Middle East Press On Freedom Of Expression, Minorities in Europe And Bangladesh: New Age Islam's Selection, 7 November 2020
By New Age Islam Edit
Desk
7 November
2020
• A French Play: Freedom Of Expression Or
Freedom Of Suppression?
By Cafer Talha Şeker
• Minorities Main Target Of Terrorist Attacks
In Europe
By Melih Altinok
• Drug Smuggling, Abuse On The Rise In Iraq
By Adnan Abu Zeed
• Why Is
Bangladesh Protesting Against France?
By Faisal Mahmud
• Is
Netanyahu Ready For Biden?
By Ben Caspit
• Time For Saudi Families To Review Their
Succession Plans
By Faizal Bhana
-----
A French Play: Freedom Of Expression Or Freedom
Of Suppression?
By Cafer Talha Şeker
NOV 05,
2020
French
President Emmanuel Macron greets Austrian Ambassador Michael Linhart after
signing a condolence book for victims of the Vienna attack, at the Austrian
Embassy to France, Paris, Nov. 3, 2020. (AP Photo)
-----
Agreat
statesperson, Germany’s first Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who pursued a
policy of balance between Britain and France in European politics, once wrote
that Britain was better at addressing the Muslim world than France. Bismarck
said it at a time when Britain and France were in a heated rivalry to influence
the Ottoman-Turkish caliphate and the Islamic world in general geopolitically.
Today, both
countries have again faced new global dimensions and Middle Eastern
geopolitical challenges due to the U.S. withdrawal of protection of Western
interests in the military sphere.
Britain,
France and the U.S. export arms to Muslim countries. However, recent French
politics have begun to create a “new theater” seemingly based on anti-Islamic
and xenophobic sentiments, while Britain appears safer for Muslims to live. The
question of whether freedom of expression or freedom of suppression will
prevail in France arises here as well as two reasons why the latter seems to
dominate France's latest political strategy.
Firstly, in
a very real sense, there is no freedom of expression in France, with the proof
being that criticisms of the Armenian genocide are not even allowed.
Blasphemy,
on the other hand, is permitted even when directed toward Islamic values. In
past centuries, French Republicans following the French Revolution battled
royalists who were more devoted to Christian beliefs. Republicans attacked
churches and criticized every aspect of Christian life, while the royalists
fought laicism, which they described as an extremist wave of rising French
secularism.
Pro-laicism
Republicans are critical of the Catholic Church, with the controversial
satirical French magazine Charles Hebdo, for example, being among one of their
papers that mocked the religion. It can be surmised that France's current
social and political unrest stems from the ongoing battle between the
“religious” and “pro-laicism” divides in the country.
Today, all
fragments of French society, including both religious and anti-religion groups,
are united against a common enemy: Muslim migrants, who constitute around 10%
of the country's population. The same people who attacked churches in the past
now target the Muslim minority in France.
In the 19th
century, France’s common enemy was the Jewish community with Islam later taking
Judaism's place in French sociopolitical life. Incumbent French President
Emmanuel Macron's administration works to unify the divided French people by
victimizing minorities due to the full freedom of suppression.
Second,
there is the aspect of global geopolitics as the global economy has already
been devastated by the coronavirus outbreak. Before the pandemic, France was
selling arms to Egypt and other Gulf countries but was facing difficulties in
the Middle East, particularly in Libya and Syria due to U.S policies. Both
Britain and France, recognizing the fact that the U.S. is more reluctant to
protect European interests in the Middle East, adopted a strategy to develop
new alliances in the region to ensure their economic security.
In recent
years, especially in Eastern Mediterranean geopolitics, Turkey’s relations with
the U.K. have strengthened but have deteriorated with France, and I am not sure
if German Chancellor Angela Merkel aims to pursue a policy of balance between
France and the British just as Bismarck did decades ago.
It is clear
that extremist far-right ideologies are on the rise in Germany too but what is
not clear is whether the German government will launch an anti-Islam campaign
or anti-Turkish strategy to unite the German people.
