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Lord Weidenfeld of Chelsea

Lord Weidenfeld of Chelsea

Posted: February 22, 2010 12:56 PM

The Intuition of the Lebanese

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In London's clubs and at private dinners, parties local and transient visiting participants of the three important, elite gatherings (the World Economic Forum Davos, Munich Security Conference, and Herzliya Conference) compared notes. Some of them had all three meetings behind them. Almost all of them returned more worried than they had been.

The Greek crisis is an historical event that clouds the future of the Eurozone. Iran and its cynical game with the West confuses the discordant Europeans more than ever and thus the cunning re-armer in Tehran gains time for rearmament. After all, there is nothing new in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. America's policy of mediation has made less progress than even skeptics considered possible. For England's Euro-skeptics, the "Greek tragedy" proves the case for its refusal to join the Eurozone.

There is disagreement and confusion over the Iran question amongst the Europeans and the great powers. Until recently, it was still possible to comfort oneself that the uranium enrichment process could both be delayed and more controlled, as Russia and France would monitor the process on their own territory. Suddenly, Ahmadinejad has decided to carry it out in Iran and to increase the percentage from 3.5 to 20. The Israelis are unshakable in their opinion that Tehran strives for the immediate production of nuclear bombs and rockets by any means possible. They see in Iran's tactics definite proof that Iran hopes to mislead the West and to distract from the Iran question by igniting further trouble spots in the Middle East.

Adding to the various rumors that there could be new openings in the labyrinth of relationships between Lebanon, Syria and the Hezbollah movement on the one hand, and Israel on the other, emissaries from third-party countries conducted important background talks and the White House has put out feelers in various directions; there is counter-information that the alliance between Tehran, Damascus and the terror groups of Hamas and Hezbollah is stronger than ever.

The Lebanese have a finely-tuned instinct for political intrigue of this kind and it is a fact that Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, even though his father was murdered by secret agents on Syria's orders, is making advances towards Damascus. Turkey's rapprochement with Syria and Iran, aloofness towards the US and the clear change of course in the previously tight military and political relationship with Israel points toward a massive weakening of America's role as a super power and protector in the Middle East. Therefore, new alliances are being forged and old conflicts are being overcome.

 
 
 
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02:59 PM on 02/23/2010
Thank Bush and Cheney for the bind they have brought America into.
Obama is trying to clean up the mess, but it's a hard act to accomplish.
09:55 AM on 02/23/2010
Personally I think using the sufferings of your ancestors as an excuse to enrich yourself is beyond the pale and the lowest thing a person is capable of. Either the leaders of Israel? are totally insane or they have some secret death wish. They want water, go build a desalinaztion plant. Want oil? Buy it.

Using deceit and false flags to expand their country is EVIL.

Do you think GOD rewards evil?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
muck-raker
give me liberty or give me death
09:01 AM on 02/24/2010
TehranIsNice. you have been fanned. also
info.....Israel in the past has been buying water from Turkey. Israel uses Turkish airfields for their war planes....Israel has said publicly that one day they will own the Litani River in Lebanon. Also The deal that Rumsfeld offered which was to bring oil down from Kirkuk,Iraq to Haifa, Israel may be taking place. It is now known that rights have now been acquired to run a pipeline thru Jordan.
09:26 AM on 02/23/2010
Did you know that there are about 10 former NBA players living in Tehran playing in their leagues? They love it there.

National Geographic Europe did a show from there last month and interviewed Iranian Jews in several synagogues.

They unanimously said Israel is the instigator and expansionist threat.

They also said Israel last year tried to lure them from Iran with big money, but they DECLINED.

