LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 04/12

Bible Quotation for today/Teaching about Prayer
Matthew 06/5-18: "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you. When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long. Do not be like them. Your Father already knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven: May your holy name be honored; may your Kingdom come; may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need. Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us. Do not bring us to hard testing, but keep us safe from the Evil One. If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you.15 But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done. Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
What if the Iranian people had the cameraman’s opportunity/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 03/12
With Chechnya and Tibet in mind/By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat/October 03/12
Economics in the post-Arab spring/By Ali Ibrahim/Asharq Alawsat/October 03/12

9 Dead, 7 Hurt in Blasts at Suspected Arms Depot in Bekaa's Nabi Sheet
Naharnet / 03 October 2012/At least nine people were killed and seven injured in a series of blasts Wednesday that rocked an area of the Hizbullah-controlled Bekaa Valley, a Lebanese security official told Agence France Presse. Among the wounded were four Syrian workers, the official added. Residents said the blasts hit an arms stockpile in a building under construction in an uninhabited area between the villages of Nabi Sheet and Khodr. Dozens of ambulances arrived at the scene as members of Hizbullah surrounded the area, the residents told AFP. Citing "several explosions," the security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not confirm the origin of the blasts. MTV reported that Hizbullah members were cordoning off the site of the blast and preventing security forces from entering the area.
Meanwhile, Radio Voice of Lebanon (100.5) quoted informed sources as saying that the blast was a security incident and that the explosion likely happened in a Hizbullah arms depot.
The radio station also said a four-story building collapsed due to the explosion, quoting witnesses as saying that a number of bodies were still beneath the debris.
State-run National News Agency said three explosions were heard on Wednesday near the Bekaa town of Nabi Sheet. The explosions were heard in the mountainous region between Nabi Sheet and al-Khraiba, NNA said. The agency said that the house of Mohammed Ali al-Moussawi collapsed from the force of the blast.

Blast in east Lebanon Ministate kills at least four, wounds three
October 03, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT/BEKAA: An explosion that ripped through a house in east Lebanon killed at least four people and wounded three more, according to security sources.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the casualties have yet to be identified, adding that the blast targeted a house belonging to Mohammad Adnan Mussawi.
AFP reported a Lebanese security official as saying that series of blasts killed at least seven people and wounded four more. Speaking to The Daily Star, the security sources said Hezbollah immediately cordoned off the area around the blast site in Nabi Sheet, some 30 kilometers south of Baalbek. They said it was not yet clear what triggered off the blast which took place after midday.
A local official in Nabi Sheet, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Daily Star that the explosion most likely targeted a “Hezbollah arms depot.” Hezbollah MP Kamel Rifai, speaking to The Daily Star, said as a principle his group did not store arms in towns. “The area where the reported blast took place is an industrial and agricultural area, so it could have been anything,” said the MP.
Rifai said he had earlier toured near the region and that nothing was amiss in the area. “Civil and social centers run by Hezbollah were not on alert and everything was operating smoothly,” the MP said.
Nabi Sheet lies 80 kilometers from Beirut. It is located to the north of Bekaa valley cutting accross the western slopes of Lebanon. - With AFP

Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Oct. 3, 2012
October 03, 2012 /The Daily Star
Lebanon's Arabic press digest.
Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Wednesday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
Ad-Diyar
650 million riyals via Beirut airport to Free [Syrian] Army
Arrest of Qatari Intelligence [agent] Maj. Mohammad Ali al-Hajri
Was a security apparatus involved in the operation along with Future Movement?
It seems that Qatar has used Beirut airport to transfer 650 million riyals from Doha through intelligence means. It also seems that Qatari intelligence officers and Lebanese agents are involved in transferring millions of riyals to Beirut and from there to the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian opposition.
The Intelligence network is headed by Qatari Maj. Mohammad Ali al-Hajri.
The search is ongoing for a Qatari agent identified as Nabil Tabarrah, who works with other Qatari agents identified as Reem al-Hajjeh and Noha Itani.
According to the documents published by Ad-Diyar newspaper, the network is working under the orders of Sheikh Fahd al-Thani to convert riyals into U.S. dollars before being they are handed over to the Syrian opposition.
Four fake financial companies have been established for this purpose.
Furthermore, the documents showed that a businessman and three MPs from the Future Movement are involved in the operation.
