by brookings.edu — Lebanese Hezbollah’s role as an Iranian proxy and its provision of significant assistance to its allies in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq has been an area of justified focus for policymakers in many capitals but the organization’s evolving role inside Lebanon merits equal attention. While it is customary to characterize Hezbollah as a “state within a state,” it is more accurate now to define it as a “state within a non-state,” in view of the sheer inability of the Lebanese government to deliver even the most basic services to a desperate population plunged into its worst economic crisis in over a century. In the past, Hezbollah was able to distinguish itself from Lebanon’s ruling circles, capitalizing on its nonstate status and role as the “resistance” to Israel. However, in recent years, Hezbollah has become ever more entangled with the country’s kleptocratic ruling elites and status quo defenders, an association that has alienated many of their compatriots. It is this mutation in Hezbollah’s role which poses risks for the organization and opportunities to support efforts aimed at bolstering institution building and the return of the state as well as the injection into Lebanese politics of more independent and technocratic individuals via national elections organized for the spring of next year.

Iran’s investment in Hezbollah proved successful for many years after Tehran, with the assistance of Damascus, oversaw the establishment of the organization in 1982. It was exempted from the Taif arrangements in 1989 which forced the demobilization of Lebanon’s other sectarian militias and therefore benefited greatly from this “last man standing” status. Hezbollah served a useful purpose as the tip of the Iranian spear in the Levant against Israel, with its most celebrated achievement being the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, for which Hezbollah took full credit. Lebanese citizens and many in the Arab world rallied around Hezbollah during its destructive 2006 war with Israel. From that time until today, the south has remained relatively quiet, with an uneasy unofficial truce established between Israel and Hezbollah.

By FRANCESCO BONGARRÀ — arabnews.com — ROME: Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati will visit the Vatican on Wednesday to meet the Pope, the Ambassador of Lebanon to the Vatican, Dr. Farid Elias el Khazen, has announced. In an interview with the Italian newsagency Nova the diplomat said that Mikati’s visit “is necessary to discuss both […]

  المشكلة الاقتصادية ليست تقنية بل هي سياسية والعلة الاساسية في الفساد الاكبر المتمثل بخرق الدستور والشغور الرئاسي المتكرر وامتداد فترات تصريف الاعمال الحكومية وشغور مقاعد نيابية ومواقع ادارية كبرى وتجاوز القانون وتسيب المعابر والحدود والسلاح غير الشرعي والانخراط في سياسة المحاور … في حفل افتتاح حديقة بيار الجميل لا بد ان نتذكر صوته الصارخ […]

by thearabweekly.com — KUWAIT CITY–Kuwait continues to up its punitive measures against Lebanese nationals on its soil in a way that shows that this escalation is directly backed by Saudi Arabia. The kingdom, informed sources told The Arab Weekly, wants the Lebanese political class to realise that their coordination with the Shia Hezbollah movement will carry a heavy cost. Saudi Arabia, the sources added, will increase pressure and is ready to deal painful blows in its diplomatic crisis with Lebanon, starting with punitive measures taken by Kuwait, which hosts a Lebanese community of more than 50,000. Kuwaiti newspapers Al-Qabas and Al-Rai reported on Thursday that prosecutors in the country have detained 18 people suspected of financing Lebanon’s Hezbollah group. Al-Qabas said the prosecutor ordered the detainees to be held at the central prison for 21 days while investigations continue into alleged “membership in a prohibited party, money-laundering and spying.”

Local media reports also said that Kuwait had asked 100 residents and their families to leave the country because of their links with Hezbollah. Most of these asked to leave, the reports noted, are of Lebanese nationality, with some of them hailing from Iran and Iraq. Informed Kuwaiti sources also said that the targeted group is limited, with all individuals known to the Kuwaiti security apparatus. The next move, however, will include another list of those linked to Hezbollah’s support networks, based on discoveries by Kuwaiti security probes carried out in full coordination with the Gulf security services, particularly those of Saudi Arabia. A Kuwaiti source told The Arab Weekly that the next phase will be marked by stiffer restrictions on the activities of Hezbollah sympathisers. The source added that Kuwait is serious about dismantling the support networks of the Lebanese Shia group, whether in the form of direct donations or funds transferred by charities that succeeded in deceiving Kuwaitis, especially from the Shia sect, using religious and humanitarian campaigning to cover up Hezbollah’s secret agenda.

