Category Archives: Lebanon

“Many Saudis have started to cast votes on a website to nominate King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Website www.votefornobelprize.com has asked people from the Middle East and Africa (MEA) to nominate the person whom they think most deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, with King Abdullah currently receiving more than 100,000 votes, which is more than any other candidate. Five nominees have been chosen from different MEA countries: King Abdullah, Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Misned, Chairman of Qatar’s Board of Education, Science and Community Development and the wife of the Emir of Qatar; Dr. Albert Dagher, Professor of Economics at Lebanese University; Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, and Majeda Al-Roumi, well-known Lebanese singer who has recorded many popular songs on the theme of peace. Many Saudis and non-Saudis have sent e-mails to their friends asking them to vote for King Abdullah, and a number of Internet forums have posted links and have invited people to vote for him…………….”

So most Saudis split their votes for the Nobel Prize between King Abdullah, a Lebanese singer, and the wife of the Emir of Qatar. Clearly they go for ‘looks’, or maybe entertainment, rather than knowledge and wisdom.
Based on this I now believe that the Saudi people are absolutely not ready for democracy and probably will not be for another generation. Speaking of Shaikha Mozah: I believe this is the first and only time a banana, even a ripe one, was nominated for a Nobel Prize. If I had to choose among those three, I’d choose Majda Al Roumi: she has a great voice and is highly entertaining, besides looking good (which is why all these Saudi men voted for her rather than their king). Besides, Lebanon has not had a Nobel Prize winner yet and is unlikely to have one anytime soon (especially now that Hariri has emigrated to Riyadh, the Bulgarians are helping the Israelis deny Nasrallah the prize, and Jumblatt seems still stoned out of his head).
I would have thought most Saudis would vote for the chubby shaikh (now self-appointed king) of Bahrain or maybe his ancient but nastier uncle Khalifa Bin Technocrat Al StickyFingers. But that is okay, some Europeans are nominating the next best thing in Bahrain: the Al-Khawaja family. (No, those Euros I mentioned are not David Cameron or William J Hague bin Yoda). As for the king of Arabia, nothing personal but I wouldn’t nominate him for a dogcatcher in Najran.
Cheers
mhg

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Lebanon, Saudi Arabia

Hariri of Lebanon: Threatens to Return and Underwhelm, Elba or Saint Helena?………….

September 26, 2012 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

Neck of the woods

Good news and glad tidings. The Future Bloc of Sa’ad Hariri believes that it is time for its non-leading leader to return to Lebanon. Now they say that Hariri has long had an “unstoppable” urge to go home. Sa’ad Hariri has promised to return to Beirut! Although he is being coy and refuses to set the day and hour. Yet, finally he is arriving, he will rise, he will underwhelm again. Not exactly Napoleon Bonaparte returning from the island of Elba; if anything more like Napoleon landing at the island of Saint Helena.
Hariri (fils) has been spending the past couple of years between Paris and Riyadh. Mostly Paris, with occasional sorties into Riyadh whenever another elderly prince ‘kicks the bucket’, or whenever he needs more cash. Media reported this past summer that the Saudi king ‘gifted’ him with US$4 billion to help him fix his finances. Only a few months before that the king had gifted him with $2 billion. I wonder where the Saudi king gets all that cash from? How does he get his Wahhabi Congress to approve all these billions in gifts for a dandy who lives mostly in France. I wonder how the poor average Saudi, barely making it, feels about all this money, his money, being gifted by the king (Hariri is also a Saudi citizen).

Hariri has two distinctions: (1) the first prime minister of Lebanon with a Saudi-style goatee (saksooka, baaa or whatever). The goatee is a souvenir of his Saudi connections; I hear from one unreliable source that the princes threatened to withdraw his Saudi citizenship and freeze his money if he shaved it. Also, (2) he was the first PM to spend a year or more abroad while in office.
Oh, he has another distinction that has changed the face of at least northern Lebanon. His bloc has reportedly for a few years financed and encouraged Salafi groups to sprout around Tripoli. Now they are causing some serious sectarian trouble.
Cheers
mhg
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Europe, Hezbollah, Lebanon

European Right Target Hezbollah, Wahhabi Quest for Eternal Candy…………..

