Suspect Trump owes as much to Saudi Arabia business wise as he does Russia.
7
I think mr hariri is seeking security outside lebanon
1
It is not hard to get caught up in conspiracy theories it ist he Middle East after all.There are facts that are not disputable.Hezbollah is a recognized terrorist organization that is hellbent on destroying Israel and killing it's people.Hezbollah shored up the murderous regime in Syria.Hezbollah killed Saad Harri's father and are protecting his alleged killers.Iran has effective control of Hezbollah and organizes marches that feature crowds yelling death to US death to Israel.SA is trying to enter the 21st century by gradually changing it's medieval system.The changes in SA can be quick like arevolution or gradual as they try to do it now.I prefer gradual to avoid the bloodshed of revolution.The battle as I see it is not just between Shia and Sunni but good and evil.
2
So comforting that the widely experienced Jared Kushner is
deep into foreign policy.
His crazy father-in-law must be so proud.
As for the world at large and potential military action?
Well, the Trump Family Machine does not really care
about that.
7
It is not far-fetched that Kushner delivered a message from Trump that the US and Israel will support a Saudi campaign to take out Hezbollah. Netanyahu badly needs a distraction from being investigated for corruption, and he can't just blow up some apartment buildings as Putin did. Even if Israel does not actively participate in an invasion of Lebanon, their approval is critical if the Saudis are to invade Lebanon, and Israel will provide a deterrent for Iran from sending forces to Lebanon to help the Hezbollah, especially now that Syria cannot do this on Iran's behalf. Taking out Hezbollah will isolate Iran, much to the delight of the Sunni world. This may get rid of the Israel-Hezbollah tension, but will not be a solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. If it happens, it will further isolate Iran, drive it to a closer alliance with Russia, and further undermine any prospect for a more moderate and secular Iran.
4
I seriously don’t know how the notion of an expanding “Iranian influence” became a fait accompli. Iran, if anything, has been fighting to keep its influence at par with what it’s been for sometime now. The war in Syria dealt it a heavy blow and, since the war broke out there, it’s been scrambling to keep its hold on one of its main two allies in the region - the other being the Shia in Lebanon. Of course, it’s trying to influence Iraq, but, according to Patrick Cockburn of The Independent and many others, Iraq wants nothing to do with it.
3
Another opportunity for Putin to take a side and support it with military force from nearby Tartus (73 miles to Beirut, Lebanon).
Is this how WW III starts?
3
remember how WW1 stated?,just one bullet was fires in Serbia.may god save the people.
2
Why was the Jared Kushner reference buried in paragraph 9. Why wasn't it the lead?
9
Remind me again why Saudi Arabia remains an "ally." We don't need their petroleum. Apart from dates, perhaps, the world does not benefit from its abundance of agricultural produce. Is there even a word in Saudi for "agriculture?" We are aghast at their penal system with its summary limb and head amputations for swiping a pack of cigarets or for husbands and wives who happen to be married to others having a little tete-a-tete, so to speak. This is the country that, whether knowingly or not at the highest palace levels, financed the destruction of the World Trade Center. Now it's being led by a new, young king who promises to make the old tyranny seem positively teddy-bear warm and cuddly.
It is Iran's enemy. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. That's so reassuring.
4
I am in the middle of a 500 page history of the Arab peoples. I have learned at least to things. One is that Arab relations is far more complicated that Greek or Organic Chemistry. The second is that I already know more than most members of the US Government, and what little I have learned is that the US should not stick its nose into a religious war, or we can count on losing our nose.
15
A simple coup de tat is underway in the Kingdom of Saud.
MBS has changed the rules of ascending to the throne from the sons of Saud to the next generation of younger heirs.
He has done it with our blessings & may be eliminate the radical wahabi clerics bringing SA to the 21st century. This would a real win against terrorism perpetuated by the funding of the Wahabi clerics.
There won't be any bloodshed in the family unless someone doesn't fall in line.
Macron is there to convince the young heir to restrain any violence.
The next heir in line has already been eliminated in a helicopter crash.
Absolutely fascinating!
3
This is a simple coup de tat with the transfer of power to the next generation.
MBS has been brilliant to take over the reins & has our blessings.
Best antidote to eliminate radical Wahabi clerics & bring SA into the 21st century.
2
The Senate should pull Kushner security clearance! There is little doubt that Kushner was on a mission to give the new Saudi prince a thumbs-up on his political coup with the intent of going to war with Iran!
13
Saudi Arabia would have to go through Jordan and Syria to get at Hezbollah in Lebanon. Why should Israel get involved? Saudi hates Israel (or as they call it "that illegal zionist entity") as much as any other country in the middle east. I was in Saudi during the Gulf war and the US fought that for them. Now, they want Israel to do their dirty work. No way! Let those two crackpots go at it alone and drag the rest of their brothers in. Best result would be to get rid of the medieval regime in Saudi and take out Hezbollah.
2
This is all part of the incompetence of the Trump administration's foreign policy in the Middle East. Upon taking office Trump immediately signaled a shift towards Saudi Arabia giving the Saudi's a free hand. There seems to be no reason for this other than as promotion of Trump's business interests.
Saudi Arabia is the largest promoter of fundamentalism and terrorism around the world. A smart US foreign policy would recognize that the long term interest of US foreign policy in the Middle East depends on reconciliation with Iran, something the Obama administration recognized. Iran is on the road to modernity, US foreign policy can influence how quickly that happens. Rather than balance in the Iran-Saudi rivalry the Trump administration has taken an open shift towards the Saudis; and this is his biggest blunder, like everything else he does: impulsive and self interested, the foreign policy of a 7th grader.
19
Talk, talk--not war. It's old, boring and nobody wins.
2
Either improvised out of a sense of circumstances and/or opportunity, one should have no doubt about the main object of Emmanuel Macron's meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince: preventing any further meddling in Lebanon. What decided the meeting goes much deeper than France's old relationship with this extraordinary country: the Saudis move could very quickly appear out of control for the whole Middle East, which is undoubtedly not the problem of the POTUS and his son-in- law.
1
Cool, we're not talking about North Korea for a change.
Pretty cloudy out there, I must say, and I've spent a large portion of my life studying how states behave. Does Saudi Arabia really want war with Iran? That would be stirring up a hornets' best. And how would Israel cope with those 120,000 Hezbollah missiles, which would "overwhelm" Israel's missile defenses and certainly cause extensive civilian casualties?
6
So? What I make of it is that the middle east has always been a hot spot, especially when ours and European Governments get involved. Nothing is relly new here and the Jared Kusheners of the world should go back to hole they came out of.
So how much has the tax payers dollars were wasted but th Trump Adnimistration spent on this trip[?
4
Sure looks like the administration is licking their chops for another war; another opportunity to create more Veterans under false pretenses.
8
Sounds like the Prince is sending Iran a message and nothing more. Reading through the comments on here it seems every hot point in the world is now Trump's doing. Remember the middle east was a mess before Trump took office.
5
There was a time when the US could have been a rational power in the world to keep the boat from totally tipping over. I fear that is not the case now, and our best hope is that Trump keeps his mouth shut and his phone off.
5
And that Kushner doesn't actually do anything.
8
What about the notion that Trump/Kushner are fomenting a war between Saudis and Iran. Then we could come in the side of our buddies the Saudis and thereby solve the Iran nuclear problem. It's a safe war since neither combatant has nukes (Unless Israel gets involved...).
Nah, Trump's not that clever.
Dear Crown Prince,
While you're at it, could you please kidnap Trump as well. Offer him 72 real live virgins and I'm sure he'll fly on over.
10
As far as the Saudis are concerned we support the liberation of Hejaz. Saudi Arabia is big source of trouble for the region.
4
So, another war with another flood of refugees landing on Europe. Great. Just what we needed. I almost wonder if they do it on purpose, to stimulate colonisation of other parts of the world by Middle Easterners. Fed up would be the words to describe my sentiment.
5
It says a lot about the naivety of the Saudis when they kidnap Lebanon's Prime Minister and expect the Lebanese to turn against Iran. In a Monty Python sketch perhaps, but who would be crazy enough to try this madness in real life?
4
There's a good reason, not mentioned herein, why the United States and Saudi Arabia blame the Riyadh missile on Iran: because it was Iranian. It had Iranian markings on it, as Lt. Gen. Harrigian stated. Why do so many leftists insist on seeing Iran as a relatively moderate, semi-good guy? As Ray Takeyh puts it, terrorism is Iran's strategic doctrine. Iran employs violence directly and, of course, via proxies and surrogates.
The decision to withdraw forces at a time of fragility in Iraq and the desire to achieve an Iranian nuclear deal over and above all else, and thus not to confront Iran in Syria, created an opportunity for Iran to expand its influence immensely. It has, unsurprisingly, done that. The Islamic Republic was established in a redemptive, anti-modern, anti-American revolution that was fabulously vicious (recall the Rex Cinema arson, among scores of heinous acts) -- and it has continued to export its revolution.
The Islamic Republic was also founded upon the desire to overturn the regional order. Its goal remains such. It is understandable that Israel sees Iran as an existential threat, and it's baffling that some suggest Israel not take both Iran's actions and words seriously. Iran's behavior often deliberately antagonizes, and so radicalizes, Sunnis; it then claims it's fighting extremism; when it wins, it extends its hegemony. Naïve leftists then swallow Iran's narrative. Remarkable.
Iran mustn't be allowed to hand advanced weaponry to bad actors at leisure.
3
This one puzzles me. What license has been given to the Saudis by the Trump administration? I remember the inexplicable start of World War l and I am frightened what trap America has stumbled into now!
5
It truly angers me that a know-nothing with no foreign policy experience (aka, Jared Kushner) may be sticking his greedy little fingers into such a complex pot of boiling explosives. Rex Tillerson is bad enough but at least he may fumble while trying to do some good; with Jared, you just know that anything he is there for is for the benefit of the Trumps and Kushners. If he was going behind Tillerson’s back, there needs to be a Congressional investigation. To think that the half-wits in this administration are playing with fire in such a complex region is incomprehensible. Kushner needs to be removed.
12
Saudi Arabia wouldn't last a day in an open war with Iran. Its arms are superior but it is rotten to the core. It is completely dependent on buying other countries and groups to do its bidding. But with Trump, Macron and Netanyahu available for doing chores they must feel extremely powerful.
I don't trust Netanyahu in this. I suspect that he is very eager to attack Hezbollah and that he just waiting (or scheming) for an incident that would enable him to convince the skeptical Israeli public that war is necessary.
MbS must have promised Trump, Macron and Netanyahu something in order to have them embrace his coup. But what?
3
A few thoughts:
1. Believe it or not, not everything is the fault of the Trump administration. When America's allies can tell that there has not been a strong foreign policy President since H.W. Bush, they take matters into their own hands instead of pulling in America to mediate the conflict.
2. The fact that the New York Times, one of the finest newspapers in the world, has sunk to the point of pointing the finger at a single American President as the cause of disputes as old as time is quite sad. The fact that Saudi Arabia and Iran despise each other has nothing at all to do with Trump, nor does the fact that Iran and Saudi Arabia run Lebanon have anything to do with Trump. If anyone is to blame, it is W. Bush and Obama, who both failed to adequately prove the overseas diplomatic powers of America while they were in office. If America still projected power in the Middle East, this crisis would not be brewing right now.
8
I GOT IT! By George! Let's, uh, cut taxes before starting WW3!
-Government Bathtub Drowners
Our domestic situation is so dire that we've forgotten the other staple of Republican governance: Endless international war. This is terrifying stuff.
6
The Saudi prince's actions are executed from desperation. He is losing his war in Yemen, losing his siege of Qatar, and now no one wants to buy into Aramco's public offering, an offering by the way, also done out of desperation to raise cash so he can fund internal security and external war.
His "Vision 2020" is a comedic distraction. His "corruption crackdown" is pure Orwell. He is the butcher of Yemen, the buyer of quarter million dollar yachts. He's younger that Kim in North Korea, and probably more reckless, all things considered.
MBS (thank his public relations firm for his American nickname) undoubtedly got wind that his own family members were grumbling and considering a coup, so he struck first and moved hard against his own family, and, true to Machiavelli's advice, fomented an impending threat from Lebanon and Iran. He probably even fired the missile at his own airport because all of his draconian actions that followed that missile strike were planned long in advance.
The fact that Jared Kushner of the famed "worst advice ever given to a U.S. president" is cavorting around with MBS and giving him advice is both disturbing and comedic. Jared and Trump will undoubtedly end up with real blood on their hands, if not full conspirators in MBS's hostage taking of Lebanon's prime minister.
Iran is a veritable shiny, modern, Western nation compared to the medieval butchers and kidnappers from Saudi Arabia. The US needs to immediately reconsider its alliance.
14
Everyone is missing the point.This is an old rivalry that has heated up.This is a Sunni Shia clash.An Arab Iranian clash (Iranians are not Arabs and do not like Arabs anyway).This is fueled by bigotry,hatred and local history.
This is not about Trump or Kushner.It is a reshaping of the region due to a young exploding population,low oil prices which increases economic stresses and social change.This could also be about who controls Mecca and Medina.Why does a Sunni country have total control over sites holy to all Muslims including Shias?
Better analysis please.
9
Close but it's more about a transfer of power & hierarchy to MBS. Hope this will bring SA to the 21st century & get rid of the Wahabi clerics.
2
Rex W. Tillerson warned Friday “against any party, within or outside Lebanon, using Lebanon as a venue for proxy conflicts or in any manner contributing to instability in that country,” a message apparently aimed at Hezbollah, Saudi Arabia and Iran.“
Well, whatcha know? There’s actually a Trump officeholder paying attention to world events—which I will attribute to the fine career State Department professionals who have gritted their teeth and stayed on to serve their country. I salute you!
