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Elections in Lebanon No change

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May 31, 2009

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Behind the News by Malek el Khazen

Sunni shift of Policy - Lebanese election no change - New Strategies in the Middle East Regions btw Israel - Arab governments and Iran

This article purpose is to point to your attention the shift in the Sunni position in Lebanon and the region overall. The upcoming election in Lebanon is only important for Lebanese but will NOT make a difference in the region. In fact, the real fight will be in the Christian cities and very few cities that are not Christian dominated. The Sunni Majority will still be under the Future movement control which has very close ties with Egyptian and Saudi-Arabia governments. The Chi’a majority will still be under Hezbollah and Amal control which has very close ties to Iran and Syria governments. You will still find Christians allied to both camps regardless the election results. And this will maintain equilibrium. The biggest change is that if the Christians that are allied with Hezbollah and Amal win election instead of nominating Hariri as head of the Gornment, Mikati most likely will be the nominee (currently allied with the Future movement). So all of these articles pointing to the regional importance of the Lebanese elections are not correct because if you analyze the situation very carefully the only change will happen is in the Christian regions and this is ASSUMING that CHANGE will happen. And from a regional perspective there are no major differences between Mikati and Hariri.

In fact, I will list number of facts later in the articles and you will notice the Egyptian Government (who is a main supporter of the current Lebanese Government and the Lebanese majority Coalition led by the Future movement) lead a fierce campaign against Hezbollah during the month of April until the beginning of the moth May. The Egyptian Gov have arrested some Hezbollah members, this is not new for some members of Hezbollah to get arrested in Egypt (previously in 2008 they were other members that were arrested) but what is new is the media campaign that Egypt has pursued against Hezbollah and Iran in a second plan through Hezbollah. They went so far in mocking the leader of Hezbollah. After President Mubarak meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, the media campaign against Hezbollah leader completely stopped. But what is important to note is that after this meeting the Lebanese Internal Security Forces lead by Riffi who is very close to the Future movement is leading the arrest against the Israel spies in Lebanon. So as you can notice there is a shift of strategy with the Sunni in the region. In fact, just notice Egyptian government lead a campaign against Hezbollah then this campaign completely stop after the meeting of Mubarak and Netanyahu and their allies in Lebanon (The Lebanese government controlled by the majority coalition Future movement) after this meeting instead of continuing targeting Iran and Hezbollah spies are NOW targeting Israeli Spies in Lebanon. This strengthens Hezbollah position and weakens Israel position greatly. Why this shift of the Sunni strategy in the region in a so short of time from targeting Hezbollah spies to a shift targeting Israeli spies? Yes Egypt government has clear links with the Sunni Majority in Lebanon. So let us not try to assume that what is currently happening in Lebanon is not at the least I could say supported by Egypt. So the question is why this shift of strategy of the Sunni governments in the Middle East and suddenly getting very close to Hezbollah and Iran by leading the arrest of the Israeli spies in Lebanon?

Spies’ Roots Reach Deep in Lebanon

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May 24, 2009

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Uncategorised

By ROBERT F. WORTH

Published: May 22, 2009

BEIRUT, Lebanon — When the Lebanese authorities announced the arrest of an Israeli spy ring late last year, the news aroused little surprise. It is no secret that Israel has long maintained intelligence agents here.

But in recent weeks, more and more suspects have been captured, including a retired general, several security officials and a deputy mayor. All told, at least 21 people have been arrested, and 3 others escaped over the border into Israel with the help of the Israeli military, Lebanese officials say.

The spying network’s extent has mesmerized the Lebanese and made headlines here. It has also infuriated Lebanese officials, who sent an official protest to the United Nations this week. On Friday, President Michel Suleiman complained about the matter in a meeting here with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

The arrests appear to reflect a newly energized and coordinated effort by the Lebanese security agencies, which now cooperate far more effectively among themselves and with Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group based here, than they did in the past.

“New technologies have helped in catching them,” said Gen. Ashraf Rifi, the director of the Internal Security Forces. “But we have also had better cooperation with the army than we had before.”

What Real Life Looks Like in the Middle East

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May 23, 2009

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Uncategorised

By Wendell Steavenson

Sunday, May 24, 2009

THE MEDIA RELATIONS DEPARTMENT OF HIZBOLLAH WISHES YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East

By Neil MacFarquhar

PublicAffairs. 387 pp. $26.95

Neil MacFarquhar is that rare and wonderful thing, a Middle East correspondent who not only speaks Arabic but also grew up in the region. This experience infuses his book -- the product of 20 years of reporting -- with the wit, insight and eye-rolling exasperation of a near-native. MacFarquhar maintains that "the constant, bloody upheaval that captures most attention has become the barrier limiting our perspective on the Middle East" and eschews the usual descriptions of violence and gore. Instead he offers a broad cultural and personal investigation into the region. The result is an intelligent and fascinating romp full of anecdotes, acid asides and conversations with everyone from dissidents to diplomats and liberal religious sheikhs, and even a Kuwaiti woman with a sex-advice column.

Each chapter, set in a different country, illustrates a different facet of Middle East life: dictatorship, secret police, Islamic precept, the influence of Arabic satellite TV channels, reform, dissidence. Mercifully, the welter of facts and analysis which bogs down so many surveys of the contemporary Middle East is here kept brief and succinct. It's a testament to MacFarquhar's deep background knowledge and the lightness of his touch that complex issues like the relationship between the royal family and the religious establishment in Saudi Arabia, the Sunni-Shia divide in Bahraini politics, the myriad ways Islam can be interpreted and the rise of Hezbollah in Lebanon are distilled into clear exposition without ever being oversimplified or dumbed down.

Pope 2.0: Vatican launches Facebook application

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May 23, 2009

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Uncategorised

By ARIEL DAVID

The Associated Press
Friday, May 22, 2009; 1:49 PM

VATICAN CITY -- Web surfers can now send virtual postcards of Pope Benedict XVI to their Facebook friends or follow the pontiff's travel on their iPhones.

Under a papacy that has suffered communication woes, the Vatican is taking new, technologically savvy steps to bring its message to social networking sites and smartphones.

In its first day of operation Thursday, the Pope2You portal gathered some 45,000 contacts and 500,000 page views, while a Facebook application that sends postcards with photos of Benedict and excerpts from his messages was used around 10,000 times, the head of the project said.

Also available on the portal is an application for iPhone and iPod Touch that gives surfers video and audio news on the pope's trips and speeches, as well as on Catholic events worldwide.

The new Web site is the latest update in the Vatican's efforts to broaden the pope's audience and reach out to young people. In January, Benedict got his own YouTube channel, which is now linked to the portal.

Earlier this year, the Internet figured in one of Benedict's most criticized moves _ lifting the excommunication of a renegade bishop who had denied the Holocaust.

Benedict sparked outrage by reaching out to excommunicated, ultraconservative bishop, Richard Williamson, whose denial of the Holocaust during an interview with Swedish TV shot around the world on the Net.