September 7, 2012 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

Neck of the woods

“Europe is embarking on a potentially divisive debate over whether to place the military wing of Lebanese-based Shiite group Hezbollah grouping on its terrorist list, with the U.K. and Dutch governments urging action Friday. Europe has long resisted pressure from Israel and Washington to list Hezbollah, with many member states feeling it was important to keep lines of contact open to a group that plays a key role in Lebanese politics. But after accusations that Hezbollah was behind a bomb attack in July in Burgas, Bulgaria, that killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver, U.K. Foreign Minister William J. Hague………….…”

The European right wing governments, especially in Britain and Holland are speeding up their attempt at listing Hezbollah. So they were “accused” of being behind a bomb attack. “Accused” quickly by Netanyahu, hardly a credible person in this case. In a case of “suicide” attack, which is not a usual Hezbollah method of operation. Suicides are al-Qaeda type of operation, done by horny young Wahhabi men eager to detonate, drop out, and get to their promised sweet ‘rewards’ of candy on the other side.
This, if approved, will be bad news for peace in Lebanon since Hezbollah is by far the most powerful party in Lebanon, and represents a larger section of Lebanese society than any other party or group or militia or dance troupe. It will be like boycotting the largest section of Lebanese (like boycotting the Pashtun in Afghanistan). It will, however, make the Likud extremely happy: Netanyahu may declare that World War II is finally over.

Cheers
mhg
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Hezbollah, Lebanon, Middle East, U.S. Politics, US Foreign Policy

New Band in Middle East Town? Romney’s Warmongers……

June 21, 2012 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

Neck of the woods
“Rick Perry labeled the Turkish government “Islamic terrorists.” Newt Gingrich referred to Palestinians as “invented” people. Herman Cain called Uzbekistan “Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan” and memorably blanked when asked what he thought of NATO’s incursion into Libya. Michele Bachmann pledged to close the US embassy in Iran, which hasn’t existed since 1980. Rick Santorum gave a major foreign policy speech at a Jelly Belly factory in California…………. Few advisers personify the pugnacity of Romney’s foreign policy team better than Bolton. He has been a steadfast opponent of international organizations and treaties and seems never to have met a war he didn’t like. “John’s wisdom, clarity and courage are qualities that should typify our foreign policy,” Romney responded……….”

President Obama started in office being generally well-liked by Arabs and Muslim. He has come along way: now he is not liked much in the Arab and Muslim worlds. He is considered no more than any other recent US President, probably less because he is waging more wars in the Middle East than any other American president.
I have no doubt that Willard (Mitt) Romney will immediately become the most-hated (by Arabs and Muslims) US president in history. He is already setting himself up, if elected, to expand America’s wars in the Middle East to Iran and Syria and possibly a few other places. John Bolton is such an extremist that even a Republican-controlled Senate refused to confirm him as UN ambassador when Bush nominated him. He was appointed at recess for one year only. He will no doubt be back with Romney, either as deputy at State or Defense or at National Security or as UN ambassador. Bolton assiduously evaded serving in the Vietnam war, a war he verbally supported. Sort of like Cheney and Bush and many other rightist ‘war lovers from a safe distance‘.

The Romney Middle East and Arab policy looks pretty bad when we know his advisers who are mostly neoconservatives. The only native Middle Eastern among them is a veteran of the Lebanese right-wing militia the ‘Lebanese Forces‘ (LF) which were implicated in massacres like those at the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps. (Actually the LF militia committed the rapes and massacre, with the dead estimated at between 1,000-3,000 victims, while Israeli forces kept a lookout outside). His name is Walid Phares. This does not bode well especially for a Romney policy toward Lebanon and Syria. It does not bode well for US relations with a majority of the Lebanese people who, like it or not, support Hezbollah and its allies (they won 54% of the votes during the last Lebanese elections). It does not bode well for relations with the plurality of Lebanese who are the political base of Hezbollah.

No matter who wins next November, he will become the least popular American president in history as far as Arabs and Muslims are concerned. I am talking the people not the princes and potentates who no doubt prefer Romney but can learn to continue loving Obama.