Al-Liwaa
Prime minister to Congo Wednesday ... Cabinet "orphan" this month
Sharp criticism between Mikati, Moallem in New York
Committees descend into "sectarian” [mentality] Appointments “still a promise”
Cabinet will meet Wednesday at the Grand Serail amid reports that it will fade out quickly as Al-Liwaa has learned that Prime Minister Najib Mikati will travel to Kinshasa to represent Lebanon at the Oct. 12-14 Francophone summit in the capital of the Republic of Congo.
His trip reinforces fears that the Cabinet will only meet once or twice this month, meaning that issues related to administrative appointments, demands by unions and following up on debate over a new election law will not be addressed.
Meanwhile, the Union Coordination Committee [a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees] announced it was going ahead with a general strike on Oct. 10 that would shut down all schools and colleges as well as ministries and public administrations.
The committee insisted on opposing the tying of the salary increase to funding sources.
An Arab diplomatic source told Al-Liwaa that Mikati held a private meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem in New York.
The meeting, according to the same source, saw Moallem reproaching Mikati for not doing what the government was expected to do during the difficult times in Syria.
Mikati reiterated to Moallem Lebanon’s disassociation policy toward the Syria crisis.
As-Safir
Election law: escaping the inevitable until the “fog” surrounding Syria clears
Pay scale [issue] explodes on the street ... as the government enters “funding” tunnel
The ongoing debate on an election law continued in an effort to waste time, pending a political consensus which appears difficult to achieve given it seems to be dependent on developments in Syria.
An ongoing tug-of-war heated up between the government and the Union Coordination Committee, which decided to strike and demonstrate to protest the non-referral of the pay scale to Parliament for approval. The government, on the other hand, remained trapped in a “funding tunnel” and is seeking means to find the necessary funding for the pay raise.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati told As-Safir newspaper that the government would not refer the pay scale to Parliament before funding is secured.
Al-Mustaqbal
Future bloc to Mikati: proportional representation serves Hezbollah’s continuous control
Controversy over election law deepens, pending "political consensus"As expected, the “byzantine” and “sectarian” bickering was on full display during a meeting of the parliamentary Joint Committees Tuesday, pending “political consensus” which Deputy Speaker Farid Makari said would be "the basis for reaching an election law that would represent all the Lebanese.”
Interestingly enough were the comments by Prime Minister Najib Mikati after meeting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri wherein he rejected a draft law – submitted by March 14 coalition MPs – that suggested dividing Lebanon into 50 districts as “opposed to the Taif Accord.”Mikati said he supports the government’s proposal, which is based on proportional representation.
However, the Future parliamentary bloc swiftly responded, stressing that the government bill was “nothing but a malicious, idiosyncratic proposal that serves the goals of Hezbollah’s continuous control.”

Official: Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria
October 02, 2012/By Elizabeth A Kennedy/Daily Star
BEIRUT: A Hezbollah commander and several fighters have been killed inside Syria, a Lebanese security official said Tuesday, a development that could stoke already soaring tensions over the Lebanese militant group's role in the civil war next door. Hezbollah's reputation has taken a beating over its support for the Syrian regime, but any sign that the group's fighters are taking part in the battle raises fears that the conflict could expand into a wider fight engulfing the region. Hezbollah has stood by Syrian President Bashar Assad since the uprising began 18 months ago, even after the group supported revolts in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Bahrain. Assad's fall would be a dire scenario for Hezbollah. Any new regime led by Syria's majority Sunni Muslims would likely be far less friendly - or even outright hostile - to Shiite Muslim Hezbollah. Iran remains the group's most important patron, but Syria is a crucial supply route. Without it, Hezbollah will struggle to get money and weapons as easily.
The Syrian uprising has left Assad deeply isolated - making his remaining allies such as Iran and Russia all the more important. At last week's gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, dozens of nations excoriated the Assad regime for its role in a conflict that activists
estimate has killed at least 30,000 Syrians.
It was not immediately clear how the Hezbollah militants were killed or whether they had been fighting alongside the Syrian army. But Hezbollah's newspaper al-Intiqad said Hezbollah commander Ali Hussein Nassif, who is also known as Abu Abbas, was killed "while performing his jihadi duties." It did not say when or where he was killed.
A Lebanese security official said Nassif was killed in Syria and his body was returned to Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing on Sunday.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, the official said the bodies of several other Hezbollah fighters have been brought back to Lebanon in recent days.