by AFP — Iraq has summoned its cultural attache in Beirut for an investigation into the alleged sale of “hundreds” of fake Lebanese university degrees to Iraqis, including MPs. “At least three private Lebanese universities are implicated,” an Iraqi academic source, who requested to remain anonymous, told AFP on Thursday. Lebanese authorities have also launched […]

بعد أزمةِ الصواريخِ في كوبا (1962) ثم اغتيالِ جون كينيدي (1963)، تَرشّحَ ليندون جونسون لخلافتِه سنةَ 1964. أعدَّ جونسون لحملتِه الرئاسيّةِ فيلمًا دِعائيًّا ناجِحًا عُرِف بـــ”ديزي” (Daisy). نرى فيه فتاةً صغيرةً تَنزعُ أوراقَ زهرةِ أقحوانٍ ورَقةً ورَقة. وما إِن تَصِلُ إلى الورَقةِ الأخيرةِ حتى يُسمعَ صوتُ رجلٍ يَـعُـدُّ بصوتٍ جَهوريٍّ عكسيًّا من عشرةٍ إلى صِفر كأنَّ العالمَ يَقترِبُ من لحظةِ إطلاقِ صاروخٍ نوويّ. وسُرعان ما تَظهرُ صورةُ انفجارٍ هائل، يَعقُبه صوتُ جونسون يقول للأميركيّين: “رِهانُنا أن نَبنيَ عالَـمًا يَعيش فيه كلُّ أبناءِ الله بأمانٍ أو يَغرَقوا في غياهبِ الظُلمات. فليُحِبَّ بعضُنا البعضَ الآخَر لئلا نَصلَ إلى انفجارٍ نووي جديد ونموت”.

بعد نحوِ ستّين سنةً لا تزالُ رمزيةُ “ديزي” صالحةً للعالم، وبخاصّةٍ للبنان. هل نريد أن نبنيَ لبنانَ ديمقراطيًّا، حرًّا وآمِنًا وحضاريًّا لنا جميعًا، أم سنواصِل العَدَّ العكسيَّ حتّى الصِفر والعَدْوَ نحو الانفجارِ الوطنيِّ الشاملِ والارتطامِ النهائيِّ؟ سابقًا، بَلَغنا الانفجارَ أكثرَ من مرّةٍ من دونِ أن نَرتَطِمَ، واستَعدْنا الحياةَ وأَكْمَلنا الشَراكة. أما اليومَ، ففي لبنان مَن يُصِرُّ على إكمالِ العَدِّ العكسيّ حتّى الواحدِ وفي ظَنِّه أنّه يُخيفُ اللبنانيّين فيَستَسلِمون قَبل الصِفر، لكنّه سيَخْسَأُ اليومَ كما خَسِئَ سِواه بالأمس. فاللبنانيّون لا تُخيفُهم الأصفارُ والأرقامُ والأعداد. يوجدُ في لبنان مَن يَقتلُ “ديزي” ويحافظُ على الرجلِ الذي يُقرِّبُنا من ساعةِ الصِفر. هؤلاءِ نَزعوا أوراقَ جميعِ زهورِ الأُقْحوان وسائرِ الزهور، وآثَروا العيشَ في الظُلمات. وَلِعوا بساعاتِ الصِفرِ وبأصواتِ الانفجارات. نَشروا روحَ العَداءِ المختَلَقِ كأنّنا لسنا جميعًا أبناءَ الله، ولا أبناءَ وطنٍ واحدٍ وأبناءَ قرى ومدنٍ واحدة. لماذا النزعةُ العدائيّةُ المجانيّةُ والعبثيّةُ تَطغى على إرادةِ الشراكةِ والحياة؟

By Najia Houssari  arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Just 72 hours before the deadline for expatriates to register to vote in the Lebanese parliamentary elections currently scheduled for March 27 next year, President Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement party on Wednesday lodged an appeal with the Constitutional Council over amendments to electoral law recently approved by the parliament. On Oct. 28, an absolute majority in parliament approved plans to amend the 2017 electoral laws so that parliamentary elections can be held in March instead of May. They also scrapped its provisions for the election of six members of parliament to represent expatriates and the introduction of a biometric, magnetic card that would allow voters to cast their ballots where they live rather than returning to their home towns to vote. Aoun had previously rejected these amendments. FPM members walked out of parliament in protest when they were approved.

