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Election elation for U.S.-backed party in Lebanon

14 Jun 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Before sharing the cup with his disciples in the gospel this Sunday, Jesus gave thanks. Policy-makers in Washington gave thanks Monday upon learning of the unexpected victory of an American-backed alliance in Lebanese parliamentary elections. The hotly contested election was billed as a showdown between Tehran and Washington for influence in the Middle East. The pro-western alliance, known as the March 14 coalition, won a majority of 71 seats in the 128-member parliament, compared with 57 for the Hezbollah-led coalition, according to official results the government announced Monday. Though the Hezbollah-led challengers lost, Hezbollah itself--a Shiite political, social, and military organization that the United States and Israel officially regard as a terrorist group--will continue to be one of Lebanon's most powerful political forces in a nation that remains deeply divided. Negotiations over the formation of a government were expected to take weeks. Around Lebanon the interest in the contest was so high that during the voting on Sunday people waited up to four hours at polls, many times in the hot sun and in packed hallways. Hezbollah said on Wednesday it was ready to open a new page with its U.S.-backed rivals but would wait to see what they offer before deciding on joining any coalition government. "We will also behave in a highly positive manner and cooperate with the other side," Hezbollah deputy secretary-general Sheikh Naim Kassem told Reuters in an interview. "We will wait for what the other side offers. If it decides on a program, a vision, and a method that is different from the past and that opens new horizons, they will find us by their side," Kassem said. "But if issues remain as before at a state of tension and monopoly [of power], then we will take a stand." Source: Articles by Nadim Ladki for Reuters and Michael Slackman for the New York Times

iran elections lebanon hezbollah march 14 coalition sheikh naim kassem
Efforts to liberate Libya draw fire

03 Apr 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The rod and staff of the Lord gives the psalmist courage this Sunday. The Western air campaign against the forces of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has encouraged rebel fighters to continue efforts to oust him. Monday night President Barack Obama delivered a high-stakes speech on the purpose of the campaign and the U.S. role in it. While the president’s speech seemed to momentarily mute political criticism of the military intervention, the key question raging in Washington midweek was whether or not Western nations should supply weapons to the rebels. Many are fearful that taking such a step would deepen American involvement in a civil war and support rebels who may have links to Al Qaeda. The debate has prompted an urgent call for intelligence about the ragtag band of rebels who are waging a town-by-town battle against Gadhafi from a base in eastern Libya long suspected of supplying terrorist recruits. Fears about the rebels surfaced publicly on Capitol Hill Tuesday when the military commander of NATO, Adm. James G. Stavridis, told a Senate hearing that there were “flickers” in intelligence reports about the presence of Al Qaeda and Hezbollah members among the anti-Qaddafi forces. No full picture of the opposition has emerged, Stavridis said. While eastern Libya was the center of Islamist protests in the late 1990s, it is unclear how many groups retain ties to Al Qaeda. The question of how best to support the opposition dominated an international conference about Libya on Tuesday in London. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other Western leaders made it clear that the NATO-led operation would end only with the removal of Col. Qaddafi, even if that was not the stated goal of the United Nations resolution authorizing force. On the diplomatic front, Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa arrived in the U.K. on Wednesday and is resigning from his post, Britain's government said, though Gadhafi supporters deny the claim. If true it would represent a significant political blow to the regime. Source: Articles by Mark Landler, Elisabeth Bumiller, and Steven Lee Myers for the New York Times,Nicholas Blanford for the Christian Science Monitor, and HuffingtonPost.com

barack obama nato al qaeda hezbollah moammar gadhafi libya james g stavridis moussa koussa
CIA suffers spy setback

27 Nov 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“If there’s an appropriate word with which to center ourselves in this new church year and inaugural season of Advent, it’s this one: watch,” says PrepareTheWord scripture commentator Alice Camille in “Exploring the Word” this Sunday. The Central Intelligence Agency’s espionage division, which specializes on keeping an eye on other countries, suffered a significant failure in the Mideast, where more than a dozen spies have been caught in Iran and Lebanon and may have been executed. The operatives were paid informants the CIA recruited for two distinct espionage rings targeting Iran and the Beirut-based Hezbollah organization, which the United States considers a terror group backed by Iran. "Espionage is a risky business," a U.S. official briefed on the developments said, confirming the losses over the last six months. “Many risks lead to wins, but some result in occasional setbacks.” Robert Baer, a former senior CIA officer who worked against Hezbollah while stationed in Beirut in the 1980’s, said Hezbollah typically executes individuals suspected of or caught spying. “If they were genuine spies, spying against Hezbollah, I don't think we'll ever see them again,” he said. “These guys are very, very vicious and unforgiving.” Other current and former officials said the discovery of the two U.S. spy networks occurred separately but amounted to a reversal of significant proportions in efforts to track the activities of the Iranian nuclear program and the intentions of Hezbollah against Israel. “Collecting sensitive information on adversaries who are aggressively trying to uncover spies in their midst will always be fraught with risk,” said a U.S. official familiar with the situation. Some former U.S. intelligence personnel said the developments are the result of a lack of professionalism. “We've lost the tradition of espionage,” said one former official who still consults for the U.S. intelligence community. “Officers take short cuts and no one is held accountable.” Source: An article by Matthew Cole and Brian Ross for ABC News

central intelligence agency cia iran hezbollah spying espionage spys beirut robert baer