Hezbollah spokesman Ibrahim Moussawi on Tuesday confirmed the deaths of the Hezbollah members but said he had no further information on where or how Nassif was killed. He declined further comment.
The Syrian opposition has long accused the group of helping the Syrian leadership crack down on the uprising - a claim the group has repeatedly denied. Hezbollah has to tread a careful path with its support for the regime, mindful that many of its supporters in Lebanon dread getting sucked into the conflict.
Nassif's funeral, which was held in the eastern town of Budai, near Baalbek, was attended by top Hezbollah officials including the head of the judicial council and the political bureau, an indication of Nassif's high prestige.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV showed the funerals of at least two other Hezbollah members it said were killed while performing their "jihadi duty." Both funerals were attended by Hezbollah officials and commanders.
The coffins of the dead were draped with Hezbollah's yellow flags and carried by militants in black uniforms and red berets. Hundreds of people marched in the funeral.
Samer al-Homsi, an activist in Syria's central Homs province, which borders Lebanon, said Nassif was killed Saturday when a roadside bomb went off as the car he was in passed just outside the town of Qusair. He said Nassif and several other people were killed in the blast.
"His job was to coordinate with Syrian security agencies," al-Homsi said via Skype.
He added that the rebels detonated the bomb "without knowing" that the target was a Hezbollah official. "We knew he was a Hezbollah official after it was announced by the group in Lebanon," he said. Al-Homsi's account could not be independently verified.
Although Hezbollah's ties to Syria have stayed strong during the uprising, the government's longstanding relations with the Palestinian militant group Hamas have frayed.
Syria's state-run media unleashed a scathing attack on the leader of Hamas, accusing him of turning his back on Assad and describing him as ungrateful and traitorous.
In an editorial aired Monday, Syrian TV said Khaled Mashaal, who pulled Hamas' headquarters out of Damascus this year, had abandoned the resistance movement against Israel and the United States.
The comments show just how much ties between Hamas and the Syrian regime - once staunch allies - have disintegrated since the uprising began 18 months ago.
The regime's verbal attack appeared to be prompted by Mashaal's decision to take part in a major conference Sunday of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party. Erdogan has been one of Assad's sharpest critics. Less than two years ago, Syria, Iran, Hamas and Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group were part of what they called an "axis of resistance" against Israel and the U.S. With Hamas' departure, they lost a major Palestinian faction that rules the Gaza Strip.
Hamas initially staked out a neutral position toward the uprising, but as the estimated 500,000 Palestinians living in Syria became increasingly outraged over the regime's brutal crackdown on protesters, Hamas came under pressure for its cozy ties with the government, prompting the group in February to shift its stance and praise Syrians for "moving toward democracy and reform."
Since then, most Hamas leaders have left Syria for Egypt, where their allies in the Muslim Brotherhood have taken power in elections following the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. Egypt's new Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, has been a strong critic of Assad, calling his government an "oppressive regime."Mashaal himself shuttered Hamas' Damascus offices and now spends most of his time in Qatar, the tiny Gulf country that has strongly backed the rebels battling to overthrow Assad. In its editorial, Syrian state TV sought to remind Mashaal, who holds Jordanian citizenship, of when he was expelled from Jordan in 1999 for "illicit and harmful" activities, and how several countries refused to welcome him after he was kicked out. "Remember when you were a refugee aboard planes. Damascus came and gave you mercy," the station said. "No one wanted to shake your hand then, as if you had rabies."

FSA claims responsibility for killing of Hezbollah commander
October 03, 2012 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The Free Syrian Army claimed responsibility for the death of a Hezbollah commander reportedly killed in Syria in remarks published in a Saudi newspaper Wednesday.
“Members of the FSA ambushed Ali Hussein Nassif, also known as Abu Abbas, with an explosive device that killed him and two of his bodyguards in Al Qusayr area in Homs,” FSA commander Col. Riad al-Asaad told Okaz newspaper. An AP report Tuesday quoted a Lebanese security official saying that Nassif and several Hezbollah fighters had been killed in Syria.
Hezbollah spokesman Ibrahim Moussawi confirmed the deaths of the Hezbollah members but said he had no further information on where or how Nassif was killed.