2
If Tillerson is truly incompetent, this is where it will show: Right at the core of American interests, with possible ramifications for decades to come. If Jared got played (one week before, and we had no idea what the Saudis were going to do, even though he was up to the early hours discussing Middle East peace with MBS - talk about being out of his depth), this is where we will know it. If Trump got rolled amid all the pomp and circumstance, in Riyadh but now also in Asia, this is where we will know it.
2
'The American secretary of state Rex W. Tillerson warned Friday “against any party, within or outside Lebanon, using Lebanon as a venue for proxy conflicts or in any manner contributing to instability in that country,” a message apparently aimed at Hezbollah, Saudi Arabia and Iran.' But not at Israel, which has invaded Lebanon at least five times since 1978 ?...
Henri
5
I am not particularly Green, but the thought of a petroleum fuel-free world one day with a greatly reduced flow of petrodollars to both sides of this conflict and all their warmongering looks more and more attractive.
2
Seems that once more the Sauds want others (this time Israel) to fight their wars while continuing to spread their poisonous now "moderate" takfir/salaf propaganda.
3
The devious young prince MBS who has so transparently orchestrated his own rise to power by bullying his dementia ridden father into giving him portfolio after portfolio until there is scarcely anything left in Saudia Arabia he does not control, has used these dictatorial powers to alienate practically the entire royal family and is in the process of alienating the conservative theocracy, the bedrock on which Saudi Arabia stands. This is tantamount to loading a revolver with six shots in a game of Russian roulette and volunteering to be the first guy up and now the young genius is absolutely determined to go to war with Iran. Mystifying, until you remember Kushner and Trump are his advisers, then it makes sense, Trump wants a war with Iran but cannot initiate it, MBS is the answer, he won't be long for this world with the mess he has made at home but long enough to give Trump what he thinks will save his presidency, a war with Iran.
5
At least the Saudi Crown Prince united the Lebanese in outrage. Even Saad Hariri's close advisors are disgusted. These frustrated good for nothings failed everywhere. In Syria, they helped corrupt a democratic revolution into an islamist one, in Yemen they are downgrading them from the middle ages to prehistory while boasting about one Houthi killed here and another one there, in Kurdistan they encouraged the referendum and we know the results ... Corporal Mohamed Bin Salman will hurt Lebanon, and also hit himself and his country in the foot one more time
3
"There are those in the region who want Israel to fight a Saudi war down the last Israeli".
What a coincidence, there are also those in region who want America to fight an Israeli war with Iran, down to the last American.
3
It appears that Saudi Arabia is being used as the United States' "proxy" against Iran.
3
This is a result of electing a neophyte to the Presidency who thinks he knows everything and can handle everything. This is what happens when that neophyte who doesn't know what he doesn't know, decides to deride and depopulate a State Department of its best hands. This is what happens when that neophyte allies himself with like minded types with anti democratic, dictatorial types and takes their side without knowing what he is doing. It is not a game of even one dimensional chess. It is called "leading from ignorance" and taking what a successful predecessor has done and doing the opposite.
4
bin Salman may have a plan, of the half-baked variety. 1) Push at Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies until they fight back. 2) Yank their chains so they attack Israel. Kushner relayed father-in-law's support of (1). bin Salman wouldn't tell Kushner about (2). Not that Trump cares.
Iran faces crisis. Khamenei's health may be failing. Any transition will be dangerous.
Trump listens to the wrong advice. He thinks wise people are fools. He ignores risk. Trump believes that is he gives Generals free reign, American will win any war. He hasn't read a critical analysis of what happened in Iraq. He'll invent the history he wants.
No Middle East leader trusts Trump, not the American allies like Kurds and Saudis, not Israel, not Sisi. They respect American fire power, and would like to see it rain down on particular enemies. They'll jockey to manipulate Kushner, lead him on about peace plans, and plant intrigue.
Netanyahu, Sisi, bin Salman, Erdoğan, Rouhani - none look beyond their personal fiefdoms. The U.S. should play a stabilizing role. Under Trump, it isn't.
2
So much hysteria over Jared Kushner serving as a diplomat!
In the Arab world, all politics is tribal and familial.
The word "Saudi" in the name of the country means that it is ruled by
a family founded by Ibn Saud.
Trump, therefore, sends Jared Kushner to talk with the Saudis, to find out what they're up to. This is a sign of respect for the "family."
Obama disrespected the "family" by dealing with Iran behind the backs of the Saudis.
The Saudis will never trust the US again, not even Trump, and will do whatever is in their national interest, just like every other country in the world.
Hezbollah is an arm of Iran, and Iran has pledged to destroy the infidel Saudi family and recover the holy sites of Mecca and Medina.
Israel has its own national interests.
Hezbollah is determined to destroy Israel, which is now allied with the Saudis and the Gulf States.
War is inevitable in all countries in the Middle East. Indeed, it has never stopped since the breakup of the Ottoman empire in 1919.
This is a 100 year old war.
4
"In the Arab world, all politics is tribal and familial." That must be why they are doing so well!
Seriously. We don't want our politics to be tribal and familial, because we don't want a system like Saudi Arabia. But I grant you we may already have it.
2
A case perhaps similarly amateurish in terms of the chosen approach to the one reported here by Kushner is the one of former British Secretary Preti Patel, who met several Israeli state officials while vacationing in Israel. Her case ended in a resignation from her post (which I think was the right decision).
Of course an important distinction in Kushner's case might be that he traveled with daddy in law's permission or perhaps even upon his request.
Time will tell whether Kushner's move was truly with the interest of the American people in mind.
3
I just have this to say: weapons of mass destruction. Who is responsible for all this instability?
1
"The Art of the (crooked) Deal"
Manafort makes a deal with pro Russians to water down US support for Ukraine in the GOP platform.
Flynn & Son make a 15 million dollar kidnapping deal with the Turks.
Trump Jr probably made a sanctions repeal deal with Veselnitskaya for Clinton dirt (release of hacked emails) during the Trump Tower meeting. Tillerson recently closed the US Sanctions Office and transferred responsibility to one overwhelmed guy who cannot possibly monitor and implement sanctions effectively. Is this Trump's "quiet repeal" of the Magnitsky Act?
Scott Pruitt is busy making all kinds of dirty energy deals with the coal, chemical and oil industry. Heck, he's hired them to run/dissolve the EPA.
Trump's FCC head found a loophole and is making a deal for the massive expansion of alt right Sinclair Broadcasting. Expect 24/7 Trump Banon propaganda.
And what is Jared up to having secret meetings in Saudi Arabia? His business owes hundreds of millions of dollars. Which part of our national security is he willing to trade? Which ally is he willing to give up in order to settle his debts?
Stay tuned.
4
Once again Tillerson is a wallflower, a former Somebody who is hiding in the drapes while Jared goes about his business.
5
Lebanon needs to be made tension-free. The Saudi prince seems to be very ambitious. Saudi Arabia is ruled by a king. There are no rules laid down on corruption. It all depends on the king's wishes. Now,there is a new king. Why the US is supporting Saudi Arabia? It is a big mystery. Global politics is taking its toll on the Middle East. Will it lead to an increase in oil prices? Oil price increase will affect economies of many nations. Human rights violations are taking place. What made Lebanese prime minister to announce his resignation in Saudi Arabia?
1
Days after Lebanese prime minister resigns the NYT's finally reports on it.
This is something the US may be involved in, it smells VERY BAD!
3
Hey I see many liberals here fresh from their Mueller probe victory and many Jews who are liberal till it comes to Israel, when suddenly they become the most conservative of right wingers. Hawkish on war, immigration, and refugees. Sad to see that you don't apply the same love to America and instead try to be über liberal and give away the goodies for free. But anyways, the Russia probe had destroyed the American press and paralyzed insightful thinking apart from political prisims. As someone observing the Middle East for the last 40 years these wars are part of regional tectonic power being exercised by sovereign Nations. From biblical times the middle East had been wracked with violence to the creation of Sunni and Shiite fratricide. When Ali was decapitated in a mosque the seeds of war were planted as long as Islam lives. You would be very foolish to hang these middle Eastern troubles at Trump's doorstep.
4
This is very odd. The article states that the State Department warned against "using Lebanon as a venue for proxy conflicts or in any manner contributing to instability in that country," which was seen as being "aimed at Hezbollah, Saudi Arabia, and Iran." Yet, the very next paragraph says that there are "increasingly pointed warnings from Israel that it may eventually fight another war with Hezbollah." So, is it now taken for granted that we would never warn Israel not to start a war?
5
Looks like Wag The Dog time is coming soon,
here, there and everywhere.
Time to Duck and Cover?
4
Some of comments here are completely disregarding everything in this piece and focusing on Kushner.
Give your hatred and mistrust for the White House a rest for once.
4
There is zero conceptual and strategic vision for most of Trump's positions and actions. The only explanation for them is that they are the opposite of Obama's. How much longer are we going to wait for this rudder that is stuck in one position to steer us straight into unimaginable disaster?
4
King Salman is a fanatic. Did the U.S.A. not learn anything from 9/11? Salman is cut from the same Wahhabi cloth, believing he will go to Heaven if he destroys the 'Non-Believers', who include Christians, Jews and non-Wahhabi Muslims.
His anti-corruption antics are a similar farce, especially as he himself bought a $ 550 million yacht on a whim and after a glimpsing it across the Mediterranean waters.
Salman's seizure and coercion of Hariri is a similar farce: If Hizbullah had wanted to assassinate him they would have done it long ago. Even the assassination of Hariri's father, announced as a Hizbullah 'fait accompli' by the world's press, is believed by skeptics to have been a Mossad operation to sew discord and discredit Hizbullah.
It is astonishing to observe the U.S. being played so easily by Salman and Netanyahu, each following his own agenda: Salman to avenge the death of Saudi-supported ISIS at the hands of Hizbullah ground troops, and Netanyahu to avenge Israel's ignominious defeat by Hizbullah who kicked the invader out of Lebanon after a 20-year occupation. The hero of the plot is Hizbullah, not Saudi Arabia or Israel.
Meanwhile Salman, the U.S. 'ally', continues shelling schools and hospitals in Yemen .................. U.S. politicians wouldn't recognize terrorists if they had the word stamped in English on their foreheads.
8
This is the Iraq War of 2003 by the Neo-Cons again. Trump, Kushner, Netanyahu and their mad dog Saudi despot MBS must be stopped by the American people who will have to pay a heavy price in blood and treasure again.
5
The USA should stay away from the middle east. Let them sort out their own problems.
2
I can hear President Bunker's angry call to his son-in-law now:
"Aw, geez, Meathead. What did you do THIS time?"
1
We do not, and never will, understand the Middle East.
1
Maybe Jared and Donald should do more jigging. They thought that was so hilarious, while we at home knew the Trump/Kushner regime would bring nothing good for our country - Mideast or anywhere.
2
Here we go again. Another round of the American Vested Interests in the region.
1
"... a message apparently aimed at Hezbollah, Saudi Arabia and Iran."
No, I don't think so. The message was intended to the country who has been setting the stage to attack Lebanon, because they are not happy with the way things have turned out in Syria. Their media has been at first hinting, then openly discussing the possibility of another war with Lebanon. Nasrallah came out and said Saudis had asked Israel to attack Lebanon as a means to curb Iran's expansion in the region.
Everything is going according to pan. Hariri is just a pawn to further demonize Iran. If there is an assassination, it's another victim, like his dad to frame Hezbollah.
2
Baffling events?? How is it possible that no one in the western media has any idea what is happening?! This is absurd...do some reporting.
3
Rbt Fisk's take on being a guest of the Saudi state:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/saad-hariri-saudi-arabia-middle-east...
1
What's so "baffling"? Putin, the Saudis, the oil majors all want higher crude prices.
This will do it.
2
In the past Saudi Arabia's septuagenarian and octogenarian leaders took a backseat to regional conflicts and let their proxies do the fighting. Now under King Salman, his son, Prince Mahammed bin Salman (MBS) - a greenhorn - is taking the driver's seat in a Formula 1 race of geopolitics. He risks plunging the country into destruction like ending a race in a disastrous crash.
What is worrying is that both Jared Kushner and Trump have the unruly prince's ear. Both are obsessed with crippling Iran, and are at the bidding of Netanyahu and pro-Israel donors. Besides Trump has constantly his business interests in mind. A week ago he personally lobbied King Salman to list the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. on the New York Stock Exchange during a phone call. The Aramco IPO would be the biggest ever, and perhaps the Trump clan hopes to get a slice of the cake.
18
very nice
1
Has anyone asked Jared?
While this is spoken half in jest, he was in Saudi recently before all heck broke loose. Trump seems to think Jared could fix Middle East, Is the latter operating independently from Tillerson's State Department?
19
In its insatiable quest for regional dominance, the misguided and provocative policy course that Saudi Arabia has embarked on in recent days, with tacit support from Trump, towards its neighbours, specially Quattar, Yemen, Iran, and now Lebanon, would not only activate the Shiite-Sunni sectarian faultlines but could also lead to accidental war and economic crisis in the already volatile West Asia. It's time the international community employs its influence to restrain the Saudi regime to desist from its confrontational course.
15
Looks like Trump, Saudi Prince Salman & Bibi Netanyahu conspiring to mess with Iran & explode Middle East...to Russia's benefit?
20
The Saudis are the birthing nest of Sunni extremism. Not only were 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers, but also Osama Bin Laden, and other Al Qaeda jihadists, born in and learned Wahhabi Sunni extremism, hatred, and Jihad in Saudia Arabia. Saudi Arabia is tyrannical, immensely rich, calculating and ruthless, American oil & business interests, like Bush41 and Bush43, are influenced and swayed by them.
Now Trump is sucking up to them. Disgusting.
Saudi Arabians, not Iraqis, planned and coldly executed attacked the US on 9/11, stabbing, slashing, and killing those who resisted.
SAUDI ARABIANS, NOT IRAQIS!
53
". Israel and Saudi Arabia will likely be counting on us to intervene if things war breaks out. "
the only time the US intervenes in an Arab-Israel wars is too stupidly try to prevent the Israelis from crushing arab war mongers once and for all.
