Bible Quotation for today/The True Spirit and the False Spirit
01 John 04/01-06: " My dear friends, do not believe all who claim to have the Spirit, but test them to find out if the spirit they have comes from God. For many false prophets have gone out everywhere.  This is how you will be able to know whether it is God's Spirit: anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came as a human being has the Spirit who comes from God.  But anyone who denies this about Jesus does not have the Spirit from God. The spirit that he has is from the Enemy of Christ; you heard that it would come, and now it is here in the world already. But you belong to God, my children, and have defeated the false prophets, because the Spirit who is in you is more powerful than the spirit in those who belong to the world.  Those false prophets speak about matters of the world, and the world listens to them because they belong to the world.  But we belong to God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever does not belong to God does not listen to us. This, then, is how we can tell the difference between the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
 

November 22, 2013/The Daily Star
On the 70th anniversary of Lebanon’s “independence,” it may do well to consider what this word actually means, and whether the country really deserves such a label.
Since the end of WWI, when superpowers decided on the makeup and geography of Greater Lebanon, it is hard to claim that the country has ever witnessed true independence. Although 1943’s severance from France marked a turning point, since then the country has been at the receiving end of incursions and occupation.
Today, the country is as un-independent as ever, unable to protect its “sovereign” borders from rocket attacks or the entrance of rebel fighters. Just this week the country has been victim to twin suicide bombings, carried out by foreigners, likely at the behest of external players, in order to punish other foreign actors, but which left Lebanese civilians dead. In different areas across the country, access by civilians or security forces is restricted by various parties and militias.The Parliament is clinically dead, and there is no functioning government. The country’s administration is falling apart. And in all these respects, it does not appear to be getting any better soon. When all these aspects are taken together, any concept of “independence” becomes almost comedic. Another issue for analysis is Friday’s likely grandiose military parade, an attempt, in many other countries which are fond of such displays of strength, that all is perhaps not as it seems. Such parades often appear not as genuine marks of military capability, but rather as efforts to reassure the domestic population of a continued, consistent ability to defend itself. Surely no one can be fooled into believing that right now. Hundreds of countries have achieved independence around the world, often won after many years of bloody fighting, or after admirable peaceful political struggles. But nowhere, does it seem, is there such an example of a country, claiming to have been independent for seven decades, which is so less deserving of this title. Where corrupt politicians cannot form a government or elect a leader. Where the very systems of state authority are rusty and failing, unable to deliver the most basic of services to its citizens. And where foreign powers still have such a sway over so many aspects of politics, development and Lebanon’s place in the region. On this Independence Day, it is perhaps an appropriate time to drop the pretense. Instead of basking in the glory of Friday’s military parade, the Lebanese must come to terms with the fact that this country is no more independent than it is an island. And yes, the country’s politicians and leaders bear much of the responsibility for where this country stands today. But we must stop blaming others. All Lebanese must play their part, the young and the living, to get this country out of intensive care.

Lebanon Marks Independence Day as Country at Stake over Terrorism, Refugee Burden
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013/Lebanon celebrated Independence Day on Friday amid the growing threat of terrorism, the widening gap between Lebanon's political parties and the huge burden of the Syrian refugees. The country marked 70 years of independence with an official ceremony staged in downtown Beirut.Streets leading to the area were cordoned off from the early hours of Friday for the ceremony which was attended by President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati, PM-designate Tammam Salam, diplomats and other dignitaries. Suleiman, Berri and Miqati later headed to Baabda palace where they received well-wishers. This year's independence comes as the country is barely standing 2 ½ years into Syria's war. A string of deadly bombings and sectarian gunbattles linked to Syria has left hundreds of casualties in several areas, mainly Hizbullah strongholds - Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa - and the northern city of Tripoli. The latest bombings targeted the Iranian embassy in the Beirut neighborhood of Bir Hassan, a Hizbullah stronghold, on Tuesday. An al-Qaida-linked group claimed it carried out the twin suicide bombings, raising fears of Iraqi-style attacks in the country. There has been no functioning government since Salam's appointment in April because of divisions between the March 8 and March 14 alliances over Syria. The March 14 coalition has conditioned the formation of the cabinet on Hizbullah's withdrawal from Syria. The party's fighters have been openly backing Syrian President Bashar Assad against the rebels seeking to topple him. Parliament has unilaterally extended its own mandate by 18 months by skipping the polls. The legislature is also failing to convene over the boycott of several blocs from the two rival camps. The security and political crises have been topped with a huge economic burden caused by the Syrian refugees who are escaping the fighting in the neighboring country. The Lebanese authorities have warned that the massive influx of refugees in the past week could no longer be resolved through humanitarian aid. They called for a political or security solution to end the crisis.
Lebanon hosts more than 800,000 Syrians. Lebanese Independence Day commemorates the country's liberation in 1943 after 23 years of governance by French Mandate that succeeded Ottoman rule.
 

Opinion Opinion: Lebanon is a booby-trapped mailbox
By: Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Alawsat

