Syria
has been ruled by a racist ideological party that portrayed itself as a regime
of “resistance” externally, whilst remained an Alawite-controlled regime
internally. If you look at the divided and contradictory opposition in Syria
[calling for the overthrow of the Damascus regime] according to its ideological,
sectarian, nationalist and tribal loyalties, you would see that they are
political entities whose adherers have no clear or unified national vision
regarding the future of the Syrian state.
This does not represent justification for the existing regime remaining in
power, but we must acknowledge that there are flaws and a lack of political,
ethical, and moral awareness with regards to the majority of parties and
individuals within the opposition across the region. In the 1920s and 1930s,
some argued that the regional states priority must be to obtain independence and
get rid of the foreign colonialism, and then following this our nations and
states could dedicate themselves to building a modern civil state. However over
the past 100 years, Arabs have failed, with a few exceptions, to establish
modern civil states. Today, defenders of the "Arab Spring" argue that priority
should be given to getting rid of these despotic rulers and then we can focus
upon establishing modern civil states in the future. But here lies the dilemma:
demonstrators in Arab squares may be able to topple the existing regimes, but it
is not clear how they will create better regimes without changing the ideas,
values, morals or religious systems in the Arab world.
In her book "God has Ninety-Nine Names" (1997), Judith Miller summarized the
Syrian state of affairs by asking "What has al-Assad built? A number of hotels,
roads and statues of himself. By the humanitarian criteria, he has built
nothing; not democracy, not even genuine governmental institutions. Our country
has no foundations; this is why I am afraid. When Hafiz [al-Assad] dies, I do
not know what will happen to us. Will we see chaos, civil war, or the rise of an
armed Islamist government?”
Turkey and the Neo-Ottoman dream
05/08/2011
By Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awst
How does a nation shape its foreign policy? The standard answer is that a
nation’s foreign policy is the continuation of its domestic politics. In other
words, a nation based on the rule of law at home cannot act as a rogue state
abroad.
As in every rule, however, there are exceptions. One such exception is Turkey.
For the past six months, Turkey has been the most active regional power
supporting the “Arab Spring”. It has already hosted two important meetings of
the Syrian opposition parties and a conference of the coordination group on
Libya. Turkey was the first regional power to throw its weight behind the
uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt from the very start. It has contributed to the
efforts of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to implement the United
Nation’s resolution on Libya. Also, it is through Turkey that opponents of
Iran’s Khomeinist regime reach the safety of exile. Over the past two years, no
fewer than 600 such opponents, including many former high officials, have fled
Iran.
In close cooperation with the United States, Turkey has emerged as an ally of
forces fighting for reform across the region.
The problem is that while Turkey has backed a trend that could lead to
democratisation in large chunks of the region, its leadership has been pedalling
in the opposite direction domestically.
Under Erdogan’s leadership, Turkey that had always been a status quo power is
acting as an opportunist player. It sees a vacuum, created by the United States’
strategic retreat under President Barack Obama, and hopes to fill it with a
mixture of diplomacy, trade and military power. Needless to say, Turkey does not
want the Iran, an adventurist power, to fill that vacuum. With the inevitable
fall of the Assad regime in Damascus, Tehran would lose a key client state.
Change in Syria would also spell the end of the Lebanese branch of Hezballah.
Ten years ago, the speculation was that Recep Tayyib Erdogan, the man who led
Turkey’s “lite” Islamists to power, might have a secret agenda aimed at creating
a theocracy with a hat rather than a turban.
Having had the opportunity of listening to Erdogan at some length on a number of
occasions, I never shared that theory. I saw Erdogan as a Turkish version of
Vladimir Putin, Russia’s uncrowned tsar. Just as Putin is using Russian
nationalism as a matrix for his policy of reviving the Soviet Empire, at least
in part, Erdogan’s Islamist profile is designed to help recreate the Ottoman
Empire.
In other words, the neo-Islamist pose is little more than a faced for the
neo-Ottoman ideology.
A hint of this came in a recent speech by Erdogan, celebrating his party’s
election victory. He claimed that the Justice and Development Party’s victory
was shared throughout North Africa, the Balkans and the Middle East, in other
words, all areas that had once been parts of the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey has been strengthening its economic presence in much of that area.
Turkish investment in the Middle East, the Balkans and North Africa is estimated
to be around $100 billion.
Turkey is number one foreign investor in Syria, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania.
Turkey is also a major trading partner of Libya and Algeria. Turkish banks and
contractors have been active throughout the region for more than two decades.
The neo-Ottoman project will meet Turkey’s needs in a number of domains. With
hopes of joining the European Union all but dashed, Ankara would find a new
space for its foreign policy in the Greater Middle East and the Balkans. This
vast and potentially rich region would also be able to absorb Turkey’s
demographic surplus that had traditionally gone to Western Europe.
To have any chance of being realised, Erdogan’s dream requires a number of
developments.
To start with, Erdogan must secure his own hold on power for at least another
decade. He is trying to do just that by changing the Turkish Constitution to
create a presidential, rather than a parliamentary, system. In such a system, he
could become president for at least two successive terms of five years. Adding
his current premiership, we might well have Erdogan at the helm in Turkey until
2026.
Erdogan’s second aim is to weaken the military, the last institution still
capable of challenging a future president’s grip on power.
A step in that direction came last week when the Turkish top brass, including
the Chief of Staff of the armed Forces, General Isik Kosaner, Army Commander
General Erdal Ceylanoglu, Navy Commander Admiral Esref Ugur Yigit and the
Commander of Air Force Hassan Aksay tendered their resignation.
The move enables Erdogan to form a new high command led by the former head of
gendarmerie, General Necdet Ozel that consists of officers sympathetic to the
neo-Ottomanist project.
Over the past decade, Erdogan has tightened his grip on the judiciary while
placing his allies at strategic positions throughout the bureaucracy. Business
allies of the AKP, Erdogan’s party, already dominate the media scene in Turkey.
Under Turkeys so-called secular system, the government controls the mosques and
most other religious institutions. That would facilitate the revival of the
Ottoman system under which the ruler was at the same time the sultan and the
caliph.
To be sure, Erdogan is intelligent enough to know that he cannot call himself
the sultan or the caliph just as Putin cannot present himself as the tsar.
What matters, however, is the content of the new regime that Erdogan is trying
to create, not its form.
However, Erdogan’s chief problem might be the fact that the neo-Ottoman project
does not appeal to a majority of the Turks. In three successive general
elections, the AKP has failed to secure even half of the votes cast. In every
case, its victory was partly due to arcane election laws.
The AKP has been successful in putting the Turkish economy on a trajectory of
growth without inflation. It has also managed to defuse the Kurdish ethnic time
bomb, at least for now. More importantly, perhaps, it has given the poorer
segments of society a taste of power for the first time.
Erdogan’s performance is comparable to that of Putin who has also succeeded in
reviving the Russian economy and restoring part of its international prestige.
Sadly, however, like Putin, Erdogan appears unable to tailor his ambitions to
feet the real capacities of his country and the aspirations of his people.
Turkey cannot morph into an empire in any form. And this is not what a majority
of Turks want, especially if it means the emergence of an autocratic system of
government.