8
Yeah, that's right. The billions in weapons don't really count as "intervention".
1
Um, snakes don't have limbs. Are you calling for a nuclear strike on Tehran which will kill 15 million people? Wow.
Hezbollah drove the IDF out of South Lebanon and stood up to the IDF in 2006 — no other force in the ME has come close. Without Hezbollah the IDF would again have a free hand in South Lebanon. Jewish settlements would likely not be far behind. After some 800,000 settlers the prime spots in the West Bank and Golan must be largely taken.
As far as US ME policy is concerned, Trump is effectively dummy to Bibi the ventriloquist. While Bibi and Putin are reasonably competent practitioners of Realpolitik, MBS is a wildly loose cannon. His grandfather, Abdul Azziz, would be appalled.
Lest we feel too comfortably smug, remember that Europe has had religious wars every bit as nasty (Northern Ireland and the former Yugoslavia two 20th century examples) as has been going on lately in the ME.
17
Its long, long overdue to destroy the terrrorist, murderous, fake regime of iran from the map.
As a terror state attacking five other nations, with its army/proxy terrorist groups oppressing/murdering civilians across the mideast, the diseased regime of iran MUST be destroyed if there is ever going to be peace in the middle east.
I've been saying for 3 decades that iran's cancerous dictatorship must be militarily destroyed, and it looks like with some adults in the White House - unlike the awful prior administration - that might finally be a reality. Its time to cleanse the world of iranian terrorism and violence, starting with teheran.
Remove the head of the snake, and the limbs like hezbollah and hamas will vanish like the cockroaches they are.
2
bob jones, did you go to bob jones university? sound like you did because you're lack of knowledge is astounding and funny!
3
You are misinformed.
2
bob
You're joking, right?
Today is Veterans Day. Research the statistics on the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, see the price those soldiers have already paid and are still paying.
What was accomplished?
3
Wars are avoidable unnecessary and unproductive expenses; hopefully, Israel, Saudis, Iranians, and the Lebanese leaderships across their "faults" will avoid such unnecessary and unproductive ventures!
5
There's an old labor union organizing song: "Whose Side Are You On?" It's the riddle of the day -- of the Trump era -- in the Middle East. It's only with Iran's help that Iraq defeats Isis in Iraq. But Iran is labeled a backer of terrorism mainly for its support of Hezbollah, which fights Isis in Syria. The Saudi crown prince lets women drive and appears to wish to rein in the Wahabinist extremists who suppress more modern and tolerant versions of Islam, but at the same time the crown prince sounds like he's imitating Kim Jong Un in his rhetoric against Iran, his purge and his nation's actions in Lebanon. If experience teaches us one thing about the Middle East it's that war and regime change produce nothing but more war, suffering, economic volatility and political instability. One hopes that Prince Jared impressed that upon the crown prince, in that place we so blithely refer to as The Kingdom. And one hopes that Bibi in Israel doesn't forget it, either.
8
Military adventurism is a tried and true method for getting one's people to come together in the face of major problems abroad and dissension at home.
Equally true for Saudi Arabia and the U.S.
12
Why are we mad at Iran again?
34
So how is Kushner’s internship going? Isn’t it about time that the adults take over? Career professionals with, let’s say, experience at maintaining regional stability. As opposed to neophytes concerned only with, let’s say, personal enrichment.
48
Hezbollah in Lebanon is rapidly becoming the culmination of the entire mess in the Middle East. Very, very concerning.
4
The threat to the Middle East is democracy. Both Saudi Arabia and Iran would rather go to war than face open elections. Especially a war fought by Israelis and the semi extreme, articulate Muslims in Lebanon. Let’s face it, most free thinking people want economic and political rights. Why have leaders that treat their citizens like loyal employees? If you have a smart, capable, or particularly religious leader(s), good for you. But he/they are supposed to work for you. You don’t work to enrich him, his family, or his clan. Bizarre puppetry is at work here, that is what happens when you have too much money and time on your hands.
6
Whose side is China on? They are now the dominant player on the world stage if the best we can do is send Jared Kushner, who was probably just there to get financing for 666 Fifth Avenue.
12
China cannot bring themselves to the world stage.in an open and transparent manner. They are working behind the scenes in the shadows like the cowards they are.
1
Best wishes to thoes fleeing from the capital! I hope all of you have a safe journey.
1
Certainly fascinating that all this happened only after Kushner of the Trump Regime spent a long night alone with the Saudi Crown Prince.
30
Something definitely stinks there.
Why can't Lebanon be allowed to be Lebanon? It is a pluralistic society that is run by consensus, not the iron fist dictates of monarchs or dictators. No one sect rules. The Lebanese learned something about compromise from their 15-year civil war. Please, dear God, let them enjoy peace, stability and self-determination. Do not let Kushner's Shadow State Department up a war there.
31
I've been reading this story for the past week in others news outlets. Talal's arrest, Kushner's visit, Netanyahu's aims, this new and young Saudi king, the war crimes in Yemen, etc.
Shia and Sunni Islam are in a stealth civil war across the region, which the Israelis and Russians are exploiting at America's expense.
Our media was so focused on domestic politics, that it missed what could be the new Iraq war. This whole affair smells rotten. Someone wants our country distracted by war in the Middle East (or North Korea), and I hope NYT/WaPo get to the bottom of this.
20
"The White House has not announced what they discussed but officials privately said that they were meeting about the administration’s efforts to forge an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal." More likely they were signing off on the Saudi prince's plan to seize control of the country, detain PM Hariri, and start a conflict with Iran and its proxy Hezbollah. Throw Israel into the mix and the US cannot remain neutral. Things are heating up in DC with Flynn and son now being accused of conspiracy to kidnap a Turkish cleric and deliver him to Erdrogan, and Trump needs a big diversion as soon as he can get it.
13
Trump/Kushner's clunky and extremely dangerous solution to Israeli Arab relations. We are being governed by fools with ZERO experience.
39
This may be a classical case of foreign misdirection.
The Saudi crown prince (MBS) just implemented a truly dramatic power-grab. He may be seeking external conflict to deflect scrutiny. An trick practiced by absolute rulers since time immemorial.
12
Foreign wars sponsored by the US always end in economic disaster for US. I remember 2008 and it wasn't a lot of fun.
25
It seems the artificial borders and dysfunctional states, created with dubious intentions or without proper knowledge by colonial powers a century ago, are coming apart in the next decade. This is frightening. But the west would be well advised stepping down from the moral high ground and taking a humble backseat in this. Not trying steer or take advantage of the events.
6
Do not send American troops to Lebanon again.
22
The arrests of top people and royals in Saudi Arabia, and now this well orchestrated abduction of Mr. Hariri in Riyadh, could never be done by a 32 year old monarch acting unilaterally, without the aid and tacit approval of some key global and regional powers. Not by a long shot. If this is indeed the work of Trump, Kushner, and Israel, this is one bleeding heart liberal wishing them godspeed.
Because Hizballah is an existential threat to Israel, and deserves elimination. Because Iran's proxies in Syria, Yemen, and Syria are wreaking havoc and require taming. Because Europe is weak kneed, could never get on the right side of anything. Because helping a young, west-looking, "peace-seeking with Israel" monarch of Saudi Arabia can help stop the spigot of aid to Islamic terrorism and wars all over; and start by muzzling the Wahabis in Saudi and than in the rest of the world. If this halts the paychecks that come from Saudi Arabia to imams in the US preaching hatred of the west, and death to infidels, this would have all been worth it.
If Israel and US indeed made this happen, I take heart. This is a step in the right direction.
Am I right? I can only hope so.
I wish the young prince well.
Kalidan
6
It is Israel which has invaded Lebanon -- repeatedly -- not Hezbollah which has invaded Israel. Who is a threat to whom? Remember, Hezbollah is popular with many Christians in Lebanon who see its militia as a liberating force.
What we need here is diplomacy, not bombs.
13
Only in your alternative universe, do you have any idea why Israel invaded Lebanon. How many katyusha rockets or 120mm rockets are you willing to be shelled with till you retaliate?
6
...And we have a Triad of ineptitude overseeing U.S. relations in the region: Oilman; Rex Tillerson; Wonder Boy; Jared Kushner and the grand master-- Donald Trump.
31
Thought Jared Kushner was gonna fix this ? “Jared. You’re fired “
12
Tension in the Middle East drives the price of oil up. When the price of oil goes up, economic growth goes down. When economic growth goes down, unemployment goes up. Etc. Connect all the dots.
9
Who will play the parts of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell; Rice et al. in this Iraq sequel?
25
So for the past 3 months we've been on the edge of (possibly nuclear) war with North Korea. But just in the past week we are suddenly on the precipice of World War III breaking out in the Middle East? How come this hasn't been in the news? How real is the danger? Most important, is the Trump administration trying to start war or prevent it?
33
Depends if the real State Department under Tillerson or the Shadow State Department under Kushner is running the show.
11
They sew chaos and nothing more.
4
If anyone took a closer look at the tea leaves here it does not read well, at all.
13
Apparently Israel prefers the Sunni Wahhabists to Shia Muslims. I seriously doubt that Israel is doing "all it can" to prevent war with Lebanon. Lebanon is the headquarters for Hezbollah, Israel's most proximal rival that gives them a run for their money. Now why on earth would Israel ally with Saudi Arabia, of all countries, to help orchestrate this war? Because Saudi Arabia has two major selling points: (a) they're Sunni and Hezbollah is Shia, and (b) Saudi Arabia has a cozy relationship with the US. Israel and Saudi Arabia will likely be counting on us to intervene if things war breaks out. I hope the sheep in this country don't fall for this ploy.
33
big mistake - i'll take the shi'a any day...much more easy going!
First question: Why does Jared Kushner still have a security clearance?
38
He's married to the president's daughter - no further qualification is required in the Trump administration.
9
Well- With all the new oil we are going to get by drilling in our national parks- What do we care if the Middle East destroys itself? We'll be energy independent in no time!
6
Enormous complexity already. But the story did not connect the right dots. Some other things must be done to facilitate the ability to address the concerns expressed in this article. First, the Assad regime must be crushed. Second, the Kurds must be given a piece of Syria. Third, with their own small country, the Kurds must commit to a position of never wanting a piece of Turkey -- a small piece which is mostly occupied by Kurds. With these three things done, and Isis now decentralized territorially, it will be easier to form a strategy for dealing with Hezbollah and Iran. Things will be closer to the way they were before George W. foolishly disbanded the 350,000 to 400,000 man Iraqi military. And the Sunnis, particularly in Egypt, are becoming wise to the fact that equality and integration lead to prosperity while isolation and hatred lead to pestilence. Much needs to be done. But a few more countries are beginning to think more clearly.
5
And all of this occurred just after Little Jared Kurshner's trip. Such a coincidence, right?
19
I'm sure this will all be settled in a peaceful and reasonable manner.
I don't remember anyone voting for Jared Kushner, though.
6
It appears Kushner is as adept at bringing peace to the Middle East as he is turning a profit in Midtown Manhattan. That's probably why Trump picked him for the job. Trump hires the best people, we are told.
13
I am a Lebanese citizen living in Canada, the thing that I cannot comprehend how be international political community is not taking any actions towards Saudi Arabia, giving the fact that Prime Minister of Lebanon is kidnapped or put under house arrest in another country, it's a total violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon and it's people and yet there's not enough efforts from major political figures to solve this situation.
45
... thus making the Iranians look like the only rational people in the region.
27
I want Congress to have a hearing on the executive branch's policy and plan regarding all this. Among other things, I want Jared to be asked, under oath (one can try, at least...), to describe in detail what he discussed in Saudi Arabia. The committee should see his notes. He should also be asked, "what are your qualifications to be involved in this situation in the way that you are?"
25
All this happening, an American administration far out of its depth, and a state department that is not staffed. The only role in this for the US, with these criminals in charge, is to stay away so It's a power keg and, unless trump is quickly impeached and replaced by someone who can address this dire situation, the outcome is certain to be lost lives and war for many years to come. That's what you get with a con man president. SAD
17
Did Jared Kushner reassure Saudis about Trump's support of their Prince in purging his rivals? I remember his father-in-law also asked the prince to choose NYSE for Armaco IPO. Deal making like the Mafia but at a global scale! war and oil profits all within the royal families of Saudi Arabia, and SADly of the US.
16
Baffling?
It's merely the Trumps doing Israel's bidding by fomenting violence against Iran and all those whom it supports.
Unfortunately for us, Saudi Arabia has a ruler in waiting, stupid enough to fall for all the Trump's/Israel's exhortations, and stupid enough to drag the region into further turmoil ("further" turmoil! who would have thought is possible!).
20
I believe at the very least Jared Kushner has what is known as a "conflict of interest." We will never see another Trump in the white house again. Just three more years.
We cannot bear another war after 16 years and multiple deployments. We cannot even take care of the war vets that we currently have.
24
So Tony in New York, (a) Bush was the throw in afterthought, even though his taking out Saddam opened the floodgates for Iran. I like it. As for (b) Obama, perhaps he just should have nuked Tehran and gotten it over with? Or perhaps another invasion, where it would have been far far worse than Iraq for American soldiers? Or an embargo that would then kill many Iranian civilians? Really, what SHOULD Obama have done? Nuked their nuclear facilities? Obama chose a rational course disconnected from emotion, but a course that I would argue was (and is! which is why Trump punted it to Congress to avoid taking the heat himself) the best course for America.
5
Cool! Let em kill each other once and for all.
2
Can't happen soon enough. America should never get involved.
Wow, in N Korea Kim is beginning to look stable. If the Saudis keep it up maybe Trump one day will look to. Relativity is an amazing theory, but moreso in real life application down here on earth.
