LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

March 27/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.march27.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today

Great Sunday of the Resurrection/Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 16/01-08:"When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid."

If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain.
First Letter to the Corinthians 15/12-26:"If Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 27/16
Resurrection: Life, Faith And Death/Elias Bejjani/March 27/16

The Structural Shortcomings of the Kerry-Lavrov Syria Deal/Middle East Briefing/March 26/16
Tehran and the Re-Making of Recep Tayyip Erdogan/Middle East Briefing/March 26/16
The Countdown to Defeat ISIL in Mosul Begins Amid Political Troubles in Baghdad/Middle East Briefing/March 26/16
Brussel Terrorist Attack: Dealing with the Source of the Middle East Storm/Middle East Briefing/March 26/16
American elections under the shadows of terror in Europe/Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/March 27/16
Khamenei’s heightened anti-Americanism and criticism of Rowhani/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/March 27/16
Can rationing safeguard the region against water scarcity/Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/March 27/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on March 27/16

Resurrection: Life, Faith And Death
Lebanese Army Thwarts Gunmen Attack in Akkar
Maronite Patriarch Hands Ban Memo on Presidential Elections
Mashnouq Calls for Municipal Elections in May
Bassil Urges Unilateral Lebanese Steps to Stop Naturalization: Displacement Feeds Terrorism
Cabinet Meets Thursday to Tackle State Security Agency
Report: Ban Assures Salam that Lebanon Must Continue on Rejecting Naturalization of Refugees
Arrested Brussels Suspect May be Fugitive Airport Bomber

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 27/16
Pope slams Europe’s treatment of migrants
Brussels attacker had been on US terror watchlist
Ban Ki-moon urges release of detained and missing UN staff
Obama: stigmatizing Muslims ‘plays into hands’ of militants
US says it hasn’t changed position on Assad
Syrian army advancing inside ISIS-held Palmyra
Anti-terror Islamic alliance to meet in Riyadh
US to fund multi-million-dollar Tunisia border surveillance
Turkish army says soldier killed in northern Iraq
Belgium charges airport suspect, calls off march
UN chief offers condolences to Iraq after ISIS stadium bombing
Ted Cruz angrily denies adultery allegations, blames Trump
Belgium on anti-terror raid as Kerry visits

Links From Jihad Watch Site for March 27/16
UK: Muslim wishes Christians happy Easter, is murdered by other Muslim in “religiously prejudiced” attack
Canada’s New Democratic Party: Supporters of the BDS Movement
Texas: Muslim Dairy Queen owner installs signs comparing Hindus to monkeys
Muslim arrested in Germany over Brussels jihad massacre
Hugh Fitzgerald: On dogs (and pictures) in Islam
Brussels jihad murderer had been on US terror watchlist
Muslim offers $10,000 to anyone who shows Qur’an promotes terrorism

Resurrection: Life, Faith And Death
Elias Bejjani/March 27/16

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/03/26/elias-bejjani-resurrection-life-faith-and-death/

Don’t be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen. He is not here (Mark 16/05)
Easter Sunday is a holy feast of love, humility, forgiveness, brotherhood, tolerance and repentance. Religiously and consciously we are not supposed to participate by any means in any of the feast prayers or make any offerings or receive the Holy Communion unless we are genuinely replace hatred with love, grudges with forgiveness, rejection of others with tolerance, arrogance with humility, greed with contentment, deception with transparency, and evil with righteousness.
Do not be afraid, “Don’t be amazed", with these reassuring and soothing words The Angel spoke to Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. They had came to the tomb on Sunday morning to mummify and anoint Jesus' Body as the Jewish tradition required. They thought death had defeated Jesus and ended His life as it does to every human being. On their way, they were sadly thinking and wondering who will roll for them the stone away from the tomb's entrance so they can get in and perform the mummifying and anointing process. While halfway from the tomb, they saw that the enormous stone had been rolled away. When they entered the tomb they found that Jesus' body was not there. They found only the shrouds that His body was wrapped with on His burial after the crucifixion.
Saint Mark's (16/01-13) Gospel describes thoroughly what has happened with these three loyal and faithful women: "When the Sabbath was, past Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him. 16:2 Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back. Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were amazed. He said to them, “Don’t be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him! But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you.’” They went out, and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid. Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. When they heard that he was alive, and had been seen by her, they disbelieved. After these things he was revealed in another form to two of them, as they walked, on their way into the country. They went away and told it to the rest. They didn’t believe them, either."
Lord Jesus who died on the cross, had risen from the dead on the third day just as He has said while proclaiming His message. He triumphed over death, defeated the forces of darkness, overcame pain, abolished anguish and brought despair to an end. He rose from the tomb to be constantly with those faithful to Him throughout their lives, and to never abandon them. He shall empower forever those who believe in His message and observe His commandments with the spirit of truth, knowledge, wisdom and solidarity with His Father, Almighty God.
Christ is the Way, Christ is the Truth, and Christ is the actual eternal life that we long for. We strongly believe with full conviction that Christ dwells in His Holy Church, and exists in its Mysteries (Sacraments). He is always present in the Holy Eucharist that we receive during every mass. Christ at all times is ready, willing and delighted to help us in our burdens when we call on Him and ask for His mercy. “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew11:28)
The miracle of resurrection is the cornerstone of our Christian faith. This pivotal liturgical fact was strongly stressed by Saint Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians, (15/12-26): " Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain. Yes, we are found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn’t raise up, if it is so that the dead are not raised. For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable. But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s, at his coming. Then the end comes, when he will deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death".
Through Crucifixion and resurrection, Christ has overcome death, broke its thorn, and granted us His eternal forgiveness from the original sin. With His death and resurrection, death in its traditional earthly human concept has been abolished forever and Sin since then has become the actual death that leads the sinners to Gahanna into the unquenchable fire.
When our bodies die, we sleep in the hope of resurrection. On Jesus' return on the Day of Judgment, the dead will be the first to rise and escort Him. "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed", (Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 15 / 51-52).
Easter Sunday is a holy feast of love, humility, forgiveness, brotherhood, tolerance and repentance. Religiously and consciously we are not supposed to participate by any means in any of the feast prayers or make any offerings or receive the Holy Communion unless we are genuinely replace hatred with love, grudges with forgiveness, rejection of others with tolerance, arrogance with humility, greed with contentment, deception with transparency, and evil with righteousness.
If we do not learn how to tame our selfishness, anger, hatred and forgive others for whatever evil deeds they commit against us and reconcile with them, than we do not qualify to be called Jesus' followers. Our prayers will not be heard or responded to, if we do not practice the grace of forgiveness as did He who was crucified for our salvation.
“If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift". (Matthew 5/23-24).
Meanwhile our true faith in Jesus and in His Sacrifices won't be complete unless we adopt in our thinking, deeds and language the pure components of sacrifice, honesty, truth, self respect, meekness and decency. "Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4/29-32)
For our prayers to be looked upon and heard by Almighty God, we are required to reconcile with ourselves and with all others on whom we have inflicted pain and injustice, and treated with an evil manner. To please the Lord we are required to genuinely, heartily and overtly perform all required acts of repentance for all our mischievous conducts and wrongdoings. Mark 11/24-26: "Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions"
Almighty God has endowed us with His love talent, (minas) and expects us to faithfully invest it in helping others who are in need. He expect us to observe all the teaching of His Bible so that He will reward us on the Day of Judgment and put us on His Right Side.
On this Holy Day of Resurrection, we are ought to be aware that Jesus' Holy blood was shed on the Cross for our sake. Remembrance of His death and resurrection is a Godly consignment that we are entrusted with. It’s up to us either to honour this trust or betray it. In regards to what is committed to us, Saint Paul conveyed to his disciple Timothy the following advice (6/20-21): "Timothy, guard that which is committed to you, turning away from the empty chatter and oppositions of the knowledge which is falsely so called; which some professing have erred concerning the faith".
Halleluiah! Jesus has risen! Indeed He has risen.

 
Lebanese Army Thwarts Gunmen Attack in Akkar
Naharnet/March 26/16/The Lebanese army succeeded overnight in thwarting an attack of gunmen from Syria in the northern region of Akkar, reported various media on Saturday. They said that the gunmen attempted to take over a surveillance tower in the border town of Hnaider, but the military was able to hold them back. Artillery and light bombs were used to deter the assailants. No soldiers were injured in the incident, the military later said in a statement. Soldiers have also conducted a sweep of the area to ensure that no gunmen had infiltrated the region. Calm has since been restored in the area and the army has deployed patrols to maintain security. Al-Mustaqbal daily said that this was the first time that this tower was subject to an attack, noting that it is guarded by both the army, Internal Security Forces, General Security, and customs agents.

Maronite Patriarch Hands Ban Memo on Presidential Elections
Naharnet/March 26/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi handed United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon a memo on the ongoing presidential vacuum during the talks they held on Friday, reported An Nahar daily on Saturday. The memo includes a demand that the international community assume its responsibilities towards Lebanon regarding the presidential deadlock. It said that the elections “are no longer an internal affair, but they have taken on Arab and regional aspects, which requires the U.N. and Security Council to intervene.” Bishop Boulos Sayyah told al-Joumhouria newspaper that Ban was the first to bring up the issue of the presidential impasse during his meeting with al-Rahi. He told the patriarch that the Lebanese people must elect a head of state because the vacuum is leading to instability and the paralysis of state institutions, to which al-Rahi replied that the polls have become linked to external affairs.
“Al-Rahi did not receive a vow from Ban that he will seek to end the deadlock because the U.N. chief insists that this is a Lebanese matter,” Sayyah revealed. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps have thwarted the polls.

Mashnouq Calls for Municipal Elections in May
Naharnet/March 26/16/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq issued a decree on Saturday calling electoral bodies to take part in the municipal elections. “I made a promise and I committed to it,” he said. “The municipal elections will take place on time and as scheduled,” he added, according to various media.
The municipal elections in Beirut and Bekaa-al-Hermal districts will take place on May 8, while the elections in Mount Lebanon will be held on May 15.The date and time of the elections in al-Nabatiyeh, the North, and Akkar will be announced next week.