In its appeal to the Constitutional Council, the president’s team argued that the decision not to allow expatriates to have their own elected representatives in parliament has “canceled a basic and fundamental right of a special Lebanese group.” It added that “the amendment of the deadlines is a violation of the principle of separation of powers, as the parliament is not entitled to discuss the date of the elections determined by the executive authority, which constitutes a violation of the provisions of the Constitution.” The appeal also argued that “the abolition of Article 84 of the law, related to the magnetic card, which allows the voter to vote in his place of residence, will affect the credibility and transparency of the electoral process.” FPM member Alain Aoun said: “The Constitutional Council will issue its decision within a month and the FPM will abide by its decision.” He also warned against “any step that could be taken by the minister of interior that entails inviting the electoral bodies to convene before the Constitutional Council issues its decision regarding the appeal.”

مقتطف من مقابلة وزير العدل السابق ابراهيم نجار ضمن برنامح بكل حرية على قناة suroyo tv    الصحافية: لفتتني اللوحة الموجودة في مكتبكم والتي تعبر بين مزدوجين عن الحوار الوطني او لقاء بعبدا ( اعلان بعبدا ) على عهد الرئيس ميشال سليمان وكأنه يحلم وفرحان ان كل المنظومة اتفقت وهذا فعلا ما زال حلماً لليوم […]

by lb.usembassy.gov — Ambassador Dorothy C. Shea delivered the following remarks at Hamat Airbase today: “Sabah el-Kheir, Good morning, General Joseph Aoun, General Haikal, distinguished guests. What an honor it is to be with you this morning. As you probably know, General Aoun and I recently traveled to the United States where we were hosted for a series of meetings about U.S. – Lebanese military cooperation and coordination, and I am proud to have the opportunity to demonstrate how real that commitment is with yet another major equipment delivery. Look at this beautiful specimen. So today, we welcome the provision of six MD-530F+ Light Attack Helicopters to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Air Force. I loved this video we just watched and I just want to seize on the theme of teamwork that you identified, the same teamwork that we see between these MD 530(s), we see between the LAF and the United States military.

by James Zoghby — thenationalnews.com — Most policymakers and pundits are confounded by what to do about Lebanon. They ask: “What do the Lebanese people want? How strong is the hold that the sectarian elites and Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy, have over the population? And is change even possible in Lebanon?” In an effort to answer these questions, the American Task Force on Lebanon and Zogby Research Services conducted a nationwide poll of 859 Lebanese citizens in September. Broadly speaking, the poll was constituted to assess their current situation and to identify their political priorities and their hopes for the future. The findings are both instructive and fascinating. There are, for example, multiple areas where a consensus on critical issues exists from every demographic and religious sub-group. And despite the extreme hardships, for a strong majority, next year’s parliamentary election presents a make-or-break moment for the future of their country. What comes through clearly from the findings is the profound impact the economic collapse is having across the country.

Nine in 10 respondents said that they are worse off now than they had been just five years earlier. More than eight in 10 said they have experienced shortages in fuel, electricity and drinking water. For one third of respondents, there are occasions when they have been forced to go without food. Among the poorest Lebanese, one in five said they “very often go without meals”. And almost two thirds reported that they do not have enough income to make ends meet. As a result, a disturbing two thirds conceded that, if given the opportunity, they would emigrate to another country. These figures are hardly surprising, given that the country has been through much political turmoil over the past few years that has led to the economic hardships its people are currently facing. However, despite these hardships, people retain confidence in some of their country’s institutions. Scoring high among all religious sects and demographic sub-groups are the Lebanese Armed Forces, civil society, the religious leadership, judiciary and what has come to be known as the 17 October Revolution, the national protests in 2019 that were triggered by planned taxes on gasoline, tobacco and VoIP calls on applications such as WhatsApp.

Attitudes towards Hezbollah are divided, leaning negative, and confidence in Parliament and in the traditional parties are low. On the issue of Hezbollah, it is striking that two thirds of all Lebanese, including a majority of respondents from every religious sect, expressed the belief that their weapons and forces should not be allowed to operate independent of the state and, instead, should be under the control of the armed forces.