2
This is reminiscent of Sarajevo in 1914 where a monarchy is invovled with the removal of a leader of a small country and all the dominoes of alliances smash into a major conflagration. Saudi Arabia is playing a very dangerous game in trying to kindle a proxy war against Iran by encouraging Israel to invade Lebanon. With Russia allied with Iran and the U.S. with the Saudis this could easily lead to a major regional war and perhaps escalate beyond. The least thing we need is an utterly inexperienced person like Jared Kushner involved when we need a seasoned Middle East specialist, if any are left, in the State Department.
18
Kidnapping a sovereign countries leader, isn’t this against the International law? Why isn’t the UN stepping in?
16
Just eradicate Hezbollah and be done with it.
3
Good luck with that, Israel. It did not work out so well last time. Don't expect us to jump into Lebanon too.
5
hizbullah is not the plo in lebanon...
i think the idf has a healthy respect for hizbullah and is not feeling so cocky about things this time...
Coming soon in near future:
"Who knew Middle East could be so complicated ..."
19
Saudi Arabia, major purchaser of American-made armaments, chief aggressor in the onslaught against poor Yemen, and of course a great ally of the United States with which its shares so many values not to mention a fondness for Israel, is clearly the most malignant, most destabilizing force in the region today.
While continuing to pound Yemen, now threatened with famine due to the extension of the Saudi blockade, it is now joining up with Israel to target Lebanon.
In the eyes of Saudi and Israel, Lebanon has committed many great sins. Among other things, Lebanon has magnificently shown how Sunni, Shia, and Christian can actually live together in peace and mutual respect and cooperate in a government in which they all have a share. Sure it’s fragile. But it works. And it’s anathema to the bastions of ethnocentricity.
I’m sorry, why do we favor Saudi and continue to demonize Iran? I’m sure there are reasons, but morality and common sense are not among them.
Submitted 6:32pm ET Nov 10, 2017
35
The Middle East gets really interesting but as the Chinese Proverb goes, "May you live in interesting times", is proving to be true to the T. Well for too long Wahabi Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran were holding the World to ransom and I think its fitting that with ISIS in its death throes, these two self-proclaimed stalwarts of Islam go in for the kill and we are left with no global sponsors of Islamic Terror. Suddenly, I see Israel as a good guy in this region even though for years I blasted this Racist country as a pariah, but the current geo-politics and with Assad using Chemical Weapons in Syria, have shown Israel to be a beacon of hope in the Middle East. I don't think that anyone can wipe each other out, but I think that the State Actors of Asia are in a 1914 pre-World War 1 frame of mind where their leaders and populations think that might can solve squabbles, while the gutless Europeans watch their fate being decided not in Washington by Donald Trump, but in the Middle East.
In other news South-East Asia implodes with air-pollution and their populations are too busy dealing with their smog, leaving the United States facing a sanctions hit Russia. Donald Trump, I feel is the man of the hour and the time for great Leadership for the United States has never been so important. I think providence has a plan for the USA while the rest of the World burns, but such is the tyranny of Geography. Overall, I think that the USA should focus on building a rather strong Wall now.
9
Psysword,
A word to the wise for Trump is slumped against The Wall tweeting that he plans to make walls great again.
I wish I knew what you mean by Wall. I was astonished to learn about our lack of control of the skies (militarily -- we should have been able to shoot down plane 2) on 9/11.
Walls as barriers are obsolete. They are so 20th century thinking. No wall ever created still serves its purpose. A cyber firewall perhaps might be the most effective. To believe that the US exists independent of the rest of the world is very naive. Just a little travel outside of this country shows a very different picture. Political borders are less meaningful, economics and climate changes, and both are global, are the driving forces. Religion is used by governments as a tool to appeal and assuage the general populace especially in less democratic countries. As I recall, the god of Abraham and the god of Muhammad and the father of Jesus Christ all the same. And I don't think he/she picks favorites.
Netanyahu finally got his "American boy" in The Con Don. Woe is us.
40
Sharon had 'boys' in both Chaney AND Bush; hence we are still mired in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Woe is us. fer' sure.
11
Just say no to Israeli war prep shenanigans.
16
We have no good business messing with those people and should have let Saddam deal with the Saudis when he took Kuwait--he was far more progressive than they are. The US is going to regret spending our blood and treasure on the ingrates in the Middle East. Already, thousands of veterans' lives have been ruined as a result of US fighting there. Not our fight!
25
They Destroyed Syria; They Brought ISIS to Syria, Iraq and the rest of the region; they Destroyed Yemen; Now they are on their way to Destroy Lebanon which is the only democracy in the Arab world and a model for co-existence.
69
Don’t forget they also destroyed our twin towers
12
@ MJJ
I assume by "they" you are referring to the US/Saudi/Israel axis, right ?
8
Saudis are approaching the end of their kingdom. ISIS and Al Qaeda originated from Saudi Arabia, and they both failed. Saudis have a lot of money, but they are also corrupt and are at a great risk to collapse. If war on Iraq has been in the US interest, the collapse of Saudi regime would be also in the interest of the US. Nevertheless, destabilizing the region would benefit Trump throughout his failing presidency. Trump could sell more arms to the Saudis and gulf nations, and the oil price would go up. Trump has no concerns about the long-term US interests. The next administration however, would deal with a bigger mess than Obama was facing in 2008.
16
how would the collapse of the Saudi government help the U.S. goal in the region? a collapse of the Saudi government would open up a power vacuum that could be filled by more destabilization from groups such as Al Qaeda. yet this could be argued that it would create greater dependency and control over one of the largest powers in the region. then again this would cause more resources to be diverted to the region. regardless, the U.S. supports regimes such as the monarchy in Saudi Arabia to maintain its influence and balance of power. why do you think Al Qaeda's goal was to bring the far enemy near?
how would the collapse of the Saudi government help the U.S. goal in the region?
I meant just the opposite. I compared it to war on Iraq, because I think the war on Iraq was not in the interest of the US. Bush's friends and constituents did benefit from the war, but people of the United States lost a lot.
Wahabbism originated from Saudi Arabia. Yet, the king does not necessarily support all the radical acts of Wahabbists like Al Qaeda. Perhaps, Saudis were hoping to gain control on Iraq and Syria if the two secular regime would be removed by the US. But, it didn't work for them. Saudis are under pressure. The recent so-callled reforms by the crown prince is meant to save the Saudi regime. I don't think the goal of Al Qaeda or ISIS is to bring the far enemy close, but the far enemy has been losing the war thanks to it corrupt foreign policy in the Middle East. I personally thought the US downfall was going to be stopped when Obama won the election. Well, I was wrong. The downfall continues.
It would take a good cartoonist to make good sense in this. Even Trump sees oportunity
Trump's "quiet before the storm" comment a couple (seems like years) weeks ago, along with Jared Kushner's mysterious visits to Israel and Saudi Arabia are beginning to make some sense now in light of the events of the past few days.
It's been obvious for a long time that Trump has come down solidly on the side of the Saudis in their hegemonic conflict with Iran. Could the process have begun in which Iran and it's ally Hezbollah will be put on the chopping block, hopefully to be crushed forever, by a Saudi/US/Israel alliance?
The big piece of the puzzle that is missing for me is Russia's role.....given the one way, mutual admiration society between Trump and Putin.
1
Let us look forward to the day we are all driving electric cars and the United States is no longer abetting Saudi aggression and no longer buying Saudi oil.
48
We do need that. Unfortunately, the House tax bill zeros out the purchase incentive for electric cars. Prior experience with such subsidy changes has been that uptake is reduced by more than 2/3.
electric cars made in china? and charged with fossil fuel driven chargers? given the present policies of your country, this is a pipe dream...
It looks like once again tiny Lebanon which has no oil is being used as a pawn by Sunni Saudis and Shia Iran to settle their need for dominance in the Middle East. Lebanon is about as good as it gets for pluralism and democracy in the Arab world. Few countries have faced as many civil wars and foreign meddling and yet managed to bounce back as has Lebanon. Looks like Beirut is being readied for a round of fighting and destruction this time under Saudi instigation. The Saudi Crown Prince is moving faster than the camel paced policies his government historically implements. It seems a bit too fast in terms of foreign interventions in Yemen, Qatar and now Lebanon. What's scary is Trump's reassuring words that the Saudis are on plan and know what they are doing! Just ask Kushner I suppose!
30
Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, ISIS... And there are those who say that if only the Israeli-Palestinian issue were solved, the region would join hands and sing "Od Yavo Shalom Aleynu!'
The track record is not good.
12
For as long as the Palestinian problem is not resolved, and for as long as the Arab-Israeli conflict exists, the axis of resistance (embodied by Syria) will always be in a state of war.
And as long as Benjamin Netanyahu heads the government of Israel, there will be no resolution of the fate of the Palestinians and, therefore, no lasting peace in the region. The concept of a Greater Israel is incompatible with a two-state solution.
17
Interesting perspective but hardly conclusive. A contrary narrative promoted by some would be: due to the unresolved Arab-Israeli conflicts, Arab governments incorrectly stoke religious affinity to confer legitimacy on themselves, resulting in a natural Sunni-Shiite conflict.
Whatever your preferred narrative, Obama’s deal with Iran was meant to allow the US to pressure each of these three factions— Israel, Sunni and Shiite. It’s strategic ambiguity.
Shame that Trump has so directly supported the former two, which paradoxically gives them cover to do more egregious things (e.g., introduce turmoil in Lebanon, escalate in Yemen).
4
for the last 40 years the Western media has dedicated 90% of middle east coverage to Israeli-Palestinian conflict so you can't blame people for thinking that is the key to Middle East peace. John Kerry basically said the same thing.
6
As Mueller's investigation heats up against a leader who has no affinity for the rule of law, separation of powers or ethical conduct....like a rudderless Titanic the country is adrift in a chaotic world rendering it vulnerable to slamming up against an unanticipated and unseen iceberg at any moment. The roster of GOP promises looms as a fool's intractable pact with the devil.
11
Some powerful people in the world want WW3 so they can take it over in the chaos.
Much like The Con Don, Erdogan in Turkey, Duerte in the Phillippines, Marcon in France and all the other "surprise" leaders emerged in the chaos, there is now a "new" Saudi prince - who is friends with Kushner? He probably loves Putin, too.
Guess we know now what they discuss at Davos, the Olympics, Futbol championships, Miss World and other "private" international gatherings.
Hope the "analysts" figure it out in time to stop WW3. I have no interest in dying in this power struggle.
13
@ njglea
Great comment, njglea.
Your hope for "the "analysts" figure it out" must be irony though.
When was the last time a prominent "analysts" advocated for peace?
5
The job of the mainstream press (everywhere) is not to prevent war, but to prepare the masses psychologically for it by relentlessly demonizing the designated enemy. That I believe is a historically validated principle.
And from that principle, and using the daily demonization of Russia in the American corporate media, I anticipate a big war will also break out in Europe in the not-too-distant. I say in Europe because that's where Washington would, of course, prefer to keep it.
4
Jared Kushner takes a low profile meeting to Saudi Arabia to meet with this guy shortly before all this goes down? Previously the crown prince of the neighboring UAE is deep in the Trump intrigue. He shows up in the oval office and previously holds undisclosed meetings with Kushner, Bannon and Flynn? (The same meeting that caused the Susan Rice "unmasking" kerfluffle.) The UAE crown prince also sets up a Trump-Putin back channel meeting in the Seychelles. All the time Trump is trying to manufacture a breakdown of the Iran nuclear deal. Is the object a war with Iran?
I smell a rat, and Trump (with Kushner and Bannon) is likely that rat.
34
What's happening in Suadi Arabia?
First, 200 are arrested (many of whom will have serious business/banking relationships in the US) and now the missing Lebanese prime minister.
Trump and Netanyahu need to get thorough explanations. They need to be on top of everything that concerns a country that is home to many of ISIS's biggest backers. Trump and Netanyahu should also be cautious about siding with Saudi Arabia and going against our allies - Germany, France, the UK etc - when evaluating the Iran nuclear deal.
5
This chain of events make the Trump-Rocket Man spat seem like a mere kindergarten squabble in comparison.
It also underscore the clear, present and epic dangers of the Trump World Disorder.
So what is General Mattis going to do about it?
11
Frankly, the whole unsavory bunch in that region deserve each other, and are slowly but surely in the process of annihilating each other (remember the millions of lives lost in the Iran-Iraq war?)
My sincere apologies if I am offending anyone, but I really could care less. It's not even about their oil anymore.
9
If America allows Lebanon to descend into war, it will be our dumbest act in the long line of stupid policy decisions in the Middle East. Look at the possible belligerents in this conflict - Saudi Arabia, a closed Islamic kingdom with a weak military that has struggled to pacify Yemen. Israel, a military powerhouse with a leader facing a growing corruption scandal. America, with a leader so unpopular and a Republican party so divided, I doubt they could convince a handful of Senators to authorize a resolution to send troops to war in Lebanon. Let us not forget the fact that they are also committed to that expensive tax cut, and war cost big money. Finally, America never declares war during mid-term elections, who wants to go to their local constituents and explain why their children are fighting another war in the Middle East. Fighting on the other side, is Hezbollah, a battle hardened terrorist organization and the lets us not forget the wild card - an unlimited supply of Muslim extremists who would be drawn to a conflict between Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
I am going to assume even Donald Trump and his little boy Jared Kushner are not stupid enough to get drawn into another war in the Middle East. As Robert Gates said before the end of his service as Obama's Defense Secretary - America has fought its last war in the Middle East and/or the Third World.
7
Indeed this country has been messing up the Middle East despite the fact that national treasure Frederick is ready to lead. They just can’t understand what you preach...
Trump is at a tipping point, no real Asian policy, certainly no Arab policy, as the oil oligarch's dance their nations, and China's world involvement leaves Trump with nothing constructive for a world view. But he has isolated the US, so what does he expect. This is so close to catastrophic as unbelievable.
7
Weird. Maybe our State Department could explain for us what happened?
Oh, right. The State Department has been busy firing and silencing area experts, and the Department is now lead by uncaring hacks.