Bassil Urges Unilateral Lebanese Steps to Stop Naturalization: Displacement Feeds Terrorism
Naharnet/March 26/16/Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil warned on Saturday that there are indirect efforts to naturalize Syrian refugees in Lebanon, while warning that terrorism is a product of the refugee crisis. He urged during a press conference “the adoption of unilateral and sovereign steps, otherwise naturalization will be imposed on us.” “I know that some politicians have remained silent over this issue for political and sectarian interests. “Some officials want to naturalize the refugees in order to gain a sectarian upper hand in elections,” he declared. “Those keen on national unity should help us confront the refugee flow. This is a sign of national unity.”The minister noted that Lebanon has not received substantial assistance from the international community to help it confront the refugee burden. “We only received a few loans as if we are being bought. We are not for sale,” Bassil stated.
He also rejected claims that resolving the presidential vacuum will end the refugee crisis. This problem existed prior to 2014, he told reporters. “We can demonstrate our goodwill to the Syrians by allowing them to go home,” he continued, by noting that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had earlier this week said that there has been a drop in violence in Syria. “Given this drop, why haven't they started to go back to their country?” asked Bassil. Furthermore, he noted that the refugees and displaced are a “source of terrorism”, deeming as a “dangerous sign” the international community's “abandonment” of the refugees. “Displacement causes chaos. The sense of abandonment fuels the need for revenge and eventually terrorism,” he explained. “We cannot separate terrorism from the displaced. We cannot overlook the consequences of the displacement, which we are witnessing in Europe,” he said in reference to this week's suicide attacks in the Belgian capital Brussels. Lebanon distinguishes between displacement and terrorism, he said however. Moreover, the foreign minister noted that European countries have recently started turning back refugees and occasionally resorting to violence to deter them. “Lebanon has never adopted such measures and it has always been generous towards the displaced, even to those who do not qualify to be labeled as refugees,” he said. “What have we gotten in return? What have the Lebanese people gotten in return?” he asked, while lamenting the lack of serious efforts to resolve the refugee file. Lebanon is home to more than 1 million registered Syrian refugees, or nearly a quarter of the country's 4.5 million people. Lebanon says that another half a million Syrians live in the country as well. United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon concluded on Friday a two-day visit to Lebanon during which he paid a visit to Syrian refugee encampments. He also held talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam, assuring him, according to media reports, that there are no efforts to naturalize the displaced.“Ban's visit to Lebanon, along with all of its mistakes, was a detail in the international perception of the Syrian refugee file,” Bassil said.

Cabinet Meets Thursday to Tackle State Security Agency
Naharnet/March 26/16/The government is scheduled to convene next week with some 120 articles on its agenda, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday. The regular cabinet session, set for Thursday, is also expected to tackle the issue of the state security agency. Contacts are ongoing in order to resolve the dispute over the matter, ministerial sources told the daily. No progress has been achieved so far however, they revealed. Earlier in March, the Kataeb Party’s three representatives in the cabinet and Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon warned that they would take action if the government fails to resolve the “marginalization” of the general-directorate of state security. The directorate had sent a bill to the cabinet on March 20, 2014 asking for the creation of a six-member leadership authority under which the director-general, Maj. Gen. George Qaraa, a Catholic, would have the casting vote. But the former secretary general of the cabinet, Suhail Bouji, paralyzed the plan by saying that the approval of the bill requires a draft-law to be adopted by the parliament unlike a decision made by the Shura Council. Media reports speculated that Bouji’s move likely came as a result of his friendship with the deputy director-general, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Tufaili.

Report: Ban Assures Salam that Lebanon Must Continue on Rejecting Naturalization of Refugees
Naharnet/March 26/16/United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon concluded on Friday a two-day visit to Lebanon during which held talks with Prime Minsiter Tammam Salam and toured Syrian refugee encampments in the country. For the first time, the U.N. chief was able to closely inspect various affairs on the ground, “which will favor Lebanon,” diplomatic sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper. Among these issues is his rejection of the naturalization of refugees, which he informed Salam of, they added. He urged officials to exert efforts to ensure the displaced people's return to their country and to pressure, to that end, major powers concerned with the Syrian crisis. Ban was able to witness firsthand the situation of Syrian refugees on the ground and their political, security, economic, social, educational, and health burden, remarked the sources. This will encourage international organizations to increase their aid to Lebanon and seek to ensure the return of the refugees to their homeland. Lebanon is home to more than 1 million registered Syrian refugees, or nearly a quarter of the country's 4.5 million people. Lebanon says that another half a million Syrians live in the country as well. Ban held talks during his trip with Salam, Speaker Nabih Berri, Defense Minister Samir Moqbel, and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi. He also visited the headquarters of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon in al-Naqoura in the South.

Arrested Brussels Suspect May be Fugitive Airport Bomber
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 26/16/A suspect has been charged with terrorist murder and police are trying to confirm if he is the third Brussels airport bomber who fled the scene, a source close to the probe said Saturday. "He has been charged with taking part in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder," the prosecutor said in a statement, naming the suspect as Faycal C, one of six people detained in several separate police raids late on Thursday. Asked by AFP if the suspect was the fugitive captured on CCTV wearing a hat and pushing a luggage trolley through the check-in hall alongside two other suicide bombers, the source said it was not yet confirmed. "That is a hypothesis the investigators are working on," the source told AFP. Belgian media have repeatedly identified the man in the footage, who is wearing a light coat and black hat, as Faycal Cheffou. The prosecutor's statement said police searched the suspect's home but found no arms or explosives. Faycal C. is the first to be charged over Tuesday's airport and metro bombings, in which 31 people were killed and 300 injured. A second suspect, identified as Rabah N. and who had links to a foiled plot in France, was charged with taking part in terrorist activities. A third man, Aboubakar A., is being held on similar charges. Another suspect, who was arrested on Friday after being shot in the leg at a tram stop in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels, is being held for another 24 hours as investigations continue. He was identified as Abderaman A. And another man, Tawfik A., was released after extensive questioning, the statement said.

Pope slams Europe’s treatment of migrants
AFP, Rome Saturday, 26 March 2016/Pope Francis decried what he called Europe’s “indifferent and anaesthetized conscience” over migrants, during Good Friday prayers in Rome during which he also slammed pedophile priests, arms dealers and fundamentalists. Tens of thousands of Catholic faithful gathered for the service, many clutching candles in the imposing surrounds of the city’s famous Colosseum, where thousands of Christians are believed to have been killed in Roman times. “O Cross of Christ, today we see you in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas which have become insatiable cemeteries, reflections of our indifferent and anaesthetized conscience,” the 79-year old pontiff said, referring to the thousands who set off in unseaworthy boats to reach Greece and the rest of Europe. Pope Francis delivers his message during the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) torchlight procession on Good Friday in front of Rome's Colosseum, Friday, March 25, 2016. (AP). Francis has long called for the global community to open its doors to refugees and fight xenophobia -- appeals which have intensified since a controversial deal between Europe and Turkey to expel migrants arriving in Greece. The Argentine pope did not spare his own Church, fiercely denouncing pedophile priests whom he described as those “unfaithful ministers who, instead of stripping themselves of their own vain ambitions, divest even the innocent of their dignity”. The Roman Catholic Church continues to be dogged by cases of predatory priests and past cover-ups. Just this month a French cardinal faced calls to resign over allegations he promoted a cleric who had a previous conviction for sexual abuse. In the wake of this week’s deadly attacks in Brussels, Francis slammed “terrorist acts committed by followers of some religions which profane the name of God and which use the holy name to justify their unprecedented violence”. The pope added it was “arms dealers who feed the cauldron of war with the innocent blood of our brothers and sisters” and raged against “traitors who, for thirty pieces of silver, would consign anyone to death”.
‘Egotistical and hypocritical society’. Francis also evoked the expressions on the faces of children fleeing war “who often only find death and many Pilates who wash their hands” - a reference to Pontius Pilate, who, according to Christian tradition, said he was bowing to public demand in ordering Jesus’s crucifixion, in a bid to shrug off personal responsibility. In his wide-ranging diatribe, the head of the Roman Catholic Church lashed out at persecutors of Christians in particular, lamenting “our sisters and brothers killed, burned alive, throats slit and decapitated by barbarous blades amid cowardly silence”. He also turned a steely gaze on Western cultures, talking of “our egotistical and hypocritical society”, which casts off the elderly and disabled and lets its children starve. During the service, a small group of believers carried a cross between 14 “stations” evoking the last hours of Jesus’s life during the traditional Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession, amid visibly heightened security at the former gladiator battle ground. Sitting under a red canopy next to a large cross, Francis listened earlier to a lengthy meditation written by Italian Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, who spoke of the darkest moments of humanity, where belief in God is most deeply shaken. “Where is God in the extermination camps? Where is God in the mines and factories where children work as slaves? Where is God in makeshift boats that sink in the sea?” he said in reference to the migrant vessels and the many who have drowned. Good Friday is the second of four intensive days in the Christian calendar culminating in Easter Sunday, commemorating Christ’s resurrection. On Saturday, the pontiff will take part in an evening Easter vigil in St Peter’s Basilica, before celebrating Easter mass on Sunday and pronouncing the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing to the world.

Brussels attacker had been on US terror watchlist
Reuters, Washington/Brussels Saturday, 26 March 2016/Ibrahim El Bakraoui, one of the Brussels suicide bombers, was on a US counterterrorism watchlist before the November attacks in Paris and his brother Khalid was put on the list shortly afterward, sources familiar with the matter said. Reuters previously reported that both brothers had been known to US authorities before the March 18 arrest of Salah Abdeslam, a French national who prosecutors say had a key role in the Paris attacks. Belgian prosecutors have identified Brahim El Bakraoui as one of two suicide bombers who attacked Brussels’ Zaventem Airport on Tuesday, while they say Khalid El Bakraoui carried out a suicide bombing at Brussels' Maelbeek Metro station, near European Union headquarters. CCTV surveillance image shows what Belgian officials believe may be suspects in the Brussels airport attack.
Meanwhile, Belgian police arrested three more people on Friday as investigations into Tuesday's suicide bombings by militants in Brussels threw up more links to killings in Paris last year. The federal prosecutor's office said the operation was connected to the arrest in Paris on Thursday of an Islamist convicted in Belgium last year and suspected of plotting a new attack. Police issued a wanted notice for a man suspected of involvement in Tuesday’s bomb attacks at Brussels airport. (AP) Nine people in total have been arrested since Thursday in Belgium and two in Germany, as European authorities swoop on ISIS militants they link both to the Brussels bombings that killed 31 people and to the attacks in Paris last November that killed 130. Ahead of one of the arrests, heavily armed police and troops with trucks cordoned off an area around a major intersection in the northern Brussels borough of Schaerbeek. Three blasts could be heard, which the local mayor Bernard Clerfayt said were controlled explosions. Belgian flags seen at a street memorial service near the old stock exchange in Brussels following Tuesday's bomb attacks in Brussels, Belgium, March 23, 2016. (Reuters) Belgian public broadcaster RTBF quoted Clerfayt as saying the suspect had been detained after being wounded and that he was linked to Tuesday's suicide bombings in Brussels. It initially said he had been found to be in possession of a suitcase full of explosives but later news reports did not confirm that explosives were found. Witnesses said police appeared to shoot the man in the leg at a tram stop and that he appeared to have his daughter with him. "We heard 'Don't move'. The man was sitting at the bus stop, a bus stop with a glass wall, and we heard a small detonation and a big detonation," said Norman Kabir, 38, an electrician who lives and works nearby. "Then the police came, took the little girl who was shouting 'Dad', she seemed terrified and the man got shot in the leg anyway because he was still moving," Kabir told reporters. "Then the police asked him to move his bag. He was lying on the ground, but he did it and pushed the bag and a robot from the mine-sweeping brigade arrived. It came, grabbed the bag and took it away, then they took the guy, put him in a car and left. It took 20 seconds." Video showed the man lying on his side, shattered glass from the tram shelter smashed by bullets at his feet. ISIS suicide bombers hit Brussels airport and a metro train on Tuesday in the worst such assaults in Belgian history. Investigators believe they were carried out by the same cell behind November's gun and bomb attacks in Paris.