The Macron
administration seems intent on playing the role of hero, saving Europe from its
historical enemy Islam. The U.S. is likely to rise tariffs against various
French products next year and the Muslim world’s boycotting of French products
seems to have had short-term side effects in Paris.
In November
2018, when the yellow vest movement occupied French streets, I wrote in Daily
Sabah that: “In France, should the current conflict in the country be managed
properly, it won't be surprising that Macron comes out of that process
stronger. He might even be a new and young version of Charles de Gaulle (the
late French president), if not a new Napoleon (Bonaparte), in future French
politics as part of the new global system.”
The new
global system seems to be multipolar. This year the yellow vest movement does
not seem to be around, and we are yet to see whether the freedom of expression
or freedom of suppression will prevail in the French strategy against its
Muslim minority. Will the French policy manage to unite France or will the
country’s future be haunted by Macron’s new Napoleonic approach against Islam?
Unfortunately, the answers remain ambiguous.
https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/a-french-play-freedom-of-expression-or-freedom-of-suppression
-----
Minorities Main Target Of Terrorist Attacks In
Europe
By Melih Altinok
NOV 05,
2020
Armed
policemen stand guard in a shopping street in the center of Vienna, following a
shooting, Austria, Nov. 2, 2020. (AFP PHoto)
------
Europe
plunged into a new wave of chaos as French President Emmanuel Macron reignited
protests by defending the cartoons of Prophet Muhammed, which were published in
French weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo years ago.
Ever since
the cartoons in question were projected on public buildings and
"officially" accepted by the French state, the country has witnessed
consecutive terrorist attacks.
The first
chaos erupted in France, home to more than 5.7 million Muslims. Three civilians
were killed near the Notre-Dame Basilica in Nice. The chief suspect of the
attack Ibrahim Issaoui reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is the
greatest) several times after the shooting. Issaoui is a migrant who illegally
entered France from Tunisia in September.
The media
reported that Issaoui called his family the night before the attack, telling
them that he was going to doss down on a piece of cardboard outside the
Notre-Dame Basilica and after resting, find a job to keep himself afloat.
Issaoui's
brother Yassine said in an interview that Issaoui had dropped out of school and
was out of work like many other young people in Tunisia. He first worked as a
mechanic, then started to work in an olive squeezing business and then engaged
in fuel oil sales irregularly, he added.
After
France, the bad news came from Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz – who is
also known for his Islamophobic policies – last night. Attackers in front of a
synagogue in Vienna, which has a large Muslim population, opened fire in
various locations in the city. Five people were killed, including one of the
terrorists and 17 were injured. According to local media, the terrorist killed
was a 20-year-old Macedonian boy. Police claim the suspect is a Daesh
sympathizer.
Obviously,
Charlie Hebdo cartoons are not the only reason behind the terrorist attacks. It
is clear that Daesh or other organizations, which serve as proxies for
intelligence agencies, have found the environment, tensed up by Macron, useful
for provocation.
In my
previous column, I had written that radical proxy organizations are in seventh
heaven after the artificial "secular Republic – Islam" polarization
that Macron has raised. Life now will only be harder for Europe's minorities.
My first
prediction, unfortunately, has proved true earlier than expected.
I hope EU
citizens of Asian and African descent will not suffer the aftermath of these
provocative terrorist attacks. Many far-right parties, which are the main
opposition in European countries, as well as racist media outlets, are
endeavoring to legitimize this fascist demand in politics and society. They
even overtly salt the books to this end.
Some
conversations in Turkish heard in the footage of the attack in Austria are
being spread on social media as evidence of the lie that the "terrorists
were Turks." Such acts prove an organized disinformation campaign against
Turkey.
It soon
became clear that these conversations belonged to citizens of Turkish origin
who stood up against the terrorists and helped the Austrian police. A man named
Mikail Özen alerted and rescued an injured policeman and an elderly woman at
the scene.