Cheers
mhg
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Arab Revolutions, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria

Syrian Fallout: South to Tripoli, North to Tripoli……

May 15, 2012 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

Neck of the woods

“Like a Tango, it takes two, or more, to do battle” Me

“For a third day in a row, the violence of Syria spilled into the northern city of Tripoli in Lebanon. The AP reports that the Alawites, who support the regime of Bashar Assad, and the Sunnis, who support the Syrian uprising, traded fire in Lebanon using assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades. Five people were killed and 100 were wounded in Lebanon’s second-largest city…………”

This is not the first armed conflict in the area since the Syrian protests started. The ground had been set for trouble in Tripoli long before the Arab uprisings, since 2008 or thereabouts. The Hariri bloc has strong supporters in the predominantly Sunni city, and there are some Alawite residents in the area. Hariri himself cautioned against escalation today, presumably warning his supporters (on Twitter), but it is not clear yet if he still has as much influence. Besides, Saad Hariri is a Saudi first and he will not say or do anything that does not have the approval of Riyadh: the princes can bankrupt him if they get angry enough. Besides, Lebanese officials had complained in recent months of movements of men and weapons across the Syrian border. Besides, al-Qaeda and affiliates see a chance to merge the two ghazwas (holy battles, actually raids) of Syria and Lebanon (and maybe even Iraq in their view). Besides there has been talk of possible Saudi and Qatari weapons being supplied to the Syrian opposition militias, some of the arms no doubt remain in Lebanon. Then there are some defectors from the Syrian military who may also be armed. Besides, the local Alawites are also apparently armed now (like a Tango, it takes two, or more, to do battle).
It is all a formula for an extended conflagration, given that Hezbollah and allies are well-armed and well-trained and dominate in Beirut and the south.
The Tripoli region is now well-armed for the foreseeable future, with fundamentalist groups gaining sway. There are plenty of people on the Arabian Peninsula and in Lebanon with deep pockets who can finance these groups, possibly with the ambitious goal of eventually blocking and severing the link between Syria and Beirut and south Lebanon.
This is one thing the Israelis will not want to touch or manipulate, if’n (if’n) they are smarter now than they were in 1982 and 2006 as far as Lebanese matters are concerned.
Cheers
mhg

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Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Racism, Terrorism

White Gods vs. Brown Gods: Greed and Blood Money from Beirut to Lockerbie to Tehran to Afghanistan.. …….

March 26, 2012 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

Here are some brief media reports of “terrorist” acts in Beirut, Europe, the Persian Gulf, and Afghanistan. These acts were committed by Arabs, Muslims, and Westerners. That acts were shocking, they always are. Note the aftermath. It is almost as shocking as the acts themselves, in fact more so because the aftermath reflects how humans are valued differently in the West. Now a comparison is in order:

Feb. 2012: “The U.S. paid $50,000 in compensation for each villager killed and $11,000 for each person wounded in a shooting rampage allegedly carried out by a rogue American soldier in southern Afghanistan, Afghan officials said Sunday. The families were told that the money came from President Barack Obama. The unusually large payouts……….”

Feb. 2011: “Paul Wolfowitz has been branded ‘pathetic’ after launching an extraordinary attack on the families of those who lost loved ones in the Lockerbie bombing. The former deputy Secretary of Defense said the U.S. had buckled under pressure from grieving relatives to normalise relations with Libya so they could walk away with $10million each in compensation………….”

Nov. 2008: “The U.S. said Sunday it has begun transferring more than $500 million in Libyan compensation money to the families of American victims of the 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. More money is on the way to complete the settlement, but $504 million of $536 million to be distributed to the families was moved from the U.S. Treasury to a private account administered by Lockerbie families’ lawyers on Friday, the top American diplomat for the Mideast said. David Welch spoke to reporters aboard U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s plane as she returned to Washington from the Middle East. He said he expected the rest of the Lockerbie payments would be made soon as soon as administrative details were worked out. The cash comes from a $1.5 billion fund for U.S. victims of Libyan-linked terrorism in the 1980s that Libya finished paying into last month………”

Sept. 2007: “WASHINGTON — Iran must pay $2.65 billion to the families of the 241 U.S. service members killed in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, a federal judge declared Friday in a ruling that left survivors and families shedding tears of joy. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth described his ruling as the largest-ever such judgment by an American court against another country. “These individuals, whose hearts and souls were forever broken, waited patiently for nearly a quarter century for justice to be done,” he said………………”