Lebanon’s Hezbollah did not wait long to accuse “Israeli spies” of responsibility for the twin explosions outside the Iranian embassy in the Bir Hassan neighborhood of southern Beirut. Al-Qaeda affiliated groups did not wait long to claim responsibility for the attack.
There are clear political objectives behind the two claims of responsibility, as well as the sheer scale and timing of the twin blasts.
What was Hezbollah’s objective in accusing Israel and its “agents” of carrying out the bombings? It is probably seeking to restore the legitimacy of its arms, which it has been re-directed away from Israel since 2006, using its arsenal instead in a Muslim-against-Muslim civil war in the name of combating the so-called “Takfirist” groups. In fact, despite the fading luster of the Palestinian cause and the accumulated tactical and strategic mistakes made by Palestinian leaders—first by Fatah and then by Hamas—the Palestinian cause remains the litmus test of legitimacy in Arab politics. Therefore, Hezbollah and the powers behind it did not have any choice but to accuse the “spies of Israel and Zionism” of carrying out the bombings, in a bid to transcend the bitter reality of its role in displacing millions of innocent Syrians, most of whom are not “Takfirists.” This is not to mention the destruction of scores of towns and villages and the approximately 200,000 Syrians who have either been killed or displaced as a result of Hezbollah’s actions.
Initially, Hezbollah justified its military intervention in Syria on the pretext of protecting holy shrines, including the Sayyida Zaynab Mosque in Damascus and the “Lebanese-inhabited” border villages in Homs. Later on, however, the scope of Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria expanded, so it needed additional justifications for its actions. When Hezbollah militants reached the towns of Nubbul, Al-Zahraa and Al-Fu’ah in northern Syria, pretexts of protecting shrines and “Lebanese” nationals were no longer credible. As a result of this, Hezbollah put forward an even riskier pretext, namely fighting “Takfirists.”
Being preoccupied with fighting “Takfirists”—despite the fact that the Shebaa Farms and the Kfarchouba Heights remain under Israeli occupation—can only mean two things. First, there is another issue Hezbollah sees as being more serious than the Israeli occupation, which is supposedly the reason why the Shi’a militia has kept hold of its weapons of “resistance” while other Lebanese militia agreed to disarm. Second is that Hezbollah has no problem fighting “Takfirists”—those who declare other Muslims non-believers in the name of Islam.
Regarding the first point, one must remember that the Syrian regime has accused Israel, the US, and some Western and Arab countries of fomenting the revolution in Syria due to Damascus’s “enmity towards Israel” and its anti-imperialist stance. Later on, however, we discovered that Israel, the US, and imperialistic Western countries were in no hurry to get rid of the Bashar Al-Assad regime. On the contrary, both Tel Aviv and Washington have made it clear that they had no intention of attacking Syria, particularly after Damascus handed over its chemical stockpiles, which it previously claimed had been allocated for the “liberation of Palestine.”
As for the second point, it is obvious that Iran—and by extension Hezbollah—does not see the risks of inciting potential Muslim-on-Muslim (Sunni–Shi’ite) strife in fighting “Takfirists.” If we consider Iran as an Islamic Republic and Hezbollah as an Islamist organization with Islamist slogans, this means that they are questioning the faith of their enemies, namely they are declaring their enemies as “unbelievers.” In other words, they are practicing precisely what they are accusing their enemies of doing.
In an attempt to assure those Christians who still believe in the “alliance of minorities,” Hezbollah came up with a third pretext for its intervention in Syria, namely to “prevent strife from creeping into Lebanon.” Nevertheless, since Hezbollah has intervened in Syria, the number of bombings and attempted bombings has risen, and—worse still—it has emerged that some of the suspects in these attacks have close ties to the Syrian regime.
The flow of Syrian refugees—mostly Sunnis—into Lebanon has created additional complexities. First, it has created a state of religious and sectarian tension in the country, increasing the concerns of Christians who fear that the Syrian refugees’ presence in Lebanon will become permanent. This will, statistically speaking, accelerate the marginalization of Christians, who have truly become a minority in the country.
Second, this will further escalate the state of sectarian polarization, especially given that Hezbollah and the supporters of the Damascus regime in Lebanon are keen to cover their backs by forming irregular armed groups outside the areas that are densely populated by Shi’ites.
Third, it has become impossible to make sure there are no jihadists among the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, especially now that Hezbollah and other groups have abolished borders between the two countries by opening supply and military routes.
Fourth, the volatile situation along the porous Syrian–Lebanese borders has created a highly dangerous situation in the northern Beqaa region (bordering the Qalmoun front), more so between the predominantly Sunni town of Arsal and its Shi’ite environs. Furthermore, during a rally attended by Sunni and Druze figures last Tuesday, Lebanon’s Minister of Social Affairs, Wael Abu Faour, and MP Bahia Hariri warned against sectarian strife being exported to the southern Beqaa region against the backdrop of the contrived tensions in Mount Hermon, the rural areas of Quneitra, and the southern Rif Dimashq Governorate.
Given the above, Hezbollah’s declared purpose for intervening in Syria, prevent strife from creeping into Lebanon, has been shown to be false. What is even more interesting is the fact that some of those who are facilitating strife creeping into Lebanon are Hezbollah’s own allies.
Here, we arrive at the issue of Al-Qaeda and its affiliates. There is no doubt that the situation in Syria today is completely different from what it was when the peaceful popular uprising erupted in March 2011. When it began with the children of Dera’a, the revolution was innocent and peaceful. Despite this, the Assad regime confronted the uprising in the only manner it understands: violence. Having humiliated and offended the people of Dera’a, the Assad regime used live bullets to respond to demands for openness and reform.
In March 2011, there were no demands for toppling the regime, nor was Al-Qaeda present in the country. However, the pillars of the Assad regime, along with its supporters, realized that the only way to confront a truly popular uprising was by ramping up the military crackdown and launching an all-out war using all forms of weaponry conceivable. The regime has also utilized its “fifth column” and other terrorist and radical factions it had previously sponsored and exploited in order to embarrass, splinter and blackmail the opposition.
Later, we witnessed the collapse of the regime’s grip on Syria’s border crossings. With this, factions and groups of all stripes started to flow into the country. The Assad regime subsequently released terrorists from its prisons precisely to perform their role on the ground by splitting the opposition and confronting the Free Syrian Army. Today, the regime’s security apparatus are behind many of the violations and abuses being committed in the name of the opposition in Syria, and Lebanon.
This is a fact that Hezbollah knows only too well. It is also well aware of the nature of this regime, which falsely claims to be secular, pan-Arabist, and part of the resistance.
**Eyad Abu Shakra is the managing editor of Asharq Al-Awsat. He has been with the newspaper since 1978.

Army Defuses Car Bomb in Bekaa
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013/
..Lebanese army experts defused at dawn Friday a car rigged with hundreds of kilograms of explosives in the eastern Bekaa Valley but failed to arrest its driver. The army took over the vehicle between the towns of Maqne and Younine after armed gangs engaged in a gunbattle following midnight, said Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3). The state-run National News Agency said the black car had been rigged with around 500 kilograms of TNT. The army also found two mortars and a high-tech remote control to set off the explosives in the Buick carrying the license plate G/401907. NNA said bullets had pierced the car's front window and tires.The incident came three days after suicide bombers struck the Iranian embassy in Beirut's southern suburbs, leaving 25 people dead and 147 wounded.

Iran Negotiators See Progress in Geneva Nuclear Talks
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013/Iranian negotiators said Friday that progress was being made in talks in Geneva with world powers, expressing hope to bridge differences and sign an elusive deal over Tehran's nuclear drive. The remarks came after they said Thursday "no progress" had been made over points of differences on the second day of intensive talks in the Swiss city with the so-called P5+1 group. There is "room for optimism," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters Friday, according to Iranian media, adding that work on a draft agreement had begun. "Differences of opinion remain and we are negotiating over them. God willing we will reach a result," he said after a one-hour meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton earlier in the day. Zarif said without elaborating that "three or four issues of difference remain ... with one or two stronger."The official IRNA news agency said those two issues were what Iran calls its right to enrichment as well as its under-construction heavy water reactor in Arak. Zarif's remarks were echoed by his deputy, Majid Takht-e Ravanchi, who said the meeting on Friday had "brought the positions of each side closer." "The issue of enrichment is a matter of discussion in the talks. We have declared that (enrichment) is our red line and we expect it is respected" in the draft agreement, Ravanchi added. Iran insists in addition to sanctions relief, the P5+1 group -- the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany -- should recognize what its right to enrich uranium, a process that could fuel nuclear power plants but also provide components of a bomb. Zarif also hinted at progress over lingering points of difference. "We discussed the issues of difference yesterday, and it was only natural for delegations to confer with their capitals," he said, according to the ISNA news agency. "In some cases, the consultations have been fruitful," Zarif added. The talks aim to clinch an elusive agreement to curb Iran's nuclear activities and render it incapable of producing a nuclear weapon.Iran says its work is only for peaceful purposes and has no military dimension. Zarif also hailed the "progress" made in three rounds of negotiations since mid-October over Iran's nuclear drive -- an international concern for more than a decade.Source/Agence France Presse.