26
A former oil company executive (Tillerson) comments on the potential instability in Lebanon? Please. This is a serious matter. We need professionals. Let's let France (or China) handle this.
20
AM
John Ralston Saul was a major oil company executive. He wrote The Collapse of Globalism and the Reinvention of the World in 2005. We are watching the reinvention of the world France China or even Russia cannot handle the situation until the USA decides on whose side it is on. Last week I would have bet on the USA joining in on Russia's kleptocracy and plutocracy, to day China or the Western democracies have shortened the odds.
There is a lot in play in the global theater and if Britain regains its senses and boots its Conservative government, if North Korea realizes it can't win this p-----g match or if Israel can lock up Netanyanu everything changes. History may show that having a President intellectually challenged by Tic Tac Toe was a stroke of genius.
1
In his 2005 book The Collapse of Globalism and the Reinvention of the World John Ralston Saul not surprisingly writes about the reinvention of the world. If you don't want to read the book you can watch one of his many lectures and interviews on youtube.
For many of us the Mideast and the changing dynamics of alliances and adversaries is no surprise. Many of us including our governments whether the USA is a friend or foe makes for dynamic conversation. A great place to begin is the realization that Israel's Likud and Saudi's Crown Prince are the greatest natural allies in the region and the turmoil threatens them both. Sometimes necessity make the strangest of bedfellows.
3
The fact of Jared Kushner's meetings with the Crown Prince are a very troubling factor in this whole situation. Who does he speak for? America? If so, he should be required to spill the details of his talks with the Crown Prince. Or is he doing the bidding of Israel for his friend Netanyahu? Then too he should be held to account.
Tensions aplenty with an American son-in-law somehow in the mix. Did our Secretary of State know about any of this? This whole situation stinks of secrecy and manipulation. America should not be involved at all at this level of 'intrigue".
Jared needs to answer a lot of questions as soon as he returns from his trip to Asia.
264
Agree, why is the MSM news cartel so quiet ?
4
Yes, especially when it will be our sons and daughters in the military who will be sacrificed, and our economy ravaged. This administration has no plan, no direction, and no intelligence, it merely creates new crisis to distract the electorate from the previous crisis. Meanwhile China laughs and continues to build islands in the sea... we have lost our way and under this administration we are becoming irrelevant.
"Hassan Nasrallah declared in a televised speech that Saudi Arabia had asked Israel to attack Lebanon..."
Its probably true -- and I would bet the Israelis have US blessing to go in and "mow the grass" as they like to say when talking about periodically reducing Hizballah's ability to project power south -- because if there is anything that Israel will not tolerate, it is an expansion of already considerable Iranian influence to its immediate north.
There can be little question that Iran -- seeking to poke a stick in the US eye now that Mr. Trump refused to certify Iranian compliance with the nuclear accords -- instructed Hizballah to assassinate Hariri.
Israel and Saudi Arabia are the US proxies in the region; Syria and Hizballah are Iran's proxies. Assassinating Mr. Hariri would have upset the delicate balance that exists in Lebanon, and thus in the region.
From that point of view, a Saudi request for Israel to strike Hizballah makes perfect sense.
Trump has emboldened the Saudis,angered the Iranians and confused the rest of the world.
Is there anyone who can stop this wrecker.
12
Trump doubtless imagines himself evolving into the mirror image of a Saudi absolute monarch and would like nothing better than to confine those who challenge him to the nearest Ritz Carlton -- better yet, a Holiday Inn without room service. He seeks to emulate the dictatorships of China and Russia and admires their ability to control the press and free speech -- as long as they don't block his tweets.
5
So our Saudi "allies" kidnap a foreign head of state, and the United States of America has nothing to say about it?
16
Rex Tillerson needs time to see which side will benefit EXXON before making any real statements, while Trump is worried about all his UAE investments.
16
I have long believed that a third world war would start around 2030. By that time China will be much closer in strength to the United States, perhaps at a level of near parity. The closer they get to America, the more likely war will become.
Our present time period was preceded by one where the world started lining up into competing political and economic blocs. Our present time period was preceded by an era of free-wheeling, laissez-faire capitalism that came to an end with a worldwide depression. There is an intense interest and rivalry between the great powers in securing foreign export markets to resolve their domestic economic problems. There is an intense interest and rivalry brewing between the great powers to control oil supplies. There is a defeated great power with revanchist grievances lead by a nationalistic and aggressive leader. There is a communist state undergoing a major transformation into an industrial superpower, increasingly under the sway of one man. It's uncanny how similar things are beginning to look between the present and what was going on in the world in the 1930s.
We've already fought one proxy war in Syria, and have come very close to fighting one in Ukraine, it wouldn't surprise me if another broke out in Lebanon. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail.
5
I few years back I happened to meet a young woman who lived in Beirut via the internet. Our meeting happened because of a most unusual set of circumstances. We became instant friends. Her family was well educated and lived a comfortable life. Every week we communicated via e-mail for almost a year.
The last e-mail I received from her was short , "my father is moving all of us out of my country, and we started packing today. The situation here is becoming too dangerous." I have not been in contact since although I have tried.
The fighting between Sunni and Shiite and middle eastern countries should not surprise anyone. It has been going on for such a long time.
I have no idea where my dear friend is nor do I know if she and her family made it safely out of harms way. I share this personal story because this ongoing, senseless conflict hurts so many people on so many levels.
I miss my dear friend and it brings tears as I write this for I know in my heart she misses me as well.
12
The Yemenites are on the verge of a major famine ... Does Jared Kushner who has the Middle East portfolio care?
Past US administrations always tried to help when facing a humanitarian crisis. I remember the planes full of supplies that the US sent to Iran when this country had a major earthquake, even though they called each other "enemies".
It is appalling that the US has stooped to such a low level.
21
Where is our secretary of state on these developments? ... not a peep out of him. And what is trump doing about it? There's an uncomfortable feeling that the president is otherwise preoccupied and frankly underwhelmed by world events. We need to stop entertaining intellectual curiosity items about this guy and hold him to account for doing everything from obstructing investigations to enriching himself by refusing to divest interests. His henchmen keep trying to normalize the abnormality of his behavior. Nothing about his time in office has been normal and nothing about him has changed. He is grossly incompetent and proves it daily. He is using the office to enrich himself and his spawn, and proves it daily.
48
The article documents a peep out of the current Secretary of State if you care to read it.
3
The "secretary of state" was, is and always will be an oil man. These countries lined his pockets. Where's the surprise in his silence. He's probably got all his chips in on instability.
2
Trump in the US
Kim in North Korea
Putin in Russia
Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia
But don't worry. We will all be fine.
9
The Saudis know America has their back. Its war on Iran. The Sunni loving US will hope the Saudis kill as many Shias in Iran as they did in Yemen. Jihad against non-believers is US foreif=gn policy since Afghanistan in the 80s.
12
I confess I am confused. I cannot think of a reason why the prime minister of Lebanon flew to Saudi Arabia to announce his resignation. Prime ministers usually announce their resignations while in their home country, not in a foreign country. Simultaneously, a purge of sorts (posh house arrest for now) happened in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has also been trying to shutdown the Al Jareeza news station in Qatar by targeting complaints against Qatar internationally. This has been going on for about a year.
I know our government has treated Saudi Arabia as a special friend of the US. I remember Saudi Arabia citizens flew out of the US on special planes immediately after the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks. This, despite most of the terrrorists being from Saudi Arabia and the mastermind being from a prominent wealthy Saudi Arabian family, the Bin Ladens.
I am confused why the US persists in considering Saudi Arabia an ally. Something smells fishy about every Saudi Arabia appearance in the news. Like the odd deaths during holy visits to Mecca in Saudi Arabia during recently past years: a collapsing building project and a human stampede.
Fishy.
44
Agreed. And don't forget that Jared Kushner was staying up all night talking with the Prince in Saudi Arabia just before this happened. Making plans, I suspect. And I suspect Jared is in on them.
7
Their oil reserves are critical to our Western allies. The Saudi's also make huge financial payoffs to our presidents, particularly the two bushes. Check out house of Saud house of bush. I suspect most of our presidents lineup for the post presidency speaking engagements.
5
We will be paying for Obama's (and Bush's) incompetence in the Middle East for years to come. How could Obama think Iran and its proxies like Hezbollah could ever be anything but hostile to American interests? Iran is pushing for war through its terrorist proxies and soon we will have that war.
8
You forgot the Saud's funded and the US trained the Taliban, and where did Osama Bin Laden come from?
2
I believe Obama's policy toward the Middle East was to attempt balance in hopes of dialogue: they all have arms defence, for assured mutual destruction; the Iran deal bought time for people to start talking; and he did not allow the US to openly side with the Saudis...which is why neither the Saudis nor Netanyahu "liked" Obama. Trump promptly flies to Saudi Arabia, gives them 100% backing, trashes Iran and makes very clear that the Saudis and the Israelis are free to have a go at Iran: that's what I call stupid policy. And part of that stupid policy is not calling out the Saudi's for spreading their vile form of Islam and money to support ISIS and Al Qaeda. There's a reason the largest US military base is in Qatar...Qatar understands the reality of what it will take to save the Mid. East, like Obama did. But now, with trump's blessings, Qatar is an enemy. Again, just plain stupidity by this trump administration.
26
.....except substitute the word “Saudi Arabia” with the word “Iran”, and then I agree...
3
Like every republican president;Trump wants a war, so we all focus some where else; while he dismantle our institutions and emblem TRUMP on the white house.
35
Like every blogger consumed by Trump Derangement Syndrome, every problem becomes Trump's fault -- no matter if the problem is rooted in conflicts and political decisions made years before he entered the White House including Bush's decision to invade Iraq and Obama's slick decision to "lead from behind" whatever that means in translation. In the end, it's always Trump's fault. When did Trump ever call for a war in the Mideast? Please cite time and sources for this. Otherwise, give it a rest, man.
6
America has proved once again that if you make a deal not to have nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction the US, along with its proxies Israel or Saudi Arabia, will attack you. This is a build up to war intended to create a war with Iran wherein the US and Israel can weigh in. I'm sure King Jong Un is taking note.
14
Like we expect the people in this region to act normal.
Let's follow the advice of T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) and allow these Arab tribes to work out their own differences without Western interference.
In the end all we will need to do is resolve to have good relations with whomever comes out on top.
23
Of course, it escapes you that this not about Arab tribes but a fight between Persian Shias and Arab Sunnis with huge stakes for combating terrorism, oil prices and for the US friend Israel.
But of course those are details for a modern man such as yourself.
3
Mike's words demonstrate ignorance and possibly racist attitudes towards demonized "others". Imperialists in the past used such language. He obviously has never traveled in the Arab World and knows nothing of its history and accomplishments.
7
I don’t think any of us have ever seen the Saudi military in action! They seem to have avoided all conflicts in the Middle East, except as either bystanders or instigators....All that weaponry, we’ve sold them.
7
They are destroying Yemen with our military hardware and creating a gruesome humanitarian crisis there.
6
It's time the Israelis wake up to find that their real enemy is Saudi Arabia, not Iran. Iran is toothless and Saudi Arabia is not. Besides, with the new heir-apparent, committing genocide in Yemen and itching for a war not only with war rhetoric but also claims of unbelievable, illogical, unlikely instigation by neighboring countries. The most interesting part would be, whom the US will support. Both are supposedly America's greatest allies. My bet is Israel but if Saudi Arabia is belittled, they will pull the carpet right under America's financial feet. It would be interesting to see what Trump will do as he has repeated told our allies to fend for themselves because it is "America First". I am only getting the feeling of doom - nuclear war in the Far East, nuclear War in the Middle East and lost financial war, right here. And I am not even including conventional warfare!
9
Stop calling Lebanon an ex French colony, New York Times. France had a mandate to prepare Lebanon for statehood for 23 years (1920 to 1943). You should know that colony is something entirely different.
16
you must be kidding....French mandate was another term for colonization...
7
Who, pray tell, gave them the "mandate"? It was other colonizing powers carving up the Middle East. The Lebanese had no voice in this. They themselves call that period colonialism.
4
So why did the French leave after 20 years without a single drop of blood spilled and after giving Lebanon a constitution?
I understand one has to be sometimes cynical in politics but that doesn't mean everything is a sham.
So my fellow Americans, does energy independence look any better today?
24
It’s much more within reach these days. Our current imports are under 25% and are that high only because domestic production has trouble being profitable at current prices. This of course coincides with our current state of prosperity...when energy costs rise, our economy usually gets into a knot. But if needed we could sustain our energy needs ourselves. Wouldn’t be cake walk but doable.
It is truly beyond belief to read that Jared Kushner, who has the only qualification of being the husband of the darling daughter of Trump, is allowed to deal on behalf of the US on such life and death matters without Congress, the Department of State and the American people being, it seems, involved or informed.
636
That small sentence was alarming: is he there with the support and knowledge of the secretary of state or is does he bear some secret personal message from the President - or is he an unelected, unscreened, loose cannon ( perhaps peashooter) who is held to no standards or guidelines? We know less about Kushner than we do about his father in law's taxes. Where is his loyalty, other than to self and family? What are his credentials? What major confrontations has he ever mediated?
9
While US Diplomats are being offered buy outs to encourage them to resign/retire early. Who needs trained, multilingual, experienced diplomats?
1
Shortly after last year's presidential election, an expose was done on why so many evangelicals voted for Trump, a man whose morals and lack of religious conviction should have made him abhorrent to them. While many espoused his (newly found) opposition to abortion, virtually everyone considered Trump to be an evil person who would provoke a Middle Eastern war and thus bring the world closer to Armageddon and thus the "Rapture". Sending the naif, Kushner, a man of no experience in international relations to that cauldron only increases the odds of a major catastrophe coming soon enough. And to think we've been "obsessing" over North Korea these past few months...