This of course was NEVER aired in the USA.
08:57 AM on 02/23/2010
president Ahmadinejad ,many times has stated that " USA must focus on their own internal problem ,we love to see a happy prosperous America ,and they(Americans) should spend their money and resources for their own infrastructure and people, instead of being exploited by(tiny country we know) foreign countries," Iran has been under heavy sanction for 31 years and we managed to develop our country without external help moreover Iran is helping other poor nations as well , are we the rogue or.
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billygore2000
09:15 AM on 02/23/2010
Tehran is a mess and is only comparatively nice in relation parts of Iran even worse.
08:53 AM on 02/23/2010
There are many people not only in Damascus, but also throughout the Arab world who reject the idea that Rafik Hariri "was murdered by secret agents on Syria's orders."

If you know this as a fact, it might be worthwhile approaching Mr Bellemare at the Hague. He could do with something resembling evidence, by all accounts.
08:49 AM on 02/23/2010
just look at Iranian threats:
-building hospitals for poor rural area in Bolivia and Ecuador
-construction project in Venezuela
-providing school books for Afghanistan
-trying to stabilise Iraq by calming Shia factions
05:34 PM on 02/23/2010
- providing EFPs and other weapons to militias to kill Americans
-funding, organizing, training Mahdi militia Special Groups
- providing sancuary to Muktada al Sadr
-
08:36 AM on 02/23/2010
I received an email from a young Iranian friend I met while there on business

''''as an Iranian I would like every one to know something, Iran hypothetically without an army or any military power still could exist ,however Israel hypothetically without an aggressive violent military ( machinery)wont have chance to exist even for one day ,that's the difference between a legitimate nation and artificially engineered and maintained with external life support nation as Israel ,so Israelis for their own benefit should think of a peaceful solution,'''

I hope Americans read this and try and understand they are being led into another war by Israel.
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Richard Pearce
Atheistic-agnostic Canadian polymath
08:13 PM on 02/22/2010
Interesting that throughout your piece, you accept the Israeli narrative on every issue as gospel.

No mention that Hariri could have been murdered by secret agents on Israel's orders, no mention that Hezbollah is a Lebanese movement, supported in the last election by not only the majority of Lebanese, but the majority of Christian Lebanese.

No mention that Iran is willing to stop enriching to the borderline of HEU (though nowhere near weapons grade) if a deal can be struck that gives them some assurance of getting the supplies for their nuclear medicine program that is more than 'trust us, we won't rip you off again, or try to use your need for this material to make you change your stance on issues we try and use your need for other material to make you change your stance on'

No mention that while the EU keeps rejecting Turkey for membership despite it being a European nation, it has members who have announced that they are going to try and get Israel membership.

No mention that Turkey's turn towards Iran might also be fueled by Iran's increasing status as the economic and cientific powerhouse in the region.
05:58 PM on 02/22/2010
everybody harking about iran....meanwhile it was israel that destroyed half of lebanon...
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muck-raker
give me liberty or give me death
08:39 PM on 02/22/2010
gorgmx...good one and fanned
04:31 PM on 02/22/2010
The tribunal will ultimately find that syria and hizbullah are responsible for the murder of PM Harriri and assad, being the sheep he is will sell out iran and hizbollah to remain in power.
02:33 PM on 02/22/2010
Nuclear weapons in Israel will lead to the nuclear arming of all of the rest of the wealthy middle east states. In turn, Israel will use its proxies to pressure Iran. How long this would continue without a nuclear exchange is too awful to predict.

Time to disarm Israel now. If you were Iran looking at a nuke weapons Israel, what would you do?
02:58 PM on 02/22/2010
Arabs don't fear Israel and it's possibly dozens of nukes, they fear a nuclear Iran.
05:44 PM on 02/22/2010
You are touting the party line, not the opinion of the Arab street.
03:01 PM on 02/22/2010
Israel is the Arabs best defense- time for the Arabs to stop chosing poorly.
02:16 PM on 02/22/2010
This is a very wise summary. It is also very dangerous should it all prove predictive. Nuclear weapons in Iran will lead to the nuclear arming of all of the rest of the wealthy Arab states. In turn, Iran will use it's proxies to pressure Israel. How long this would continue without a nuclear exchange is too awful to predict.