Reports: One Suicide Bomber behind Bir Hassan Attack Identified as Lebanese from Sidon
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013
..One of the two suicide attackers behind Tuesday's explosions in the Beirut neighborhood of Bir Hassan is Moein Abu Dahr from the southern city of Sidon, several media reports said on Friday.  “Moein Abu Dahr, who hails from Sidon, is one of the two suicide bombers who targeted the Iranian embassy in Bir Hassan,” LBCI television said on Friday afternoon. LBCI added that he was close to Salafist cleric Ahmed al-Asir. Al-Asir had warned of "revenge" three days before the Bir Hassan blasts. Al-Jadeed television revealed that the alleged attacker's father, Adnan Abu Dahr, willingly went to the defense ministry after recognizing his son's picture. “The father is being interrogated at the caretaker ministry of defense,” it added. The same source also said that Moein Abu Dahr used to live in Kuwait before moving to Syria. “He then returned to Lebanon to carry out the operation,” it said. The Army Command clarified these reports in a communique on Friday evening: “As a result of circulating the picture of one of the most dangerous fugitives yesterday (Thursday), Adnan Abu Dahr informed the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau that it belongs to his son Moein.”The military institution's statement added: “Samples have been taken from the father to do DNA testing and try to compare them with the bodies found at the scene of the explosion, under the supervision of the competent court.” MTV said Moein Abu Dahr called his father 10 days ago asking for his forgiveness and since then, Adnan Abu Dahr hasn't heard from him. LBCI remarked that the son called his father from Syria. MTV quoted one of his relatives as saying he was in Sweden, before returning to Lebanon.
Meanwhile, OTV said both suicide bombers behind Tuesday's deadly blasts are Lebanese, after earlier reports had pointed out that they were Arabs. “The attackers fought in Syria against President Bashar Assad's regime and participated in the fighting in Pakistan,” it said. “Abu Dahr used to go to Bilal bin Rabah mosque in Sidon and has left the country after the Abra clashes.”Moein Abu Dahr had promised al-Asir on his page on the social networking website Facebook that he will take revenge. "They let you down Sheikh, but we will retaliate,” he wrote. And a day before the Bir Hassan bombings, Abu Dahr took to Facebook to say that heaven “has opened its doors to receive him.” In a related matter, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant posted a picture of Abu Dahr on Twitter, commenting that he's “the suicide bomber that attacked the Iranian embassy,” without mentioning Beirut in the caption. Later on Friday evening, the Abu Dahr family “strongly” condemned in a released statement the deadly explosions nearby Beirut.
"We are deeply saddened that one of our relatives is accused of being behind the Bir Hassan explosions,” the statement posted on several Sidon-based websites said. “We condemn this awful crime and we do not have enough words to describe it.” It continued: “Abu Dahr is a conservative family that was raised according to the teachings of Islam that prohibit hurting others, and call for mercy and love.”
"We offer our condolences to the families of the victims and we pray for the recovery of the wounded.”Since the news about the possible involvement of Abu Dar in the Bir Hassan bombings broke out, security forces have cordoned off the area nearby his family's house in Sidon and have deployed heavily in the region. They also erected checkpoints in the southern city, the state-run National News Agency reported. An Agence France Presse journalist in Sidon said several journalists arrived to Sidon, and one was beaten by supporters of al-Asir. Fake identity cards used by the suicide attackers behind the blasts in Beirut's Bir Hassan neighborhood were made public on Thursday.At least 23 people were killed and more than 145 others were wounded in a twin blast that took place on Tuesday morning near the Iranian Embassy in the neighborhood of Bir Hassan in Beirut's southern suburbs.
A security official said the first suicide attacker was on a motorcycle that carried two kilograms of explosives. He blew himself up at the large black main gate of the Iranian mission, damaging the three-story facility.
Less than two minutes later, the second suicide attacker driving a car rigged with 50 kilograms of explosives struck about 10 meters away, the official said. The al-Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility for the bombings, according to the Twitter page of a cleric linked to the group."The Abdullah Azzam brigades - the Hussein bin Ali cells - are behind the attack on the Iranian embassy in Beirut," Sheikh Sirajeddine Zuraiqat, the group's religious guide, posted on Twitter.Zuraiqat called the operation “an invasion of the Iranian embassy in Beirut,” explaining that it is a “double martyrdom operation of two Sunni Lebanese heroes.”

Ibrahim Warns of 'Great Explosion' in the Country, Says Tripoli is Still in Danger Zone
Naharnet Newsdesk 21 November 2013/General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim stated on Thursday that Lebanon is going through one of the “toughest' stages in its modern history, warning of the “great danger” that persists in the northern city of Tripoli. "Maybe this is one of the most complicated phases on all levels,” Ibrahim said in a statement he gave to the Hizbullah-affiliated al-Ahd website.
He explained: “The Israeli enemy's danger is at the border and the terrorist threat is present inside the country.”"Both of them are two faces of the same coin.” Ibrahim stressed that the solution to the “difficult political reality” in the country is achieved by referring to the state's institutions, the constitution and the laws. In a related matter, the General Security chief described as “dangerous” the current situation in Tripoli. He added: “Day after day the danger is increasing in Tripoli because of an already planned project for the city and for the entire country.”"The security plan in the North did not fully succeed and we are still facing many relapses because of the recurring clashes between different factions.”Ibrahim called for cooperating to confront the “terrorist plan,” warning that otherwise, we will be heading towards a “great explosion.”At least 23 people were killed and more than 145 others were wounded in a twin blast that took place on Tuesday morning near the Iranian Embassy in the neighborhood of Bir Hassan in Beirut's southern suburbs. A security official said the first suicide attacker was on a motorcycle that carried two kilograms of explosives. He blew himself up at the large black main gate of the Iranian mission, damaging the three-story facility. Less than two minutes later, the second suicide attacker driving a car rigged with 50 kilograms of explosives struck about 10 meters away, the official said. The al-Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility for the bombings, according to the Twitter page of a cleric linked to the group. "The Abdullah Azzam brigades - the Hussein bin Ali cells - are behind the attack on the Iranian embassy in Beirut," Sheikh Sirajeddine Zuraiqat, the group's religious guide, posted on Twitter.

