After 100 years the old Ottman/New Turkish empire Strikes back

[wm]

Lebanon according to Hilal Khashan, Geopolitical Futures.

How Lebanon’s Ruling Elite Ruined the Country
Corruption is rampant in Lebanon. It permeates society and politics. Those who seek public office see it as an opportunity to make money. At the heart of Lebanon’s economic and financial meltdown lies a self-serving confessional elite dismissive of public demands. They comprise politicians, religious leaders, the banking sector, the judiciary, and senior military and security officers.
...
The patronage endemic in Lebanese politics made it easy for public policy to favor the rulers and to disregard inactive clients.
...
the political system has a mechanism that makes it virtually impossible to prosecute public officials, and the sects shelter them from accountability. When the media asked where $11 billion had gone during the tenure of a Sunni finance minister, the grand sheikh vetoed questioning him. Elsewhere, the head of internal security refused to implement a warrant issued by the judicial investigator to arrest another Cabinet member in connection with last year’s massive port explosion.
...
Lebanon’s public provisions of garbage disposal, internet and mobile phone services, water and electrical supplies are notoriously bad, and complaints about them fall on deaf ears. The state-owned power stations produce only a fraction of the country’s needs. The country spent $50 billion to rehabilitate the electricity plants, yet households receive on average two hours of electricity per day.

Examples of evading responsibility abound. In one instance, an energy minister purchased defective equipment for more than $2.5 billion that his successor sold as junk for a few hundred thousand dollars. Nothing came of it.
...
The political elite’s approach to responding to the economic problems is to do nothing. Fearing that the international pressure on them to engage in meaningful financial reform would compromise their gains over decades of embezzlement of public funds, the sectarian lords chose to suspend Cabinet meetings by haggling over petty cash issues. After the onset of the economic and financial collapse, the U.S., France, the Gulf countries and the International Monetary Fund have frequently expressed their readiness to provide financial assistance – contingent on the Lebanese government’s willingness to initiate comprehensive economic and administrative reforms. Since then, Lebanon had three governments that did nothing except discuss reform without agreeing on strategy.

[Linkagain]

regarding the previous mesage what need else be said of the Ship of state Titanic Lebanon....???

truth be told if Lebanon becomes part of the New Turkish Empire.......Not suprized.....in the least....

[Tosun Saral]

Lebenon was part of turkish empire. lost in WW1. Then became french mandate. Poor Lebenon suffered too much under french emperializm. sunni arap, şii araps, christian arabs all the various people of Lebenon became enemies to each other. Beyrut which was once "Paris of the East" is now suffering. After the Turks driven away there is no peace since 1918 in Lebenon. I once again say Middle East is our territory, only will be happy if they live again with the Turks.

[Linkagain]

If that is the Fate of Lebanon and Iraq Jordan and Saudi Arabia become part of the New Turkish Empire as well??? 100 years ago the British Empire...drove out the Hashemites from their stewardship of Mecca and Medina...preahsp the time has come for the Ibn-saud...to abdicate Mecca and Media back to the Hashemites......

[wm]

Please, the Arabs will not live with anyone, nor with the Turks, nor with the Israelis.
That ship has sailed during the Great War, foundered even.
Istanbul is an impressive metropolis, fit for great power. The Constantinople part is impressive beyond dreams.
But Turkey with its rural poverty and its GDP per capita about half of that of Greece isn't a great power.

[LAstry2]

Saw the following Link of Interest//Begining of the Ottman Empire

https://www.israel365news.com/271342/tu ... s-opinion/

First the Western Half of the Old Roman Empire that sank into decay....Then It was the end of the Eastern half of last rement of the Old Roman Empire that died......What need else be said?

[CogCalgary]

Please, the Arabs will not live with anyone, nor with the Turks, nor with the Israelis.
That ship has sailed during the Great War, foundered even.
Istanbul is an impressive metropolis, fit for great power. The Constantinople part is impressive beyond dreams.
But Turkey with its rural poverty and its GDP per capita about half of that of Greece isn't a great power.

Surely their military development sector sets them apart?

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi CogCalgary,

You post of Turkey, "Surely their military development sector sets them apart?"

We though the same of Russia five months ago and Ankara produces far less of its own military equipment than Moscow. Even within the region, relatively tiny Israel seems to have a broader based and more advanced "military development sector" than Turkey.

Turkey has undoubtedly become a steadily more important country militarily over the decades but, if Erdogan continues to damage its wider economy, he may undermine this progress.

Cheers,

Sid

[CogCalgary]

Hi CogCalgary,

You post of Turkey, "Surely their military development sector sets them apart?"

We though the same of Russia five months ago and Ankara produces far less of its own military equipment than Moscow. Even within the region, relatively tiny Israel seems to have a broader based and more advanced "military development sector" than Turkey.

Turkey has undoubtedly become a steadily more important country militarily over the decades but, if Erdogan continues to damage its wider economy, he may undermine this progress.

Cheers,

Sid

Certainly Israel has a very advanced military,their partnership with America is quite advantageous to both countries.Turkey is becoming the low cost option for many developing nations.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi ColCalgary,

I can see the advantages for Israel of riding on US coat tails, but I don't see the advantages for the USA.

Cheers,

Sid.

[wm]

Certainly Israel has a very advanced military,their partnership with America is quite advantageous to both countries.

Although every year, the US spends on its army two times more than the entire Israeli GDP.

[CogCalgary]

Hi ColCalgary,

I can see the advantages for Israel of riding on US coat tails, but I don't see the advantages for the USA.

Cheers,

Sid.

Sid,contant real world testing and evaluating.Hopefully the information exchange goes both ways.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi CC,

What does that mean, specifically?

A mystified Sid.

[CogCalgary]

Hi CC,

What does that mean, specifically?

A mystified Sid.

Constant real world testing?Continued sorties against Syrian positions apparently manned or directed by Iranians.They also have permission to modify the plane and field several variants.I would also imagine that the electromagnetic spectrum is being recorded and analyzed during these sorties.

[CogCalgary]

Plus the Iron Dome and now more laser weapons for dealing with short range rockets and drones.