January 15, 2008

U.S. Embassy Targeted In Beirut Blast

An explosion targeting a U.S. Embassy vehicle has killed four Lebanese bystanders in the capital city of Beirut.

The two passengers of the vehicle, neither of whom were Americans, were not seriously hurt, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. CNN is reporting that an American, an Iraqi and three Lebanese were among the 20 or so people wounded.

Lebanon is in the midst of a political crisis. Pro-Syrian and pro-Western forces are butting heads over pending parliamentary elections, which have been postponed 11 times. The country has been without a president since November, when former President Emile Lahoud stepped down.

Political asassinations are increasingly commonplace in Lebanon. In September, a car bomb killed a prominent anti-Syrian Christian leader in a Beirut suburb.

Posted at 11:59 AM
Posted to: Lebanon, Middle East, Syria
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December 20, 2007

President Bush's Passive-Aggressive Holiday Greeting

Speaking at his final White House press conference of the year, President Bush congratulated Congress on its 11th-hour legislative achievements while making sure to backhand lawmakers for taking so long to get there.

"I thank the members of both parties for their hard work," Bush said, cheering the passage this week of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) patch, a lending crisis fix, an energy efficiency package and new defense spending. "I am pleased we are able to end this year on a high note."

Returning later to the AMT bill, the president added, "Unfortunately, Congress passed this legislation after a lengthy delay. It is going to add to the time it takes to process tens of billions in refunds. We will work hard to minimize the impact of congressional delay."

And after thanking Congress for sending him new spending for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan before the New Year, Bush noted that it was "approved at the last minute, nearly three months after the end of the fiscal year." He continued, "When Congress wastes so much time and leaves its work until the final days before Christmas, it is not a responsible way to run the government."

The president later denied that his relationship with the Democratic-led Congress was truly "antagonistic," but his annual pre-holiday address to the press corps encapsulated the testy and wearying push-pull the two branches have been engaged in all year.

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Posted at 12:18 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, CIA, Campaigns, Congress, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iraq, Lebanon, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Russia, Syria, Vladimir Putin, WH 2008
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November 27, 2007

Mideast Summit: 'We Are Ready'

UPDATED.

Reading a joint statement issued by the international participants of the Annapolis conference on Israeli-Palestinian relations, President Bush heralded what is widely seen as a last-ditch attempt to broker a lasting peace between the two Mideast parties.

"We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and nonviolence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis," Bush said before representatives of the U.N., EU, G-8 and nearly every major Arab League nation. "In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, we agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty, resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception."

Seated on stage to the president's side were Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the two leaders who will do the heavy lifting in the negotiations. The joint statement was, as expected, a declaration of support from the world community of the two-state solution advocated by both parties as well as the United States. The statement also included a recommitment to the 2003 road map established by the Quartet -- the U.S., EU, U.N. and Russia -- shepherding the peace process.

But Bush also clarified the role the U.S. will play during the coming stretch of talks. While Washington won't exactly be in the thick of negotiations, it will be overseeing and assessing Israel's and the PLO's progress on the road map requirements. Exactly how much of a taskmaster the U.S. is in the process will probably be determined by the depth of involvement by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the mastermind behind the new push for a two-state solution.

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Posted at 3:03 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Fatah, Hamas, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush, Saudi Arabia, Syria
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October 02, 2007

Israeli Military Acknowledges September Airstrike In Syria

For the first time since a Sept. 6 Israeli airstrike on Syrian soil that has been shrouded in secrecy, Israel's military censor is permitting discussion of the attack by Israeli officials.

"The military censor has authorized for the first time the publication of the fact that Israeli combat planes attacked a military target deep inside Syrian territory on September 6," Israeli army radio announced today. "It is the only element that the censor allowed to be published."

Despite the censor's permission, Israeli officials have so far remained tight-lipped about the incident. The Jerusalem Post reports that the country's "political echelon... was not consulted by the censor over its decision to lift its strict veil of secrecy over" the airstrike.

The decision came one day after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad publicly addressed the incident for the first time in an interview with BBC News. He said the strike showed Israel's "visceral antipathy towards peace" and affirmed his country's "right to retaliate." "Retaliate doesn't mean missile for missile and bomb for bomb," he added. "We have our means to retaliate, maybe politically, maybe in other ways."