Ban Ki-moon urges release of detained and missing UN staff
The Associated Press, United Nations Saturday, 26 March 2016/United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed for the release of all missing and detained staff on Friday and urged that those responsible for killing a UN official in Iraq and others be brought to justice. In Syria alone, the UN said 35 staff members are missing or detained, the majority from the agency for Palestinian refugees. Ban said in a message marking the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff on Friday that five UN personnel are being held by unnamed member states “without any reasons given for the arrests.” He said six staffers were held hostage by armed groups last year before being released. “Personnel, especially those deployed under dangerous conditions, deserve full protection and rights,” the secretary-general said. “I call on all parties to respect the rights, privileges and immunities of United Nations personnel.”Ban singled out the killing of Amer al-Kaissy, an Iraqi who headed the UN Development office in Diyala and was abducted outside the government building in Baqubah on April 26, 2015. His body was found and finally identified last month. In 2014, the UN reported that 128 UN civilians were detained or arrested, and only a minority involved legitimate national criminal charges, the UN Staff Union said. It urged Ban to establish a high-level panel to review security and laws related to UN personnel who are “increasingly facing deliberate attacks, kidnapping, abductions and unlawful detentions.”Kevin Kennedy, the UN regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, said that since March 2011 when the conflict began, 17 UN staff members have lost their lives. In addition, he said, 53 Syrian Red Crescent staff and volunteers, 8 Palestinian Red Crescent Society staff, and hundreds of medical workers were killed. And credible reports indicate that at least 55 staff working for humanitarian organizations were killed in Syria just since January 2015, Kennedy said. “This is a shocking and bleak reality,” he said. “These people are not numbers. They have lives, stories, families and friends.”

Obama: stigmatizing Muslims ‘plays into hands’ of militants
AFP, Washington Saturday, 26 March 2016/President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Americans not to stigmatize Muslims following this week’s deadly attacks in Brussels, saying that doing so is “counterproductive” in the fight against radical Islam. In his weekly media address, Obama said Muslim-Americans are “our most important partners in the nation’s fight against those who would wage violent jihad." “That’s why we have to reject any attempt to stigmatize Muslim-Americans, and their enormous contributions to our country and our way of life,” Obama said. “Such attempts are contrary to our character, to our values, and to our history as a nation built around the idea of religious freedom. It’s also counterproductive,” he said. “It plays right into the hands of terrorists who want to turn us against one another -- who need a reason to recruit more people to their hateful cause.” Obama made his remarks as the global community continues to reel from Tuesday’s attacks in Belgium, claimed by ISIS, which killed 31 dead, including two Americans, and wounded 300. “At least 14 Americans were injured, and we pray for their full recovery, along with everyone else affected by these attacks,” Obama said. The remarks by the Democratic president follow controversial statements in the wake of the Brussels bombings by the two top Republicans vying to succeed him in the White House. Texas Senator Ted Cruz demanded this week that police “patrol and secure” Muslim neighborhoods in the US in the aftermath of the Brussels attacks, and reiterated an earlier call to suspend the relocation of Syrian refugees to the country.Donald Trump, meanwhile, repeated his demand for the government to temporarily bar all Muslims from entering the US. The billionaire real estate baron first called for a ban on entry into the US by Muslims back in December, following a deadly shooting attack in San Bernardino, California.

US says it hasn’t changed position on Assad
The Associated Press, Washington Saturday, 26 March 2016/The Obama administration maintained Friday that President Bashar Assad shouldn’t lead Syria any longer, rejecting a Russian claim that the US has changed its position. Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov saying Washington now accepts Moscow’s argument that Assad’s future shouldn’t be open for negotiation right now. Assad’s Russian-backed government and Western-supported rebels recently concluded a round of peace talks and will meet again next month. Secretary of State John Kerry visited President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials in the Kremlin this week to plot the next steps. State Department spokesman John Kirby said: “Any suggestion that we have changed in any way our view of Assad’s future is false. Assad has lost his legitimacy to govern. We haven’t changed our view on that.”The US softened demands last year for Assad’s immediate departure, but still insists he should resign at some point in a political transition process. Russia says outside powers shouldn’t try to determine Syria’s leadership. Assad has offered no indication he is willing to leave power. At least 250,000 people — and perhaps as many as a half million — have been killed in the five-year civil war. The fighting also has spawned Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II and has led to the emergence of ISIS.

Syrian army advancing inside ISIS-held Palmyra
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 26 March 2016/Syrian government forces advanced into the ancient city of Palmyra on several fronts on Saturday, backed by waves of artillery barrages and Russian air strikes, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting was the heaviest yet in the army's three-week campaign to recapture the desert city from ISIS fighters. Russian warplanes deployed in Syria have made 40 sorties around the city of Palmyra over the past 24 hours, hitting 158 ISIS targets and killing more than 100 militants, Russian news agencies quoted Russia’s defense ministry as saying on Saturday. It said Syrian soldiers and allied militias had taken control of neighborhoods in the western and northern parts of the city. Syrian state media earlier said the army had taken full control of Al-Amiriya district on the northern edge of Palmyra. Two Lebanese TV stations showed footage Saturday of Syrian tanks and machine guns firing at positions inside the town, with smoke rising over the skyline. The Observatory says ISIS killed at least 10 soldiers in a counter-offensive earlier in the day. Many of the Palmyra’s Roman-era relics, including the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel and the iconic Arch of Triumph, have been blown up by ISIS. The town, a UNESCO world heritage site, has been held by ISIS since May. Palmyra had a population of 50,000 according to a census more than 10 years ago. Those numbers were swelled hugely by an influx of people displaced by Syria's conflict, which has raged since 2011, but most fled when ISIS took over. Recapturing the city would open up eastern Syria, where ISIS controls most of the Euphrates Valley provinces of Deir al-Zor and Raqqa, to the army.
(With Reuters, AFP, and the Associated Press)

Anti-terror Islamic alliance to meet in Riyadh
By Staff writer Al Arabiya English Saturday, 26 March 2016/The military chiefs of staff from Muslim nations participating in a alliance to fight terrorism will meet in the Saudi capital on Sunday, the state-run news agency reported. The meeting, considered the first of its kind, aims to coordinate efforts among the 34 Muslim countries involved in the alliance. The counter-terrorism Islamic force was announced in December by Saudi Defense minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a bid to establish a unified Muslim body to fight terrorism. The coalition started through the establishment of a joint operations center in Riyadh.

US to fund multi-million-dollar Tunisia border surveillance
AFP, Tunis Saturday, 26 March 2016/The United States has agreed to fund a multi-million-dollar project to install an electronic security surveillance system on Tunisia's border with strife-torn Libya, the US embassy said Friday. In a statement, the diplomatic mission said that the US was disbursing the first installment of the $24.9 million project to strengthen security along the frontier. The US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) awarded the contract to American construction group BTP and consulting and engineering firm AECOM, a diplomatic source told AFP. According to the embassy, the project involves the installation of an integrated surveillance system using sensors and regular security equipment. The project includes training Tunisian forces to use the system, the statement added, without giving a start or completion date. Tunisia has built a 200-kilometre (125-mile) barrier that stretches about half the length of its border with Libya in an attempt to prevent militants from infiltrating. A series of deadly attacks by ISIS on foreign holidaymakers last year, which have dealt a devastating blow to the country's tourism industry, are believed to have been planned from Libya.

Turkish army says soldier killed in northern Iraq
Reuters, Istanbul Saturday, 26 March 2016/A Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded in northern Iraq on Saturday when rockets fired by ISIS during clashes with Iraqi Kurdish fighters landed in a base where Turkish troops were deployed, the army said. NATO member Turkey, part of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, sent troops to northern Iraq in December, citing heightened security risks near Bashiqa, where its soldiers have been training an Iraqi militia to fight Islamist militants. Baghdad objected to the Turkish deployment. "Islamic State targets identified in the region have been shot back at," the Turkish military said in a statement. Saturday's incident came less than a week after ISIS militants attacked the Bashiqa military base, triggering a retaliation from Turkey. The Turkish army said on Saturday the rockets had landed near the Gedu base area. Local sources said this referred to a site on the frontline north of Mosul, near to Bashiqa. Last week, backed by Kurdish peshmerga fighters and the U.S.-led coalition, Iraqi forces launched an offensive against ISIS in the Makhmour area, southeast of Mosul, that was touted as the start of a broader campaign to clear areas around the city. Mosul is by far the largest population centre controlled by the ISIS militants and has already been cut off on three sides by the Kurdish peshmerga, who are less than 15 km (9 miles) from its northern outskirts at some points along the front line. Iraqi officials say they will retake Mosul this year. However many question in private whether the army, which partially collapsed when ISIS overran a third of Iraq in June 2014, will be ready in time.

