The forces of globalization and international commerce are unstoppable. Whether you are a fan or a naysayer matters little; the genie of globalization is out of the bottle and won’t be put back in. What is amusing is that some great powers thing they can control who gets to benefit from this trend, as if it is a club that one power selects members for.  It has gone far beyond that, and if you try to deny the burgeoning and aspiring economies from joining the fold they will just do it anyway.

Inhibiting factors to growing international trade are any unrealistic tariffs, restrictions on employment mobility and inequitable tax treatments. This is why you see so many trade zones established to ease flow of goods and services, in essence making trade transnational.  If you don’t encourage integration as the US doesn’t among some countries, then they will just band together and create their own. This week Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan announced they are creating a free trade zone with visa free travel for their nationals. That is how you create security and growth by economically engaging with powers for common benefit. Imagine.  The US State Department needs a new playbook understanding integration is a more powerful diplomatic tool than isolationist policies. They may have a problem explaining that to the Tea Party and the GOP core crowd though.

Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria agreed on Thursday to set up a free-trade zone, complete with a visa-free travel regime for their nationals, a joint declaration issued here said.

The four countries will establish a cooperation council “to develop a long-term strategic partnership” and “create a zone of free movement of goods and persons among our countries,” it said.

The deal was agreed by the foreign ministers of the four countries who met on the sidelines of a Turkey-Arab cooperation forum in Istanbul.

The free-trade zone will be based on “existing bilateral agreements and practices on free trade and visa exemption” between the parties, the statement said, adding that Turkey and Lebanon were required to complete a bilateral arrangement before the four-way process could go ahead.

“The quadripartite mechanism… will be open to the participation of all the other brotherly and friendly countries in the region,” it said.

News | Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria OK a free zone

Perspective is always dictated by where you stand. Looking in from outside, the latest attraction to open in the Lebanese mountains seems somewhat bizarre – a Hezbollah theme park complete with mock Israeli tanks and faux guerrilla fighters. However, from within the region perhaps even such a hokey memorial does give rise to contemplation of the broader tapestry of the conflict. Better fake tanks and fighters to teach historical lessons than real planes, rockets and bombs, I suppose.

The park, complete with upturned Israeli tanks and dummies dressed like guerilla fighters, has drawn hundreds of visitors to gawp at the weapons, military outfits and armoured personnel carriers on display.

Located in a remote, mountainous part of southern Lebanon, the park’s opening this week commemorates a historic event in the Middle East conflict and the first time Israel unilaterally abandoned

The park is situated in a former frontline base used by Hizbollah during the Israeli occupation, the Times reports.

“The Israelis used to drop cluster bombs that looked like toys for our children to play with, “Abu Hadi, a veteran fighter and park tour guide told the paper, referring to a longstanding allegation against the Israeli military.

“Now we tell the Israelis that we have their tanks for our children to play with.”

Among the weaponry on display are Russian Kornet anti-tank missiles and RPG29 rockets used by Hizbollah in the 2006 war. In one alcove, a prayer mat and an open copy of the Koran sit beside an old AK47 rifle.

Hizbollah opens theme park in Lebanon mountains – Telegraph

An update to the ongoing saga of the Mig-29 jets that Russia is gifting to Lebanon. If you remember, at first blush this looked like a major act of Russian largesse, the gifting of 10 MIG-29 fighters to Lebanon. This would be a strategic boon for Lebanon situated in a region where neighborhood skirmishes are common and with neighboring Israel having absolute air superiority. However, then it turned out that this supposed gift of a Lebanese strategic air defense were essentially useless as they were too corroded to fly. So a new deal was hurriedly worked out and Russia will now provide Lebanon with10 Mi-24 helicopter gunships instead.

While such helicopter gunships will indeed assist Lebanon to defend itself in case of dire need, it is hardly state of the art equipment. The Russians have had Mi-24’s in service since the 70’s. These gunships saw service by the Ethiopians, by the Vietnamese in their war against Cambodia and were utilized with deadly effect in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, until the US provided the Afghans with Stinger heat-seeking missiles to combat them. Should the Lebanese need to deploy such gun ships in the case of a war against Israel for example, then we don’t believe it would give Lebanon much of an edge, even if the Mi-24’s are in a good enough state of repair to be deployed. What looks like a Russian act of strategic largesse is a gift without many teeth in an arms transaction of almost humorous dimensions.

Russia has agreed to supply Lebanon with Mi-24 helicopter gunships instead of the MIG-29 fighter jets originally agreed, the office of Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said on Saturday.