Lebanon Pushed to Edge _ but, Somehow, Not Over it
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013/By nearly all measures, Lebanon should have long ago buckled under the weight of Syria's civil war. The fighting next door has swamped Lebanon with refugees and has stoked its Sunni-Shiite tensions, as each community in Lebanon lines up in support of its brethren on the rival sides in Syria. That has fueled predictions that deeply divided Lebanon is only one nudge away from collapsing into full-blown sectarian bloodletting of its own. Yet, 2 ½ years into Syria's war, Lebanon is still standing — barely. One reason is Lebanon's memory of its own traumatizing 15-year civil war. Another, related reason is the internal balance of fear that underpins the country's ramshackle political system: Each faction and sect is restraining its followers, well aware that the slightest mistake could bring the house down around everyone.
"I think most of the doomsayers have proven to be wrong about Lebanon descending into all-out war, but the situation is very dangerous, very grim, very fragile indeed," said Fawaz A. Gergez, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. The question is how much stress that system can bear and for how long. Lebanon, a country of 4.5 million people, has taken in more than 1 million Syrian refugees, straining its resources. A string of deadly bombings and sectarian gunbattles linked to Syria has killed more than 120 people and wounded hundreds more. There has been no functioning government since April because of political divisions over Syria. Parliament, meanwhile, has unilaterally extended its own mandate by 18 months by skipping scheduled elections. On top of everything, Lebanon's strongest political, social and military force, Hizbullah, is openly fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's troops in Syria, while Lebanese Sunni militants have taken up arms with Syria's predominantly Sunni rebels against Assad. The danger for Lebanon zoomed into focus again Tuesday when a double suicide bombing targeting the Iranian Embassy in Beirut left scores of casualties in Beirut's southern suburbs. An al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for the attack, and called it payback for Hizbullah's support for Assad against the predominantly Sunni rebels. Iran, the regional Shiite power, is a key supporter of Hizbullah and the Syrian government. The bombing was the fifth this year in Lebanon tied to the Syrian war. In Lebanon's second-largest city, Tripoli, bloody street fighting between mainly Sunni opponents of Assad and mainly Shiite and Alawite supporters has become a near-weekly affair, the latest of which killed at least 17 people and wounded around 80. Each incident of violence sparks fears that the targeted community will lash out dramatically at the rival community, triggering an unstoppable cycle of violence. This was particularly true after an explosion in a Hizbullah stronghold south of Beirut killed scores in mid-August, followed less than two weeks later by a deadlier double bombing outside Sunni mosques in Tripoli.
For days after, Lebanon's political talk shows, newspapers and cafe conversations were filled with talk of Iraqi-style retaliatory bloodshed. Yet, Lebanese did not take up arms and rush to the barricades. Very few people, regardless of sect, want to head back down a dark path reminiscent of Lebanon's 15-year war. That conflict, which ended in 1990, pitted the country's faiths and ethnic groups against each other, killed 150,000 people, destroyed Lebanon's infrastructure and economy and turned the capital, Beirut, into a shattered wreck of its former glamorous self. "I honestly thought people would take to the streets by now and fight each other based on sects ... but I think that after our experience with the civil war, we became slightly smarter than to allow ourselves to get sucked in," said Marah, the owner of a clothes boutique in the Druze town of Baakline.
"We know that sectarian tensions will always be under the surface. So far, it's been relatively under control but I'm scared that another spark from Syria will have the country explode," she said.
The country's politicians are acutely aware of its potential to be torn apart at its many seams. The bosses of Lebanon's sectarian communities — Sunni, Shiite, Christian and Druze — have so far been able to restrain tempers. After Tuesday's suicide bombings, Hizbullah's deputy chief, Sheikh Naim Qassem, urged calm and called on politicians to clear the air of "sectarian and ethnic toxins."Asked whether Lebanon was going the way of Iraq, he said: "We are still in the beginning of the road and we can deal with it if there is the proper will."Because of its political clout and heavily armed members, Hizbullah has played a key role in keeping a lid on the violence. The group boasts the best equipped and best trained fighters in Lebanon, outstripping even the national army.
Hizbullah's rivals may be infuriated by its intervention in Syria and by its political domineering at home, but none of them wants to challenge it on the streets.
"Let me be blunt — who is going to take on Hizbullah in Lebanon?" said Gerges of the London School of Economics. The group's enemies, he added, "realize that Hizbullah can exact a great deal of damage." Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in turn, knows that if serious sectarian fighting did erupt, many would place the blame squarely on Hizbullah's shoulders for sending thousands of fighters to Syria. Nasrallah has publicly called for Lebanon to be spared any fighting, saying rivals should go fight in Syria and keep Lebanon out if. "Hizbullah will not allow itself to be entrapped, to fall prey to waging battle inside Lebanon," Gerges said. "Nasrallah will not fire the first shot, will not provide the spark, will not allow himself and his party to fall prey to an all-out war in Lebanon." So that leaves Lebanon hanging just on the edge, with Lebanese worrying about if and when it will tip over it. "It's very simple, you play with fire, you get burned. If we keep meddling in Syria, whether supporting the regime or the rebels, it's going to backfire," said Basil, an electronics merchant who lives in the neighborhood of Jnah in Beirut."One bombing will lead to another as retaliation. One bullet fired on sectarian basis will lead to another. We can't afford to relive a civil war"SourceAssociated Press.

Report: Bir Hassan Attack Suspect Being Interrogated to Uncover Details of the Crime
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013/A suspect linked to Tuesday's Bir Hassan bombing at the Iranian embassy in Beirut has been arrested, reported An Nahar daily on Friday. It said that investigations are underway with him in order to reveal all details of the attack and the identity of the suicide bombers. The existence of the suspect was uncovered after the discovery of telephone calls that he made soon after the blasts. The daily added that the investigations are on the verge of uncovering the identity of one of the bombers, seeing as images of him were captured by surveillance cameras at the scene of the crime. Investigators are facing difficulties however in identifying the second attacker, who was driving the explosives-laden car, because he was not caught on any of the cameras. Meanwhile, a security source told As Safir newspaper Friday that investigators are almost certain that the suicide bombers are not Lebanese. Some leads have said that they may have arrived to Lebanon from Jordan, but that does not necessarily mean they are Jordanian. Investigations are currently focusing on how they entered Lebanon, whether by land or plane. OTV aired on Thursday evening the fake identity cards used by the suicide attackers behind the blasts in Bir Hassan as security forces embarked on searching the hotel where they stayed on their last night. Also on Thursday, State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr ordered the army intelligence to inspect the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel in the Beirut neighborhood of Verdun, as reports said it was where the attackers spent their last night before their deadly operation. The security source told As Safir that the attackers left their hotel room 70 minutes before carrying out the bombing. They likely left their rooms to obtain the vehicle used in the attack, but the investigations have not yet pinpointed the location from where they received their car. Other security sources said that the assailants arrived at their hotel three days prior to the attack. On they day of the bombing, they headed to the Tallet al-Khayyat area near Verdun, but the details of their actions in that neighborhood have yet to be uncovered. Investigations are not ruling out the possibility that they may have received the vehicle used in the attack. They then left the area and headed towards Bir Hassan to carry out the attack. Investigations are also focusing on the sides that may have aided the assailants in preparing the attack, starting from how they arrived to Lebanon, booked their hotel room, and obtained the explosives-laden car. As Safir said that the car was rented by a local company before being stolen and taken to the Bekaa. It was then taken to a region between the northern Bekaa and Syria's al-Qalamoun region. At least 23 people were killed and more than 145 others were wounded in twin blasts that took place on Tuesday morning near the Iranian Embassy in the neighborhood of Bir Hassan in Beirut's southern suburbs. A security official said the first suicide attacker was on a motorcycle that carried two kilograms of explosives. He blew himself up at the large black main gate of the Iranian mission, damaging the three-story facility. Less than two minutes later, the second suicide attacker driving a car rigged with 50 kilograms of explosives struck about 10 meters away, the official said. The al-Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility for the bombings, according to the Twitter page of a cleric linked to the group.

