Ya Libnan – 4 Week Roundup – 9/23/09

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/08/wednesday_news_61.php

Wednesday News Briefs & Editorial
Published: Wednesday, 26 August, 2009 @ 12:04 PM in Beirut

Beirut – The Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad is back in action in Lebanon and is doing all it can to disrupt the formation of the cabinet through its allies the Hezbollah -led opposition. According to Syrian observers Syria is trying to make up for the loss of its allies in the polls by forcing on Lebanon’s majority the so called “ national Unity government “ in which the opposition will have the lion’s share of ministries through which they can control the country.

An Nahar political sources have reported that careful reading of the Syrian political stance towards Lebanon indicates that never before has an Arab country through its official media demanded that another Arab country should amend its constitution during the formation of a government .

An Nahar sources have also reported that Syria is allocating specific roles to its allies aimed at obstructing the formation of the cabinet unless their demands are met . While General Michel Aoun is charged with attacking the Prime minister designate and making impossible demands, Lebanon’s top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah is charged with attacking Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir who has been the most outspoken Christian spiritual leader against the obstruction of the Lebanese democratic institutions .

Yesterday Fadlallah slammed Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir over calling for a cabinet based on the outcome of the parliamentary polls. In a remark aimed at changing the constitution Fadlallah said : “We call for a popular majority and popular referendum … so that people would have their say.”

FP 2009 Update – Week 21 – The Cable

Week 21 at Laura Rozen’s The Cable was instructive in many ways…  Carl Levin holds up a key Middle East Diplomat’s nomination confirmation to bring light on an age old Libya reparations battle.   Egyptian and Palestinian leadership descend on DC.   Saudi Arabia is added to Obama’s stopover list for his overseas jaunt which is designed to continue building international G-20 support and Muslim Accomodation.  Paul Farmer’s name is added to the list of possible heads for USAID – his 20 year history of making water out of wine in the poverty laden world medical community is unmatched.   Netanyahu pragmatically offers a settlement freeze in exchange for unconditional support on Iranian issue – beyond that, his response was basically “What the Hell does Obama want from me?”   Saudi Arabia puts a leash on Western journalists following Obama’s trail.  Israeeli Foreign Minister Barak has an impromptu 15 minute meeting with Barack Obama, who drops in on his meeting with Gen. Jim Jones.  Sarkozy begins overtures and direct engagement with Iran as a lead up to Obama’s travel plans.

Gary H. Johnson, Jr. (2:57amEST)

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com

Libya claim delays Feltman confirmation vote
Tue, 05/26/2009 – 3:18pm
A compensation claim regarding Libya appears to be delaying the confirmation vote of Jeffrey Feltman to become assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, The Cable has learned.

Feltman’s nomination was forwarded by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to the full Senate last week. But last Friday, before they broke for Memorial Day, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), usually a reliable Obama White House ally, put a hold delaying a Senate vote on the nomination until after the week-long recess, apparently at the request of an unidentified constituent with an unspecified, Libya-related claim. The case does not have to do with the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie Scotland, but officials would not specify what it was regarding.

Ya Libnan 11 Day Roundup – 6/30/09

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/06/friday_news_bri_53.php
Friday News Briefs
Published: Friday, 19 June, 2009 @ 9:22 AM in Beirut
Beirut – The top story today in Lebanon is the meeting between Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc leader and head of the Progressive Socialist party ( PSP) MP. Walid Jumblatt. The meeting took place overnight according to PSP sources.

They discussed the past problems and specifically the May 2008 violence and both praised the efforts of Talal Arslan during and after that period .

They also discussed the future prospects for Lebanon and the region, and stressed the need to work together to move Lebanon and the region from the crisis state to the state of cooperation for the sake of the people of Lebanon.

They also confirmed to continue to work together towards full reconciliation, and agreed to continue communication and consultation during the next phase.

As Safir newspaper said Friday that the agenda of the talks included the stage that followed the Doha agreement and the challenges that emerged after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest speech.

According to As Safir, the two officials were also to discuss prospects of dialogue between Jumblatt and Damascus, in addition to relations between Hezbollah and the Progressive Socialist Party.