“On July 3, 1988, an Iranian aircraft registered on the radar screen of the USS Vincennes. The U.S. Navy officers on the bridge identified the approaching aircraft as an Iranian Air Force F-14 Tomcat. Though they would later claim that they tried to reach the aircraft on military and civilian frequencies, they failed to try air traffic control, which would have probably cleared the air. Instead, as the aircraft drew nearer, the Americans fired two guided missiles at their target: a civilian Airbus A300B2, killing 290 civilians, including 66 children, en route to Dubai…… Reza, who served as a volunteer Basiji from 1987-1988 and teaches chemistry now, admits he doesn’t think about what happened too often. “Still, when I do,” he said, “I remember how nobody cared! These were Iranian civilians who were killed and there was no condemnation.”……..”

The Huffington Post report, the first one I quoted up there, calls the $50k and $10k “unusually large payouts“. What they mean is “unusually large payouts for the life and limb of Afghans, non-Westerners“.
I have commented before on Lockerbie vs. Iran Air 655. Clearly, a white man or woman, a white child, is worth much more than an Afghan or an Iranian or an Arab (man or woman or child). Reading through these reports, I wonder: is it possible that they are? Maybe they are.
Cheers
mhg

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Arab Counterrevoltion, Arab League, Arab Revolutions, GCC, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Theocracy

Tars Tarkas of Arabia: From Revolutionary Spring to Reactionary Sectarianism ……….

March 24, 2012 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

“It seems a sorry outcome after the Arab Spring raised the cry of equal citizenship and democracy around the region………… The clearest support for rebellion in Syria has come from overtly anti-Shia, militant Salafi groups that have been gaining strength in Lebanon for many years. Based originally in Palestinian camps, especially Ain el-Helweh in Sidon, they have been hardened by battle experience in Iraq and have expanded operations, especially in Tripoli. Mikati recently confirmed that the authorities had arrested a group within the army plotting to attack military bases; the Lebanese media reported that the militants were part of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an al-Qaeda affiliate. Ahmad Moussalli, professor of political science and Islamic studies at the American University of Beirut, argues this may be only the beginning of the story. “It would be surprising not to uncover more al-Qaeda-affiliated Salafi terrorist cells,” he says. “Keep in mind that the Salafis do not recognize the legitimacy of the Lebanese state and its security and military personnel. Now, these groups are emboldened by the opposition in Syria, given that the opposition is largely composed of Islamic forces supported by Salafi Wahhabi states, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as other Islamic and Western states. The Salafi condition is going to be a major problem that the Lebanese government has to face before the north of Lebanon turns into a hotbed for al-Qaeda and other Salafists under the pretext of fighting the Syrian regime.”………….. “

If the history of the demise of the ‘Arab Spring” is ever written by an impartial person (unlike me), perhaps Tars Tarkas from Barsoom (Mars), he or she will note the following:

Early in 2011, the Iranian mullahs improbably and brazenly claimed that the uprisings were inspired by their own theocracy. Their claims were self-serving but wrong: if any Iranian movement inspired the Arab uprisings, it was probably the 2009 Green movement. Few Arabs want to be ruled by a theocracy, and that is also the case in majority Shi’a countries like Iraq and Bahrain. That is probably also true of the Saudis, who are already ruled by a theocracy.
The Arab uprisings started as mainly secular movements for freedom and equality and better economic conditions. As this piece I quoted notes, it has descended into sectarianism, by deliberate design and not by accident.
The Arab uprisings started at a time when three or four oil-rich Arab states dominated the League of Arab Potentates. With the unraveling of the stagnant regime in Cairo and the fall of the outspoken Qaddafi, with Iraq being deliberately kept out of the Arab circle, the field was open for the princes.
Money is being used to support various Islamist groups that owe allegiance to different dynasties. The Salafis’ first and only true love are the Saudi princes (and their palace ulema and muftis). This is especially true of the Salafist movements on the Persian Gulf, basically a Saudi fifth column. It also extends to Egypt and the Levant and Libya.
Money is also being used to softly blackmail countries like Egypt and Tunisia, possibly others, to keep them in line. Billions of Saudi and other aid money are promised, to Egypt for example, but none of it has actually been paid. Pending some policy ‘modifications’ vis-à-vis regional issues. The Egyptians have already complained of being promised aid without the funds actually materializing.
The Saudis have been ready, from a media and propaganda side, for the Arab uprisings. Over the past two decades, Saudi princes and their retainers and surrogates have been buying up and establishing vast Arab media networks. The names define an Arab media “Who is Who”: Alarabiya, Asharq Alawsat, Al-Hayat, MBC, LBC, Orbit, Rotana, etc etc etc. All that besides other media whose ‘services’ they purchase. All these outlets dominate Arab airwaves and satellites and they have had one message since at least 2003: sectarianism. The al-Saud princes know that sectarian tensions and divisiveness are the best way to divert attention away from real political and economic issues, especially on our Gulf of Sectarianism.
Now the Arab Spring looks more like an Arab winter, with the most despotic, most regressive, most reactionary dynasties dominating the “Arab System’ as never before. The Saudis and Qataris and others call the shots, for now. They are even adopting their own Arab uprisings in places like Syria (as they did in Libya), calling for the Western powers to repeat the ‘liberation’ of Iraq.
All this can be deceiving: once the Arab rebellions ‘win’, once some form of elected regimes are in place, the remaining depots, in the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain and other places, will begin to feel the pressure. Money can buy you love for a limited time: one hour, one night, one week, or maybe longer.