Recep
Tayyip Gültekin, a namesake of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was injured
while assisting the Austrian police.
Following
the incident, these two Austrian citizens, whom Erdoğan called and
congratulated, were declared heroes in the country.
Could there
be a clearer message for politicians using misinformation to exploit religious
differences for personal gains?
https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/columns/minorities-main-target-of-terrorist-attacks-in-europe
----
Drug Smuggling, Abuse On The Rise In Iraq
By Adnan Abu Zeed
Nov 5, 2020
Iraq’s
Security Media Cell announced Oct. 30 the discovery of 6 kilograms (13 pounds)
of hashish and 50 drug bars in al-Sakhrah area in the southern Maysan
governorate, noting the increase in the drug trade and abuse in central and
southern Iraq in particular. On Oct. 12, the investigative court for drug cases
in Maysan reported, “The southern areas of the governorate are the most active
in promoting narcotic drugs, and crystal meth [methamphetamine] makes up 90% of
the substances trafficked there.”
On Oct. 29,
Zuhair al-Shaalan, governor of the southern city of Diwaniyah, admitted in a
televised interview that “the rate of drug abuse has reached 40%.”
The Basra
Police Command announced Oct. 14 that it had arrested eight drug dealers in
possession of narcotic drugs, pistols, ammunition and rifles. Such situations
often turn into armed clashes; for instance, on Oct. 19, an exchange of fire
between a drug dealing gang and the police in the southern Basra governorate
resulted in the killing of an officer and the wounding of three security
personnel. On Oct. 24, the biggest drug dealer in Basra was taken down.
A police
officer in Diwaniyah told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “Citizens are
well aware of the source of these drugs, which is mainly Iran. [These drugs]
get here either through the southern Iraqi borders or through the Kurdistan
Regional Government.”
He noted,
“The borders are still open to smugglers of crystal meth and Captagon
[Fenethylline] amid the lack of modern monitoring techniques and since armed
groups control the areas adjacent to the border, which enables= them to safely
transport the prohibited substances after they are delivered to the border.”
The officer
added, “Smugglers control the situation with weapons and pay bribes and large
financial royalties to the influential forces and armed groups, and they have distribution
networks in all cities.”
Former
Deputy and Judge Wael Abdel Latif, who hails from Basra, told Al-Monitor,
“Drugs are flowing into the southern governorates from Afghanistan and Iran.
Today, Iraq is no longer a mere transit country as it was in the past. Rather,
it has become a major market that consumes these substances. The number of drug
abusers has increased so much even in schools in Basra, Amara, Nasiriyah and
Samawah. The phenomenon is spreading to the western areas as well.”
He said,
“One of the main reasons why this phenomenon has easily spread is the weak
government measures on the long borders between Iraq and Iran. There is no
control over some crossing points at the borders between [Iraq’s] Basra, Amara
or Kut and [Iran’s] Khuzestan. Corrupt officers deal with drug traffickers or
turn a blind eye to their activities.”
Falah
al-Khafaji, a deputy from the central Babil governorate, told Al-Monitor,
“Drugs are making their way from the south to the central Euphrates areas, as
well as to Baghdad and the northern areas.” He stressed that his previous
security work in the governorate revealed an increase of violence among young
people due to drugs, attributing this phenomenon to “the absence of job
opportunities for the youth, which leads them to despair.”
Since 2018,
Iraq has cooperated with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In this
context, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Lt. Gen. Imad
Mohammed, told Al-Monitor about “new projects to combat the spread of drugs,” stressing
that “the ministry is working to raise awareness among young people about the
dangers of drug use, and to involve citizens and civil society organizations.”
Mohammed
added, “The first practical step in this regard is establishing a narcotics division
in Sadr City in Baghdad, and the ministry is in the process of increasing the
number of drug control departments at police stations.”
Ahmed Abbas
al-Dhahabi, an academic in the psychology department at Baghdad University,
told Al-Monitor about “the legal leniency with the drug issue as well as
corruption in the security services, which allow many drug traffickers to
escape legal penalties.”