The location of the meeting will of course remain a top secret since Nasrallah has been hiding ever since the 2006 war begun

Ya Libnan 2 Week Roundup – 6/6/09

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/05/saturday_news_b_44.php

Saturday News Briefs
Published: Saturday, 23 May, 2009 @ 7:30 PM in Beirut
Beirut- Speaker Nabih Berri delivered an election campaign speech full of promises today in Baalbeck and tried to present the opposition as a moderate force that only wants the best for Lebanon. In his speech he insisted that the opposition is not power hungry and wants if successful in the upcoming elections to form a national unity government

Berri tried to reassure March 14 supporters and all the Lebanese people that the arms of the resistance will only be used against the Israeli enemy. But Berri did not explain how he can make such a promise, since the arms are not his and are in Hezbollah’s full control. Hezbollah after all used its arms when it occupied West Beirut on May 7, 2008 and its attacks against the Druze strongholds in Mt Lebanon.

Berri also said ” In the name of the opposition, without exception, we want the state, we want the Lebanese state but we don’t want power. We want the full implementation of the Taef accord. We want the court and the truth. We want to know who attempted to kill Lebanon with Hariri’s murder.
But according to observers the opposition always fought the Hariri tribunal and always criticized the Taef accord and always undermined the state. The mass resignation of all the Hezbollah and Amal ministers and the occupation of downtown Beirut are a clear example of undermining the state.

FP 2009 Update – Week 16 – The Cable

Laura Rozen hammers Harman this week on The Cable.   It is obvious Harman was involved in a scandal; however, the only reason we know is because of the FISA wiretapping of a Senator’s phones.  This case demonstrates the fact that, since Obama decided to maintain the current policy on domestic wiretapping, any contact Republicans have with FBI surveiled “suspected” moles will be known publicly at politically heightened moments like elections and democrat faux pas.  For Harman to lawyer up is an indication that she is worried about a lawsuit for her lunge for political power.  The most interesting element of Rozen’s blog this week, to me, was the development of Lute’s expansion of “war czar” reach to the extents of the MENASA region.  No mention was made of the Brussels Somalia donor conference, which was disappointing, just as it was disappointing that the Tokyo conference was not fully covered by Rozen, considering billions are on the table.  The Democrat yoke seems to have the attitude, ”The Kerry-Lugar initiative to Pakistan is only 7.5 billion dollars over 5 years, what is that compared to 11 billion dollars for one month of US Occupation in Iraq…oh, a billion more for reconstruction and stability…what is that compared to the cost of US occupation?”   This mentality bleeds into the Western Media as stories are omitted based on fffinancial rather than strategic value.   Indeed, apparently it is not real money, in terms of National Media coverage, until it crosses the 11 billion dollar barrier.   It is disconcerting that the cost of war and the cost of stability are being measured in terms of the cost of US occupatio:  US occupation or invasion, ideally, has nothing to do with money and everything to do with principles, values, law and freedom.  To measure the use of US invasion or occupation forces on their financial cost rather than their strategic aim is a mistake that is noticeable only in terms of omission.  

Rozen covers Hillary Clinton’s 100 day mileage and then notes her landing in Iraq.  A dinner held in Saudi Arabia by Prince Turki al Faisal is going to draw a crowd from Washington.  No doubt, the Taliban are the issue on the table.  The Iranian-sponsored Shia-Taliban are apparently holding the Afghanistan Opium routes open all along the Helmand River valley.    The Balochistan Steppe of Pakistan to Afghanistan’s South and Iran’s East is the staging area for all parties to the storm.  The fact that Prince Faisal with Gul created the Taliban nightmare will no doubt be on the docket for discussion in the closed, smoky circles around hookas and other teas as Saudi Arabia helps to formulate a masterplan for the MENASA region, while attempting to secure the Pakistani Nukes from the backlash of the raising of 15 or so Frankenstein Monsters in the Deoband Wahhab Madrassas and ISI training grounds…a Talibani force that is less than a hundred miles from overtaking Islamabad.  With Ross heading to the region, from Egypt on the 28th to start indicates that messages from the Palestinian Front will be couriered to the Saudi Heads directly from Ross to Turki at a nice sit down meeting we will read about in books 5 or 6 years from now by aids and soon to be outed insiders.  The main question is whether or not economic issues will be discussed in this meeting or whether or not these discussions will be put on hold for the Fiscal Stability Board.   Since Ross is heading in and he is meeting with Prince Turki, the main issue will be containing and dismantling the threat of the Taliban while leaving the road open to Iran’s maintenance – you know, to make sure that the leadership of Iran get their black market money while curtailing and stabilizing the opium trade into manageable gangs. 