Hizbullah Applauds Booby-Trapped Car Discovery, Laments State's 'Incapability' amid Security Threats
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013, 13/The Head of Hizbullah's Juristic Committee condemned on Friday the explosions that targeted the Iranian embassy in the Beirut neighborhood of Bir Hassan, lamenting the weakness of the state amid “the increased security threats to the country.” "We urge our people to become the guardians of their security and of their country in cooperation with security forces, amid the security threats and the violent Israeli and Takfiri bombings,” Sheikh Mohammed Yazbek said during his Friday sermon at the shrine for Sayyeda Khawla in the Bekaa city of Baalbek. He added: “We lament celebrating Independence Day while the institutions that should be handling people's affairs are not functioning and the cabinet and the state are absent and unable to face the increased security violations.”"Where to are we heading if the Lebanon do not wake-up and realize this?,” Yazebek asked. Meanwhile, the Hizbullah official applauded the discovery of a booby-trapped car in the Bekaa, which “was meant to target many innocent people.” Yazbek also called for the formation of a national unity cabinet that cares about people's affairs and security. Lebanese army experts defused at dawn Friday a car rigged with hundreds of kilograms of explosives in the eastern Bekaa Valley but failed to arrest its driver. The army took over the vehicle between the towns of Maqne and Younine after armed gangs engaged in a gunbattle following midnight, said Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3). The army also found two mortars and a high-tech remote control to set off the explosives in the Buick carrying the license plate G/401907. The incident came three days after suicide bombers struck the Iranian embassy in Beirut's southern suburbs, leaving 25 people dead and 147 wounded.
 

Report: 7 Booby-Trapped Cars Have Entered Lebanon
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013/An alleged list containing details about “seven booby-trapped cars” that have entered Lebanon has surfaced on social networking websites, only a few days after the deadly twin bombing that targeted the Iranian embassy in Bir Hassan. The document being circulated is supposedly a copy of a cable that was sent by the General Directorate of State Security to the Directorate General of Internal Security Forces. The list details the types, colors and others details pertaining to the vehicles as follows:
– Red Volvo 740
– Gray GMC Envoy SUV without registration plates
– Olive green Toyota Four Runner SUV manufactured in 2001
– Black Grand Cherokee carrying a plate with the number 161023
– Silver Grand Cherokee Limited SUV manufactured in 1985
– Olive green SsangYong van
– Silver Mercedes 280 manufactured in 1980
On Tuesday, two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut, killing 25 people and wounding at least 150 others.
And on Friday, the army defused a booby-trapped car containing 400 kilos of explosives and two shells between the Bekaa towns of Maqne and Younine.

Army Circulates New Picture of 'Dangerous Fugitive' Possibly Linked to Bir Hassan Bombings
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013/The army circulated on Friday evening the picture of a “dangerous fugitive” without revealing the crime he committed, while media reports said it might belong to one of the Iranian embassy suicide attackers.The army urged in a released communique anyone that recognizes the person in the picture to contact the caretaker Defense Ministry by dialing 1701, or using the military institution’s smart phone application LAF Shield. The army had made public on Thursday the picture of another fugitive, and as a result, Adnan Abu Dahr contacted the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau, claiming that it belongs to his son Moein. DNA samples have been taken from Adnan Abu Dahr to compare them with the bodies found at the scene of the explosions. OTV had aired on Thursday evening the fake identity cards used by the suicide attackers behind the blasts in Beirut's Bir Hassan neighborhood. One of the IDs had the same picture circulated by the army on Friday, but the name on it was Issa al-Ghawi, who's a citizen from the Beirut neighborhood of Tariq al-Jadideh. Al-Ghawi denied to Future TV having any links to Tuesday's bombings. At least 23 people were killed and more than 145 others were wounded in a twin blast that took place on Tuesday morning near the Iranian Embassy in the neighborhood of Bir Hassan in Beirut's southern suburbs. A security official said the first suicide attacker was on a motorcycle that carried two kilograms of explosives. He blew himself up at the large black main gate of the Iranian mission, damaging the three-story facility. Less than two minutes later, the second suicide attacker driving a car rigged with 50 kilograms of explosives struck about 10 meters away, the official said. The al-Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility for the bombings, according to the Twitter page of a cleric linked to the group. "The Abdullah Azzam brigades - the Hussein bin Ali cells - are behind the attack on the Iranian embassy in Beirut," Sheikh Sirajeddine Zuraiqat, the group's religious guide, posted on Twitter.

