#Issam Khoury
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The horizon of American strikes on Shiite militias
Khoury's article proposes actionable strategies for Washington amidst these escalating tensions. It advocates for the expansion of airstrikes along the Syrian-Iraqi border and offers support to Arab groups to effectively counter Iranian proxies. #Biden
By, Issam KhouryCSIORS, Feb 2024
Researcher Charles Lister[1] published an article on January 24, 2024, titled “America Is Planning to Withdraw From Syria—and Create a Disaster,”[2] in which he stated that the White House is not interested in continuing the missions of American forces in Syria, based on information from four sources within the Defense and State Departments.
As the #MiddleEast…
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#American voters#Biden administration#Charles Lister#Iranian Revolutionary Guard#Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces#Issam Khoury#Jordan&039;s national security#Middle East#Qasem Soleimani#iran#syria#بشار الاسد#تركيا#روسيا#سوريا#عصام خوري
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How has Israel operated an assassination policy for decades?
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Three sons and four grandchildren of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniya were assassinated in Gaza on Wednesday.
Their names are added to a long list of people killed in Israeli targeted operations and by assassins world-wide over decades.
Why does Israel pursue such a policy? What is its impact?
Presenter:
Sohail Rahman
Guests:
Ilan Pappe - Professor of History at Exeter University, Israel/Palestine specialist.
Rami Khouri - Distinguished Public Policy Fellow, Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, Columnist and Analyst.
Colin Clarke - Director of Research at The Soufan Group, specialising in the future of terrorism, security and transnational crime.
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Is the US-Saudi Arabia relationship falling apart? | Inside Story by Al Jazeera English Former Saudi intelligence agent Saad Al Jabri is suing the Saudi Crown Prince in the US, alleging Mohammed Bin Salman sent the 'hit squad' that murdered Jamal Khashoggi to kill him in Canada. In a rare rebuke, the State Department praised Jabri and demanded answers about the safety of his children. Will President Donald Trump, a staunch supporter for Bin Salman, be forced to take action? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Khalil Jahshan - Executive Director, Arab Center Washington DC Mahjoob Zweiri - Director, Gulf Studies Center, Qatar University Rami Khouri - Senior Fellow, Issam Fares Institute, American University of Beirut - Subscribe to our channel: https://ift.tt/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: https://ift.tt/2lOp4tL #AlJazeeraEnglish #Saudi #MBS
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Can Green Energy Beat Lebanon’s ‘Generator Mafias?’
In the Lebanese town of Zahle, hundreds of solar panels glitter atop red-tiled roofs and spread across the grassy foothills beneath the Bekaa Valley’s snow-capped peaks. Glancing around, one might think this chronically power-starved Mediterranean country is on the cusp of a green energy revolution.
But Zahle is the only town in the country with a reliable source of power. Just outside the city limits, the panels disappear. Here, as with most of the country, jumbles of wire strung between electrical poles and buildings blot the sky, connecting shops and homes to massive, semi-legal diesel engines run by some of Lebanon’s most notorious characters, often referred to as the “generator mafias.”
These private generator owners are a holdover from the country’s 1975-90 civil war, when they began to fill the gap left by the destruction of the national grid. Experts estimate the gap between Lebanon’s energy supply and demand to be as much as 1 gigawatt in a country of about only 4 million people, leaving citizens without power from the official grid for as many as 12 hours per day. Today, however, a mounting groundswell of support for renewable energy and a global boom in solar technology is beginning to erode their immense power.
Over the years, the wealth and influence of Lebanon’s generator owners grew as political dysfunction and continuing conflict—including assassination, mass protests and a 2006 Israeli bombing campaign—hamstrung efforts to fix the national grid. Today, the so-called mafia controls a market worth anywhere from $1.5 billion to $2 billion, according to Ali Ahmad, an energy policy specialist at the American University of Beirut’s Issam Fares Institute, and stands in the way of anyone pursuing energy reform.
Many generator owners have gained influence over energy policy by building relationships with municipal officials and politically connected fuel importers, environmental activists say. “In the generator sector, all of these groups are tied to leaders in power,” said Naji Kodeih, an environmental consultant with Green Area, a Lebanese environmental publication. “And all of them provide services to these powers—commissions, money, donations. … That’s what’s preventing the country from having electricity.” He added: “In the end, the Lebanese citizen, the Lebanese economy, and the country’s development all pay the price for a parasitic mafia network of interests.”