16
Despite attempts at rehabilitation of the House of Bush, due to their dislike of Trump, it should be remembered that G. H. W. Bush and, with the unseemly image of George W. Bush Kissing King Abdullah, Bush the Younger launched an unhealthy alliance of the US and the House of Saud.
Perhaps it was the Bushs' intention to curry favor with Saudi Arabia by deposing the Shite dictator of Sunni majority Iraq, and not the non-existent weapons of mass destruction at all.
Add to all of this the near nonstop fawning of The Donald, like a priapic teenager, and his extreme envy of the total dominance of the House of Saud in Saudi Arabia, and you have the recipe that has lead to Saudi willingness to play fast and rough in Lebanon.
As a result of our interference in Iraq we have no allies left in the Middle East, save Israel, an nothing would endanger them more than a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Lebanon. What a mess we have made. And Putin sits in Syria laughing at his newly elected American President enjoying the show.
12
The majority in Iraq is Shia Arabs not Sunni!!
Saddam Hussein was Sunni, not Shia. But he ruled Iraq as a secular dictator.
Note that this article mentions the British Ambassador and the European Union Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, while the U. S. only has a chargé d'affaires (or acting Ambassador). Why is this? Because Donald Trump has not got around to appointing an Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. At this point there are over 50 countries that lack a U. S. Ambassador. None has been appointed.
32
The US chargé d'affaires is a long service professional. An Ambassador would be a political appointee, often just as a return for campaign donations. If somehow the Ambassador was a professional, it would be the chargé d'affaires or someone very like him.
That is not our problem.
To Mark Thomason. I am not putting down the US chargé d'affaires Christopher Henzel in Saudi Arabia. You are right that he is a high-level foreign service officer, surely more knowledgeable than any new Ambassador would be. Still, the Saudi government sees our embassy there without an ambassador. That is not a good situation. Of course, at this point they are sidestepping the embassy and dealing with our President's son-in-law instead. My point is that the Trump Administration is gutting our State Department, and the Saudi Arabia situation is a good example of it.
Since Election Day last year much of the US intelligentsia has been obsessively self absorbed with one word: Trump. The fount of all evil. Spawn of Satan. Etc etc. Meanwhile, the rest of the world continues to go about its business, and long simmering conflicts that may ultimately spell disaster for us all continue to cook away on the stove top. Lebanon as a flashpoint is only a surprise to those who weren’t paying any attention. As with the ongoing war in Mali and Niger.
6
Rex who? issued a flabby weak-kneed statement that was probably laughed off. Do you mean the discredited Secretary of State that has retreated into the closet who works for a belligerent war-tweeting President? Oh, thank you, I’m sure his soothing words caused waves of calm to transcend across the Middle East.
10
Trump is too busy promoting business to listen to intelligent reason.
1
Where's Jared Kushner when we need him?
3
Just stop using oil, then these things won't matter as much.
18
Funny thing though. The Republicans are doing everything they can to stymie alternative energy, electric cars, etc. You'd almost think they want is to dependent on oil. No, you don't say so.
9
There is no place for America among this witches brew of tribalists who have been fighting each other for millennia. Stay home America; avoid past mistakes; we can add nothing good or worthwhile.
26
Quick poll:
a. What's your level of confidence in Jared Kushner's capability to manage the United States' policy and relationships in the Middle East?
b. What's your level of confidence in Donald Trump's capability to manage the United States' policy and relationships in the Middle East?
13
Quick query:
Does your poll allow for negative scores?
2
Zero times two
3
Article fails to mention the recent helicopter crash near Yemeni border where an influential Saudi Prince was killed. If going to go full conspiracy theory then need to include that link in the chain as well.
17
I was born in Beirut and raise there through my teen years. I am a dual citizen of Lebanon and the US, and have witnessed the horrible fratricidal war that almost destroyed Lebanon.
Beautiful Lebanon is the envy of all Arab countries and Israel, for being the only democratic Arab country in the Middle East.
It has been known as the Switzerland of the Middle East (ME), where Christians, Sunni Muslims, Shi'ites Muslims and Druze have learned to live together in a precarious 'unstable equilibrium".
Any outside pressure, Palestinians and Syrians in the past, and now Iran and Saudi Arabia, with Israel's Mossad playing the secret 'trouble maker', can tip the scales quickly, of this delicate balance and create the next maelstrom in the ME.
39
Nonsense, the Lebanese militias and war lords tore their country apart in their civil-war from 1975 to 1990. But, the Lebanese have amnesia, and while some of the war lords who ran these militia's and killed so many of their countrymen now are wealthy old men sitting in parlaiment, the Lebanese like to pretend that their conflict was all somebody else's fault...the Syrians, the Israeli's, the CIA, the Mossad....
1
I called your State Dept. for some insight into what this apparent plot is all about...nobody answered, nobody works there any longer.
AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson has done the analysis of what's going on at State and it's not good. (link below)
We're being manipulated into another war: well past time to find out what Kushner, Prince, Bolton, and the rest of trump's men are really up to on their secret trips to all points Mid. East. And I have a feeling that the British Conservative MP who was just forced to resign on account of her secret, undisclosed meeting in Israel is part of this story. And what has happened to Nikki Halley? she seems to have disappeared, been silenced.
https://afsa-nfe2015.informz.net/informzdataservice/onlineversion/ind/bW...
7
Saudi Arabia’s fiscal deficit of 10 % of GDP is in separate need of spiking oil prices!
1
Why does Jared Kushner have a security clearance?
26
Cause he’s Donald’s son-in-law quite simply.
4
The war is practically here. It is inevitable and imminent. It will be a world war with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the U.S., EU, and Israel, on one side; and Iran, Syria, Iraq, Russia, and Yemen on the other side. Many more nations may be involved. The poor reporting on this matter in the American media helped to make this war inevitable. This war is not of Trump’s making. It has been brewing for quite some time but our media was so preoccupied with elections and Trump that this major development that will affect the entire world was practically unnoticed.
127
The war might or might not come. But Trump definitely is to blame.
2
Dear Gennady,
So dramatic! But sorry, you're wrong. The war is here because it always was, between Sunni and Shiite. It will be just another regional war with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and maybe smaller nations on one side, and Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and other minor nations on the other. The U.S. and Russia will avoid direct conflict, just as they have every single war in the region (and that's a lot of wars). Israel will defend itself and win, just like every time.
This is just more of the same, it happens every five to eight years without fail, and as usual it won't turn into a major conflagration. If the U.S. and Russia keep out of it, which would be wise, then nobody outside the Middle East will be affected.
And just like every single Middle East war ever, there is zero chance that the entire world would be affected. The entire world, note, does not give a dang about the Sunni-Shiite eternal holy war.
7
And all this information should have been twittered out, right? Since, you know, the person who should have the long view on all of this seems to not, and since all the reporting in the world would not have fostered one iota of interest from, you know, the president---all that reading!---at least not beyond his interests in towers, hotels, and golf courses, naturally. And of course it's simply not reasonable to suspect that the Russians, who do have had the long view, were thinking about all this when they installed the twitter in chief, to, you know, ignore everything.
3
It seems that MBS is the key player. With support from Trump and the Israelis, Saudi Arabia is likely to attack Lebanon and Hezbollah. If so, it will be interesting to see whether the Iranians take action. It is like a game of GO.
4
Saudi Arabia is our friend, but somehow we can't get reporters into that country or Yemen to tell the story? Reporting from Beirut, not Riyadh or Sanaa?
21
Yes, our friends. Except that friends don't let citizens fly planes into friend's tall buildings. They aren't THAT kind of friend.
19
It's one thing for President Trump to demonstrate his ignorance about healthcare reform, it is an entirely different matter when he ignorantly tweets about Qatar because he wants to show that any Arab state that is not totally opposed to Iran deserves his disdain and now he bluntly welcomes the purge of Saudi royals, ministers, media owners and others in Saudi Arabia because he is certain that the crown prince "knows what he is doing." I always ask friends who remain Trump supporters and dismiss his impulsive and usually uninformed remarks whether they are comfortable with the same man who so often seems foolish (and they agree he is foolish) addressing international crises, literally matters of life and death. They never have a good answer.
36
Oh no, not another war there. I was in Beirut, Sour and Byblos for the first time last month and felt completely safe and very happy there. It is a beautiful country with very good people, a melting pot apparently of Lebanese, Armenians, Palestinians, Syrians, South Indians and even some Filipinos. No one deserves their fate. The horrendous consequences of war for the country aside, outsiders are also losing out by being unable to easily visit there, one of the most interesting places on earth given its very old civilization. As in Rome one can see and feel its long history everywhere in plain sight daily. It has so much to offer the rest of the world in terms of nourishment for the soul, and yet its very spirit is being snuffed by geopolitics. When can they ever have a prolonged period of peace and prosperity instead of perennially being innocent bystanders victimized by the ambitious countries around it. We should help them give peace a chance.
278
Snow falling on cedars, Lebanon remains one of the most troubled countries in the world.
2
It's a good thing that the players do have nuclear weapons.
But then, that also means that this quagmire is going to be a long drawn out affair!
1
*not*
Doesn't Israel have nuclear weapons?
Sorry, bit pre-bibi Israel was a freer state.
Why the Left-leaning parties don’t trash that son of a dog is beyond all reason.
After millennia, “My” state, and culture and last place to run potential pogroms of 45’ s good men’ Nazi Americans is becoming a land of intolerance and splinter intolerant groups, following al Islam’s and Luther’s fanatical divisions, each and every one calling itself the One True Faith.
1
everybody remember what happened to rafik kariri?
3
What happened to him? Nobody knows who set that bomb, and the enemy of the day has been blamed, shifting from time to time.
Question: Is there really still an independent Lebanon?
And who is in control?
The original Lebanon, held by the French until the 1948 division of the Middle East was supposed to be a Christian-majority country, the last remnant of the Crusaders who remained in the area and built a country over a millennium.
Just as Israel was supposed to be the Jewish State, home to about half of a population reduced by two millennia of constant genocide, ending with the Nazi near-“final solution”, the only part of the 3rd Reich’s plan that the citizens of conquered nations thought a dynamite idea (I think the last estimates I saw estimated a world Jewish population of more than 50 million, not the @12 million left alive after ha Shoah).
But Syria took control of Lebanon in the late ‘70s, and the Christian population fled, the dedicated later caught between waring Israel and Syria - many who fled to the US saying they just wanted to escape the fighting, first against the Muslims, just to find themselves caught between hammer and anvil.
I somehow doubt a Christian leader would flee to Saudi Arabia.
Some background on which Islamic group(s) control the Paris of the Middle East would be welcome. Just kill some of the tremendous quantity of white space and big photos the NYT has added in the name of ‘style’ aka lack of staff and send someone down to the morgue and the NYT’s library which should have copies of the latest State Dept. guides to every nation on the planet.
3
If your comment "...doubt a Christian leader would flee to Saudi Arabia,' you are mistaken. Saad Harari is a Sunni Muslim. You are also incorrect to state that after Syria took control of Lebanon, the Christian population fled. More Lebanese Christians fled Lebanon after the 1860 war than fled because of Syrian influence recently.
3
When Syria took control of Lebanon, it was to stop the civil war. The West approved. Even Israel agreed.
The problem in Lebanon has never been Syria. It has been Hezbollah confronting Israel in the south of Lebanon. The Syrians were in the north of Lebanon, controlling the other half with which Israel did not have a problem and did not bomb in the fighting.
Syria is now a problem, but that is in Syria, because of its own war, and has nothing to do with Syria in Lebanon.
The Saudis got the unequivocal assurance from Jared that Israel would be the front nation in an attack in Lebanon, despite the attack not directed at the Lebanese people but at Hezbollah. The attack, however, has to be timed with something coming out of the Mueller investigation that will be damaging to Jareds' wifes' dad.
19
terry:
Great insight, about an attack possibly timed to overshadow any Mueller investigation news
1
First off, the use of "stranded" in the lede is misleading commentary. Nothing cited in the article proves a lack of available transportation services, revoked passport or involuntary incarceration. Indeed, as a Saudi citizen, Mr. Hariri is lawfully subject to Saudi authorities while he is in that country.
The rest of the article seems to want it both ways: war is "unlikely" but war "could happen". As I parse probabilities, that still means war is "unlikely."
Is there some particular period in the past half century in which events in the Middle East did *not* "stir tensions"? Name it. And which particular regional war of the recent past, such as the Iraq-Iran war or the Israel-Egypt or Israel-Syria conflicts, have any onerous impact on nations outside the region?
The root issue here is oil, the extraction of oil and the safe transport of oil out of the region. It would be useful for the NY Times to offer an analysis of how the conflict might affect global oil prices, and leave speculation about the conflicts that are chronic and endemic to the region to those who actually live there.
6
Some thirty year olds, involved in cement and building enterprises, and part of the Saudi and US administrations, are planning a war of death and destruction. When is the oil money going to end, when is the obsession with the primitive Middle East Theater end?
11
This is disturbing. It seems highly likely that Trump and co. are actively choreographing events in the direction of chaos and war. Of course it is connected ultimatley to his survival instinct as well as his demonic lust for power at any cost. Kushner is all in. no illusions. Netanyahu, The new Saudi Prince, Trump setting the stage for yet another war in the Mideast. Iran is in the crosshairs. oh my....what a dark labarynth is being dug.
13
If foolish Saudi Arabia, at the behest of Israel or the US, gets into war with Iran ostensibly because of Lebanon, or because one missile from poor, crushed Yemen came close to wealthy Riyadh, it will be WW3 and destruction on such a massive scale that we might as well call it Armageddon.
97
Dear Andrea,
Don't worry, it won't be WW3. Neither Saudi Arabia nor Iran has nukes, and every conflict between them so far has been limited to the region. The Iran-Iraq wars were very rough, and they didn't affect anything but the neighboring nations. I fully expect war and dehydration to depopulate the Middle East this century, but the rest of the world will get through it just fine.