Cheers
mhg

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Espionage, Hezbollah, Iran, Lebanon, Terrorism, U.S. Congress, U.S. Politics, US Foreign Policy, War on Iran

New Iranian Terror Plot Uncovered by, You Guessed it, NYPD………..

March 23, 2012 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

“A senior New York police official disclosed that at least 13 suspects with ties to the Iranian government had been questioned by authorities in the last seven years after conducting surveillance of possible attack sites. Mitchell Silber, the New York Police Department’s director of intelligence analysis, said the city’s large Jewish population and international significance as a terror target made it ripe for a strike by either Iran or Hizbollah, the Lebanon-based militant group it sometimes uses as a proxy. Testifying before the House of Representative’s Homeland Security Committee, he said the suspects included six people on a sightseeing cruise who were taking photographs and film of well-known New York landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge in 2005. And in September 2010, federal air marshals detained four people taking pictures and films at a heliport in the city. During questioning, all 13 people admitted that they were associated with the Iranian government, but they were ultimately released without charge…………”

I wonder if it is still legal to take pictures of the Empire State building. That used to be my favorite landmark in New York when I was a teenage student back east, it still is, along with the Statue of Liberty. I used to take photos of it, then climb on top and take more amazing photos.
I don’t know about this. They haven’t been able to catch any Iranian terrorists yet (just a few weapon and technology smugglers). Even with Hezbollah agents, the best they could find was some hapless Lebanese trying to smuggle bullets for pistols to Lebanon. Bullets for pistols! I guess he didn’t realize that Hezbollah has missiles and anti-aircraft guns and drones and is waiting for the first Iranian nuclear bomb.
I am near despair that they ever will catch a genuine Iranian or Hezbollah terrorist in the US: unless they can revive that old Cheney idea of a meeting in Prague between Mohammed Atta and Iranian intelligence. Woops, that was Iraqi intelligence, allegedly. Then there is Jack the Texas used-car dealer who conspired with Ali Khamenei and the Quds Force and Hezbollah and the Mexican Cartel and FARC to blow to smithereens an Arab yes-man ambassador in Washington. I am beginning to suspect that there
probably are no such thing as “Iranian terrorists” in the United States,
none in New Jersey-NYC, none in Westwood. Not even any hiding under the bed of the Saudi ambassador or Representative
Peter King or, heaven forbid, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fl).

More seriously: it pays to be vigilant these days. If there is a new war, all bets are off. Terrorism may become a reality instead of just an opportunity for some ambitious or overeager cop or agent or East Coast DA.
Cheers
mhg

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Corruption, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia

A Crime in Manhattan: Plaza Hotel, Saudi Oger, and Lebanese Rumors……..