He noted,
“Iraq suffers from a lack of field research and specialized expertise in drug
control,” calling for “training professional cadres to combat drugs in
countries with experience, and to benefit from these countries’ advanced
programs.”
Dhahabi
added, “We need high-level coordination with the Iranian security services to
monitor drug traffickers and gangs moving between the two sides of the border.”
The New
York Times published a report on Sept. 15, 2019, about the spread of crystal
meth among the Iraqi youth, especially in Baghdad and Basra.
Legal
expert Tarek Harb told Al-Monitor, “Law No. 50 of 2017 on Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances punishes with imprisonment between one to three years,
with financial fines, for anyone who imports, produces or possesses narcotic
drugs. Article 288 of the same law stipulates a life imprisonment sentence for
every person who sets up a place for drug abuse.”
Handling
the drug issue in Iraq conflicts with tribal pitfalls, because of the tribal
nature of the Iraqi society. On Sept. 18, 2019, the family of a security
officer in Basra, who had been killed in an armed clash with a gang dealing
drugs, complained about receiving death threats from a tribe whose members are
affiliated with the gang. Meanwhile, a security officer was forced to pay a
tribal fine of 50 million Iraqi dinars ($42,000) for killing a drug dealer during
a pursuit in one of the border areas.
The drug
phenomenon in Iraq goes beyond being a pure trade for drug dealers, to being
about activities linked to armed groups and influential political and tribal
forces, from which they make huge sums to perpetuate their influence and power.
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/11/iraq-security-drug-crystal-iran.html
-----
Why Is Bangladesh Protesting Against France?
By Faisal Mahmud
5 Nov 2020
Addressing
a sea of crowd from a pick-up van, Junaid Babunagari on Monday noon delivered a
stern message: “We want the Bangladesh government to shut down the French
embassy in Dhaka within 24 hours.”
Babunagari,
secretary-general of Hifazat-e-Islam – one of the biggest Muslim political
groups in the country – further said: “[French President] Emmanuel Macron
should beg for forgiveness.”
The crowd
of some 50,000 people, almost wholly comprised of young people decked in white
kurta [tunic] and topi [cap] voiced their appreciation in unison. “Allahu Akbar
[God is great],” they shouted, “We will not tolerate disrespect of the Prophet
Muhammad.”
Protests
are being held in several Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, Turkey
and Indonesia, over Macron’s comment that Islam is “in crisis” and his defence
of the offensive caricature of the Prophet.
Tensions
further escalated in the aftermath of the killing of Samuel Paty, a middle
school teacher in France who showed his pupils drawings of the Prophet during a
discussion on the freedom of speech.
But
Bangladesh arguably has witnessed the largest and most prolonged protest over
the cartoon row that has angered the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims.
Monday’s
protest, which originated from Bangladesh’s biggest mosque in the capital
Dhaka, was yet the largest demonstration staged in the country against the
French president’s stance on the right to publish cartoons of the Prophet.
In the past
one week, the Muslim majority nation of 160 million has witnessed at least
three large-scale anti-France demonstrations in Dhaka and in the port city of
Chattagram.
‘We Love Our Prophet’
Last
Friday, several protest rallies were organised from different mosques after
Jumma prayers across the country calling for “boycotting goods from France” and
for severing “diplomatic ties”.
“We are on
the street as we love our Prophet,” Abu Abdullah, a 19-year-old student from
Markazul Aziz Madrasa (traditional Islamic religious school) of Dhaka who took
part in Monday’s protest told Al Jazeera.
“Islam is a
religion of peace and our Prophet Muhammad is the best human being to ever
exist. I can’t remain silent if someone said bad things about our beloved
Prophet,” he said.
Belal
Hossain, a 26-year-old khadem (caretaker) of a mosque in Narshingdi who came to
Dhaka to protest, told Al Jazeera that images and caricature of Prophet
Muhammad are not permitted in Islam.
