Middle East Policy

Change and Democracy in the Middle East: Middle Eastern Researcher Defends the New Middle East Aleppo ― March 25, 2009 ― In one basic center of the old Middle East, Nassim Yaziji the Syrian researcher specialized in international relations and the Middle East defends and advocates, through a new book, the new Middle East with an empirical, realistic and modern perspective, originated in and from the Middle East itself. His research on the Middle East and international Middle East policies has contributed to producing a significant and unique book. Mr. Yaziji's second book " In Defense of the New Middle East: A Neo-Internationalist Perspective " has been published, advocating the new Middle East as a domestic and international necessity through the due change and democracy, and explaining this change through the Middle East's key realities and political developments the book analyzes. This 264-page book includes more than 100 articles classified into several themes...

Seemingly, Baath regime starts to take advantage of the new phase with the new elected democratic president in the United States. As expected by everybody knows the last Baath located in Syria, its security apparatus was a very bad director to a fiasco play or drama. Baath security geniuses claimed that they discovered the network responsible for the latest explosion in Damascus. Recently, the Baath TV broadcasted their confessions after a long and wide publicity and advertisement of these confessions. As exactly expected, they indirectly accused Lebanon after a previous and very early political statement claiming north Lebanon a terror base threatening Syria. But the funniest thing about the extremely bad and funny direction of this drama was choosing Fatah-al Islam as responsible for Damascus attack while the entire world and every concerned intelligence department in the world clearly knows who invented and supported this group and for what reason. Apart from this futile and worthle...

Are there some terrorists in some places in Lebanon? The answer is yes. But do they have a Lebanese infrastructure or Lebanese origin in systematic way? The answer is no. First of all, during the Syrian intervention, the Islamic presence, especially in political terms, in northern Lebanon, particularly in Tripoli is a state created and nourished by the Syrian security apparatus as a tactic while trying to rule all Lebanon during the civil war there, and employed for this goal. The absolute evidence of this fact can be easily extracted from the stage of Syrian administration of Lebanon after the civil war when the Syrian authority maintained the Islamic phenomenon in Tripoli, while it was hysterically exterminating it in Syria. This was in the first place, then there were some evidences and indicators that the policy of 'keeping' turned into engagement and takeover of some factions and groups to employ them in the future in the Lebanese equation and to have them as pretexts for ...

The eleventh and final report of the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC), established by the United Nations to investigate Hariri assassination and other related political assassinations and terrorist attacks in Lebanon, has been introduced to the Security Council. As usual in this three-year investigation, the report is talking about some progress has been achieved in the investigation through the latest months. However, this report unveiled that there is new information reached by the Commission can lead to identify more individuals in the terrorist network responsible for the Hariri assassination. This is actually not a breakthrough or a precedent in this investigation as there was a series of identifying new individuals connected with this crime, but this is a progress for sure. This late or, in fact, very late progress in this international investigation poses some serious questions about the slow process of investigation and achieving information by the Comm...

Lebanon and Syria formally reached an agreement to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries for the first time since independence. Finally, Lebanon could formally gain the recognition of its existence as an independent sovereign country from Syria for the first time in Lebanon's history. This, actually, constitutes a historic moment for Lebanon. From the beginning of independence, Syria considered many parts of Lebanon as deducted parts of its territory, not to mention the Lebanese suspicion that Syria does not recognize Lebanon as independent country, and intends to 'regain' its authority over it. In this regard, Lebanon always cites the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries since independence as an indicator of this thinking. Furthermore, the Syrian military presence in Lebanon for about 30 years during and after the Lebanese civil war, including about 15 years of Syrian regime's dominance over Lebanon after the Gulf War II and foll...

When the resolution 1757 was adopted by the United Nations Security Council adopting the establishing of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to try those found responsible for several attacks and political assassinations of pro-independence and democracy activists in Lebanon, we celebrated the resolution as a turning point for the Middle East that it would be for the first time in the Middle East's history an international accountability for political and against-humanity crimes. A history that knows plenty of such crimes in a region has an international reputation of such violations and brutality, especially while this region is still serving as the authoritarianism's haven even after the dismantling of the Soviet Union and its brutal totalitarian system. Therefore, eventually, this would be a breach of the impunity norm and tradition for those who kill people in the Middle East in the political and ruling context. Given the long history of the leading international powers in pro...

Following is the most recent UN stance on Lebanon, which represents the international community's stance and international legitimacy in this regard. Ban Urges Immediate Presidential Election, Disarming of Hizbullah 22 April 2008 Naharnet U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate presidential election in Lebanon without foreign interference, underlining concerns over the political stalemate that has kept the post empty since November. Ban also warned Monday that Lebanon will not be a fully sovereign, democratic state until Hizbullah is disarmed. He told Syria and Iran they must support efforts to disarm the group. The secretary-general's six-month report to the Security Council focused on the implementation of Resolution 1559 that calls for presidential elections under the constitution and the disbanding of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias. "Parliament, which has not met in more than a year, must be allowed to convene urgently to fulfill its constitutional d...