AP and Haaretz have more on this story.

Posted at 2:25 PM
Posted to: Israel, Middle East, Syria
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September 21, 2007

U.S. & Israel Shared Intel On Syrian Nuke Target

North Korea was connected to a suspected nuclear facility in Syria that the Israeli military bombed earlier this month, and the Israeli government alerted President Bush before the strike, according to a story in the Washington Post this morning.

U.S. officials were "deeply troubled" by the idea that the North Koreans were helping a country affiliated with Iran, a potential nuclear threat, the Post continues, but "the White House opted against an immediate response because of concerns it would undermine long-running negotiations aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear program."

"Ultimately, however, the United States is believed to have provided Israel with some corroboration of the original intelligence before Israel proceeded with the raid, which hit the Syrian facility in the dead of night to minimize possible casualties," sources told the Post.

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Posted at 8:54 AM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, Israel, Middle East, North Korea, Syria
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September 19, 2007

Car Bomb Kills Anti-Syrian Pol In Beirut

UPDATED.

A car bomb in a Christian suburb of Beirut killed a prominent anti-Syrian lawmaker today, in what is now regarded as an assassination.

Antoine Ghanem, a member of the Christian Phalange party, died in the attack along with several others. BBC News and AP have confirmed at least six deaths in addition to Ghanem, and at least 20 people were wounded by the powerful car bomb. News footage showed several vehicles ripped apart and burning. Damage to nearby buildings extended to the top floors.

Ghanem's death marks the eighth assassination of an anti-Syrian political figure since 2005, and comes six days before a divisive presidential vote in the Parliament, AP reports. The BBC News reports that Ghanem "was a member of the governing 14 March Movement and his death has reduced the bloc's majority in the Lebanese Chamber of Deputies to just two." It is believed that pro-Syrian forces have been picking off political foes in that body to reduce the ruling party's majority.

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Posted at 2:12 PM
Posted to: Lebanon, Middle East, Syria, Terrorism
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September 18, 2007

In Case You Missed It...

... we're going to war with Iran. France is on board, too. (With us, not Iran.)

What?

The surreality of global relations this week is enough to make us wonder if we're trapped inside one of John Bolton's fevered dreams. Let's untangle this web of crazy carefully, lest all our heads collectively explode.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is now seeking to assure allies that his country will "negotiate, negotiate, negotiate" before resorting to the option of war with Iran. On Sunday, the socialist ignited a firestorm when he told an interviewer, "We must prepare for the worst," adding, "The worst, sir, is war."

Kouchner said that France was "preparing" itself for the prospect of war in the event efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear program were unsuccessful.

En route to a meeting with his counterpart in Moscow today, Kouchner sought to dial back his earlier remarks. "I do not want it said that I'm a warmonger. My message was one of peace, serious and determined," he told traveling reporters. Later, he blamed the media for running wild with what he'd said on Sunday. "As usual with journalists, they take one phrase and you don't know what came after," he said on a Russian radio talk show.

That's fair. Then again, maybe France picked a really bad time to propose Germany dump its historical baggage and dive into the nukes business.

Continue reading "In Case You Missed It..."

Posted at 6:30 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Europe, France, Germany, Iran, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Syria, Terrorism, U.K., U.N.
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September 10, 2007

Liveblogging The House Iraq Report Hearing

[Senate Foreign Relations hearing] [Senate Armed Services hearing]

6:45. It's over, it's really over. Tomorrow, on the sixth anniversary of 9/11, Petraeus and Crocker are due back on the Hill at 9:30 EDT to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Senate hearing will be shorter than today's (mercifully), and as we said earlier might be a little more uncomfortable for Crocker and Petraeus thanks to the presidential aspirations of Joseph Biden, Christopher Dodd and Barack Obama, who sit on the committee. We'll be following the proceedings. See you tomorrow.

6:42. Calif. Democrat Loretta Sanchez also accuses Petraeus of cherrypicking. Were they saving the hostile committee members for last?