According to Asaad, the FSA had planned the operation for two weeks. “Members of the FSA tracked Abu Abbas for days until they were able to kill him while he was on his way to one of Hezbollah and [President Bashar] Asaad's forces’ gatherings in the region,” Asaad said. The FSA commander also vowed to conduct more attacks against Iranian and Hezbollah elements allegedly participating in the clashes in Syria.“Anyone who supports the Assad regime is a partner in crime and deserves punishment,” he said. He said more than 300 people affiliated to Iran and Hezbollah had already been killed in Qusayr. Hezbollah, the primary ally of Syria and Iran in Lebanon, has long been accused by Syrian rebels of providing help to Bashar Assad and sending its fighters to support the regime forces in the war-torn country. However, the group has repeatedly denied such accusations. A broadcast on Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV Tuesday showed footage of the funeral held for the party commander in the eastern town of Budai, near Baalbek, in the presence of high ranking Hezbollah officials. The same day Al-Manar TV also aired what it said were the funerals of at least two other Hezbollah members killed while performing their “jihadi duty.”

Relatives of slain Sheikh urge action over leaked reports
October 03, 2012 /The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Relatives of a slain Lebanese Sheikh urged authorities to act after alleged leaked documents said Syrian intelligence had a role in his death, the National News Agency reported. “We call on the Lebanese authorities to immediately take action after the leaked documents were published and issue arrest warrants against Syrian officials,” Sheikh Ahmad Abdel Wahed’s brother, Alaa, said in a press conference held in Akkar. Dubai-based Al Arabiya TV released what it said were leaked Syrian documents saying that Abdel Wahed and his companion Hussein Mereb were killed at Syria's behest. Abdel Wahed was traveling with Sheikh Hussein al-Mereb on May 20 when the two were halted before being shot dead at an Army checkpoint in the northern region of Kweikhat. Speaking on behalf of the family, the late Sheikh’s brother also called on President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Najib Mikati to hold an emergency Cabinet session and transfer the case to the Justice Council. “If the Cabinet does not do so, we will consider it a partner in crime,” Alaa told reporters. He also warned that the family will escalate action, working in coordination with the March 14 alliance, if the Cabinet does not respond to their demands. Attending the conference, Future Movement Politburo member Mohammad Al Mourad also urged authorities to take action in the case.
“The Cabinet should be humble enough and convene to refer Abdul-Wahed’s case to the judicial council,” he said. He also voiced the support of the March 14 coalition for the Sheikh’s family. “The Future Movement and March 14 coalition have always considered this case as a top priority that should be followed up to reveal the circumstances behind the two Sheikhs’ killing,” said Mourad. The killing of Abdel Wahed and his companion earlier this year has sparked tensions between the residents of the North and the army. Tension reached its peak a few days after his death as northern residents blocked Akkar roads in protest at the release on bail of three Army officers and eight soldiers involved in the two Sheikhs killing. The Future Movement, which enjoys great support in Akkar, has also criticized the authorities for allowing the release of the military personnel suspected of involvement in the killing of Abdel Wahed and Mereb.

Report: PM to ask Europe for tougher Iran sanctions
Ynet Published: 10.02.12 / Israel News
Netanyahu is to travel to France, Germany before year's end in order to press for harsher economic measures against Islamic Republic, Israeli officials tell NYT
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to Europe before the end of the year to press for tougher sanctions against Iran, Israeli officials told The New York Times on Tuesday.
According to the report, the plans appeared to be an indication of a shifting Israeli emphasis toward efforts to stop the Iranian nuclear program by diplomatic means rather than military ones. One senior Israeli government official said that the new strategy was to focus on Europe out of concern that the impending American presidential elections made any new action from Washington less likely.
Netanyahu is expected to meet with leaders in France and Germany and urge them to step up the already severe sanctions against Tehran, the official said.
“Our feeling is that with the elections and everything, we’ve not seen much on the American front except for sealing holes where the Iranians have found ways to get around the sanctions,” the official told NYT. “Up until now, it’s been the US and then the Europeans following. If it’s the other way around, so be it, we’ve got to go with what we’ve got.”