Hizbullah MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi: Resistance Can't Wait for National Approval, Its Sacrifices Made Independence Day Possible
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013/Hizbullah MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi stated on Friday that the resistance has never asked for national consensus since its establishment, noting also that there would have not been Independence Day if it weren't for the party's sacrifices. "If it weren't for the resistance, no one would have thought about celebrating Independence Day and if it weren't for the resistance, the land would have been still under occupation and most of the people in prisons,” al-Moussawi said in a speech he gave at a funeral in Deir Amass town. He added: “If we waited for national consensus in 1982, the resistance would have not been founded because a large group of Lebanese adopted policies that made them strategic allies to Israel.” "What is known historically is that the resistance since its establishment and through its work, it never sought national consensus an if it did, we wouldn't have liberated the land.” Therefore, waiting for national accord as a requirement to face dangerous threats is a condition that has no basis, according to the Hizbullah official."When we perceive a threat we cannot wait for national consensus over confronting it.”However, al-Moussawi pointed out that independence is incomplete because “a country is dictating a group of Lebanese and confiscating national decision.” "By this, this country is obstructing the work in the constitutional institutions, preventing the formation of a new cabinet and the convening of the parliament.”Al-Moussawi was hinting at Saudi Arabia in his speech. He stressed that what protects Lebanon is eliminating Takfiris in Syria to preserve diversity in the country. "If the Takfiris triumph in Syria, Lebanon will not longer exist,” he warned. Lebanon celebrated on Friday 70 years of independence amid the growing threat of terrorism, the widening gap between Lebanon's political parties and the huge burden of the Syrian refugees. A string of deadly bombings and sectarian gunbattles linked to Syria has left hundreds of casualties in several areas, mainly Hizbullah strongholds - Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa - and the northern city of Tripoli. The latest bombings targeted the Iranian embassy in the Beirut neighborhood of Bir Hassan, a Hizbullah stronghold, on Tuesday. An al-Qaida-linked group claimed it carried out the twin suicide bombings, raising fears of Iraqi-style attacks in the country. Also, there has been no functioning government since premier-designate Tammam Salam's appointment in April because of divisions between the March 8 and March 14 alliances over Syria. Moreover, for the past 2 and a half years, Hizbullah has been involved in the fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces in the neighboring country's war, amid wide local and international opposition to its interfering in Syria's turmoil.
 

Question: "What is the Christian view of suicide? What does the Bible say about suicide?"
Answer: The Bible mentions six specific people who committed suicide: Abimelech (Judges 9:54), Saul (1 Samuel 31:4), Saul’s armor-bearer (1 Samuel 31:4–6), Ahithophel (2 Samuel 17:23), Zimri (1 Kings 16:18), and Judas (Matthew 27:5). Five of these men were noted for their wickedness (the exception is Saul’s armor-bearer—nothing is said of his character). Some consider Samson’s death an instance of suicide, because he knew his actions would lead to his death (Judges 16:26–31), but Samson’s goal was to kill Philistines, not himself. The Bible views suicide as equal to murder, which is what it is—self-murder. God is the only one who is to decide when and how a person should die. We should say with the psalmist, “My times are in your hands” (Psalm 31:15). God is the giver of life. He gives, and He takes away (Job 1:21). Suicide, the taking of one’s own life, is ungodly because it rejects God’s gift of life. No man or woman should presume to take God’s authority upon themselves to end his or her own life. Some people in Scripture felt deep despair in life. Solomon, in his pursuit of pleasure, reached the point where he “hated life” (Ecclesiastes 2:17). Elijah was fearful and depressed and yearned for death (1 Kings 19:4). Jonah was so angry at God that he wished to die (Jonah 4:8). Even the apostle Paul and his missionary companions at one point “were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8). However, none of these men committed suicide. Solomon learned to “fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Elijah was comforted by an angel, allowed to rest, and given a new commission. Jonah received admonition and rebuke from God. Paul learned that, although the pressure he faced was beyond his ability to endure, the Lord can bear all things: “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9). So, according to the Bible, suicide is a sin. It is not the “greatest” sin—it is no worse than other evils, in terms of how God sees it, and it does not determine whether or not a person goes to hell. However, suicide definitely has a deep and lasting impact on those left behind. The painful scars left by a suicide do not heal easily. May God grant His grace to each one who is facing trials today (Psalm 67:1). And may each of us take hope in the promise, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
Recommended Resources: Life, in Spite of Me: Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice by Anderson & Goyer and Logos Bible Software.

Canada Remembers President John F. Kennedy
November 22, 2013 - Dallas, Texas - Canada’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will attend the commemorative public memorial and tribute to former U.S. President John F. Kennedy on the 50th anniversary of his assassination in Dallas, Texas. Five thousand people are expected to attend the event at Dealey Plaza in Dallas where the 35th president of the United States was shot.
“It is with heavy hearts that Canadians remember this tragic event that occurred 50 years ago, an event that profoundly changed the world,” said Minister Flaherty. “President Kennedy has left an indelible legacy of promoting freedom, democracy, human rights and a commitment to public service.”
In Canada, President Kennedy will be remembered for his May 17, 1961, address before the Canadian parliament, wherein he described the Canada-U.S. relationship in terms that continue to resonate today: “Geography has made us neighbours. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder. What unites us is far greater than what divides us.”Attending this event demonstrates Canada’s continued friendship with the United States as a trusted friend, partner, and ally—a connection that has lasted for decades.
“The friendship of our two countries is one rooted in deep history and is admired around the world for the strength of its bonds,” said Flaherty. “We as people, and as nations, have stood shoulder-to-shoulder through heartbreak and triumph. It is the strength and resolve of Canadians and Americans alike that have made our countries peaceful and prosperous, now, and well into our future.”
The sympathies of all Canadians go out to the American people as they mark this important day in American history.

Hariri: Suleiman's Independence Day Speech Last Line of Defense for Lebanon
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013/Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri praised on Friday President Michel Suleiman's Independence Day speech on Thursday, saying that it encompassed all that should be said in Lebanon given the recent “unprecedented” local and regional developments. He said in a statement: “The president's message is the last line of defense of Lebanon's independence and coexistence among its people.”
“It should be supported in words and actions by all Lebanese who are keen on protecting their country's independence and coexistence,” he remarked. “Suleiman's speech is the highest form of political rhetoric that could be reached during this extraordinary time in Lebanon's history,” he continued. “On the occasion of Independence Day, Lebanon is standing at a fateful crossroads,” Hariri said. This situation requires the people to confront the dangers facing them seeing as Lebanon is suffering from the impact of the Syrian war and from great sectarian tensions, noted the former premier. “Suleiman's message came to highlight Lebanon's current reality and he has sounded the alarm on the fate of the nation,” he stated. He reiterated the president's remark that the country's independence cannot be realized while some local parties decided to violate national consensus and get embroiled in the armed conflict in Syria. Lebanon cannot enjoy independence as long as the state is incapable of exerting its authority throughout its territory, he stressed. On the eve of Independence Day, Suleiman declared: “There is no independence when some Lebanese factions disregard national consensus, risk Lebanon's stability and get involved in the fighting in a neighboring country's war.”He added: “There is also no independence if security forces were not the only groups authorized to carry arms in the country.”