“By
sketching a belittling portrait of Muhammad, France hurt us. We want no ties
with France any more,” Hossain said.
Mufti
Fakhrul Islam, publication secretary of Hifazat-e-Islam who was at the forefront
in organising Monday’s protest, said people love the Prophet more than their
lives.
“We will
not tolerate the slightest disrespect of our beloved Muhammad,” Islam told Al
Jazeera.
Hifazat,
based in Chattagram, runs more than 90,000 madrassas (Islamic religious
schools) across the country.
Maulana
Zafarullah Khan, leader of Bangladesh Islamic party Khelafat Andolon, which
joined forces with Hifazat, said: “By disrespecting Muhammad, France has
disrespected the whole of Muslim Ummah [community].”
“Such disrespect
of our Prophet bleeds the hearts of millions of religious and pious people of
Bangladesh,” Khan said.
Silence Of Bangladesh Government
So far, the
government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has not commented on the cartoon
controversy and maintained studied silence amid calls to sever diplomatic ties
with France – the country’s fourth-largest trading partner.
The
Bangladesh government, however, has allowed the protests.
“We believe
in freedom of expression of every individual, hence we allow all sort of
protests to take place in our country,” AK Abdul Momen, minister of foreign
affairs, told Al Jazeera.
Momen said
he understands the people’s anger on the issue. “It’s not just about France; if
anyone from any country disrespects Prophet Muhammad, religious people in
Bangladesh will stage protest against that, and we know about it.”
He said
there is no scope of cutting diplomatic ties with France. “Bangladesh and
France enjoy a good and warm bilateral relationship,” he said.
France is
one of the largest destinations of Bangladesh’s readymade garments (RMG)
products, which account for the lion’s share of the country’s export basket.
Last year,
Bangladesh exported goods worth $1.7bn to France, making the European nation
its fourth-biggest export market after the United States, Germany and the
United Kingdom. Several French companies have medium to large scale investments
in Bangladesh, from energy to construction materials, pharmaceuticals and
telecommunications.
Some French
politicians have already called for action against Bangladesh in the wake of
the mass protests.
“Bangladesh
economy is largely based on the textile industry. Western distributors
(Carrefour, H&M, etc) must stop purchasing clothing. Let’s stop trading
with those who hate us and favor localism,” Virginie Joron, a French politician
who is a member of the European Parliament, tweeted.
Marine Le
Pen, a French politician who is known for her anti-immigration stance, urged
the French government to impose a ban on immigrants from Bangladesh.
Adnan
Habib, a Dhaka-based banker, told Al Jazeera that Bangladesh will lose more if
the relationship with France is tainted. “I respect people’s emotion about
Prophet Muhammad. But to be frank, the idea of severing ties with France on
this is unrealistic under the present global context.”
Prolonged Protests
Asif
Shibgat Bhuiyan, a popular blogger who writes on Islam, said the strong emotion
of the Bangladeshi Muslims and religio-political opportunism sensed by the
religious leaders and influencers are playing a strong role behind the
protests.
“Bangladeshi
Muslims are very emotional and sensitive about religious symbols. Among the
symbols inviolable to them, the honour of the Prophet Muhammad is at the
forefront,” he said.
Bhuiyan
said Bangladesh has precedence of staging large-scale public demonstrations on
the issue of violating the honour of the Prophet.
A cartoon
by the largest vernacular daily – Prothom Alo – triggered protests in 2007
after it was perceived to defame the name of the Prophet.
“A large
number of Muslims took to the street and the editor of the daily had to visit
the top Muslim leader in the country to clear the misunderstanding,” said
Bhuiyan.
He said the
religious leaders of the country are aware that they cannot have a
demonstration on every issue pertaining to Muslims. There has hardly been a
public protest against the persecution of Uighurs in China.
“Hence they
require an issue that is sustainable. It needs to be well participated and
short in temporal scope – so that there is a perception of success while being
convenient enough for the government to let it be,” Bhuiyan said.