About three years ago, Zahle managed to break the cycle. Citing a 1920s concession agreement with the Lebanese government to produce and distribute power in the area, the local private utility, Electricite de Zahle (EDZ), leased diesel generators from a Britain-based firm and pumped the energy into the local grid. By covering the power gap left by the state utility and offering a single, cheaper bill, rather than the two bills residents had been paying (one to the state utility, another for their local private generator), EDZ was able to push hundreds of smaller generators out of business.
The mafias fought back by burning tires and blocking streets. EDZ said someone shot at the plant’s transformers and threatened its chief executive. In the end, the protests died down and the generator owners moved on—thanks largely, the company says, to substantial support from the public for its effort. “If we didn’t have support from the residents, we couldn’t have continued with the project,” said Nicolas Saba, head of the utility’s technical department.
Since then, 24-hour power has made Zahle the only town in Lebanon where a national law allowing net metering—an arrangement whereby individual solar panel owners essentially sell power back to the grid—can take real effect. Francois Farage, manager of Green Essence, a solar panel installation company, said the boost has helped propel the number of installations his company performed from around two or three in 2013 to a total of more than 150.
Yet, outside Zahle, the picture changes dramatically. To keep solar systems economical, clients must convince local generator owners to set up a miniature net-metering system on their own networks—something Farage says generator owners almost universally reject out of fear of losing income. “Outside Zahle, they are the decision-makers, so of course we had some problems,” he said.
These negotiations can become unpleasant. Rony Karam, a Lebanese investor working on a real estate project a few miles outside Zahle’s grid, said he recently approached a local generator owner to see if he would help fill the power gap on a new village-scale micro-grid run largely on solar energy.
To his surprise, the man refused to consider it. “It was either solar or generator; he wouldn’t accept both. So that was it,” Karam recalled.
Still, Karam says that if his project in the Bekaa is successful, it could provide a model for hundreds of villages in Lebanon to establish their own micro-grids. “There is a lot of will, at least by a few people, to promote greenery but also, indirectly, to fight corruption,” he said.
Despite the entrenched interests keeping Lebanon’s power grid dysfunctional, many see a vibrant future for the renewable sector. The country sees more than 300 sunny days a year, ideal conditions for solar energy. A central bank program providing low-interest loans for solar projects has spurred hundreds of installations, said Pierre El Khoury, general director of the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation, a government agency affiliated with the Ministry of Energy and Water.
The country is on track to provide 12 percent of its energy from renewable projects, including private panel installations and solar water heaters, by 2020, Khoury said. A recent tender for three wind farms in northern Lebanon has opened a model for private companies to get involved in large-scale electricity generation for the first time.
Critics say such goals fall far short of Lebanon’s potential, however. Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates all have solar farms that dwarf Lebanon’s largest projects.
Rabih Osta, general manager of Phoenix Energy, a major Lebanese solar company, said that it’s time for Lebanon to consider a gigawatt-scale solar project that could effectively plug the country’s energy gap. “If each year the individual market doubles or triples, it proves we are the right track, but it’s time to think on a bigger scale now,” he said.
As such projects gain momentum, they may well encounter even fiercer resistance from generator owners and other vested interests such as fuel importers, just as traditional power plants have. Ahmad, of the Issam Fares Institutes, suggests that when they do, the best strategy may to try to bring those involved in it into the process, rather than push them away.
“Will renewable take over generators? Of course. It’s just a matter of time,” Ahmad said. “Ideally, we should incorporate them in the planning, and we should offer them some sort of ownership in this green economy.”
The post Can Green Energy Beat Lebanon’s ‘Generator Mafias?’ appeared first on Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East.
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Statements by Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim and UAE and US officials signal a potential resolution of the crisis [AP] by Rami G Khouri @ramikhouri Rami G Khouri is a senior public policy fellow in the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut. A string of rapid-fire developments this weekend in Qatar, the United States, and …
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Is Iranian Revenge Real or Just Noise?