Belgium charges airport suspect, calls off march
Reuters, Brussels Saturday, 26 March 2016/Belgian prosecutors charged three men on Saturday with terrorist offences over the Brussels bomb attacks and authorities called off a planned ‘march against fear’ in the jittery capital to relieve pressure on an over-taxed police force. The suicide bomb attacks targeting Brussels airport and a rush-hour metro train on Tuesday killed 31 people, including three of the attackers, and injured hundreds more. Islamic State has claimed responsibility. Amid increasing signs that the attacks were carried out by the same militant network that was behind bombings and shootings in Paris last November that killed 130 people, German lawmakers said Europe urgently needed to improve the way its security agencies share information. Of the three men charged on Saturday, Belgian prosecutors named one as Faycal C. Belgian media identified him as Faycal Cheffou and said he was the man wearing a hat and a light-coloured jacket in last Tuesday’s airport CCTV footage that showed three men pushing baggage trolleys bearing luggage. The two others in the picture are believed to have blown themselves up. Cheffou was charged with taking part in the activities of a terrorist group, and actual and attempted terrorist murder. The other two charged on Saturday, Aboubakar A. and Rabah N., were accused of terrorist activities and membership of a terrorist group. Rabah N. was wanted in connection with a related raid in France this week that authorities say foiled an apparent attack plot. Brussels mayor Yvan Mayeur told Le Soir newspaper that Cheffou, who said he was a freelance journalist, was “dangerous” and that he had been detained a number of times at a park where he sought to encourage asylum seekers camped there to turn to radical extremism. The authorities also said that a man arrested on Friday after being shot in the leg at a tram stop in the Brussels district of Schaerbeek was being held for a further 24 hours. He was identified as Abderamane A. and was one of three people arrested on Friday. That operation was linked to the arrest in Paris on Thursday of an Islamist convicted in Belgium last year and suspected of plotting a new attack, Belgian prosecutors said. Brussels march. With Brussels still on high alert, organisers called off a “march against fear” planned for Sunday after officials including the city’s mayor urged people to stay away in order to spare the over-taxed police force. “The security of our citizens is an absolute priority,” said March organizer Emmanuel Foulon. “We totally agree with the authorities’ request to delay this plan for a later date. We in turn ask citizens not to come to Brussels this Sunday.”Officials said 24 victims from nine different nationalities had been identified so far from the attacks in Brussels, which is the headquarters of the European Union and NATO. Four people remain unidentified. Sweden’s foreign ministry confirmed the death of a Swedish woman in her 60s who had been missing since Tuesday. It said one Swedish citizen was still unaccounted for. Highlighting the jittery national mood, the murder this week of a security guard employed at a site in Belgium holding radioactive materials has stoked debate about the risks of militants attempting some kind of nuclear attack. On Saturday prosecutors denied media reports that the security guard had had his access badge stolen and the implication it could have been a motive for his murder. On Thursday, French language newspaper DH (Derniere Heure) had reported the suicide bombers who blew themselves up on Tuesday originally considered targeting a nuclear site, but a series of arrests of suspect militants forced them to speed up their plans and instead switch focus to Brussels. Late last year, investigators found a video tracking the movements of a man linked to Belgium’s nuclear industry during a search of a flat as part of investigations into the Islamist militant attacks on Paris on Nov. 13. In a gesture of solidarity with Brussels on Saturday, the Lebanese capital Beirut - itself often the target of bombings - lit up one of its landmarks in the colours of the Belgian flag. The Pigeon Rocks are striking natural rock arches by Beirut’s seashore. “We say to everyone, quite simply, that life must triumph over death,” Beirut governor Ziyad Chebib said.

UN chief offers condolences to Iraq after ISIS stadium bombing
The Associated Press, Baghdad Saturday, 26 March 2016/UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered his condolences on Saturday to the families and friends of the 41 people killed in a suicide bombing at a soccer stadium in Iraq, adding that the "the international community stands with Iraqis in horror and outrage."Speaking during an official visit to Iraq Saturday, Ban said that the battle against ISIS - which claimed the attack - must comply with international law, noting continued reports of arbitrary arrests and killings in ISIS-liberated areas. Friday's bombing took place during a match in a small stadium in the city of Iskanderiyah, 50 kilometers from the capital, Baghdad. The bombing killed 41 people and wounded 105, security and health officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters. The president of the world football federation FIFA, Gianni Infantino, also offered his condolences to those killed. "Around the world, football unites people. It is a very sad day, when people, going to a match together, become the victims of such violence," he said in a statement. ISIS has lost ground in recent months in Iraq and Syria, but has struck back in a series of large attacks targeting civilians.

Ted Cruz angrily denies adultery allegations, blames Trump
AFP, New York Saturday, 26 March 2016/Ted Cruz on Friday angrily slammed as "garbage" allegations from a US tabloid magazine that he had affairs with five mistresses and he accused Republican rival Donald Trump of concocting the explosive story. The National Enquirer splashed the alleged scandal across the front page of its April 4 edition, screaming "It's Over For Pervy Ted." The magazine touted "an explosive 'dirt file' on the finger-wagging conservative senator" but did not identify or quote any of the alleged mistresses in its online version. "Let me be clear, this National Enquirer story is garbage. It is complete and utter lies," Cruz told reporters from the campaign trail in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. "It is a tabloid smear, and it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen."He repeated the denial online. "For Donald J. Trump to enlist his friends at the National Enquirer and his political henchmen to do his bidding shows you that there is no low Donald won't go," Cruz said on his official Facebook page. "These smears are completely false, they're offensive to Heidi and me, they're offensive to our daughters, and they're offensive to everyone Donald continues to personally attack."Cruz campaign adviser Jason Johnson tweeted links to a report that Trump and Enquirer CEO David Pecker had been friends for years. Trump denied having anything to do with the story. "Ted Cruz's problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone, and while they were right about O.J. Simpson, John Edwards, and many others, I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin’ Ted Cruz." The magazine in 2007 broke the politically -- and personally -- damaging story of 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Edwards's extramarital affair as his wife battled cancer. Trump and Cruz this week escalated their bitter feud by clashing over their wives. An anti-Trump political group used a photograph of Trump's wife, Melania, a former model, lying nude in his private jet. The angry real estate mogul hit back by posting on Twitter a photograph of his wife next to an unflattering photograph of Cruz's wife Heidi, a Goldman Sachs banker on leave to campaign for her husband.

Belgium on anti-terror raid as Kerry visits
Agencies Friday, 25 March 2016/Belgian police carried out a fresh anti-terrorist operation on Friday and arrested a suspect after US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Belgium to hold counterterrorism talks. “I can confirm a police operation targeting a person who was intercepted by police and suffered a slight leg injury,” Schaerbeek Mayor Bernard Clerfayt told AFP. He added there had been several small explosions linked to bomb disposal work. Earlier, explosions were heard during a police search of a house in Brussels borough of Schaerbeek, Belga news agency said. The police operation in the Brussels borough of Schaerbeek early on Friday is part of an ongoing investigation following multiple bombing attacks which killed at least 31 people and wounded 316. The operation is linked to an attack plot in France that was foiled by French police on Thursday, Belga news agency cited French police sources as saying. Belgian media also reported that one person was “neutralized” during the operation. Kerry’s arrival Friday morning also comes hours after at least six people were detained in raids linked to Tuesday’s attacks on the Brussels airport and subway system. Belgian prosecutors are expected to decide later Friday whether to charge or release them. French counterterrorism police also detained a man Thursday who officials say was in the advanced stages of an attack plot. Officials told The Associated Press that the suspect, Reda Kriket, 34, had a past Belgian terrorism conviction and was linked to the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud.
Two Americans killed
At least two American citizens have been confirmed killed in this week’s attacks in Brussels, a U.S. official said Friday, as Kerry expressed his condolences to the Belgian people. Speaking after meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, Kerry said the “United States is praying and grieving with you for the loved ones of those cruelly taken from us, including Americans, and for the many who were injured in these despicable attacks.”He did not give a specific number but a senior official said the families of two Americans had been informed of their deaths in Tuesday’s attacks. The official, who was not authorized to speak to the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, did not have further details. “The United States stands firmly with Belgium and with the nations of Europe in the face of this tragedy,” Kerry said, adding that the world will not relent in its fight against the Islamic State group, which has claimed the attacks.Third day of mourning
Amid signs that life in Brussels was returning to some sort of normality on the third day of mourning the dead, authorities lowered Belgium’s terror-threat level by one notch. However, they said the situation remained grave and another attack is “likely and possible.” Belgium had been on its highest alert since Tuesday’s bombings.
Resignation offers
Belgian authorities have faced criticism for missing a series of signals pointing to a pending attack, and pressure is mounting on the government domestically and internationally. Belgium’s interior and justice ministers - who tried to resign this week but were told to keep working by the prime minister - are debating the airport and subway attacks with the country’s lawmakers Friday. Brahim el-Bakraoui was one of three identified suspected suicide bombers who hit the airport and metro train. A fifth suspected bomber filmed in the metro attack may be dead or alive. Bakraoui’s brother Khalid, 26, killed about 20 people at Maelbeek metro station in the city center. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Brahim el-Bakraoui, 29, had been expelled in July after being arrested near the Syrian border and two officials said he had been deported a second time. Belgian and Dutch police had been notified of Turkish suspicions that he was a foreign fighter trying to reach Syria. At the time, Belgian authorities replied that Bakraoui, who had skipped parole after serving less than half of a nine-year sentence for armed robbery, was a criminal but not a militant. “You can ask how it came about that someone was let out so early and that we missed the chance to seize him when he was in Turkey. I understand the questions,” Jambon said. “In the circumstances, it was right to take political responsibility and I offered my resignation to the prime minister.”
Geens said systems should be reviewed but noted that other countries had been targeted, citing the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States in which he noted that “there were 3,000 dead.”
Militant network
Investigators are convinced the same Islamist militant network was involved in the November Paris attacks. Belgian public broadcaster VRT said investigators believed that Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, arrested last Friday, probably planned a similar shooting and suicide bomb attack in Brussels.
The news website Politico Europe said investigators had only questioned Abdeslam for a single hour in the four days between his arrest on March 19 and the Brussels bombings. Belgian daily De Morgen said investigators had identified a new suspect they believe played a role in the Brussels bombings, naming him as 28-year-old Syrian Naim al-Hamed. The paper said he was on a list circulated to the security services of other European countries after Tuesday’s attacks along with Mohamed Abrini, Najim Laachraoui and Khalid El Bakraoui. Hamed was also suspected of involvement in the Paris attacks, De Morgen said.
One man was killed in a shootout with police on March 15 that led to the discovery of assault weapons and explosives and the arrest of Abdeslam, 26, and another suspect on March 18.Belgium on Thursday lowered its security alert level one notch to three from the highest level, four, but officials did not say what that would mean in terms of security measures that have included a heavy police and military presence in Brussels. ISIS posted a video on social media calling the Brussels blasts a victory and featuring the training of Belgian militants suspected in the Paris attacks. The lawyer for Abdeslam said the French national wanted to “explain himself” and would no longer resist extradition to France. Two sources familiar with the matter said the Bakraoui brothers had been on U.S. government counterterrorism watch lists before the attacks. But it was not clear how long they had been known to the authorities. Security sources told Belgian media the other suicide bomber at the airport was Laachraoui, a veteran Belgian Islamist fighter in Syria suspected of making explosive belts for November’s Paris attacks. Authorities have formally linked the Brussels bombings and the Nov. 13 attacks that left 130 dead in Paris. Both were apparently carried out by the same Belgium-based ISIS cell.
Some of the Brussels attackers had been on the run from authorities in France and Belgium but were still able to hide in safe houses, assemble bombs and carry out linked attacks. Turkey announced this week that it had warned Belgium last year that one of the Brussels attackers, Ibrahim el-Bakraoui, had been flagged as a “foreign terrorist fighter.”The intelligence shortcomings have prompted European authorities to call for quicker and more efficient intelligence cooperation. A manhunt is underway for one of the Brussels airport attackers who was recorded on a surveillance video and had fled the scene. Prosecutors have not said how many attackers there were in total, or how many accomplices might be at large. Belgian prosecutors said the raids Thursday night targeted central Brussels, Jette and the Schaerbeek neighborhood, where police had earlier found a huge stash of explosives and bomb-making material in an apartment used by the Brussels attackers.
Belgium’s nuclear agency
Elsewhere, Belgium’s nuclear agency said Friday that it has withdrawn the entry badges of some staff and denied access to other people recently amid concern the country’s nuclear plants could be a target for extremists. Nuclear control agency spokeswoman Nele Scheerlinck said the move at some plants “is not necessarily linked with the terrorist attacks,” noting that the decision to deny access usually takes weeks. The dead and wounded in the Brussels attacks came from dozens of countries, and are still being identified. (With Reuters and AP)