Hale: Security Institutions are Key Pillar of the State, Only Legitimate Security Force in Lebanon
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013/United States Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale noted on Friday that the bombing of the Iranian embassy in Beirut on Tuesday is a reminder of the “importance of an independent and sovereign Lebanon.”He said via Twitter on the occasion of Lebanon's Independence Day: “Security institutions are a key pillar of the state and only legitimate security force in Lebanon.”“True independence is constant work by dedicated people. I am sure many Lebanese share this view,” Hale added, while praising the courage and determination of the Lebanese army. “The United States' partnership with the Lebanese people will remain strong and unwavering,” he remarked. Twenty-five people were killed and more than 145 others were wounded in twin blasts that took place on Tuesday morning near the Iranian Embassy in the neighborhood of Bir Hassan in Beirut's southern suburbs. A security official said the first suicide attacker was on a motorcycle that carried two kilograms of explosives. He blew himself up at the large black main gate of the Iranian mission, damaging the three-story facility. Less than two minutes later, the second suicide attacker driving a car rigged with 50 kilograms of explosives struck about 10 meters away, the official said. The al-Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility for the bombings, saying they were aimed at pressuring Iran's ally Hizbullah to withdraw its fighters from Syria.

Syria Rebels Take Key Qalamoun Town from Army
Naharnet Newsdesk 22 November 2013/
Rebels in Syria seized a key town Friday in Qalamoun province that has been under army control since the outbreak of the conflict, a monitoring group and the opposition said. Hundreds of rebels now control most of Deir Attiyeh, with the exception of the Bassel hospital and a small hill, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The majority Christian town north of Damascus is home to 10,000 people and is situated on the strategic route linking the capital to Homs in central Syria. It was seized by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Nusra Front, as well as other Islamist fighters, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists, doctors and lawyers on the ground for its reports. The opposition National Coalition welcomed the capture of Deir Attiyeh. "After fierce fighting lasting several days, the (mainstream rebel) Free Syrian Army in Damascus province has successfully liberated the town of Deir Attiyeh in the Qalamoun area," the Coalition said in a statement. "It is a success that exposes the lies of the regime (of President Bashar Assad) about fictitious victories," the opposition added. The rebel advance comes three days after the army took Qara, which for many months had been under opposition control. A Syrian security source told Agence France Presse "the terrorists that were expelled from Qara have found refuge in... buildings on the edges of Deir Attiyeh and the army is currently handling the problem." Assad's regime refers to the armed opposition as "terrorists."
His army, backed by fighters from Lebanon's Hizbullah, has fought rebels all week in several areas of Qalamoun, which is strategic because it is near the Lebanese border.Regime warplanes on Friday staged 16 air strikes on Qalamoun, the Observatory said.Source/Agence France Presse.

Iran stands fast on Arak heavy water reactor for plutonium-fired nuclear weapon

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report November 21, 2013/The Iranian negotiators face the delegations of six world powers in Geneva Thursday, Nov. 21, with strict orders not to give ground on the two major sticking points holding up a first-step deal on their nuclear program: The heavy water reactor under construction at Arak for producing plutonium and Iran’s “right” to uranium enrichment. If Iran gains those two points, whatever concessions its negotiators may come up with are worthless, because they will leave Tehran in possession of two optional nuclear weaponizing tracks instead of one - plutonium as well as enriched uranium. debkafile’s sources report that Tehran is fighting tooth and nail for Six-Power acknowledgement of its “right to enrich uranium” – ostensibly to come away from Geneva with a “historic feat” to show the Iranian people that the economic hardship they suffered under economic sanctions was worth the candle. But concession of this “right” has a more sinister purpose: It would give Iran’s nuclear aspirations the enormous boost of an international license to keep its uranium enrich facilities, including the underground plant in Fordo and the centrifuge production line, fully intact and ready to go at any time. The infrastructure already standing, say US intelligence sources, is capable of topping up enriched uranium stockpiles already in hand to the amount needed for five nuclear bombs in less than a month – 26 days is the number often cited. The second option of plutonium would also be available when the Arak reactor is finished. US, Russian and British sources are presenting the gap in the resumed Geneva talks Thursday as minor and bridgeable. debkafile’s sources say they are just playing for time to chip away at a draft accord that by its nature would be a compromise solution which gives ground to Tehran.
And what compromise can be expected when Washington failed to challenge Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s avowal on Day One of the Geneva talks that Iran will not step back “one iota” from its nuclear rights, and his grotesquely barbaric rant against Israel as “the roguish, filthy, rabid dog of the region,” whose regime is “doomed to extinction?” This degraded language, not heard since the Nazi German era, informed the Obama administration in the harshest terms that for the sake of a deal, Iran will not give an inch under pressure, whether from economic sanctions or from Israel and parts of the American Jewish leadership.
Khamenei also blasted US government as unworthy of trust. If President Barack Obama was serious in his often repeated commitment to Israel’s security, he ought to have protested in some way against Khamenei’s unspeakable rhetoric, possibly even delaying the proceedings before they started their second day in Geneva. But the Iranian leader apparently got away with it, judging from the Obama administration’s mild response – a senior US official said it was “uncomfortable,” but did not condemn it as unacceptable like the French President Francois Hollande, and the British Foreign Secretary William Hague declined any comment at all, fearing to rock the boat in Geneva. Their evasions told Tehran that Washington and London are so hooked on closing a deal at this time that they can be trusted to find some way around the Arak and enrichment hurdles to reach their goal.
The French team alone stood out in Geneva against Iran’s continuing construction of the Arak reactor, arguing that possession of this facility would nullify any other concessions Tehran might offer.