February 26, 2012 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

BFF

“Yet the prince’s name was uttered during the trial only once, and only in part, by his butler. His full name is Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd. He is the youngest and assumed favorite son of King Fahd, who died in 2005 after 23 years leading Saudi Arabia. The prince’s wealth is thought to be in the billions. He has few, if any, official responsibilities and appears to focus mostly on bouncing around the globe with his large entourage, said Simon Henderson, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who has written about the royal family……… “We’re not talking about the top 1 percent,” Aaron Mysliwiec, a defense lawyer, said. “We’re talking about Michael Bloomberg kind of wealth.” One of the Plaza’s owners is Prince Walid bin Talal, Prince Abdul Aziz’s more famous cousin, who is among the largest single shareholders in Citigroup and in News Corporation, the media company controlled by Rupert Murdoch……… Testimony revealed that some part of that entourage was supplied by the “V.I.P.” unit of Saudi Oger, a large construction and telecommunications company. The unit exists to travel with the prince and cater to his desires, the head of the unit testified………… The ties between Saudi Oger and Prince Abdul Aziz are well known in Saudi Arabia. The company was founded by Rafiq Hariri, who built Saudi Oger into a large company by winning the trust and business of King Fahd………”

I wrote here that Lebanese media reported a couple of weeks ago that the Saudi king gifted, “gave”, Saad Hariri US$2 billion, just like that. Maybe a gift for Valentine’s Day. Hariri denied it, but in Lebanon, a secret doesn’t last long. Like this old saying that I just made up: “A secret doesn’t remain a secret in two places, one of them is Lebanon”. You can try and guess what the other place is but then someone, possibly your spouse, might ask “How did you know?“

Hariri was reportedly unwelcome in his hometown of Riyadh for some time. He had angered the Saudi princes by describing Prince Nayef (Interior Minister and now Crown Prince) as a “bloodthirsty butcher” behind his back. That was during a meeting with some European bureaucrat related to the STL Hariri tribunal. Unfortunately for him, that meeting was recorded and televised by al-Jadeed TV last year.
As for the allegations of rape, I have no idea.
FYI: Saudi Oger is pronounced like “O Jay” not like “Ogre”.
Cheers
mhg

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Arab Politics, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, United Nations International Organizations, US Foreign Policy

Lebanon’s Unwelcome Visitors: Ki-Moon, a Phony UN Bureaucrat, a Familiar Messenger of Evil…………..

January 10, 2012 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

Rattlesnake Ridge

BFF

“The head of Hezbollah’s Shura Council Sheikh Mohammad Yazbek said over the weekend that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon Friday, is not welcome.“The visit of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to Beirut is not welcome, neither is the phony [U.N. Special Envoy Terje Roed] Larsen or the messenger of evil [Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs] Jeffrey Feltman,” Yazbek was quoted by local media as saying. Yazbeck accused Larsen, who is tasked with overseeing the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, of being biased toward Israel. UNSCR 1559 was adopted in 2004 and calls for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah. The latter has defended its arms as the only means to fend off Israeli aggression…………”

Hezbollah
and Jeffrey Feltman are old pals, they go way back to the good old days when Mr. Feltman was US ambassador to Beirut. The Lebanese opposition at the time claimed he was the true leader of the March 14 right-wing movement. They nearly claim that he led the March 14 and the old Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir and the Saudi ambassador in daily prayers for an Israeli victory in the summer war of 2006. They also strongly suspect that many Arab oligarchs joined that prayer, via teleconferencing or Skype. I fully agree with this last assessment: the princes were doing their rain dance, in vain, for a right outcome that war.

Lebanese-American relations have been in a sort of twilight zone for some years. For years U.S. secretary of state Clinton reportedly has not met with her Lebanese counterparts, the successive foreign ministers, even when she visited Lebanon. The foreign minister has been from the Hezbollah bloc. This has led to an interesting diplomatic dance by Hillary Clinton to meet some Lebanese leaders but not their foreign minister, nor their most important leader (you know who that is, don’t you?).

I suppose
this Lebanese opposition to the visits by these foreign dignitaries and international bureaucrats is somewhat fair. After all Hassan Nasrallah is probably not welcome in Washington (DC), and I don’t just mean at the AIPAC or its offshoot Washington Institute for Near East Policy. I doubt that Mr. Nasrallah is welcome at the UN either. Besides, all these gentlemen no doubt wish that the current Lebanese government would just vanish and be replaced with the pliable Saudi regime of Saad Hariri and his sidekick Fouad Saniora. They no doubt also wish that Hassan Nasrallah would also vanish, but then where would he go? Dearborn?
Cheers
mhg

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Arabia Deserta: MENA Focus