A recent meeting of European foreign ministers in Cyprus suggested some openness to further ratcheting up sanctions, the official said. He said he doesn't believe that the EU would impose a full trade embargo on the Islamic Republic, but added that "it’s always good to aim high and see what comes out of the wash.”'Plans not yet final' Other Israeli officials downplayed the notion of a policy shift regarding Iran and noted that Netanyahu’s plans for a trip to Europe have been finalized yet.“We have been calling for a beefing up of sanctions all the time,” one official said. Another cautioned that “Nobody has yet ascertained that the Europeans are ready to impose a new round of sanctions.” Determining the type of sanctions would require a lot of work, he said, and would carry serious economic consequences for Europe. A Western source familiar with the issue said that EU foreign ministers are set to meet on October 15 in Luxemburg in order to discuss bolstered sanctions. On Monday, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that the recent plunge of Iran's currency shows the success of the "most punishing sanctions" seeking to halt Tehran's suspect nuclear program. "From our perspective this speaks to the unrelenting and increasingly successful international pressure that we are all bringing to bear on the Iranian economy. It's under incredible strain," Nuland said.

What about the Iranians?
A.B. Yehoshua Published: 10.03.12/ Op-ed: UN address was Netanyahu's chance to tell the Iranian people the truth
When Prime Minister Netanyahu delivers a speech at the UN General Assembly, it is usually intended for three or four target audiences: First of all he is speaking to the American government and people; he is also addressing the US Jews and the representatives of countries that are more or less friendly to Israel - in Europe, South America and Asia; and, of course, he is also addressing to the Israeli public, although this public has many other opportunities to hear what he has to say.
But Netanyahu's speech showed that he has no intention of making any sort of appeal to the Iranian people or to the Islamic Republic's allies. The prime minister and his aides have apparently reached the conclusion that battle for Iranian public opinion is apparently lost, this in stark contrast to Zionism's diplomatic tradition, whereby appeals were made to the Arab audience even during those years in which access to the electronic and written press was blocked by the totalitarian regimes in Arab countries and in the former Soviet bloc.
Israeli leaders and spokespeople traditionally turned to the Arab nations and explained as best they could the history of the Jewish nation, its struggles, its place in the region and so on. Despite the wall of hatred, some of these explanations seeped into the Arab psyche. This process resulted in peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and also led to the Palestinian moderation, which produced the agreements in Oslo and Geneva.
I'm not an expert on the Iranian regime's evil propaganda efforts, but I have noticed that it has recently moved from denying the Holocaust to completely discounting the Jews' history in the Middle East. But instead of presenting historical facts, the prime minister repeated the same old clichés about divine biblical promises, King David's reign and the Jews' spiritual connection to the Land of Israel.
It did not occur to him, for instance, to mention the declaration made by Cyrus the Great, the Persian king, who called on the Jews in 538 BC to return to their homeland and build the temple. The Iranians have a deep sense of history. They are familiar with Cyrus, and mentioning this historic fact would have refuted the Iranian president's lie.
Netanyahu did not think of mentioning the presence of Jewish communities in the Middle East for thousands of years, including in Iran itself, or praising the relatively fair treatment of Iran's Jews today.
It did not occur to him to speak of the fact that Iran and Turkey, two Muslim powers, recognized the State of Israel after its establishment and maintained diplomatic relations with it for more than 30 years. He failed to mention the Israeli aid and rehabilitation mission headed by Aryeh "Lova" Eliav, whose members stayed in Iran's northwestern Qazvin region for two years after it had been severely hit by an earthquake in the 1960s.
The prime minister did not think of discussing Israelis of Iranian descent, who have held key civilian and military positions throughout the country's history.
These facts would have been news not only to the dozens of representatives from African, South American and Asian countries, but also to the Iranians themselves and to the few Palestinians who remained in the hall to listen to Netanyahu's speech. Mentioning these facts would have helped disprove the Iranian claims that we do not belong in the region, much more so than discussing divine promises or biblical kingdoms. And why speak in the language of the eternal victim who is forced to threaten and warn? And why do we have to talk to the Americans as if we really are an extension of the US? Or in the words of a Likud minister – "Israel is an American aircraft carrier in the Middle East."
At this point, Netanyahu's exaggerated 'Americanism' is doing more harm than good.

What if the Iranian people had the cameraman’s opportunity?