Christians lose their potential presence in the East, and their allies the modernistic Sunnis are humiliated. Yes, it is not believable, but it is true. Beirut under Iranian terrorist occupation. Many many stupid people around the world, especially in Europe, would not believe me when I previously qualified Hezbullah as an Iranian terrorist armed gang. Now, the whole world just needs to look at occupied Beirut. The Iranian terrorist regime with its terrorist Revolutionary Guard's branch in Beirut so-called Hezbullah has occupied Beirut using the Israel-Baath alliance and European Union's stances and policy in the Middle East, especially when they bought the last Baath that occupies Syria. Neither the region nor the world can afford the Iranian-led Middle East totalitarian axis taking control of Lebanon. This would be an ultimate strategic disaster. Now, I am waiting for the international action to say my word. In the meantime, my message to the US, do not wait for some things ...

First official of UN-backed tribunal on Lebanese killings starts work 29 April 2008 – The first official of the United Nations-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon to take up his functions, the registrar Robin Vincent, began his duties yesterday as the court continues to make progress in its start-up phase. In a statement issued today by his spokesperson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that Mr. Vincent will work closely with the Special Tribunal’s management committee and with the UN Secretariat to take the necessary steps to formally establish the court, in line with Security Council resolution 1757 from last year. “He will initially concentrate his activities on preparing the premises of the Tribunal, coordinating the transition between the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) and the Tribunal, recruiting core staff, and finalizing the Tribunal’s budget,” the statement added. The Council asked Mr. Ban last year to set up the court after Lebanese Prime Minister...

NETWORK OF INDIVIDUALS ACTED IN CONCERT TO CARRY OUT ASSASSINATION OF FORMER LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER RAFIQ HARIRI, SECURITY COUNCIL TOLD New Head of Investigation Commission Says ‘Hariri Network’ Linked to Some Other Cases; Priority Now to Gather Evidence about Scope, Identity of All Participants SC/9294 Security Council 5863rd Meeting 8 April 2008 The International Independent Investigation Commission could now confirm, on the basis of evidence, that a network of individuals had acted in concert to carry out the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on 14 February 2005, Daniel Bellamare told the Security Council this afternoon. Briefing the Council on the Commission’s progress, that body’s newly appointed Commissioner also confirmed that that network -– the “Hariri Network” -– or parts of it, were linked to some of the other cases the Commission was looking into. The Commission had also gathered evidence that: the Hariri Network had existed before the Hariri ass...

(Picture: the building of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague) International tribunal for Lebanon killings reaches start-up phase – UN report 18 March 2008 – The international tribunal being set up to try those responsible for political killings in Lebanon, particularly the 2005 attack that killed former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, has moved into its start-up phase, according to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. All actions relating to the tribunal’s preparatory phase have been undertaken, including the signing an agreement with the Netherlands to host the proceedings and the identification of premises there, Mr. Ban says in his latest report to the Security Council, which details the steps taken since he was authorized to establish the Special Tribunal for Lebanon by a Council resolution last year. The selection of the judges, the prosecutor and the registrar has also been completed and a draft budget will be submitted soon to the tribunal’s management committee. In regard to ...

(Picture: the building of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague) Ban Ki-moon names top official for Lebanon tribunal 11 March 2008 – A veteran of numerous international court proceedings has been appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as the Registrar of the tribunal being set up to try those responsible for political killings in Lebanon, particularly the 2005 attack that killed former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. Robin Vincent of the United Kingdom will start his duties on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon at a date yet to be determined, but “the appointment of the Registrar reflects the steady progress being accomplished in establishing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” according to a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson. From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Vincent served as Registrar of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL). Since then, he has served as the temporary Deputy Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and ...

Ban Ki-moon sets up 'management committee' of Lebanon Tribunal UN News 14 February 2008 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has established a Management Committee of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon being set up to try those responsible for political killings, particularly the February 2005 car bombing in Beirut that killed the former prime minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 others. “The Secretary-General believes that this step, along with other steps announced in December of last year – the selection of the judges, the appointment of the Prosecutor, the finalization of a headquarters agreement with the Government of the Netherlands enabling the Tribunal to be based in that country, and agreement on a building near The Hague to house the Tribunal – are decisive landmarks in the process of making the Special Tribunal a reality,” Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in a statement. The Committee, which will among other tasks provide advice and policy direction on all non-judicia...