Gary H. Johnson, Jr. (4/29/09, 3:11pmEST)

FP 2009 Update – Week 15 – The Cable

Laura Rozen of The Cable does it again.  The Foreign Policy correspondent is always on the cutting edge of the events that effect Washington, DC.   Week 15 saw the confirmation of ex-Korea Ambassador Christopher Hill to the position of Iraq Ambassadorship.  Questions loom over whether Michael Oren will become the Israeli Ambassador to the United States.  Judith McHale and a host of other names were set forward by the Obama Administration for confirmation to begin week 15, including: Fred P. Hochberg for the position of President and Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States; and Francisco “Frank” J. Sánchez to become the Under Secretary for International Trade, Department of Commerce.  Laura makes note of the Obama Administration’s indication that he will not seek regime change in Iran and the fact that paranoia on the Iranian front, particularly in the jailed journalist case will be a telling indicator of the success of the new diplomatic posture of constructive engagement.  Hillary Clinton squares off with Pirates in the Somalia Jihadist sphere, and interestingly, Rozen updates her post about the tough stance against piracy with the following: “The U.S. will be represented at the Somalia donors conference in Brussels by Acting Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Phillip Carter and an as yet unnamed representative from USAID, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Thursday.”  It is interesting that noone else but Rozen is speaking of the donor conference in Brussels for Somalia on April 23rd, the fact that there is a Contact Group, and in the same breath that she pledges an unknown sum of money to the government in Somalia which has declared Shariah Law, Clinton says that the State Department will not accept bribery or ransom as a methodology.   The Summit of the Americas was preceded by Obama heading to Mexico to discuss the situation with Calderon, but Rozen does not mention that the IMF suddenly held $45 billion for extending more Mexico grants and loans.  Obama also opened up to the Castro regime in Cuba and laxed the embargo, but Rozen’s blog decidedly skipped over the handshake with Chavez and the three days of the conference, which makes one wonder if she is writing an article on the topic.  Nye seems a lock for the “Tokyo” Ambassador Slot, while Inderfurth declined to comment on the possibility that he is headed to South Asia.  It looks like Holbrooke and Biden have plans for the Presidency in Afghanistan that the Karzai clan is not a part of with the Presidency up for grabs in August.  Rozen’s analysis of the “whys” are weak…in reality Hekmatyar has been in contact with the Democratic Party in the US for some time, lobbying to remove the Tajik government – Karzai leads Tajiks and usurped the position from his Quetta (Baluchistan, Pakistan) home.  Bush felt he would fight the Taliban because they assassinated his father…the problem is, Baluchistan is the source of the drug and gun financiers in the region.  As Laura notes, “Feltman and Daniel Shapiro, the NSC senior director for the Middle East and North Africa, met with Syrian foreign ministry officials in Damascus last month” while discussing the coming elections in Lebanon and Iran and the slow process that seems to be smoothing out with Saudi Arabia’s rapproachment attempts with Syria.  Romer is headed to India, after losing out on the CIA head slot.  Is Brownback jockeying for a Governorship with Sibelius heading to HHS?  Former CIA heads buck back on Obama’s decision to release torture memos of the Bush era.   Strategy meeting on Afghanistan held by Holbrooke in Washington that was closed to the public: “Obama’s Af-Pak czar Richard Holbrooke is headlining the invite-only and off-the-record pow-wow at the U.S. Institute of Peace Thursday.”  Why would the meeting be closed?  What happened to transparency?

Gary H. Johnson, Jr. (4/29/09, 12:33pmEST)

UAIS Journal Entry – 4/21/09

When considering the myriad Islamic Supremacist groups in the world, it is hard to determine the geopolitical realities of their rise, due to the blood and carnage of martyrdom operations and the putrid clouds hazing the wakes of suicide bombers.  Typically, when analyzing the terrifying signatures of the gruesome events in Islam’s cultural upheaval, the Western observer is immediately struck by a genocidal cult ideology that has driven what were once normal men or women to the point of the ultimate act of sacrifice for a twisted aim.  When considering the reality of modern Islamic extremism, to maintain a reasoned and objective focus, it is important to identify the drivers that give oxygen to the flames of contemporary jihadism that lie beyond the veil.  Today, when attempting to map the modern suicide cults of jihad and Islamism, two areas hold particular prominence in the Western eye:  the Levant and the Peshawaar.  When the Islamic Supremacist ideology is placed in the backseat, and societal barometers and geopolitical markers man the wheel what becomes remarkably clear from the shotgun is the fact that the primary elements that unite a Jihadist Movement into an Organization of global reach or into a dominant political role in a culture or localized tribal setting are instability, corruption, and perceived injustices in the Muslim demographic.  Indeed, if one were to identify the chief ideological element in the ideology of Islamic Supremacism that defines the nature of geopolitical power at the local or tribal level, the Dawa of Islam is the crucible of legitimacy for establishing both entrenched presence and popular support at the Islamic Street level.  To establish a nuanced and objective view of the trials of the Peshawaar and the Levant, the epicenters of modern Islamic Supremacist Extremism, a proper balance of geopolitical and ideological drivers must be attained.   