The Structural Shortcomings of the Kerry-Lavrov Syria Deal
Middle East Briefing/March 26/16
What transpired during the Geneva Syria talks does not inspire hope. The picture got even bleaker at the end of the talks when the regime delegation asked to postpone the next round of talks due to the Parliament election set by Assad for April. This is the same elections which were criticized by the US, Russia and all the parties as a sign of indifference towards the results of the talks.
We will look here closely at the two options of the diplomatic effort, success and failure, in order to explore what each may lead to. But let us first see what happened in Geneva.
The Assad regime submitted an eight-point paper which he called the “Basic Principles”. These “principles state general ideas like “an inclusive, non-Sectarian, democratic state in Syria”, the “need for elections, Parliamentary and Presidential”, “fighting terrorism and preserving regional stability” etc.
The UN Special Envoy Staphan de Mistura, declined to give an official copy of the regime’s paper to the Syrian opposition. He said the opposition “would be shocked if they see the paper”. The problem seems to have been not only the absence of any specific practical steps in the Assad’s “principles”, but also a kind of retreat from the UNSC resolution 2254 and, of course, from the Geneva Communique of 2012.
What is clear is that Assad deliberately left out of his papers main practical questions like: Where does the regime stand on the transitional authority issue? What is its position on the formation of an interim government? Would Assad step aside and hand all powers to a new national reconciliation government? Assad “principles” have no specific principles whatsoever.
De Mistura expressed some concern about the regime’s reluctance to address specifics. “We need to talk about procedural and practical measures. We are in a hurry”, he said. The following morning the regime’s delegation requested a delay in the whole process.
We do not have to wait for long to assess how serious Assad is. He has recently announced that he will hold Parliamentary elections of April 13 in time, notwithstanding international objections.
Assad seems in need for another reality shock. If he remains reality-proof as he seems to be now, the US and Russia should try to find ways to cut him off from the process somehow. This is indeed the moment of make or break.
Putin had to measure his blow to Assad. He reiterate that he preserves the “right” to send whatever forces he wishes back to Syria. This was due to his uncertainty about the course of the Kerry-Lavrov understanding or the policies of the next US administration. He does not want to break all in Syria, just to domesticate Assad a little more. But while Kerry and Lavrov are trying to develop their mutual understanding regarding Syria, it should be understood that, as it is now, this understanding cannot fly high. It has serious objective restrains. Even in the issue of enforcing the ceasefire, there are disagreements in many aspects.
But, for the sake of exploring the potential paths, let us assume that the current course goes forward and Assad remains in power for the moment, and the talks proceed as scheduled under intensive pressure from all the relevant parties. What should we expect?
Theoretically, one can put all possible options on the table and compare each with reality as it stands now. There is first the option of a sort of unified Syria. Secondly, there is the option of a federal Syria, whatever the name chosen to call it or the final form it will take. Finally, there is the option of continuing the war until we see another line of the future Anans-Ibrahimis-De Misturas.
The first option is indeed very difficult, though not impossible.
The second option looks to be the one that is instantly available and easier to implement. We discussed this option early last September (How to Reach a Transitional Truce in Syria –http://mebriefing.com/?p=1953).
The third option, which is the worst of them all, is the default option if all the others fail.
Let us further compare the first and the second options.
For as long as there is no joint regional understanding, the first option will remain difficult. The Arabs, Iran, Turkey and Jordan have to agree on their geographic and political spheres of influence in Syria and the forms of this influence. As long as a deal of that kind is not reached, no amount of pressure would prevent the partition of Syria, under any name.
Obviously, this option requires that the Alawi community and the Iranians credibly believe that a unified Syria is not necessarily a hostile Syria to them. This, in turn, requires a Russian-American formula that satisfies the Arabs and the Iranians and gets the approval of the majority of the opposition.
The current attempt to coordinate between Russia and the US covers only one part of the preconditions of reaching a political solution. The other two parts are the regional consent and the approval of Syrians on both sides of the fence. The two are still missing. The deal which starts with a cease fire, then talks on transitional measures, then a deal fitting the results of the talks and based on a continuation of the cessation of hostility, cannot fly on one wing.
Structurally, this is the main shortcoming of the Kerry-Lavrov deal: It is not enough. Even when it gets the situation as far as a relatively working ceasefire, it does not have the fuel to achieve a breakthrough, hence it risks to collapse at any point. We see that in Assad’s defiance and we even see it in the surprise that the ceasefire works at all.
We understand that Secretary Kerry is engaged, for some time now, with the Arabs and the Iranians in a persistent dialogue to get to a point where there is an “understanding” of the limits in Syria. We, furthermore, believe that the Secretary is making progress. But the challenging question is the timing. On one hand this process was already there when the ceasefire was enacted. On the other, we see Assad’s intransigency which expresses that the Secretary is not there yet. Assad would not have been that intransigent if the Iranians are satisfied there would be a reasonable compromise in Syria.
What should be discussed with the regional players?
The blueprints of a proposed formula exists already in the Geneva Communique and UNSCR 2254. But the general principles in both documents should be elaborated in a detailed form and discussed between Washington, Moscow, Riyadh, Ankara Tehran and Amman. The essence of this form should be the demarcation of limits as to how far each side may push Syria around to fit their own interest. Each side should have a clearly identified sphere which should not be crossed.
In Lebanon, we have previously seen this general principle at work. The lines of a similar idea was successfully implemented in the Taif agreement. The principle is valid, and if it is validated in Syria once more, it can work in other cases in the Middle East after the proper modifications to make it fit the peculiarity of each case.
This principle is to try to find a point of balance between different interests, in order to avoid the continuation of the conflict. The question of preserving the unity of Syria and diluting the appearance of any internal partition should not be looked at as a secondary issue here. For if this unity is not preserved, we will end up with a continuation of the war in a new context and under a new set of objectives.
Taking this option from the realm of abstraction to the real situation will lead to solving the question of Assad’s future. If advised by the Iranians to step down, it would be difficult to assume that the Syrian dictator would then be too blind to see that he is left naked, with no allies anywhere. The Iranians will not advise him to step down unless his role becomes obsolete or, even better, a liability.
A deal regarding Syria, between the regional players, as difficult as it is, should be an absolute priority now. It is worth the heavy lifting it requires to be achieved. If it is delayed, the precious little that has been accomplished would be gone with the wind in no time.
What should be done with the opposition groups which rejects an inclusive non-sectarian state? How to concretely reform the national army and the security structure if such a deal is reached? In what way should the opposition groups, which accept the deal, be absorbed in the nation-state institutions?
The answer to all these hypothetical questions is defined by the premises of the diplomatic effort. If the starting point is indeed a free and democratic Syria, without Assad and his mafia, and with a profound respect for the basic rights of its citizens and all minorities, this starting point would define the line that separates who is in the side of the new Syria which will rise from the ashes, and who wants to pull back Syria to its bloody and oppressive past.
We do not have to dwell for long in the futile attempt of qualifying where each and every opposition or regime component would be or how to absorb the armed groups, rebuild the national army and fight terrorism. We have to get busy with determining first what kind of gauge or measure which should be used to qualify whoever is playing a role in the Syrian crisis. The gauge here is exactly what is mentioned in the Geneva Communique and the UNSCR 2254. Once implemented, the process of sorting out friends and foes will be done for us by those components themselves.
To be able to throw the small piece of gravel around which the New Syria will crystalize, Assad has to go and the external parties have to agree on the limits of their spheres. Both objectives are interdependent and within reach. They could be achieved if the current channels between the US and Russia remain constructive, and if they develop their explorations of a way forward and direct their effort more urgently towards the regional parties.
If this scenario is not achieved, we would find ourselves dealing with the current mediocre intransigencies of Assad and ridiculous questions regarding the formation of a “national army”.
Clearly, this first option is not based on a fully free and independent Syria. Its usefulness is that it helps to conceptualize a synthesis of both the unified Syria and a de facto partitioned Syria all the while reducing the manifestations of the partition to an acceptable and practical levels. A unified Syria and a partitioned Syria seems irreconcilable and hence pose what is perceived in an either or equation. But it does not need to be so.
That will carry the situation to the second option, which we see now, and which looks as if it is walking a tight rope: that partition under a “Très Chic” name like decentralization or federation or whatever. This option appears easier in the surface, but may hide more problems than the first option.
If it is to be the second option, that is a clear and direct partition, true and rhetorical rejection would culminate in an open resistance. The writing is on the wall. All Syrians are demonstrating now against the use of the “F” word, that is federalism. We can only imagine how fighting for re-uniting the homeland would certainly become the motto for the second phase of the war for Syria.
To sum up, the first option-that is to keep Syria, in form, unified, should go through a kind of Taif deal. While all political forces can share the public political life, the core of the State, the army and the security forces, must remain firmly under the control of apolitical Syrians committed only to protecting their country and maintaining stability. The road to this Syria is already clear in the Geneva Communique and UNSCR 2254. However, the ingredients of a workable mechanism to reach it, though improved dramatically with the Kerry-Lavrov deal, are not there yet. The critical ingredient of a regional understanding regarding Syria is missing. And this is why the process is hanging on a thread and no one is certain how it will end. Such an understanding will make the role of Assad obsolete.
The second option, which is Federalism or decentralization or whatever, is unsustainable in the medium range, if it would last that long. By analyzing it, we will see that it would turn to be merely a pause on the road to the third option, which is what we have been seeing for the last five years.
The Geneva process cannot be extended for long due to the rapid tempo of the conflict and its intensity. The bases of the opposition leaders who are busy in a long term parley in Geneva will abandon their bosses and their ceasefire positions and join those who fight, particularly if Assad continues his reckless defiance. Yet, the talks should continue for as long as it takes to reach a regional understanding. If such an understanding is not reached, it is more likely than not that the tragedy will carry on.