1
Terrorist regime in Iran will be toppled in the first week of war.
Which is why most of the GOP will happily get behind it, singing "Nearer My God to Thee" in chorus. Or in John McCain's case, "Bomb Bomb Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran".
Please not another mess in Middle East
Be like the Chinese - mind our own business and fix ourselves
Unfortunately for GOP - it is their re election platform.
Be afraid.
14
Come on, Hillary would have been "all in" on any armed conflict Israel and/or Saudi Arabia needed support for.
4
The Chinese are not minding their own business. They are all over Africa and the Middle East financing and (Chinese companies are) building infrastructure and real estate projects.
4
Dear ES,
I'm not afraid in the slightest. This is just another mess in the Middle East, like always, just like any other year in recorded history. Not a big deal at all.
1
"It then emerged that the week before, Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, who has been sent on missions both to Israel and Saudi Arabia, had visited Riyadh on a previously undisclosed trip and met until the early morning hours with the crown prince."
It's well known that Jared Kushner is up to his neck in debt from his purchase of 666 Fifth Avenue for $1.8 Billion in 2007 (at the time the most anyone's ever paid for a building in Manhattan.) He's in desperate need of money because of the purchase of this property, and I wonder if he's trying to get cash from the Saudi government. In short, I smell a rat.
86
The Trump crowd's perception is that aligning the US with Saudi against Iran will enable the Saudis to start a war with Iran... of course, with US support, backing and encouragement - and complementary Saudi investment in Kushner's real estate quagmire, billions of dollars of purchases of US military equipment and supplies, etc.
9
I visited Lebanon in 1995, as it is the homeland of three of my grandparents. Christians from the Beqaa Valley. The Christian communities are, by history and proximity, some of, if not, the oldest in the world. Taxis were the only means of getting to their villages, which sat high above the valley on what felt like the sites of very ancient settlements. At one point in a day-long drive, my driver told me to hide my camera and look relaxed and avoid contact with an individual manning a checkpoint. He was robed head to toe, carrying an automatic rifle and a shoulder strap lined with bullets. A large billboard behind him featured missiles and the words "Death to Israel". "Hezzbolah" the driver said.
As we sat drinking tea and chatting in the idyllic village, an Orthodox church on one street, and a Maronite Catholic church on another, we could hear distant explosions which the locals said was the Israeli air force following up on a tip about Hezbollah activity.
A few years later, my family, living here in Montreal and in Ottawa who return to the Beqaa every summer, were featured in the news fleeing an all-out skirmish between the two sides in the conflict. Elderly relatives in their eighties were photographed walking on foot for many kilometres to escape and acquire safe transportation out of the region.
Hezbollah and Iran are absolutely the infiltrators in this region and the provocateurs and exploiters of a situation that has nearly destroyed a population.
8
Michael, Montreal....seems I recall that Hezbollah came to be because Israel occupied Lebanon for almost 20 years. There is more to this issue than you have stated.
5
Why did Trump send an apprentice, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner to Riyadh at tax payer expense?
Kushner, like Trump, is a real estate dealer. Not a credentialed diplomat, nor someone with a background in international relations.
86
Wow, I just can't wait to see what wonderful perfect winning plan our cogent articulate commander in chief has for this latest middle east volatility. At last all the problems will be solved! Winning!
16
What we need now is an experienced leader with a cool head to work out talks between all parties. trump, anyone?
6
This is the direct result of the weak leadership our country has provided over the past 9 months. It is what happens when an unprepared, unqualified person hires his in-laws to do what professional State Department Employees should be doing.
19
We would have a more effective foreign policy if they had randomly installed the cast of Green Acres at the Dept. of State.
51
Yes, Hillary and her State Dept. crew would have been great - you know them, they're the ones that helped reestablish order, shepherded peaceful transitions of power, ensured US prominence and promoted stability and democracy in the region following the entire clustrfk known as Arab Spring. Oh, wait...nevermind.
3
You skipped over "W" and his Status of Forces Agreement with the corrupt Iraqi government, after the feckless war looking for WMD. We could never really get free of it, even though Obama did everything he could to mitigate it. Now we have Trump and Tillerson et al in charge of our oil purchases; they are also looking to frack/drill for oil in a fragile part of the North Slope. These are not builders and leaders; these are polluters and exploiters. They could not care less what happens after they rape, loot and pillage, leaving even vaster fortunes to their spawn.
All kidding aside, I've been wondering how long it would take to get Fred and Arnold Ziffel recruited by the Trump administration. You've answered my question.
How reassuring to know that, amid these critical, cryptic machinations and intrigues involving various ultra-powerful players in the Middle East, the United States' point man for advice and consent is... wait a second - Jared KUSHNER?
So now the whole world is on the hook while Trump and Co. continue to play the family adventure game. Luckily, there is a mechanism to put an end to being helpless pawns for their arrogant hubris. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership in Congress has got that mechanism locked away.
489
What remains baffling is, that despite increasing revelations about Kushner's involvement in the Russia probe & his 'evasions' of telling the truth (including moving servers to the Trump Organisation etc) - he & Ivanka still have security clearance & total access.
People protested about them getting the security clearances + jobs at the Duck House well before so much was known about Russian meddling.
Now we know far more; though it seems the tip of the iceberg - yet those two still have total, complete access? Moreover, it is totally clear and out in the open, Kushner has mega debts and thus is open to financial offers. He stirred up trouble for Qatar when one of its citizens pulled out of financially helping Kushner out.
Allowing Kushner in his 'advisor role' is total, complete madness - but nobody in Congress is bothered!
2
Wasn't a predecessor of Hariri (possibly another Hariri?) assassinated just a few years ago via an enormous highway explosion? Maybe the current Hariri was just running away for his life? This article disregards past history, much more reportage needs to be done.
4
Good article on the situation: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/lebanon-prime-minister-saad-hariri-r...
2
Saad Hariri is one of Rafic Hariri's sons. They got rich appropriating the best land in downtown Beirut.
1
There have been plenty of indications over the past months that Israel and the Saudis have been conniving to recover their position after the embarrassing loss in the Syrian War. Netanyahu is facing corruption charges and is dependent on an increasingly fractious right wing coalition. King Sultan and his son Mohammed are embarking on changes that will shake the foundations of Saudi society. Both Netanyahu and the Saudi regime would benefit enormously from a national security crisis. For them, war is the answer. And, fear, our clueless President and arrogant, over confident his son-in-law are only to happy to help. As a nation, we will owe the most profound apology to the Lebanese people.
16
Be nice if we had a fully-staffed and functioning Dept. of State about now, wouldn't it.
130
No, that would just make USA's plunder around the world more efficient with a nicer face. At least now the atrocious side is in clear sight.
The problem is the American regime itself.
1
U.S. diplomatic credibility is at rock bottom everywhere and it's particularly acute in this region; dilletantes like Kushner and well meaning but incapable officials like Secretary Tillerson are both in over their heads and out of their depth in understanding what's going on, let alone having any clue about what strategies to pursue. Our president couldn't locate Lebanon on a map, nor would he have any knowledge about the country beyond real estate equity in Beirut. Our State Department continues to lose professionals thanks to Trump's malfeasance. Our leadership is needed here more than ever and we have never been left so uprepared by the lack of it.
43
Trump disemboweled the State Department and sent his son-in-law to manage our role in the whole Middle East scene. So to the extent that the U.S. says or does anything with regard to this situation, now and going forward, we are getting played by the big players over there. I'm sure that in the long run this family adventure game will accrue to the ultimate benefit of the Kushner and Trump development businesses but our country is getting played, whether the boy in short pants is aware of it or not (and I suspect that he doesn't care either way).
7
Except, I suspect Jared is in Mueller’s crosshairs. He’s just biding his time as the Trump family keep incriminating themselves, and he gets the outer circle of people one-by-one and an airtight case against the family. The real question is how long it’ll take before Mueller is ready and how much damage Jared and Trump can do before that happens - and it could come too late to undo a wrecked US foreign policy, or to prevent several more wars from breaking out causing mass casualties.
2
With Saudi Arabia every day becoming more impotent in Yemen, a war of choice that has brought thousands of dead and tens of thousands of civilians, including children, into malnutrition and death, I think the money would be on Hezbollah and Iran.
The US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have brought only more power to Iran --apparently, the US is going to try madness again and keep on doing the same thing, regardless of all previous failures.
In the meantime, civilians die on the ground, American soldiers die on foreign lands, and the US puts its allies in peril. Again, if Putin wanted the destruction of American power, that's exactly what the US would do...
13
You can say many things about Netanyahu (and with little doubt, the courts will have a say about some of them) but one thing has always been true: the man knows that wars are easy to start but messy to get out of. He has never been quick to pull Israel into a conflict and there's nothing in Israel now indicating that he's about to change that.
So with a bit of luck, both the people of Lebanon and the people of Israel will be left in peace for a few more months. In the Middle East, that's about the best you can hope for.
7
Trump has been complimenting the Saudi Prince about this move. He admires dictators and Kings because that is the status to which he aspires. We should start calling him Mad King Donnie, except he'd probably like it.
21
Lebanon is currently home to 1.5 Million Syrian Refugees and 450,000 Palestinian refugees. If Lebanon were to break out into war.....where would all these people (in addition to the Lebanese) go? Let's not forget that in 2014 Lebanese police arrested five Saudis in Lebanon (including a Prince) who were caught with 15 million capsules (two tonnes) of an amphetamine headed to ISIS fighters- to keep them fighting. This seems like a continuation of the Saudi Arabia/Iran Conflict - which is being undertaken in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Qatar, Bahrain, and now Lebanon. Why does it seem that wherever there are Shia Muslims - Saudi Arabia is there trying to destabize the government? It is time to cut our ties with Saudis and stop selling arms to them!
43
About time the NYTimes came around and started to report on this a little more.
This is a major crisis and deserves everybody's attention.
It seems that the Saudis and the Israelis are so furious by the outstanding victories of the Syrian army under Bashar al Assad over their proxies, ISIS, that they are triggering a political crisis in Lebanon to paralyze Hezbollah and hit at Iran.
Someone wants war there.
After his visit to Saudi Arabia, Hariri, who holds a Saudi passport, was made to realize that his life was in danger, either from Hezbollah (according to the Saudis) or from Israel-US.
It is more probable that Israel and the USA want to murder him, put the blame on Iran and Hezbollah and create a public rejection of Iran in Lebanon. That is part of the present campaign against Iran, Hezbollah and Syria.
In either case Hariri panicked and did well to resign. He may have thrown the country in a political crisis but he may have avoided a worst crisis if he had been killed.
Now Lebanon still has to face the Saudi-Israel-US blackmail: either get rid of Iran and Hezbollah or you face total destruction.
I expect Lebanon to discreetly turn to Russia for protection.
Who will replace Hariri?
The US and Israel will of course exploit the divisions, and let's not forget that the destruction of Hezbollah/Lebanon only benefits Israel, nobody else.
Meanwhile, most Lebanese like most Syrians only want peace.
So very sad.
Also, Jared Kushner's role in this deserves a lot more scrutiny.
95
Dear Chris,
I'm a bit confused, how is this a crisis that deserves everyone's attention? This is just Lebanon, it's not an important nation. It's like if the chance of war was arising in El Salvador again, the rest of the world could just go about its business, just like the last times those nations were embroiled in war. And everyone should be used to senseless religious wars in the Middle East by now.
So I think much of your analysis is correct, but I don't see why this is important at all. Just like all the other dozens of Middle East wars in the last century, this will not directly affect anyplace outside the region, excepting when other nations like the U.S. have idiotically gotten directly involved.
@ Dan Stackhouse
Dan,
this crisis deserves attention because it is a war that is totally avoidable, and loss of live and the destruction of a country that is needless and stoppable.
This plot by the unholy alliance of Saudis and Israel who want to start a war in Lebanon (having failed to oust Assad in Syria) is so blatantly apparent and sticking your head in the sand and going "InShaAllah" is not only incredibly jaded and blasé, but it absolves countries and their leaders (including this one) from stopping war crimes.
And as an American you should know that condoning war crimes and not prosecuting war crimes only leads to more war crimes.
It even led to a Nobel Peace Prize recipient going on a murderous drone killing spree, against all international law, common decency and humanity, and even bombing another Nobel Peace Prize laureate (Doctors Without Borders).
This lawlessness and disregard for human life permeates into societies everywhere and thus affects all of us.
6
Dear Chris,
Thanks for that excellent reply. I actually agree with everything you said there, and I'd prefer to avoid war crimes and needless loss of life too. But I am cynical, from having learned too much about humanity, and I doubt humans can avoid the next several regional wars over religion and resources.
If we had a good leader in America, and more so if we also had good ones in Russia and China, then I think the superpowers could put a stop to this war before it happens. But America has an idiot, Russia has a power-hungry murderer, and China has a heartless capitalist (weirdly). So I'm talking about not what I think should happen, but what I think will happen.
Also sorry for the contentious debate here, and I wish you well. And I do believe humanity as a whole will get through this, and look back on it all with horror someday.
2
The other tragic aspect of this story - is that this is a brewing disaster of global proportions - and the U.S. currently lacks a leader with the diplomatic and political skills that could help avert it.
109
Once again, I'm baffled by the bafflement. Every time something like this flares up, everyone gets all excited about it and claims they never saw it coming.
What don't people get about the situation there? Saudi Arabia and Iran are the main players in an eternal holy war of Shiite vs Sunni. Every nation except Israel is a dictatorship, a theocracy, or both, and in those, the easiest way to maintain a grip on power is with a war against an enemy that the peasants can readily be made to hate.
Israel is the special case in the Middle East because it is the most powerful militarily, it is hated by all other nations there due to religious hatred, and thus it reasonably hates all other nations back. There are truces now and then but the underlying causes of the wars with Israel have never gone away.
Additionally, climate change, overpopulation, and poor agriculture management have left the Middle East running low on water and food, and so war is completely inevitable. And of course, there are three major wars going on in the region right now, all between Sunni and Shiite: Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.