Gary H. Johnson, Jr. (4/21/09, 1:14amEST; updated 3:25pmEST))

The Parsi Rationale

The Parsi Rationale: The Lynchpin of US Engagement in the Middle East

by: Gary H. Johnson, Jr.

Dr. Trita Parsi, middle east expert and president of the NIAC, wrote his doctoral dissertation on foreign policy while studying at the Johns Hopkins’ School for Advanced International Studies under the likes of Francis Fukuyama and the Carter throwback, Brzezinski. The thesis of his dissertation was simple: throughout the modern era, the driving forces of the tensions between Israel and Iran have, historically, been primarily based on geopolitical realities in the region moreso than on the ideological dogmas of the states. In 2007, Dr. Parsi converted this groundbreaking analysis into a book entitled Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States.

The beauty of the Parsi assessment of the Israeli/Iranian/US relations since the rise of the Khomeini revolution in 1979 is that it sounds pragmatic; when, in all reality, it is a radically new reading of a swathe of history that is not well understood in the West. Dr. Parsi begins the assessment by paying attention to the fact that Israel and Iran worked together behind the scenes in both the sixties and the seventies, into the eighties despite the calls of Jerusalem’s Liberation and Zionism’s destruction as the revolution met a groundswell of popular support in Iran.

Notes on FoPD Coference – Marshall Plan for Pakistan?

Is this year’s Tokyo Donor’s Conference seeking a down-payment on a $30 billion bailout?  Will Saudi Arabia Step to the plate?  China?  Japan pledges a billion dollars.  Are we bailing out the Islamic bond market in Pakistan?

GHJJ

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/saudi-govt-shows-little-interest-in-fop-conference-wsj–bi
Saudi govt shows little interest in FoP conference: WSJ By Masood Haider
Thursday, 16 Apr, 2009 | 12:34 AM PST |
NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia is showing only ‘muted interest in supporting’ Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari despite Washington’s effort to help strapped Pakistan raise some $ 4 billion to $ 5 billion in immediate infusion of money, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday quoting people involved in the deliberations.
 
As the donor nations meet in Japan at Friends of Pakistan Conference, the WSJ quoted a senior official involved in discussions as saying ‘the big outstanding question about the conference is Saudi Arabia.’ ‘They are closely aligned with Sharif.’
 
Pakistan appears certain to get at least $4 billion from the conference. If Saudi Arabia doesn’t contribute to that total, it could undermine Islamabad’s efforts to meet its financial obligations. Last November, Pakistan was forced to turn to the International Monetary Fund for $7.6 billion in loans to avert a balance-of-payments crisis.
 

Obama’s Dhimmipolitik – Bowing to the Saudi King

The following article by Arutz actually shows Obama’s Dhimmipolitik in action.  So, he goes to the G-20 and establishes the IMF regulatory fund to control ALL international banks, creating a 1.1 Trillion dollar Fund…then meets with the Saudi King and bows with humility.  Convert to Islam, pay the jizya tax with humility, or die by the sword of Islam.  Obama has chozen option two – the path of dhimmitude.  His Dhimmipolitik is a breach of National Sovereignty on so many levels that it boggles the mind.  Obama’s submission to Islamic Supremacism is Complete!

Gary H. Johnson, Jr. (4/3/09, 9:25amEST)

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/130746

Obama Bows to Saudi King, Supports Saudi Initiative
 
by Maayana Miskin

(IsraelNN.com) United States President Barack Obama was caught on camera by journalists on Wednesday bowing in deference to Saudi King Abdullah as he greeted him at the opening of the G20 meeting in London, prior to being photographed with British royalty.

Obama later expressed support for the 2002 Saudi Plan in his meeting Thursday with the Saudi monarch. The two also discussed global economic issues and terrorism, White House staff said.

The meeting between Obama and Abdullah was the first face-to-face talk between the two. The meeting created a storm of debate, primarily among American conservatives, when pictures and a video were released that appeared to show Obama bowing to the Saudi monarch at the G20 photo-op.
Obama reportedly expressed support for the 2002 Saudi Initiative upon winning the presidential election in November of 2008. In his first meeting with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Obama had been quoted as saying of the plan, “The Israelis would be crazy not to support this initiative.”