Tehran and the Re-Making of Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Middle East Briefing/March 26/16
Against all odds, Iran is trying to rebuild the bridges, blown by the downing of a Russian jet last October, between Moscow and Ankara. The Iranian initiative came in response to a Turkish request to see if there are ways to move forward in the ties between Russia and Turkey. The request of intermediation was discussed during the March 4 visit of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu to Iran.
Tehran conveyed the message of Davutoglu after he departed Iran. Javad Zarif received an initial response when Sergey Lavrov called him just few hours before he started, finally, his postponed visit to Ankara March 19. The contents of the exchange are not known. However, preliminary readings from Ankara point to a negative Russian response.
The way it looks, at least from the outside, is that there is a coordinated effort to ease Turkey’s reversal in many regional issues as a precondition for reopening its roads east. The assumption is that Ankara’s road to the EU is all but completely blocked, its ties with Washington are tense following the de facto establishment of a PKK friendly “entity” on Turkey’s southern borders with Washington’s blessings, its role in the Syrian war has been largely reduced, its ambitions in the Arab World are dashed after the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, its once promising energy projects with Russia are cancelled, and NATO declined to provide help for any Turkish move against the Kurds inside Syria. Even the UN condemned Turkish shelling across the borders there. And finally, Turkey is the target of a relentless terrorist campaign, where the PKK and ISIL take turns in killing Turkish civilians. Erdogan seems to be losing in all fronts.
This is indeed a dilemma for the Turkish President. The Ottoman glory, which he saw getting closer, suddenly disappeared. It is replaced with closed roads in all four directions. Except, of course, the one that Zarif opens in a cautiously calculated fashion. The Turkish President has been smoothly robbed of all his cards. Would he accept Iran’s help to climb down the tree?
Washington is getting its shot as well, however focusing on substantive issues, rather than the general picture in which Erdogan looks increasingly cornered. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken led an interagency delegation to Turkey March 22-23 for the 4th U.S.-Turkey Working Group on Regional Security Issues. But what regional security exactly? Erdogan is cut off from Syria, the Kurds are celebrating on the other side of his borders and Turkish cities have turned to be the preferred destination of suicide bombers.
And here comes the Iranians. While in Ankara, Zarif underlined the need for high cooperation between the two countries. He said that the Iranian leadership attaches “great significance” to relations with Turkey. He told Erdogan that Iran and Turkey should join hands to resolve the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
Surprisingly, or maybe not so much so, Erdogan welcomed the Iranian offer. He said that the promotion of relations between Iran and Turkey serves the interests of the two neighbors and can contribute to regional peace and stability. Erdogan reiterated his, and Tehran’s, repeated rhetoric by saying that the West wants to weaken the Muslim world and Ankara and Tehran shoulder a heavy responsibility in resolving regional crises.
The calculation of the Iranians are almost self-evident: This is the right moment to target the Turks and move them away from any potential Sunni Front in the Middle East. Rebuilding the bridges with Russia is not going to happen for free. And Tehran does not even hide that. Erdogan, heading to a desperate point, had to trust the mouse with the key of the cheese store. Turkish favors rendered to Iran during the sanctions are in Tehran’s mind, particularly if they insist on carrying on with their policies of defying the West. But even those favors were part of the defiance policy. This policy is the source. One should not expect Tehran to alter this fundamental policy only in order to accommodate Erdogan on regional plans or to repay the favors which he rendered the Iranians during the sanctions.
While in Turkey, Zarif was particularly elaborate in talking about turning Iranian-Turkish relations into “a model” for the region. Erdogan responded positively pointing to the need for a continuous dialogue between Turkey and Iran as “Cooperation between Iran and Turkey is effective and useful in settling regional crises”. Of course, this could be blah blah. But since when do Iranians accept checks? They deal only in cash. It is a matter of principle here.
It is difficult to see the Iranian move in isolation from the general US- Russian push to get regional powers to a kind of the strategic center of gravity-towards the center between the two opposed positions. The idea is that all the parties in this troubled region have to climb down their own trees a bit and go, one after the other, to the leveled land of compromise. This is why Putin pulled out part of his forces out of Syria, and this is why Washington turned a cold shoulder to Erdogan.
The agent, or the mouse, to do this with the Turks is Tehran. And the direction of the wind is favorable. Erdogan is living in a real strategic nightmare. Iran tells him: We can help. But when you do the job, you can deviate it a little to fit your own objective. Some cheese will help. And the cornered Erdogan is indeed in a dire spot.
On the economic front, Turkey is faced with the consequences of a chain of terrorist attacks, the Russian sanctions, and an increasing sense of uncertainty about the future. Erdogan’s brutal crackdown on domestic critics is also raising questions about medium term stability in the country.
Tourism has dropped, exports lost ground, unemployment increased, foreign direct investment retreating and growth slowed down. It is the moment of wakening up from the fantasy of becoming the Middle East leader.
It is not all dark however. Turkey is still building major infrastructural projects and the prospects of the country’s economy are strong. But there is a need for political adjustments. Somehow, Erdogan has to find a way to make a realistic U-Turn. And Iran proposes to facilitate this process, for some cheese of course. What helps also is that both sides agree on rejecting the establishment of a Kurdish autonomous region in the North of Syria. They both understand that they are no more the principle players in the Syrian war. And they both understand that this round of regional heavy wrestling is probably entering its countdown. Any turn in Turkish regional policy would naturally be measured and cautious. But if a breeze of reconciliation and diplomacy blows on the region, the “either or” would be moved away from Erdogan’s road. But there would be another “either or”. It is either the Turkish President can indeed climb down from the high tree of the neo-Ottoman aspirations and show his real self which has always been a statesman and a realist, or he will move himself, and Turkey, to another deadend.
It is clear that Iran is also thinking of the cheese store. If any potential path for energy through Syria has now become a very long term hope, Turkey could come handy. Helping the Turkish President climb down his neo-Ottoman throne is self-serving to the Iranians. It will also give Tehran some leverage in its relations with the big bear in the North: Vladimir Putin. It is not the right choice to get Erdogan cornered. It will prove to be a risky proposition. He should be assisted to scale down his previous plans in a gradual and organized fashion. For what really counts is that Turkey has a lot to do to preserve stability in the Middle East, rebuild its warzones and solve its challenging problems.

The Countdown to Defeat ISIL in Mosul Begins Amid Political Troubles in Baghdad
Middle East Briefing/March 26/16
The Obama administration chose to stand by Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider Abadi in the face of the political storm currently raging in Baghdad, while at the same time encouraging him to pursue his reforms. Ambassador Stuart Jones gave Abadi almost unconditional support in statements to the media March 20. “The US supports PM Abadi’s measures in regard to reform. We are confident the PM will succeed and will implement his reforms and international community will provide him the support he needs to achieve the goals related to reform”, Jones said.
For what it is worth, Jones support came in a critical moment for Abadi. From the PM’s perspective, he is trying to strike the proper balance between entrenched political groups which is publicly accused of widespread corruption, and a new set of rules which can reduce corruption and cronyism.
But from the perspective of Mr. Abadi’s critics, he is weak, hesitant and does not possess the qualities needed for a leadership role to do what he says he wants to do.
Each of the two opposed views can provide a rich base for long arguments to prove this or that point. The discussion could carry on for hours without necessarily reaching a conclusion. But when the whole table is threatened to be overturned, choices are suddenly pushed to a different phase-that of action. And in this particular case, the shadows of rapid developments on the ground should be considered a genuine partner in the parley.
The US administration seems to have concluded that Abadi, and despite all his shortcomings, should be supported in the face of thousands gathering in a sit-in just outside the Green Zone in Baghdad, and many other political threats emerging from the usual corruption suspects. Furthermore, Washington is focused mainly on the fight against ISIL. And so far, Abadi is not blocking its road to Mosul.
For Abadi, reform is like a delicate surgery. One should be patient and avoid “side effects”, provocation of other symptoms and any sweeping measures. He justifies his view by a long description of the very nature of the enemies of reform. They are everywhere in the government and the Parliament. They control real powers and can cause real damage. He says it would be unwise to try to take them all in one comprehensive coup. It would not work, and they may do something foolish.
And, indeed, Baghdad circulated many rumors about many foolish things that the corrupt political powers, which also control well-armed forces in the army, police and militias, maybe planning to do to stop Abadi from taking away the cows they milk.
Therefore, the issue of either Abadi is decisive enough should not be looked at in a closed room. It is relative. It should be looked in comparison to other scenarios and in consideration of the general political landscape in which he acts. Stuart was right to announce support to Abadi. He probably should have been a little more economic in that as no one knows what may happen tomorrow, but the tone of support given to the PM was obviously a message, and it was the right message.
The atmosphere in Baghdad is tense, to say the least. Political meetings end somewhere to begin somewhere else. No one is smiling there. The direct issue debated is the new “technocrat’ cabinet which is in the process of formation. There are some minister who are adamant to keep their jobs. But those ministers are merely the tip of an expansive networks present in all over government agencies and in the political landscape. Even if Abadi succeeds in gathering and imposing his technocrats’ cabinet, would this government be able to function properly while those networks put the stick in its wheels?
The so called Shia political block should not be defined according to its sectarian affiliation, at least not at this critical moment. It is either pro or anti change. And as such, it is deeply divided. The ever turning mill of time sorts these groups out. And in this process, their real identity starts appearing slowly. In it, religion is used as a false cement to build corrupt gangs as “us versus them”. Us here is slowly modified to become “thieves” covered in a forged sectarian banner.
This should not lead to pessimism. For the picture is not that simple. This picture has a third party, which is a substantial wave of public discontent and protest. The population is literally disgusted by the corruption of the political elite. This sentiment should provide Abadi with a considerable ally in his “surgery”. Yet, the public support does not come without twists.
Muqtada Al Sadr, the populist leader of an active block in the political and social theatres, is spearheading the call for change “within 45 days .. or else”. Al Sadr is indeed the antidote of Abadi. But that does not make any of the two right. Neither wrestling against corruption on corruption’s own playground (the closed world of the political elite) nor populism would bring results.
Abadi has to find ways to channel the public support into the wrestling ring. He cannot win on his own. The whole government structure is hit somewhere or another with the cancer of corruption and even sectarianism is used to justify forming loyal corrupt networks. Iraq’s corruption is indeed a case to be studied.
But how to channel the public support to Abadi into the ring? The PM has to talk to his people frankly and hints at naming names. Instead, he is privately expressing concern over the mounting public protests. True that these protests can evolve into chaos, but why would not the PM try to frame them in his side and meet their leaders and discuss the situation candidly with them? Should Abadi choose to arm-wrestle the corrupt political forces, he would certainly lose. Should he choose to get the population in his side, no one would be able to challenge him.
Ayatollah Al Sistani urged Abadi to be bolder. Then, the religious leader expressed disappointment at the slow pace of the PM. Then he decided, almost two months ago, not to talk politics. Since then, he is silent. Sistani will side with Abadi. The population already urge the PM to move. Yet, Abadi seems to be busy calculating each step while the moment of taking it slips away.
But the moment to defeat ISIL in Mosul isn’t. Preparations to attack the strong hold of the terrorist gang is indeed approaching. All preparatory work was carried out as planned. US Marines are active on the ground, and all supply routes to Mosul is cut. It is not now a matter of if, it is a matter of when. And it may be even sooner than many of us expect.
Any morning in the coming few months we may wake up to the news of the beginning of the battle for Mosul. And this battle may go in history as one of the toughest that US forces shared in the Middle East for long time to come. It will indeed be a lesson in military history.
For it is a rare occasion to see an apocalyptic gang of suicide fighters in a battle to defend the biggest city in their Caliphate. Iraqi army, Peshmerga forces and US artillery, Air Force, Marines and JSOC will coordinate in the attack which would be commanded by US forces.
Some noises, however, are coming from the corner of extreme Shia groups Like Ahlu Al Haq and the Brigades of Hezbollah. Both groups distributed public communiques vowing to fight the Americans in Iraq “who return as an occupation forces only to revive the clinically dead ISIL”, one of the communiques said. But this does not represent any serious threat. These groups feed on “them” to grow their “us”. If you pull ISIL out of the picture, those guys will lose a considerable part of their momentum and appeal. They are getting ready to use the US forces as a replacement for the “them” if ISIL would be defeated. And they know it would. ISIL has no way to go out to upon leaving Mosul. This makes the fight more dangerous, particularly for the civilians living in the city. The world should be ready with immediate humanitarian and medical aid, and should also be ready for the good news of getting rid of one of the worst groups of murderers in history.