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
What could be described as a dark comedy recently took place in New York, involving Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. From the UN General Assembly podium, the Iranian President called for a new global system with no place for poverty or oppression, along with other worthless clichés. But then the entertainment commenced, when the Iranian President’s official cameraman announced his defection, and requested political asylum in the US!The question here is as follows: If the television cameraman accompanying the Iranian President, for which there is supposed to be a careful selection process, has announced his defection, and he is part of Ahmadinejad’s delegation, then what would it be like if ordinary Iranians could obtain visas for Western countries normally? Certainly, Iran’s population would fall by more than sixty percent, and its best minds and young people would leave, just as the first generation left in the post-Shah phase after the Khomeini revolution! The Iranian regime is an example of a regime rooted in evil; one that excels in repressing and restricting its citizens, men and women. It is a regime that cannot continue in a rational and open atmosphere. Indeed, greater openness would only serve to blow down the paper tiger in Tehran. The Iranian regime is tampering with the destinies of its people, and is putting the entire region at risk as a result of its ambitions, which, at the very least, we can say are extreme. This regime is funding Bashar al-Assad, the killer of Syria’s women and children, with nearly US $10 billion, at a time when the Iranian Rial continues to collapse. We see the Iranian economy facing a real danger that might threaten the Iranian political entity as a whole, and yet it is strange that Iran is suffering economically at a time of very high oil prices. Here it is suffice to compare between what the Gulf States, for example, are doing with their oil revenues, and what the Iranian regime is doing. The Gulf States are building and learning, and investing in their citizens. Saudi Arabia, for example, sends its citizens across the world in search of knowledge, while Iran funds al-Assad and sends members of its Revolutionary Guards to ensure the Syrian regime is victorious over the people. Tehran also supports Hassan Nasrallah and others in Yemen, Bahrain, and Iraq, the latter of which will overtake Iran, for the first time ever this month, in terms of oil production!
Therefore, the defection of the official cameraman accompanying the Iranian President is an indication of the burning embers under the ashes in Iran, a country which is preparing to face its internal and external dues, with international sanctions, the threat of a military strike, and forthcoming presidential elections. The Iranian regime has already sought to make preparations by blocking some popular internet services, as it did with Google previously, only to then return and unblock the website later. All of this confirms that we are nearing a mass boiling point in Iran, which gets ever closer with the economic sanctions, especially as it seems that Tehran’s support for al-Assad has become a major drain for Iran militarily, politically and financially. Iran’s political losses, for example, from supporting al-Assad are immeasurable, with regards to the Arab and Islamic world and at the level of public opinion.
Of course, there is still the following legitimate question: What do some of our intellectuals, or the Iranian lobbies among us – who have chewed our ears off in the past in praise of the Iranian model – think about what Iran is doing today, or what is happening to it? Are they like the dissident cameraman, or are they still confused? Well, they have certainly been confused for the past two years!

With Chechnya and Tibet in mind
By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat
The Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin advised the West to learn a lesson from the death of the US Ambassador to Libya at the hands of an extremist Islamist group, saying: “Political regimes accused of dictatorship are overthrown. They are replaced by extremist forces that then turn their back and sometimes turn their gun barrels against those who supported them”.
Here Rogozin is clearly making a reference to Syria, and the objective is to intimidate the Westerners by recalling what happened in Libya, where the West played an active role in ending Gaddafi’s rule. The Russians are now doing everything in the hope of preserving the al-Assad regime.Of course, we could shed a tear for the late King of Afghanistan for example, but we cannot for al-Assad of Syria or Gaddafi of Libya. These two regimes have appalled the world and spread terrorism for forty years. Therefore, the worst-case scenario that we can imagine as a result of their collapse will never be as bad as al-Assad or Gaddafi.Rogozin explains Russia’s obstinate stance by saying that “chaos reigns” in international affairs, whereby “the foundations, which retained peace and security on the planet in the post-war time, [have been] thrown down”. Yet what foundations have remained on this planet since the Second World War? Police states such as East Germany and Romania collapsed two decades ago, and no less than 14 countries have escaped the orbit of the former Soviet Union. The Russian official’s rhetoric about peace on our “planet” is at least consistent with the argument put forth by Fouad Ajami, a retired professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University, in his new book “The Syrian Rebellion”, which al-Majalla magazine provides a summary of in its current issue. Ajami claims that Russia and China exercised their veto in the UN Security Council - against resolutions on Syria - because in the minds of the Chinese was the subject of Tibet, a region that they occupy, whilst the Russians were thinking of Chechnya.