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The United States understood Iran's message and prepared 1500 soldiers for training in Texas, in preparation for sending them to Iraq and Syria to enhance the American presence in a region
By: Issam Khoury
CSIORS,January 17, 2024
“If I were in the Biden administration’s shoes tonight, I would announce that I’m immediately starting a program to train Kurdistan Regional Government forces to operate the Patriot anti-missile system[1].”
These words were spoken by Joel D. Rayburn[2], the former U.S. Special Envoy for Syria during President Donald Trump’s term.
If I were in the Biden…
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#Iran#Iraq#Issam Khoury#Syria#American Guidance#Border Control#Conflict Resolution#Documentary#International Relations#Middle East Politics#Missile Strikes#syria#Syrian figures#The border control strategy#بشار الاسد#تركيا#روسيا#سوريا#عصام خوري
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Why are so many children killed in wars? | Inside Story by Al Jazeera English The United Nation's annual report on children and armed conflicts reveals record numbers of deaths and injuries. Al Jazeera's obtained a copy of the UN report in advance of its publication. It found evidence of more than 24,000 cases of children being killed, maimed or forced to become child soldiers last year. And it highlights the rising casualty rate in warzones such as Yemen where the Saudi-UAE coalition is fighting Houthi rebels. But despite condemning Israel for the deaths of Palestinian children, Israel is not on the report's blacklist of offenders. So what needs to be done to protect the lives of our children? Presenter: Martine Dennis Guests: Noha Abou-eldahab, Fellow at the Brookings Doha Center, specialising in conflict and transitional justice. Rami Khouri, a Senior Fellow at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy at American University of Beirut. Simon Mabon, Senior Lecturer in International Studies at Lancaster University. - Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook https://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: https://ift.tt/snsTgS #AlJazeeraEnglish #ChildrenofWar #InsideStory
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Nuclear Energy Between Peace And War: The story of destruction in the Middle East or its resurrection
In "Nuclear Energy Between Peace And War," Issam Khoury skillfully navigates the intricate interplay of nuclear energy, geopolitics, and environmental challenges in the Middle East. Meticulous in dissecting dual energy applications and geopolitical tensio
In a world where energy sources and geopolitical dynamics intersect, “Nuclear Energy Between Peace And War” by Issam Khoury stands out as a comprehensive guide. This book offers a deep exploration of the complex issues surrounding nuclear energy, shedding light on its peaceful and military implications and its impact on regional and international peace. In this article, we examine this…
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#Clean Energy Alternatives#Climate Change Awareness#Dual Nature of Nuclear Energy#Economic Viability of Clean Energy#Environmental Challenges in the Middle East#Environmental Sustainability#Geopolitical Tensions in the Middle East#Global Politics#International Peace Efforts#Iran#Iran&039;s Nuclear Program#Iraq#Israeli-Arab Conflicts#Isreal#Issam Khoury#Middle East Development#Middle East Geopolitics#Nuclear Energy#Nuclear Energy Solutions#Paris Agreement#Peace and War Dynamics#Regional Conflicts#Shia-Sunni Tensions#Syria#Turkey#UAE
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ما حجم الخسائر في ليبيا بعد إعصار "دانيال"؟
In my recent interview on Bloomberg, I had the opportunity to discuss the alarming impact of climate change on the Middle East, particularly in light of the recent devastating Hurricane Daniel.
With over 2,000 casualties and 6,000 people still missing,
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🌀 Climate Change: Hurricane Daniel Strikes the Middle East 🌍
In my recent interview on Bloomberg, I had the opportunity to discuss the alarming impact of climate change on the Middle East, particularly in light of the recent devastating Hurricane Daniel.
With over 2,000 casualties and 6,000 people still missing, the numbers are staggering. Hurricane Daniel’s unexpected intensity in Libya…
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#BloombergInterview#ClimateAction#ClimateChange#ClimateEmergency#HurricaneDaniel#Issam Khoury#MiddleEast#RisingTemperatures
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Assad and Me
"Assad and Me" blends personal biography and national history. It is a description of the Syrian revolt and the murderous regime it opposed. I am the first Syrian journalist to cover the events of the Syrian revolution inside Syria; this is my report year
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#Hizballa#Idlib#iran#Issam Khoury#Latakia#syria#لبنان#مظاهرات#إيران#بشار الاسد#تركيا#حافظ الاسد#روسيا#سوريا#عصام خوري
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