Ali Riaz,
who has researched on the Islamist parties in Bangladesh, said several factors
have prompted these demonstrations, largely spearheaded by the Islamist groups
in Bangladesh.
“The
growing Islamisation of the Bangladeshi society is a major contributory factor
in this regard. It has become easy to use these kinds of issue as a tool for
mobilisation,” said Riaz, a distinguished professor of politics and government
of Illinois State University, US.
He argued
that the populist appeal of the issue and the anti-Western sentiments have
brought most of the common people into the mix.
Besides, he
said, some political forces are taking to the street to demonstrate their
existence in the current political vacuum on a safe issue without annoying the
government.
Riaz
believes the demonstrations are helping the Bangladesh government, which he
says, has turned into an authoritarian regime.
“First, by
allowing these demonstrations to take place the government is boosting its
claim that opposition’s right to assembly has not been curtailed, thus it
contributes to its assertion that the country is a functioning democracy.”
Secondly,
he said, these portray Bangladeshi politics to the international community “as
a choice between radical Islamism and secularism, and present itself as a
better alternative” despite its “[government] abysmal record of human rights
violations and curtailment of fundamental freedom”.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/5/what-prompted-the-prolonged-anti-france-protest-in-bangladesh
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Is
Netanyahu Ready For Biden?
By Ben Caspit
Nov 6, 2020
esident and
would prefer a first Joe Biden presidential term to a second Trump one.
“There is
nothing more dangerous than a second-term president,” a senior Israeli
diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “Especially when
that president is Trump who is unpredictable to begin with.” Netanyahu,
according to this theory, has scraped the bottom of the barrel of goodies that
Trump has kept filling for the past four years and now prefers a familiar,
stable, veteran White House presence to one focused on shaping his legacy and
eyeing the Nobel Peace Prize.
The truth
is somewhere in between. If Netanyahu could have voted, he would have faced a
tough dilemma. I would venture a guess that Netanyahu would have ultimately
voted for Trump, but not without agonizing long and hard over his choice. Going
along with a second-term president is a gamble. Nonetheless, it is hard to
ignore the endless, unbelievable strategic gifts with which Trump showered
Netanyahu throughout his term, and the fact that Israel’s ambassador in
Washington, Ron Dermer, enjoys almost unfettered White House access and takes
part in formulating highly sensitive policy papers prepared by the president’s
top aides. Trump is the proverbial gift that keeps on giving, and Netanyahu
loves presents. Netanyahu got addicted to the influence he wields on the White
House and will have a hard time weaning himself off this heady drug.
When Trump
stunned the world — and Hillary and Bill Clinton — by being elected in 2016,
Netanyahu broke out into a wild dance, but Israel’s professional diplomats
broke out in a sweat trying to understand what made the new president tick, and
second-guessing his appointments and policies. “It was a mystery,” a former
high-ranking Israeli diplomat told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “We
had no idea who he would bring with him and he ignored most Washington professionals
and the Republican establishment because these people had signed petitions
against him.” Even after Israeli officials began to familiarize themselves with
the top White House and National Security Council appointments, the
acquaintance was often short-lived. The president’s inner circle often
resembled a bucking bronco, throwing off everyone who climbed on — very few
managed to hold on. Officials in Jerusalem watched with a mix of despair and
disbelief.
Biden is
the exact opposite. “We are going back to the Clinton-Obama establishment,” a
senior political source in Jerusalem told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.
“People we know, who came up through the system, who worked for years in the
Senate, White House, State Department, National Security Council. People with
whom we know how to work. Predictable, familiar. It’s a completely different
feeling. No longer lawyers and Wall Street money people. Now we will experience
the return of an American political establishment that does not always go along
with our foibles, but which the Israeli system gets along with very well.”