This is what “peace” means for them. The Russians, and likewise the Chinese, fear that the day will come when there is talk of foreign interference in their own domestic affairs [Tibet and Chechnya]. Yet by protecting the al-Assad regime they are not dispelling the idea and the ethics of intervention; quite the opposite in fact. What al-Assad is doing is continuous mass murder on an appalling scale, prompting even those who were opposed to international intervention to now support and justify it for the first time since the Second World War. Even those who were against the intervention of NATO forces in Libya would now support such a measure in Syria. What is most important is to stop the killing machine, i.e. Bashar al-Assad and his forces. Most Arabs were always against the idea of intervention, especially after the invasion of Iraq, but now they have begun to implore the international community to intervene under any guise to stop the tragedy. This is all because of Russia’s stance, not only because it opposes intervention, but because it is also supporting the regime - with arms and expertise - against unarmed citizens, depriving the Syrians of even the establishment of a restricted fly zone.
Russia’s enthusiasm to defend the al-Assad regime is unprecedented in our region. The Russians are putting their history, reputation and interests at risk, and this really remains a mystery. The more I read about the stance the more I become confused because it does not protect Russia or China, it does not prevent the fall of al-Assad, it will not bring about peace and it will not eliminate extremist groups.

Economics in the post-Arab spring
By Ali Ibrahim/Asharq Alawsat
A large part of the stories of the revolutions and uprisings that occurred in the Arab republics in 2011, starting from Tunisia, are economic stories relating to frustrations towards social and living conditions, and high unemployment figures that are not commensurate with the ambitions and aspirations of the citizens. What happened will not transform into a genuine “spring” unless the political changes that have occurred lead to tangible economic changes for the people. This is the critical point, because it will not be easy. Let’s take the story of Bouazizi, the street vendor who set himself on fire and sparked the Tunisian revolution that destroyed the Ben Ali regime. This was a protest against the economic situation first and foremost; it embodied the sentiments of injustice and marginalization that a large segment of society was feeling. In Tunisia there was also the conviction that the government was unable to meet the living aspirations of the citizens, or provide job opportunities for the unemployed who would resort to any means in order to secure an income. Thus it seems strange and surprising that a report was issued from the Arab Institute for Business Leaders in Tunisia a few days ago, in light of the economic situation that remains difficult there, talking about how farmers, entrepreneurs and manufacturers are facing a severe shortage of labor, and that agriculture, industry, construction, public works and tourism are the most important sectors affected by this phenomenon.
A labor shortage amidst a rise in unemployment seems strange at first glance, but it’s true and certainly not confined to Tunisia alone. It is likely that this phenomenon exists in many Arab countries in light of the fact that the concepts of development and community culture are similar despite the economic conditions that differ from one country to another. Often there is an insistence on adopting the wrong methods of development that do not focus on the respective and relative advantages of each country, and a tendency for populist economic policies that stems from a fear of negative public opinion, despite the realization that this road will not lead to anything. Evidence of this is that most Arab countries, even if some of them suffer from significant illiteracy rates, have a huge surplus of university graduates in various disciplines that they need and do not need. Over the past years, this surplus has accumulated and transformed into a sizeable unemployment statistic, as countries failed to continue their policy of guaranteeing jobs for new graduates. This policy was a misconception in the first place, and misconceptions are a fundamental part of the problem. If we move from Tunisia to Egypt, we will find another misconception, only this time in a case relating to an ongoing controversy about the exchange rate of the Egyptian pound. Officials in Egypt have warned that the World Bank may demand, as part of its lending criteria, a reduction in the exchange rate. However, official statements confirm that the Egyptian government totally rejects this.
It is strange that the same request [to reduce the exchange rate] was put forward in the eras of previous governments, and these governments strongly rejected it as well. Usually, in the end the government would accept the conditions after a period of intransigence, or attempt to circumvent them in one way or another. Or it would seek to increase the difference between the official exchange rate and the market price by establishing something like a black market. The problem is that for decades it has been propagandized that a high exchange rate is an issue of national prestige, meanwhile there are powerful countries (China and the US) fighting to make the price of their currency lower so that their goods are competitive and they are able to export. In fact it does not matter whether the price of a currency is high or low, it just depends on what is best for the interests of the country. Can any government, or even regime, resist the market?
To conclude, if there is to be genuine reform, then we must face the facts, acknowledge them, and then choose the most appropriate method of dealing with them. There are now elected governments with a popular mandate, and this gives them an advantage over previous governments when it comes to tough or unpopular decisions.