Brussel Terrorist Attack: Dealing with the Source of the Middle East Storm
Middle East Briefing/March 26/16
The terrorist attacks in Brussels Airport March 22, and in Ankara and Paris before that, are another reminder that the world has to focus on finding a way to deal with this “phenomena” of terrorism and its ideological source of violent religious radicalism which breeds on a very peculiar interpretation of Islam.
Doing this has become an urgent need in Europe more than any other place. Lack of sufficient cooperation between counter terrorism and law enforcement authorities in Europe is shocking when compared with the fact that terrorist organizations are very much active only a stone throw from the continent.
Furthermore, there has never been a consistent effort to absorb the immigrants from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia within the European social fabrics or to provide them with equal opportunities, a sense of dignity and real equality. It is enough to compare unemployment rates among immigrant youth, second and third generations, with the rate among European youth to understand the sense of despair and loss of hope abundant in immigrant ghettos.
Europe has a lot of soul searching to do in order to address this problem. But while this may require a profound social debate and a bit of time to deal with, the issue of security cooperation should not wait. It is a political decision, hence could be done faster. And this decision requires only kicking aside futile arguments about sovereign rights and individual state rights and responsibilities. Terrorists do not look at Europe in this sense. They consider it, all of it, Daru Harb (Land of Enemies). They do not see the borders or hear the long and eloquent speeches of European politicians about whose right to do what in other countries of the EU.
It is obvious as well that long time of lax security cooperation and counterterror information gathering has enabled terrorists of different brands to build networks, train members and enforce their own bubble around their operational small communities. Europeans should understand two parallel things: 1- Bigotry is the best ally of terrorist groups. 2- There is no more time to waste. The problem will not go away by itself. It will increase.
However, all the currently proposed measures to face the thrat are merely short term, or accurately put- they only deal with the end result of a long process which culminates in three young people carrying bags filled with explosives and blowing an Airport. The making of a radical Jihadi terrorist is indeed a long process. Dissecting each and every phase of this process, as it really happens, as accurately and objectively as it happens in real life, is important. It clarifies many aspects of what the world should do to reduce this epidemic phenomena.
The “sources” of the troubles are generally identified as a Middle East in transition and an interpretation of Islam that is excessively dogmatic. An attempt to synthesize the two emerged during the Arab Spring when old theories about backing the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) to control this or that country in order “to build a wall of moderate Islam able of stopping violent interpretations” were revived. This 90’s approach surfaced and turned into official policies in many Western capitals. The “Turkish Model” became a common expression appearing even in statements made by senior officials. That was only five years ago.
Now, we see how the MB failed, and how the “Turkish Model” is not that inspiring after all. We do not ask those who defended this line of thinking to admit that they were wrong. For, first, they mostly wouldn’t, and secondly, it does not really matter anymore. We know that they were wrong. We saw how reality slapped them on their cheeks mercilessly.
We have also heard arguments about redrawing the Sykes-Picot borders, erecting a version of neo-Arab Nationalism to counter violent radical Islamism and many other ideas that merit to be debated. Furthermore, we have seen multiple forums of inter-faith dialogues where people content themselves with influencing a limited number in all sides of the fences or saying things that please everyone in closed conferences’ halls. None of this, in our view, will lead to unleashing the dynamics needed to create an effective trend of critical thought inside Islam or reduce the social and ideological base that produces violence in the Muslim World. The antidote of violent Jihadi ideology is the concept of the Nation State. And this concept is not chosen arbitrarily, like that of the neo-Arab Nationalism or that of redrawing the regional borders. Its foundation exists already in reality. It is there, by virtue of historical evolution, though still as work in progress done by objective determinants, not selective intellects.
There is a wide spread conflict of identity in the Middle East. A Libyan identifies himself as Libyan side by side with his tribal identity. A Syrian identifies himself as a Syrian, then thinks of his sectarian affiliation, or totally neglects it. There is a process of forming National identity in the countries of the Middle East. It should not be dismissed. It should be encouraged.
The Muslim Brotherhood, ideologically speaking, gives priority to the religious supranational identity. As such, it should be considered as an ideological step towards radical and violent radicalism. The MB, in and by itself, may condemn terrorism, and may do that sincerely in some cases. But this beyond the point. The point is that it is, ideologically speaking, a step towards violent Jihadism. There are no “fundamental” ideological differences between these two sides of the same coin. If it does not reach its objectives through the tactics it adopts, the members, attached to the objectives, will search other methods. Violence would come handy then. This is why it is important to focus on the ideological objectives, not on the tactics, in evaluating where any group really stands on the question pf political violence.
The calls to redraw the Sykes-Picot borders are not more mature than those of enabling the MB to control whole countries in the Middle East. Redrawing such maps is a step backward in the historical process which started with the so called Arab Revolution in the beginning of the last century (the British encouraged revolt against the Ottoman Empire). Worse, this proposition will bring endless problems, including violence. It will split the people of any “new” country in two where one will fight to get back the “national border”. For, ultimately, it is an abortion of the historically incomplete process of nation building. We have seen that during the fight against colonialism, in the case of invading Kuwait, in the problems of borders between many Arab countries and in how people simply identify themselves and look at “their countries”. Neither the “interfaith-dialogue” can bring any results to the actual ordinary Muslim in the streets of Cairo, Baghdad or Damascus. It did not. And it will not. It is artisanal. It is not based on influencing public concepts.
What should be done is a privately funded platform that gathers true Muslim scholars and spread their ideas. The discourse of the debate should be directed towards the urban middle class. This social group is the one that creates a general social debate in its socities and sets the social mood. True Muslim scholars, in contrast with the existing keepers of the gates of dogmas who currently run the show, are those who subject dogmas to relentless criticism, who believe that reason is the road to real spirituality, and who dare to adopt a critical view in dealing with popular perceptions among Muslims about their own religion. Those are the people who can develop a reformed version of popular Islam all the while keeping the essence of that religion. Islam will be reformed from within, and only by Muslims. The proposed forum and its debates and discourses should be free, and must be actively spread by all methods of the undefeatable social media. And it should be out of the Middle East, or else it will be bombed.
These is where the real fight against terrorism should start. Terrorism is not a security issue. It is a thought issue. Ideas are fought by other ideas. Objective conditions provide an additional conduit for either side to gain ground. And we see now a restless middle class all over the Middle East that already question the validity of the institutional dogmas of the “official” and dominant Islamic school of thought. In Europe, during the 18th and the 19th centuries, the historical battle between traditional dogmas and reason was decisive. Seeds of reform start in the realm of ideas some time before that. Objective conditions in the Middle East are calling for this for some time now.
Yet, this is merely a small step on the realm of reviving a critical Islamic Thought that adheres to the true principles of Islam all the while trying to inch its interpretation away from the rigid and dead dogmas of the current Islamic institutions.
The real task is down there, in the Arab and Muslim countries. It is to help those countries to achieve real economic development capable of giving their population some hope and convince ordinary Muslims that there is a future in peace and that there are things worth living for. This would be the objective conduit for the final defeat of the school of religious violence.