So no matter what, Iran and Saudi Arabia will fight their proxy wars, or even a direct war at some point. It might involve Lebanon this time, or this potential conflict might be ditched in favor of a preferable one, in Oman perhaps, or against Israel.
So I'd advise, don't be surprised, don't get involved, and wait for peace, which will occur when the water is gone.
232
@ Dan Stackhouse
What a ridiculous comment.
Both Israel and Saudi Arabia are theocracies and together they are instigating mass murder in Lebanon and your nihilist and inhumane approach is to say "don't be surprised, don't get involved, and wait for peace, which will occur when the water is gone."
Truly pathetic.
6
Pretty hard not to call Israel a theocracy, isn't it? The country's sole reason for being is based entirely on one group's religion.
9
You... realize we're involved in this, right? Trump has loudly proclaimed our alliance with Saudi Arabia, castrated our diplomatic agency, *and* actively undermined our tenuous peace with Iran. Jared "It's my first day" Kushner just returned from a secret meeting with the Saudis right before a brutal consolidation of power. Our intelligence agencies are confirming that the mysterious lone rocket fired at SA is Iranian. We're knee deep.
If you think American soldiers aren't going to die over this, you are deluded.
4
I know the PM is being forced against his will.
I know that the others arrested are being tortured.
I know our PM has limited communications and his wife and children under threat.
I know Jared was there a few weeks ago drawing up a list of detainees with the current King.
I know Mr Trump wants to get his own back on Prince Waleed.
I know this whole mess goes against every human rights convention known to man.
I know that the Saudis is the Crown Prince is in the process of causing one of the biggest famines known to man in Yemen.
I know that he messed up ‘royally’, forgive the pun, with Qatar....
I know that if there is war in Lebanon millions of civilians will be murdered.
I know Saudi and Israel have formed an unlikely alliance.
73
How do you know all this? You really ought to say how, if you can. After all, maybe you just have a talent for knowing things that aren't so.
5
Cause they are family friends and I am truely horrified to see them go through something so tv-esque like this in 2017. Not even the most ludicrous tv plots could come up with something so vile and unethical....
Thank God for social media and th opportunity to try and spread the word....
1
Although the topic has fallen off of the American media and public's radar, I argue that unfolding events are just a continuation of the Neocon agenda, best described by the Project for the New American Century (founded 20 years ago, in 1997).
"Written before the September 11 attacks, and during political debates of the War in Iraq, a section of Rebuilding America's Defenses entitled 'Creating Tomorrow's Dominant Force' became the subject of considerable controversy: 'Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor.' Journalist John Pilger pointed to this passage when he argued that Bush administration had used the events of September 11 as an opportunity to capitalize on long-desired plans."
The key phrase out of all this is "creating tomorrow's dominant force." In other words, all along, the objective of America's "deep state" is to become the unchallenged world's "dominant force" once and for all.
We're talking about age-old aspirations of hegemonic world domination, similar to other empires throughout history.
Beyond the fog of misinformation and propaganda, what we have are state actors like the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia, and others, setting the stage for this last (in their minds, and agendas) putsch to overturn what's left of world balance of power.
My view is that these are megalomaniacal motivations putting us all in grave danger.
49
This is starting to give off the odor of the buildup to the Iraq war. Trump's comments a few weeks ago: "the Calm Before the Storm" are now starting to come into focus. But what could go wrong? An untested leader in Saudi Arabia who has already made several miscalculations and Jared Kushner--the most influential foreign policy player within the Trump Administration who has 0 experience and no backup from a State Department that has been hobbled and ignored--meeting through the night.
Trump has clearly communicated to the Saudi's that he is "all in" as a reliable ally--a position President Obama wisely eschewed. He has also taken the first steps to force the Iranians out of the nuclear box constructed by his predecessor.
The Pandora's box that is now unfolding will likely spell misery and tragedy for millions as the Saudis, Iranians and Israelis vie for their respective economic and geopolitical aims.
422
The only thing you mention in your thoughtful remarks that I want to, and am compelled to, object is your inexplicable and indefensible need to endorse the geopolitical aims of the Iranian government.
That blows back all (most?) of us reading your comments into our chairs, gasping for breath. Holy cow! Wow! Yikes and ugh!
Please note that the most powerful political group in Lebanon today is the Hesbullah who basically occupy northern Lebanon. They are armed to their teeth by Iran with 10,000 rockets in their possession, all donated by Iran. They are the ones who decide who runs the country. THEY put Michel Aoun as president of Lebanon and are sworn enemies of the Sunnis, and Hariri the Prime Minister is a Sunni.
Herein is where the conflict culd explode, with Saudi Arabia and Iran turning Lebanon into the tragic battleground of Yemen...soon thereafter, Israeli will be drawn into the conflict to defend its Northern flank ...a three way maelstrom.
1
Back when General Clark's list of nations to overthrow slipped, Lebanon was the next after Syria. Funny how they've stayed in sequence.
Who supports Lebanon anyway? They're a majority Christian nation among Jewish and Islamic states. Too much money behind driving them out for any American politician to ignore.
2
sounds more like Mr Kushner is acting as an Israeli diplomat straight within the White House. There couldn't be a better arrangement for Netanyahu than this. Besides, it is easier to manipulate one single Crown Prince instead of dozens like him.
71
This could easily be a set up of conflicts to come, the final show for Hezbollah, who is backed by Iran.
With Kushner shuttling between Israel and Saudi Arabia, we could be returning to fight for our "allies".
Hezbollah has bled itself white during the Syrian conflict, supporting the government and this may be a great time to start another US backed conflict.....
So much for watching the deficit..
4
if Kushner and the Suadi crown prince get along like two peas in a pod, then that region is in trouble. Kushner is a thug in training and seems like bin Salman is, too. They are not conducting politics. They are manipulating events to increase their wealth. I presume Kushner is still trying to find a bailout for 666 Madison.
Let's get back to squabbling over minimum wage and social spending and the future of energy. Those are the issues that will dictate the country's future.
Let's stop standing dumbly by while Trump and the rest of the world mobsters like Putin and the Saudi princes stir the pot to hide their thievery.
30
Actually the address of the building is 666 Fifth Avenue aka The Sixes Building. A massive payment on the debt is owed the beginning of 2019 so Jared’s got a little over a year to come up with the money. Read in business news a few weeks ago Jared wanted to tear down the building and build a taller skyscraper condo in its place but that’s not at all likely to happen. (Personally, I’m surprised it isn’t landmarked for its unusual but striking stainless steel exterior. It’s one of a kind.) In all likelihood it won’t be an issue for Jared because by this time next year we can hope Mueller has an airtight case against him.
2
Oh, Jared. Whatever it is you are doing, you are in so over your head.
216
JK is in way over his immature boyish head, he has no idea of what he is doing and seems to be totally clueless. he does not represent the American people inane way...so why is he there and why are we footing his expenses?
Shortly after the possible "political purge" by King Salman, our President tweeted the following "I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing...."
Then a previously undisclosed trip to Saudi Arabia by Kushner comes to light.
Trump really is taking America back to the 50s. I feel like America is interfering in the internal affairs of other nations as we did in Guatemala and Iran and countless other places in the 50s.
132
Our relationship with Saudi Arabia is insane. They are currently use our weapons to murder innocent Yemenis. And our two political parties are completely fine with this.
196
Yes, and let's not EVER forget that 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudis.
15
It is because of that deal Nixon signed with them called the petrodollar.
4
Gotta get dem terrorists... we'll just ignore where the ones that have attacked America came from and who funds the schools teaching radical Wahhabi beliefs.
So long as they pay up, our politicians wouldn't dream of opposing a single Islamic demand from there.
1
The NYT buried the lead in the ninth paragraph.
It then emerged that the week before, Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, who has been sent on missions both to Israel and Saudi Arabia, had visited Riyadh on a previously undisclosed trip and met until the early morning hours with the crown prince. “
First, you are two days late reporting about Kushner’s visit.
Second, Kushner has had dealings with the Saudi‘s on investments. We know Kushner‘s real estate holdings are in a massive cash squeeze.
Third, we know that days after meeting Kushner the Saudi King arrested dozens of high-level Saudi officials and princes , declared that Iran had committed an act of war by supposedly supplying one missile to Yemen Houthis, and now tells its citizens to flee Lebanon.
Something sure is going on and it is being discussed between trumps son-in-law and the king. There’s no oversight by the Congress, or the State Department. I predict this foul cesspool will lead to war, Dragging America into more violence and war In the Mideast.
We must demand transparency from Kushnerand the NYT should have a flock of reporters investigating this.
594
Oh, please. You may get "transparency" from this kid after he's indicted by Mueller.
7
Malcolm X, you say that the NYT is two days late reporting about Kushner's visit. However, the NYT had an article reporting this. I quote from that article which appeared on Nov.8: "...including holding extensive talks with the crown prince a few days ago".
3
Looks like despots are emboldened, given that the White House appears to condone bad behavior and ignores human rights violations by 'allies'
This is very dangerous and reverses decades of human rights progress worldwide.
294
Human rights? In Iran?
2
Our problem is not Iran; our problem is the sudden alliance between Israel and the Saudis to suck us into a proxy bombing of Iran. The UN has been inspecting the centrifuges capable of producing plutonium in Iran; they have verified that no weapons grade plutonium is being produced. Now, let's go back to the democratically elected Mossadegh, and how our CIA and BP Oil took him down. Then the Iranian revolution. Our hands in the Middle East are not clean; and, our alliance with the country whose rich billionaire, bin Laden, financed the murder of Americans in the Towers and the Pentagon. The Saudis have done us more harm than Iran has ever done. The Saudis are corrupt; Trump is corrupt; Congress is now corrupt. Time to tend our own garden.
Well, who isn't despotic out there? The only semi-democracies are Iran and Israel, and the latter of course is occupying land and denying millions of Palestinians their full rights.
We need The Great Everyman, aka Donald Trump to ride to the rescue to sort this out. These kinds of complex intrigues is Donald's specialty because he has a great brain.
45
if the donald can’t do it that other great thinker jared can..
13
Isn't Prince Jared a more appropriate envoy? He looks better astride a white steed, and he is the plenipotentiary for Middle East peace, after all...
10
Beware of what you ask for. It may in fact come true.
1
Is this the "Great Distraction" 45 desires, to shift attention away from the disaster that his Presidency represents? Was Kushner sent to tell the Saudis "we've got your back", via Israel? Directing your citizens to leave a region is a clear indicator that something is afoot.
If there's one thing 45 has taught us...expect the unexpected.
17
What was Jared Kushner doing in Saudi Arabia, and what was he talking about with the crown prince?
641
Hotels, golf courses of course
3
Adoptions, of course!
2
I suspect that Jared was bringing a message from Trump that the US would turn a blind eye if Saudi Arabia attacked Iran. Iran and Saudi Arabia belongs to the two different competing Muslim sects. If a war starts between them it will be a disaster for the region and very dangerous for the US. On one hand, if we support the Saudis. we will lose the no-nukes deal with Iran. If we side with Iran, we lose Saudi oil and our military bases there.
1
Who is going to be the biggest loser in all of this? Easy –- as usual, it will be Lebanon. What was once (before the mid-70s) the most free, prosperous, tolerant, and peaceful nation in the Middle East has become little more than a battleground where the competing interests of the biggest bullies in the region -– Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Hezbollah, and Syria –- play out against each other. The people of Lebanon are hostages in their own house.
160
how casually you group together these entities as "bullies": Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Hezbollah, and Syria.
Israel is the only one of them was repeatedly attacked by terrorists out of Lebanon, so we understand their involvement. Are you able to distinguish between Israel's need to act and Iran's?
8
Israel and Iraq have had the goal of expanding their territories. SA, Iran, and Syria have not.
5
Israel admitted starting the 2006 war. Don't be daft.
5
For the sake of the Lebanese people, I hope nothing happens. If Iran and Saudi Arabia have issues, they need to leave bystandard countries alone.
9
"On Friday, Mr. Hariri remained stranded in Saudi Arabia. The Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah said the Saudis were holding him against his will, while the Saudis have said there was a plot to assassinate him."
Put two and two together, and the Saudis are plotting to assassinate him...after some tea time, I guess.
Assume the worst with the House of Saud, financiers of climate assault and terrorist attacks, suppressors and beheaders of peaceful protesters, and dominators of women who they've only weeks ago allowed the right to drive.
14
Why does Jared Kushner still have secuirty clearance?
519
A meeting between an uber-Zionist who hates Iran and Hizbullah and a dictatorial "impulsive" Saudi Crown Prince who hates Iran and Hizbullah -- this does not bode well.
3
"Why does Jared Kushner still have secuirty clearance?" Because he lied on his security clearance form? A qualification, in this administration.
5
And why isn't the msm asking this question daily?
1
What on Earth took the Times so long to publish this? the media is blinded by the circus in the White House. make no mistake, the Saudis plan to seize this moment to start a major land war .. they've practiced in Yemen and are ready. the NYT and media had failed so far in reporting this story. THIS is the story not elections in Virginia or Russia. I hope I am wrong but all the signs are falling into place.
230
Russia and their Iranian client state are quite relevant. So is Trump's destruction of the US State Department.
21
They're all stories that need to be told, but I agree that this should have been published much sooner. This has potential to kick off a MAJOR conflict in the Middle East. Something definitely does not smell right about the Lebanese PM's sudden resignation and desire to stay in Saudi Arabia
13
Whenever discussing or contemplating things in the Middle East, war, as an option, should never be taken off the table.
1
"Baffling Events in Lebanon"?
Perhaps they wouldn't be so "baffling" if the US State Dept had a head of MidEast affairs ( a post which El Trumpo hasn't bothered to fill--along with the head of Asian Affairs at State? Or a functioning Sec of State, instead of clueless corporate suit? Or a president who wasn't an utter ignoramus?
19