If Biden is
elected — as of this writing, he appeared close but was not quite there —
Netanyahu can still thank the good luck that saved him from a “blue wave” and
left the Senate in Republican hands. “As long as the Senate is Republican,
Netanyahu is all set,” a source in the prime minister’s circle told Al-Monitor
on condition of anonymity. “He maneuvered an impatient, young [President
Barack] Obama for eight years, he will not have a hard time maneuvering Biden,
especially as Biden and Netanyahu have enjoyed a truly friendly relationship
for decades. They will get along. It will not be a passionate affair as things
were with Trump, but it will be totally bearable. And anyway, Biden is unlikely
to have much time and patience for the Middle East with the coronavirus
pandemic, tensions with China and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s
bullying.”
The
elephant in the room is the Iranian issue. Trump delivered on Netanyahu’s
rosiest dreams in this regard. He pulled the United States out of the nuclear
deal with Iran and followed it with a policy of “maximum pressure” on Tehran.
“Trump and Biden, both, seem to be planning to enter into negotiations with
Iran if elected — the question is the goal and the style,” a former senior
Israeli defense source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.
In other
words, Israel believes Trump will enter negotiations “Trump style.” He will not
lift sanctions on Iran or does so only symbolically. “He believes in conducting
negotiations from a position of power and applying pressure on the rival,” the
security source said in analyzing Trump’s style. “Whereas Biden would consider
goodwill gestures and perhaps an easing of sanctions as a means to generate a
positive climate for renewed negotiations.”
What counts
is the bottom line. “Trump could lose interest, as was the case with his
negotiations with North Korea,” the senior Israeli diplomatic source noted. “He
could even strive to win the Nobel Peace Prize at any cost and end up with an
Iran agreement very similar to the original one. With Biden, it is hard to
tell,” the source conceded. “What we know for sure is that Biden will not
accept a nuclear Iran either. We hope Biden will bring an improved nuclear
agreement — long term — which will plug some of the holes in the first one.”
Would Trump
or Biden use force against Iran if negotiations fail? This is yet another
question that the best minds in Israel’s defense and intelligence agencies are
trying to answer, without much success. The Foreign Ministry and the Israel
Defense Forces (IDF) are engaged in a long-running argument about Trump.
Foreign Ministry experts say Trump only uses forces if it can be done in one
shot, on a limited, local basis. He did give the order to take down Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani, but almost in the same
breath ordered a drawdown of thousands of US troops from Syria and the Middle
East. Whenever a longer-term use of force with entanglement potential is
discussed, he is not on board. The IDF did not see it quite that way. Trump’s
unpredictable nature, according to the security and intelligence analysts, does
not rule out a possible decision on a military adventure against Iran.
As for
Biden, the Democrat, the situation is no less complex. “Biden is not Obama,”
the senior Israeli diplomatic source said. “Netanyahu’s nightmare is of a Biden
in Obama’s clothing. But that is nowhere near the truth. Biden graduated from
the school of hard knocks, he is somewhere in the middle between Obama’s
peacenik liberalism and the Bush family’s aggressiveness. If pushed to the
edge, he could well use force.”
In Biden
does, indeed, move into the Oval Office, no one in Jerusalem will have much
homework to prepare. “We know all the president’s people like the back of our
hand,” said a top diplomatic official on condition of anonymity. “Names such as
Tony Blinken [Biden’s top foreign policy aide], Michele Flournoy [slated for
the Pentagon], Jake Sullivan, Dennis Ross, Martin Indyk [all former diplomats
and/or foreign policy advisers], and second-tier people like Nick and Bill
Burns, Ilan Goldberg, all these people know us, know the Middle East and the
issues on the agenda for at least two decades. Everything will run like
clockwork from the get go, they are expected to hit the ground running.” The
two administrations will differ strategically in at least one sense. “Sadly, we
will have to take our leave of [Ambassador] David Friedman, who was more of a
settler than the settlers, and return to a policy that views the Green Line as
the basis for all negotiations and the settlements as a bone in the
Palestinians’ throat. The gay days when the settlers danced in Washington will
be no more."