Sanchez does get to a very good question, though: If life is improving in Iraq, why are Iraqis so miserable? She points to a new poll on Iraqis' attitudes, which shows most of them are miserable, frightened and deeply pessimistic about their future. Crocker, whose central thesis is that Iraqis are far too traumatized and so new to democracy that nation-building will be a protracted and messy affair, says he hasn't seen the poll, and doesn't have much of an answer beyond that.

6:31. The blame-the-Iraqis tack some U.S. pols have adopted in recent months has always seemed a little too convenient. Crocker appears to agree. Missouri Republican Todd Akin asks why Petraeus and Crocker haven't been harder on Iraqi politicians today, and Crocker's measured response is among the more credible arguments for keeping the surge going. "A tremendous amount has happened in a very short time," he says of improvements in some provinces. Crocker adds that in some of the newly stabilized regions, Iraqi leaders are working on restoring law and order. More important, they know that their funding comes from Baghdad, and are showing cooperation with the central government as a result, he says.

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Posted at 6:56 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, Congress, David Petraeus, House, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Syria, Terrorism
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June 13, 2007

Lebanon Blast Kills Anti-Syrian Lawmaker

UPDATED.

Walid Eido, a prominent member of Lebanon's parliament, was killed today in an explosion in Beirut, CNN reports. Eido was an outspoken opponent of Syria, and his death appears to have been an assassination.

Ten people were killed in the blast outside a military sports club, including Eido's son and two bodyguards. The 65-year-old leader is the seventh opponent of Syria to be killed in recent years, and Lebanon has been hit with multiple explosions in the last few years.

The violence comes amid fresh concerns about Lebanon's border with Syria. The U.N. Security Council backed the Lebanese army yesterday, saying its envoy was alarmed at new reports of arms and fighters coming from Syria into Lebanon.

Posted at 2:06 PM
Posted to: Lebanon, Middle East, Syria
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May 21, 2007

Violence In Lebanon: Breaking Down The Parts

The fighting that is raging in northern Lebanon is, by most accounts, an isolated incident involving a small band of militants. But in some ways, the two-day clashes are part of a larger battle for the soul of the Middle East.

The group at the center of the violence, Fatah al-Islam, is less than a year old, having splintered off from the Syrian-backed Fatah al-Intifada last November. Its leader, Shakir al-Abssi, is a Palestinian who was sentenced to death in absentia by a Jordanian court for the 2002 assassination of an American diplomat. While not formally affiliated with al-Qaida, al-Abssi has expressed solidarity with the terror network's calls for jihad against the West, and has dedicated his group's efforts to sowing calls for jihad among the tens of thousands of impoverished Palestinian refugees living in camps in Lebanon.

The New York Times profiled al-Abssi in March. "The only way to achieve our rights is by force," he said in an interview. "This is the way America deals with us. So when the Americans feel that their lives and their economy are threatened, they will know that they should leave."

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Posted at 1:40 PM
Posted to: Lebanon, Palestinians, Syria
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May 08, 2007

Rice Challenges Lebanon's Syria Backers

Just days after extending the hand of diplomacy to the Syrian foreign minister, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice again called for an international tribunal on the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Many in the region and the West suspect Syria of involvement in the 2005 Valentine's Day explosion that claimed his life.

The Lebanese government has hesitated to sign on to an international criminal tribunal to investigate Hariri's death because of pressure from pro-Syrian elements. But in an editorial that appeared on the front page of An-Nahar, a major Lebanese newspaper, Rice warned that the United Nations would proceed with its own investigation, regardless of whether Beirut signed on to an international probe.

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Posted at 3:28 PM
Posted to: Lebanon, Syria
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May 03, 2007

Rice Meets With Syria; Iran Still TBD

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with her Syrian counterpart, Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, today during a two-day summit on Iraq in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt.

Their conversation came shortly after the chief military spokesman in Iraq said Syria was reducing "the flow of foreign fighters" across the border the two countries share.

Today's discussion marks the first official, high-level contact the United States and Syria have had in several years. Last month, President Bush strongly criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her diplomatic trip to the country.

Continue reading "Rice Meets With Syria; Iran Still TBD"

Posted at 10:42 AM
Posted to: Syria
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