Derailed ansd Syrian puppet, MP, Aoun: No road should be blocked against a Lebanese
October 03, 2012 01:14 AM The Daily Star
FPM leader Michel Aoun speaks during a press conference in Rabieh,
Tuesday, July 17, 2012/The Daily Star/Charbel Nakhoul, HO)
BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun said Tuesday that no politician has the right to reserve a region for himself and no road should be blocked against a Lebanese. Responding to the Lebanese Forces’ rejection of his visit to the Monastery of Ilij in the northern district of Jbeil, Aoun said that the LF’s attitude serves “its political interests and uncovers their attitude with people.” “When we were having a Mass in Paris in 2005, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea was there and he was welcomed,” Aoun told reporters following his weekly meeting with the Change and Reform bloc in his residence in Rabieh. “The locking down of a church has not happened before, this is unacceptable and we hope that religious officials have a say in this,” said Aoun. Residents and supporters of the LF in Mayfouq made a human chain around the Church of Ilij in Jbeil over the weekend to bar Aoun from visiting the Church where martyrs of the LF who have died during the battles of 1990 are buried.

Israeli politicians getting set for Netanyahu to call a February election
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis October 3, 2012/Less than a week after Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu struck Iran with a red marker, the dire Iranian nuclear threat has been thrust aside in the rough and tumble of Israel politics. All of a sudden, Israel has caught an acute case election fever.
By law, if the prime minister can’t get State Budget 2013 approved by his coalition partners and enacted, the government falls. The early election date most widely cited is Feb. 13, four years after the Netanyahu administration took office and eight months before its term expires.
For now, those coalition partners are digging in their heels against the deep cuts in the budget slices allotted them by the treasury (and backed by the prime minister). The largest, the defense budget, is condemned to the deepest cut of all, an estimated one billion dollars.
Are they and Netanyahu playing chicken? He has taken two weeks for a final decision on whether to appease his coalition partners with more spending money, or hold out for a slimmed-down budget and possibly face the voter before the end of his term.
But other events are also on the move. A week after Netanyahu stood before the UN General Assembly and thundered that sanctions against Iran were ineffective, the Iranian rial sank to a record 38,000 against the US dollar and its streets were showing signs of restiveness over the economic hardships they have caused.
At the same time, the Israeli prime minister announced he would soon lead a ministerial delegation to Berlin to repair some of the damage to his relations with Chancellor Angela Merkel and campaign for additional and tougher sanctions to force Tehran to give up its nuclear aspirations.
True, as Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said Tuesday, Oct. 2, “the centrifuges continue to spin” amid economic straits and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed that Iran would not give up its nuclear program notwithstanding economic duress. But if the ayatollahs were to eventually find their regime threatened by popular disaffection, they might have no choice.
In the meantime, as Israel householders rush to fortify a room in each of their dwellings against bomb blast, they find that before an early general election, they must first live through party leadership primaries which are being rushed through - just in case.
This is not the first time Netanyahu has used an early election threat for tactical gain.
Only five months ago, he announce he would face the voter sooner rather than later over the dispute with his coalition partners over the Tal Law - known as the “equality of burden” measure - for regulating the compulstory conscription of Yeshiva seminarists for military or community service.
Instead, without warning, he invited the opposition Kadima party leader Shaul Mofaz to join his government.
That marriage was short-lived. After a month and ten days, it was dissolved on July 18. But it served its purpose of dropping the Tal Law dispute from the national agenda.
And Kadima and its leader will not recover in a hurry from this mortifying experience.
Now, three months later, Bibi may again be putting the country on election alert. He is widely quoted by his Likud ministers as citing Feb. 13 as polling day, but no one has heard this from the horse’s mouth. And so it may well be another false alarm.
Netanyahu’s steady partner, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who heads a Labor splinter called Independence, is now being accused in Likud circles of standing in the way of a “responsible budget” by refusing to accept reductions in defense spending. They are also suggesting that Barak, Netanyahu’s point man with the Obama administration for four years, sought to undermine the prime minister in Washington during his recent visits.
Whether this turns out to be an unfortunate misunderstanding and Netanyahu will again reach out to his partner, or decide to let him crash like Mofaz, is anyone’s guess.
For now, no one knows exactly what is on the prime minister’s carefully calculated agenda for the coming months. Will February 2013 see a general election followed by the messy aftermath of cabinet-building? Or will it presage a decisive step for preempting Iran’s advance to the threshold of a nuclear bomb?