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/11/israel-us-joe-biden-donald-trump-benjamin-netanyahu-indyk.html
-----
Time For Saudi Families To Review Their
Succession Plans
By Faizal Bhana
November
07, 2020
Succession
planning for family businesses is challenging, given the various elements that
need to be considered both on the business and family levels. As with all
family businesses across the globe, Saudi families face some common issues,
including considerations around which family members are experienced enough to
steer the business successfully with the support of the other members.
Discussions of this nature can ease the friction within the family, as well as
between the family and the management of the business, particularly in aligning
the vision of the wealth owners with the natural successor’s aspirations for
the future.
As family
businesses navigate the easing of lockdowns and consider efficiencies to move
their businesses into the post-COVID-19 norm, a key element is to consider
their plans for succession. With multiple generations typically involved in the
family business, the challenges of implementing the family’s future strategy
has come to the fore during these extraordinary times.
While it is
never easy to have discussions around death and succession, it is essential to
avoid conflict in the unfortunate event of a loss within a family.
There are
an estimated 538,000 family businesses in the Kingdom representing a staggering
63 percent of the total operating enterprises. They contribute up to $216
billion to GDP and employ about 7.2 million people, 52 percent of the
workforce.
Saudi
family businesses are generally regarded as sophisticated investors both
regionally and increasingly globally. Most large family businesses are
conglomerates — albeit private businesses — that are worth billions of dollars
and operate across borders.
Closer to
home, Saudi family businesses have very close ties with other families in the
region, considering the deep and shared cultural and religious ties.
Yet just
one in four family businesses in the GCC has an effective and legally robust
wealth transfer strategy and succession plan in place.
The Saudi
Vision 2030 places great faith in the Saudi private sector as the engine of
growth and job creation. Against this backdrop and the Kingdom’s classification
as an emerging market in 2019, listings from family businesses on Tadawul will
add vigor to the local stock market.
There is a
drive for IPOs within family business groups to provide another way for
businesses to raise capital through the stock exchange and attract
international investors.
With that
in mind, a number of Saudi family businesses are taking advantage of this
forward-looking opportunity. The current pandemic means they need to review
existing structures for their local, regional and global investments and
assets.
The
majority of intergenerational transfer of wealth in the Middle East will occur
for the first time in the next five years, after being operated solely at the
behest of the patriarch and the wealth creator for the past 30
years.Comprehensive succession planning involves detailed conversations between
the founders and patriarchs and the next generation, the proprietors of the
future. This involves the training and capacity building of the new generation
to take over positions within the business governance structure.
One of the
key roles of business advisers is to provide businesses with viable solutions
and to put into place robust contingency plans. To adhere to an efficient
wealth transfer, it is vital that trustees and other fiduciary service
providers are prepared to meet the needs of the next generation. They must also
ensure that Sharia considerations are factored into all aspects of the
discussion.
As a first
step, it is pivotal to prepare a trust structure summary for members of the
next generation that breaks down the trustee’s role and responsibilities, the
terms of the trust, what it means to be a beneficiary of the trust, current
activities and investments held by the trust and any relevant regulatory
requirements.
Having a
discussion with members of the next generation is crucial as it helps clarify
the existing structure and the current circumstances of the immediate family,
as well as identifying their aims and aspirations. Incorporating the right
style and channels of communication to engage with the family is paramount when
building that relationship.
The next
point is to identify whether the existing structure and investments are aligned
with the aims of the next generation is a key step — whether the existing
structure is still suited for the family business needs.
It is
essential to assess whether the growth of the trust fund can keep pace with the
growing size of the next generation and whether the trust’s overall purpose
needs to be modified.
With great
wealth comes great responsibility and this is becoming increasingly understood
by families across the region, particularly during this time of crisis.
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Faizal Bhana is a regional director at Jersey
Finance.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1759486
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URl: https://newageislam.com/middle-east-press/middle-east-press-freedom-expression,/d/123399
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