Egypt remains confused by White House policy
Adel El-Adawy /Asharq Alawsat
There is consensus among Egypt’s political elite that no alternative alliance could replace the strategic relationship with the United States. At the same time, the corridors of power in Egypt are filled with a strong sense of disappointment towards the Obama White House. After being in Egypt for two weeks and having conducted numerous meetings with senior government officials and major political figures, it seems clear that Egypt’s government remains determined to maintain a strong relationship with Washington.
The recent simultaneous visit of both the Russian defense and foreign ministers to Cairo has raised many questions about the broader strategic significance of this move for the US–Egyptian relationship. Egyptian–Russian cooperation ought not to be seen as a pivot away from Washington, but it should also not come as a surprise, especially after the White House decision to suspend major portions of military aid to Egypt during the government shutdown debacle, which naturally forced Egypt to broaden its security cooperation ties with other countries to preserve its basic national security priorities. Even if Obama’s decision is meant to impact the course of domestic politics in Egypt, all senior Egyptian government officials have made it clear he had made a huge miscalculation. There are mutual strategic justifications that guide the US–Egyptian security relationship, which the suspension of aid does not help move forward.
The Egyptian military has been entrenched in a critical and difficult fight in Sinai against major terrorist cells, which were allowed to establish a major stronghold there during the year-long rule of the Muslim Brotherhood. This reality directly jeopardized both Egyptian and Israeli national security, and threatened regional stability. In August, two buses carrying 25 Egyptian soldiers were ambushed by terrorists and killed, execution style. This reality should have dictated stronger support from Washington for the efforts by the Egyptian military in combating terrorism in the Sinai. However, the exact opposite happened when the White House decided to suspend military aid and the delivery of weapons, which included Egypt’s weapon of choice, the Apache attack helicopters used in the fight against terrorism in Sinai. Even if not all weapons are directly used in the fight against terrorism, the suspension affects cooperation and trust between the two countries. Egypt’s political leadership is confused by the White House’s actions.
The Obama administration has not specified criteria for the resumption of military aid. In fact, it seems to have purposely kept its policy vague. Different messages are communicated to the Egyptian government from the Pentagon and the State Department on the one side and the White House on the other. This is understandable, given that there are huge tensions between National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Secretary of State John Kerry concerning policy towards Egypt. This kind of ambiguity in US policy only serves to undermine the strategic US–Egyptian relationship and jeopardize mutual interests at a time when the region faces great upheaval. The pillar of the US–Egyptian relationship has always depended on military and security cooperation, and using this partnership as a bargaining chip to shape Egyptian domestic politics has been counterproductive and has only hurt mutual interests in the region.
If the rationale of the Obama administration’s policy is based on the fact that it views the removal of Mursi as an undemocratic step, it is important to realize the Brotherhood regime was not a democratic one in the first place. Mursi’s constitutional declaration of November 2012, which granted him absolute powers and put him above the law, violated all principles of democracy. Washington ignored the subsequent violent crackdown on protesters who opposed Mursi’s authoritarian powers. At that time, the Obama administration stood by silently and did not preach to the choir on what democracy meant to Mursi. It also did not suspend military aid to Egypt. The White House has taken contradictory positions over the past three years, sometimes putting principles above interests or vice versa—hence the confusion in Cairo.
For democracy to really flourish in Egypt, patience is key. It will take time. But the close strategic security relationship between the United States and Egypt should not be hindered by dictats concerning domestic politics, especially nowadays, when many Egyptians are satisfied with the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood from power. Washington should not put itself in the driver’s seat as the main advocate for the future of the Brotherhood in Egyptian politics, as it will only put more tension on the US–Egyptian relationship. Washington’s policy toward Egypt ought to preserve its strategically important geopolitical interests and let Egyptians determine their own domestic political future.
**Adel El-Adawy is a Next Generation Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Bush, Obama and Teddy’s Big Stick

By: Amir Taheri/Asharq Alawsat
These days, a visitor to the United States would be surprised by how little interest Americans show in foreign policy. The botched attempt by President Barack Obama to introduce a state-controlled health insurance scheme is the talk of the town, along with a persistently high unemployment rate. The mood is somber, to say the least, and the traditional sense of optimism is getting paler by the day.
Although Obama’s original supporters now show buyer’s remorse, the Republicans seem unable to offer a credible alternative.
America is having one of its isolationist fits, so it was exciting to witness an event themed on American foreign policy thousands of miles from Washington.
This was the 20th anniversary of the Baker Institute, founded by former Secretary of State James Baker at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The event was built around a conversation with George W. Bush, who has kept a low profile and declined to discuss in public his successor’s performance. “W,” as his fellow Texans like to call him, refused to be drawn into Obama-bashing, something akin to a national sport in the US these days.
“It is important to preserve the dignity of the presidency,” he insisted. Nevertheless, his response to a series of questions by former ambassador Edward Djerejian did show the contours of an alternative strategy that Republicans might want to consider for the 2016 presidential elections.
To be sure, W cannot enter that race. But there are signs that he might not wish to stay on the sidelines like he did in 2012.
Bush’s analysis sounded very much Schmittian. Like the late German philosopher Carl Schmitt, W believes that the central issue of politics is the distinction between friend and adversary. If politics is about choice, it is inevitably about taking sides. There are things you are determined to do and things you are determined to prevent.
That approach was formulated in the much-denigrated Bush Doctrine, the axis around which W built his foreign policy.
According to that doctrine, the first task of foreign policy is to protect the US against hostile action. Those who threaten US security and/or national interests will be identified, pursued and punished, no matter how long it takes and how much it costs. Duplicity will provide no protection for those who claim to be friends and yet support enemies in underhanded ways. Just as the US would always be there for its friends when their national security and vital interests are threatened, it expects its friends to stand by it in similar circumstances.
However, the distinction between friend and enemy is not a black-and-white one. Many nations and non-state actors on the global stage form a large cluster of grey. Some nations are friends and allies, and others just allies and/or partners.
If a hierarchy of worth were to be established from the US point of view, the 40 or so established democracies could be regarded as the hardcore members of the “Friends of America Club.”
According to the Bush Doctrine, the bigger the number of democracies, the safer the US will be. Thus, helping spread democratic rule, in its different forms, should be a top priority of American foreign policy.
The aim is always to do whatever is possible to transform an enemy into a friend. That happened in the case of many nations since the Second World War, none of which are now likely to pose a threat to the US. America invested massive amounts of blood and treasure to make sure that nations as far apart as Germany, South Korea and Japan built new lives and kept potential aggressors at bay. In a sense, standing by Germany, Japan and South Korea was an investment in America’s national security.
Against that background, Bush is still “deeply convinced” that the world is a better place without the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
Aside from existing hardcore allies, the US has many partners and friends. Some are not on the same wavelength as the United States on all issues. While respecting diversity, the US should make efforts to persuade them to carry out the political, social and economic reforms it deems necessary for long-term stability and prosperity.
As a presidential candidate in 2000, Bush had reflected the isolationist mood of that time. The events of 9/11 forced him to grow beyond that. As far as foreign policy is concerned, realizing that America cannot remain a superpower and expect to be left alone by the enemies of the global system, he became an activist president. W’s critics have tried to portray him as a caricature of Teddy Roosevelt in his jingoistic garb. But there is a difference: Teddy walked softly while carrying a big stick, with an apologetic demeanor. In contrast, W used the big stick whenever necessary and, even now, is not apologetic on any aspect of his foreign policy. His undeclared motto is: “Do things only when you believe in them; if you don’t, don’t do them.”
During his eight years as president, W devoted only a few speeches to foreign policy. He would discuss widely, think carefully, and then act. Much to the chagrin of his detractors—and they are legion even today—his motto was “Few words, more action.”
The contrast with his successor is stark. Obama has made countless policy speeches but has done little or nothing to build a coherent global strategy.
Obama walks like Gary Cooper in High Noon, fixing deadlines and red lines by which real or imagined adversaries ought to do what he demands, but hides Teddy’s big stick under the table. When his deadlines pass and his red lines are crossed, he makes another speech. Not quite sure who he is, he is unable to distinguish friend from enemy.
**Amir Taheri was the executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from 1972 to 1979. He has worked at or written for innumerable publications, published eleven books, and has been a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat since 1987. Mr. Taheri has won several prizes for his journalism, and in 2012 was named International Journalist of the Year by the British Society of Editors and the Foreign Press Association in the annual British Media Awards.