American elections under the shadows of terror in Europe
Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/March 27/16
This week, the ongoing war of attrition between the Republican candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, to occupy the position once held by greats like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, had the appalling distinction of being both politically pernicious and personally vulgar. Gutter politics does not even begin to describe it.Watching Trump and Cruz trading insults on the air, firing poisonous 140-character tweets at each other’s, even diminishing their wives while claiming to defend their characters, one wishes to send them back to simpler times where they could settle their feud in a real life and death duel, but one would immediately realize that both men lack real character, hence they are bereft of real courage.
The American electoral rituals; including primaries, caucuses, rallies and worn out talking points, lumbered under the shadows of another terror attack in Europe. But instead of eliciting thoughtful analysis and serious discussions and practical steps, to shore up the allies in Europe and strengthen the domestic front against potential enemies from within and without, the two candidates sank deeper in the mud, peddled fear and demonized fellow Americans, issued shrill threats of unleashing fire and brimstone against opaque enemies, and once again aroused the worst daemons of our nature. Most Middle Eastern countries suffer from bad governance, and lack viable political institutions and the European Union, given Russia’s aggressive irredentism in the Ukraine, and the unbearable weight of a historic influx of refugees, is under tremendous strain and may not survive as a unitary structure. All of this cries out for a wise and steady American leadership, based on broad support from an informed public opinion that accepts the indispensability – and the cost- of American leadership in the world to confront and check conventional adversaries and the asymmetrical depredations of non-state actors like the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). Last week’s political and electoral discourse was disheartening to say the least.
The dangerous…
President Obama defended his cautious war against ISIS which in recent months put the Caliphate in Iraq and Syria in a defensive mode, and continued to degrade it; but he said that while defeating ISIS is the first priority of his administration, there is no need for radical change or a ‘Plan B’ to intensifies the war. But instead of addressing the real shortcomings of the war, such as the need to increase the tempo and intensity of special operations with the collaborations of some of the regional powers against ISIS, the setting up of safe zones for nationalist Syrian opposition groups to govern these zones and provide them with arms and training, the Republican candidates, proposed a litany of outrageous, immoral and illegal actions.
Trump cavalierly waived the nuclear option, while Cruz stuck to his preferred weapon of terror; carpet bombing. Both Trump and Cruz harshly criticized President Obama’s war against ISIS, but both of them opposed deploying ground troops to defeat ISIS. A corrosive and bitter political language became the Lingua Franca of some in the Republican Party, a Party that acts at time as if it is an insurgency more than a political party. Asked if he would consider nuclear weapons to retaliate for the Brussels terror attacks, which were claimed by ISIS, Donald Trump said he would be open to such option. In a television interview Trump spoke of the need to display “unpredictability” to keep the enemies guessing, “I frankly don’t want the enemy to know how I’m thinking. But with that being said, I don’t rule out anything.”
The banal and casual way Trump speaks of the nuclear option, is matched by his ignorance that using a nuclear device against a city like Mosul in Iraq or Raqqa in Syria and murdering thousands of civilians would constitute a war crime, not to mention the political ramifications in the region and beyond.
Senator Cruz who threatened in the past to make the desert sands glow in the dark in the wake of intense bombing, is not interested in explaining how he thinks he could get away, politically and legally, if he carpet bomb towns and cities with high concentration of civilians, (which is considered a war crime by the Geneva Convention) since the “Caliphate” lacks large industrial and military facilities to be subjected to carpet bombing.
...And the quixotic
Trump renewed his previous ban on Muslims entering the United States, and for legalizing waterboarding and other forms of torture to extract information from captured ISIS henchmen. Ted Cruz called for the immediate halt to what he called “the flow of refugees from countries with a significant al-Qaeda or ISIS presence”. Cruz earned the scorn of many Americans, when he essentially called for the profiling of members of the American-Muslim communities. “We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized”.
Cruz, who is a lawyer, sidestepped the fact that such practice would violate the civil rights of American-Muslims, has admitted that he does not know the number of American-Muslims in the country and simple demographic and social realities, chiefly among them the fact that the majority of American-Muslims don’t live in “Muslim neighborhoods”, like many Muslims in European cities, that they are living all over the country and working in every conceivable sector, and a large proportion of them are highly educated, assimilated and represent an integral part of the middle and professional classes.
Equally important is the fact that American-Muslims are as diverse ethnically and culturally as the rest of American communities. American-Muslims constitute a rich human mosaic. An American-Muslim can be a blond European from Bosnia, a black from sub-Sahara Africa and having every pigmentation in between, and American-Muslims boast a babel of tongues. Peddling fear of immigrants, ignores the painful truth that some acts of violence and terror committed by a handful of American-Muslims since the 9/11 attacks were initiated by natural born citizens, not refugees or immigrants.
Republican chickens are coming home to roost
In the last few decades, the very conservative wing of the Republican Party began to wage a cultural war against other Americans who disagreed with them on issues such as abortion, prayer in schools, gun control, and same-sex marriage. They vehemently opposed those moderates and liberals who wanted, to have realistic and meaningful gun laws and regulations, preserve the rights of women to control their bodies, and for people to choose whom to marry. Those who disagreed with conservative purity on national security issues such as the invasion of Iraq, reduction of the military budget, or those calling for banning torture, saw their patriotism being questioned. This lopsided view of politics, allowed the conservative powers that be to divert the attention of many citizens, particularly those of lower incomes and education from seeking redress to their legitimate economic, health and educational grievances, and instead focus on the tangential “cultural” issues. In recent years the Republican leadership in both the White House and Congress was obsessed with cutting taxes on the wealthy and the big corporations. The Bush administration did exactly that when the country was waging two wars simultaneously, to deleterious effects. In some quarters of the conservative movement, opposition to very modest increases in taxes (for instance to repair the country’s antiquated infrastructure) has become almost like a religion.
The old, healthy skepticism of federal or centralized power and its corrupting influences was transformed into enmity towards the Federal Government. Washington “is the problem” became in the minds of some as the unspoken “Washington is the enemy”. After the election of Barack Obama, with the rise of the Tea Party, and the so-called Birther movement, which denied Obama’s Americanism, some in the leadership of the Republican Party, which made it clear that they will not cooperate with the President, tolerated and even cultivated the anger many poor whites felt because of their tough economic situation, and encouraged them to direct that anger against Obama, the “Muslim”, who wants to confiscate their personal guns, and force them to subscribe to Obamacare. The racial backlash was unmistakable. A corrosive and bitter political language became the Lingua Franca of some in the Republican Party, a Party that acts at time as if it is an insurgency more than a political party. This political and cultural milieu, in addition to the changing demographic make-up of America, and the economic destabilization of globalization and the flight of many jobs from America to other countries, in part because of trade agreements pushed mainly but not exclusively by Republicans, are responsible for the rise of the likes of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.
It took many years for the political right to reach this nadir; it will take many years before the right corrects its way.

Khamenei’s heightened anti-Americanism and criticism of Rowhani
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/March 27/16
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who previously gave his blessing to Rowhani’s nuclear team and congratulated them for reaching a nuclear deal with the P5+1, is now turning the trend around. Khamenei’s latest speech significantly contradicted that of Rowhani. Rowhani told the Iranian people that “I am hopeful and I am certain that with cooperation and domestic efforts and constructive engagement with the world, we can follow the path of prosperity, work and growth in economic activity.”In his hometown of Mashahad, where Khamenei gives a speech every year on the Persian new year, he heavily criticized President Rowhani, Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, and he explained that how the United States remains the preeminent enemy of the Islamic Republic.
“When I say the enemy, I mean the US government”
Khamenei’s harsh criticisms of the US government seemed contradictory, but were well-crafted. On the one hand, he seemed agitated that the US department of Treasury was using intimidation tactics on other banks and countries for dealing with the Islamic Republic.
He believes that the US is not allowing Iran to fully engage in business with Western countries and reach its economic potential. He demonstrates that the removal of sanctions are superficial to him, even though Tehran has received billions of dollars and all major UNSC sanctions against Iran have been lifted.
On the other hand, Khamenei’s message that Iran’s economy should be self-sufficient indicates that he clearly does not desire the Islamic Republic to fully join the global economy. He fears that forces of globalization will endanger the tight grip of his office on the political and economic life of Iran.
In addition, Khamenei also warned the Iranian youths not to be trapped by President Obama and the White House’s last week message to the Iranians. He argued that Obama’s latest message and the White House creation of a haft-sin sofreh [the traditional Nowruz food] were methods to deceive the Iranian youth. By criticizing Rowhani, Zarif, and the US, Khamenei seems to be preparing the platform to pull out of the nuclear agreement after sanctions have been lifted. When it comes to Khamenei’s view on Rowhani, one of his main concerns was the increasing rapprochement between Rowhani’s government and President Obama’s administration. From Khamenei’s perspective, the US is using the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCOPA) to further cooperate with Iran on other regional issues causing the Islamic Republic to lose its revolutionary ideals by getting closer to Washington.
In addition, Khamenei tactfully criticized Rowhani for not delivering on his promises and for suggesting that if the sanctions were to be lifted, Iran’s economy will improve. He also criticized Rowhani’s team for telling the government before the nuclear deal that if the sanctions were not lifted, Iran would have faced a dangerous path. Khamenei argues that nothing would have happened to Iran if sanctions were not lifted.
Khamenei’s shrewd tactics
Khamenei has several tactics with his recent lashing out at Rowhani’s and Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif and the United States. The fact is that if it was not for Khamenei’s blessing, Rowhani would have not been capable of continuing with the negotiations and reaching the nuclear deal. Even before Rowhani came to power, Khamenei and senior cadre of IRGC were preparing the platform for a nuclear deal. Nevertheless, in order to preserve his power, Khamenei has always attempted to switch between the moderates and hardliners publicly or behind the doors. While in public he shows his support for the hardliners, in private he gives the green light to the moderates. In Mashhad, where a significant amount of the hardline clerics reside, Khamenei sends a message that he continues to respect the Islamic Republic’s ideological principles of opposing the United States and preventing rapprochement between Tehran and the “Great Satan”. In addition, not only does he assure his hardline social base in the Revolutionary Guards, the Basij and the army that he is on their side rather than on the side of moderates, but also he is empowering them to begin controlling the moderates and more freely criticizing Rowhani’s team.
Third, whenever a president gains popularity, Khamenei attempts to curb the president by empowering hardliners. Fourth, Khamenei’s modus of operandi is to avoid any situation that holds him accountable for major issues. On the one hand he gives license to and instructs Rowhani to make a deal, on the other hand he tells the public that this is not what he wanted. Therefore, if Iran pulls out of the nuclear deal or people do not see the fruit of the sanctions relief, they would point fingers to Rowhani. Finally, by criticizing Rowhani, Zarif, and the US, Khamenei seems to be preparing the platform to pull out of the nuclear agreement after sanctions have been lifted.

Can rationing safeguard the region against water scarcity?
Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/March 27/16
Not all resources in the Middle East are as abundant as oil reserves. Water, one of the world’s most precious resources, is in fact tight. The region is home to 7 percent of the world’s population, yet contains only 1.5 percent of the world’s fresh water supply. In the base case, there is a severe resource imbalance. Despite suffering rom severe water scarcity, the region does not ration water utilization. The utilization of water for agriculture, industrial and domestic use of some of the countries in the region, including Libya and Iraq, is almost twice the global average.
Rationing policy
The reasons behind the large water footprint are not entirely linked to over-consumption for domestic use. The UNEP estimates that over 60 percent of water is used in the agricultural sector, with the remaining 40 percent used for general industry and in homes for general domestic use.
The gluttony of the region’s agricultural sector will not end until governments limit subsidies and end unsustainable support for the industry. While it is important to support the agricultural industry because it literally provides the seeds to human survival, governments must ensure that they are not compromising safety, security, or health of their populations. Water and energy subsidies ultimately encourage inefficient forms of production and high waste. In a region that is already suffering from water shortages, this is simply unsustainable in the long run. Investing water subsidy money in research and technology to make water utilization more efficient is a more sustainable method for the future. Sustaining the agricultural industry, within some limits, is important for employment rates in the region as the industry makes, especially in countries with a high rural population, such as Egypt and Morocco. While the agricultural industry makes up the lion’s share of water usage in the region, it does not contribute appropriately to the GDP. According to The World Bank, although 69 percent of water used in Algeria is for agriculture, agriculture only makes 12 percent of the contribution to the GDP of the country. There is a great imbalance in resource utilization versus economic contribution. When it comes to domestic use of water, populations in certain countries, such as Syria and Egypt, experience cuts to domestic water supply. This is a method used to ration water supply in the homes. However, the domestic use of water makes up less than 20 percent of the total water usage of the region. Investing water subsidy money in research and technology to make water utilization more efficient is a more sustainable method for the future. In effect, cutting water supply to homes is the equivalent of squeezing a dry sponge. Rationing water usage does not mean cutting supplies to homes rather in educating the public of the impact of water shortage. Water outages won’t teach anyone how to conserve water; it merely forces the public to “stock up” on water by going into survival mode, storing it in tanks. Instead, the crisis must be addressed from a human perspective to sustain futures and economies. Instilling core water-conservation values in our younger generation, simultaneously investing in sustainable energy-efficient desalination technologies must become a core part of government policy.
Resource balances, efficient technology, and forward-thinking subsidizing policies are required in order to ration water usage in the region.
Water security
Following the signing of the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, Anwar Sadat, president at the time, turned a sour note stating that “the only matter that could take Egypt to war again is water”. Water scarcity is a real struggle, both in the region and internationally. The Middle East has had its fair share of wars over ideologies. However, one does not necessarily need an ideology to survive like one needs water. If the wars over ideologies have been so deadly and brutal, how brutal would a war over a vital resource be?