Here's how the US can pressure Lebanon's new government tackle corruption

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by the thehill.com -- Hanin Ghaddar -- Against the backdrop of three months of political and economic protests, Lebanese politicians appear to have reached a deal establishing a nominally technocratic government in Beirut. Still beholden to Hezbollah, the government has little Sunni or Druze support. Some protesters already call this a “Halloween government” since it gives thinly disguised cover to longtime establishment politicians. But the new government is unlikely to be able on its own to tackle the single biggest challenge it faces: the rampant corruption responsible for the country’s acute financial crisis. The formation of a new Lebanese government has been a central demand of the international community and a necessary precondition for any international aid. But that is not enough. The government must quickly take action to fight corruption and enhance transparency. For a country that has run on corruption and political patronage, this will be a very heavy lift.

Nearly all of Lebanon’s political establishment is entangled in Beirut’s deep-rooted corruption crisis, which cuts across the sectarian divide. Lebanon ranks 138th out of 180 nations in the Corruption Perceptions Index released by the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International. Meeting in December, the International Support Group for Lebanon issued a final statement in Paris urging Lebanese authorities to “take decisive action” to tackle corruption and tax evasion while improving economic governance and the country’s business environment. At the time, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that while Lebanon must take these steps, the U.S. is ready to “do the things that the world can do to assist the Lebanese people getting their economy right and getting their government right.”

Today, the U.S. should take action that would force the new government’s hand and empower it to take on the corrupt political establishment — something no Lebanese government could otherwise do on its own: Washington should issue sanctions targeting some of the most egregious corrupt actors across the Lebanese political and sectarian spectrum under the Global Magnitsky Act. Corrupt leaders seek profit and the political power that comes with funding patronage projects. Global Magnitsky sanctions would not only name and shame Lebanon’s most corrupt actors, it would block all property and interests they hold in the United States, which are likely to be substantial. There are other tools available to designated political corruption — such as Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2020. The State Department employed this tool earlier this month targeting Moldovan corruption, but it includes only a ban on visa to enter the United States for the designee and their family members, and it lacks the authority to block funds held in the United States. Global Magnitsky would be a better fit in the case of Lebanon.

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How Kobe Bryant’s Catholic Faith Helped Him Turn His Life Around

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by Rebecca Mansour -- breitbart.com -- As tributes pour in for basketball legend Kobe Bryant after his tragic death in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday at the age of 41, some fans are remembering how Bryant’s Catholic faith sustained him during a difficult period of his life and inspired his philanthropy. The former Laker and father of four was raised Catholic and spent his childhood in Italy, where his father, Joe Bryant, played professional basketball in Italian leagues. Bryant and his wife were married at a Catholic parish in Southern California in 2001 and are regular parishioners in Orange County, California, according to Catholic News Agency.

Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez issued condolences on Sunday. “I am praying for him and his family. May he rest in peace and may our Blessed Mother Mary bring comfort to his loved ones,” the archbishop tweeted. Singer Cristina Ballestero shared on Instagram a story about encountering Kobe at a weekday mass at Holy Family Cathedral in Orange, California. “Right as mass begins I see a huge shadow in my right peripheral vision and hear a decently loud creak from probably a big man. I double took to see… it was KOBE BRYANT IN THE SAME PEW AS ME ON THE OTHER END!” Ballestro wrote. “As we went up to communion, he waited for me to go. If you grew up in the Catholic Church, you understand this is a respectful thing men do in church as a sign of respect to women. He said I have a beautiful voice. I said thank you and went up to communion.”

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Why is Lebanon's Gebran Bassil so controversial?

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This is an opinion article and does not necessarily represent khazen.org opinion

by Al -Jazeera -- Timour Azhari -- Beirut, Lebanon - A colorful mix of insults and allegations of nepotism, racism and corruption is how an average Lebanese protester would describe the country's former Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil. He is not alone. Lebanon's entire ruling class has been targeted by protesters who took to the streets more than 100 days ago to demand an end to corruption and sectarian politics. He is one of the newer politicians on the bloc, having come to power after the country's 15-year civil war. But Bassil quickly rose to be a symbol the cynical sectarian politics and mismanagement that have dominated the post-war era.

Protesters point to his last 10 years in the government where he moved through the telecommunication, energy and foreign ministries and assumed leadership of one of the country's biggest parties, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). Lebanon has some of the highest telecommunications costs in the world, and the FPM has held the energy portfolio for a decade while the country remains without uninterrupted electricity supply. Bassil enjoys unwavering support from his Christian base, who see him as a shrewd hard worker and a protector of their rights in Lebanon. Member of Parliament Mario Aoun, a member of Bassil's FPM parliamentary bloc, told Al Jazeera that Bassil was being "targeted because of his successes".

Insults from the crowd

 When the protests against Lebanon's corrupt ruling elite broke out 100 days ago, crude chants were aimed at Bassil's mother. So severe were the insults that Bassil, in his first address after more than two weeks of uncharacteristic silence, apologized to his mother. "I'm so sorry that you were attacked because of me and it wasn't your fault. You taught me to love Lebanon," he said, addressing her in front of crowds of supporters at an organised rally on the outskirts of the capital Beirut. Before the protests, Bassil was widely expected to remain a top minister in government for a long time and was thought to be a serious contender for the presidency, a post currently held by his 84-year-old father-in-law, Michel Aoun.

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Daughter of US hostage in Lebanon call on Trump to act: ‘We need him back ASAP’

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foxnews.com --The daughter of an American citizen held hostage in Lebanon called on President Trump and his administration to take action. Appearing on "Fox & Friends: Weekend" with host Pete Hegseth and the daughter of Amer Fakhoury, Guilia Fakhoury, urged the president to do anything in his power to bring her father home. "My dad was kidnapped," said Guila Fakhoury. "He went to retrieve his passport after [they told him] 'we just need it for a background check' and we never saw him again."

She said her father is battling Stage 4 cancer while jailed in Beirut. "On top of that, he acquired Epstein-Barr virus which led to his Stage 4 cancer," she continued. "And he is still held hostage by a country we are giving millions [in] aid [to] every year." "So, this is outrageous," she stated. Amer Fakhoury served as a commander in the South Lebanon Army, a mostly Christian force allied with and supported by Israel, and was jailed on vacation with his family last December after a Hezbollah-backed newspaper accused him of war crimes. He had not returned two Lebanon for two decades. "We call on our president because we trust that our president will never sit back and watch an innocent American citizen being tortured, held hostage and dying," the family's attorney Celine Atallah. "This is not a legal case." "My message to President Trump...He advocates for all Americans out there. He fights for Americans and right now there is a sick American, U.S. citizen, who is held hostage and we need him back ASAP," Guila Fakhoury concluded

Lebanese security fire water cannons at protesters

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by reuters -- Some protesters among the hundreds who had gathered for a planned march managed to open a metal gate blocking their way but were pushed back. After Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces used Twitter to warn peaceful demonstrators to leave for their own safety, riot police fanned out to disperse dozens of remaining protesters. “We want the demonstrations to be peaceful so they can prevail,” said Abdo Saadeh, criticizing a government formed this week as a “masquerade” by a political elite that protesters blame for driving the country towards collapse. The Iranian-backed group Hezbollah and its allies formed a cabinet of technocrats nominated by their parties under Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who was tapped for the job after protests forced former premier Saad al-Hariri to resign on Oct. 29. “We came here today because there is no trust in this government,” Saadeh said. “They brought their cronies, their consultants.”

The new government must tackle a financial emergency that has sunk the currency, pushed up prices and driven banks to impose capital controls. Security conditions have deteriorated, with hundreds injured last weekend in clashes between demonstrators and security forces. We want a government of independents, not parties,” said demonstrator Reema Ajouz. “Independents can save the country. With the politicians we have we are headed to the precipice.”

As Lebanese Struggle to Make Ends Meet, Living Costs Set to Soar Higher

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BEIRUT Reuters Tom Arnold — Lebanese consumers feeling the pinch from rising living costs amid an economic crisis are likely to be squeezed even tighter as more local pounds and less U.S. dollars come into circulation, pushing up inflation. Lebanon has long relied on a steady flow of dollars from its overseas diaspora to help fund its financial system. But that has been choked off as faith in the political elite crumbled. People have been hit by what economists estimate is a 30% annual rise in inflation during the crisis that escalated in October. The pound has collapsed against the U.S. dollar in the parallel market and a liquidity crunch has bitten. That slashed consumer purchasing power and prompted some to withdraw pounds from banks as unofficial capital controls shattered confidence in the banking system and restricted access to dollars.

Arlette Mattar, 54, a midwife and mother of three, has cut back to basics, eliminating sweets and restricting purchases of items like tissues and toiletries. "The cost of living is high now," she said outside a supermarket in a middle-class Beirut neighbourhood. "Now when I shop I get only what I need." While the pound, pegged against the dollar for 22 years, is the official currency, the greenback has long been used as an alternative for transactions. Some consumers who were buying with dollars say they now use pounds. "Today you know the most important thing is food, it is necessary for one to live, so this affected all Lebanese families," said a beautician and mother of two who asked only to be identified by her surname, Boutros. She had tightened spending on goods like cleaning products. The Lebanese economy relies on imports.

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