“The Russian authorities agreed to replace the MIG-29 fighters, initially foreseen in their military aid, with Mi-24 helicopters as the Lebanese army urgently needs this type of aircraft equipped with rockets and sophisticated means of defense,” a statement said.

Sleiman on Thursday held talks with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow, in the first ever visit by a Lebanese head of state to Russia.

News | Russia to supply Lebanon helicopters

There are many observers that think the recent really to commemorate the 5 year anniversary of murdered ex-Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, marked the end of the line for the March 14 alliance. It seems the very bastions of the largely anti-Syria movement are eroding. Syria and Lebanon are in the warm glow of rapprochement. While Syria was largely believed to be behind the assassination of al-Hariri, a lot has changed in 5 years, and there no longer seems such a strong will to get to the truth in that investigation.

The Alliance has also wanted Hezbollah to disarm, but in the light of the 2006 war and the heightened rhetoric with Israel again of late, such a laying down of arms thing seems improbable. In fact, Hezbollah seems more embedded in Lebanese tapestry than ever before, and has popular appeal due to its resistance to Israel and its social welfare programs. Despite all the high hopes that marked the birth of the March 14 Alliance, it may well be a movement that has run its course. The US is rebuilding fences with Syria and Lebanon both, so maybe it is time for the political sands to realign in Lebanon in reaction to the changing realities.

A rally marking the fifth anniversary of the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister, on Sunday was partly staged to revitalise the waning Lebanese anti-Syrian front, but its conflicting political speeches all but officially declared the end of the March 14 coalition.

Calls for unity and continuity of the March 14 movement sounded more like a denial of the new political reality than a reassertion of a political programme.

Re-emerging Syrian influence, the persistence of Hezbollah’ role and internal divisions have all dealt steady blows to the alliance that was brought together by opposition to Damascus.

Even before the crowds started converging on Martyrs Square in downtown Beirut, the signs of disillusionment were tangible among its supporters and members.

Many from the ranks of the Christian parties, al-Kataeb and the Lebanese Forces, along with some politicians from the Future Movement of Saad al-Hariri, the son of Rafiq and the current prime minister, were already disgruntled by the composition of the country’s national unity government which they believe does not reflect the movement’s clear win in last June’s elections.

They feel defeated by the government’s inability to strip Hezbollah of its arms and the failure of the international tribunal investigating al-Hariri’s murder to point a finger at Damascus.

By repeating the unifying call for “an independent and free Lebanon”, March 14 leaders tried to lift the spirits of their supporters, but an unsigned editorial on the Lebanon Now website stridently announced the defeat, if not the death, of the movement:

“Now it’s all over. War, blackmail, civil violence, regional horse-trading and even bare-faced hypocrisy have put an end to the dream.

Al Jazeera English – Focus – Hariri rally ‘marks March 14′s end’

While the US and Europe shivers, Lebanese ski resorts are facing unusually warm conditions and have no snow. The diversity of Lebanon often surprises observers, but Lebanon has usually well-occupied ski resorts sitting at 8,000 feet elevation. Lebanon also has a flourishing wine industry, an active gay community that acts as a magnet travel destination for those in the know, and Beirut pre-troubles was the party town of choice for many Europeans. Of course, such a vibrant and diverse country is often so poorly represented and in only one dimension in the Western mainstream press.  We will keep our fingers crossed for some snow for them and better luck in the nation’s future.

While much of the United States and Europe is fighting subzero temperatures, Lebanon is praying for snow as unusually warm weather puts a dampener on the country's lucrative ski season.

“So many clients cancelled their reservations for the month of January,” said Walid Kanaan, who runs the luxurious InterContinental Mountain Resort and Spa at Mzaar, nestled in the mountain town of Faraya, northeast of Beirut.

“The lack of snow has forced clients to postpone their bookings until February or March, and truth be told, I understand their disappointment,” Kanaan told AFP.

” I have lost tens of thousands of dollars and altogether shops in the area must have lost some $20 million “

Skiing, snowboarding, mountain climbing and snowmobiling are fashionable in the winter months in Faraya, which is located 2,500 metres (8,200 feet) above sea level.

But the only activities in the town so far this year have been the roasting of chestnuts and corn by street vendors, hiding from the sun under umbrellas as they wait in vain for customers.

“I have lost tens of thousands of dollars and altogether shops in the area must have lost some $20 million ,” said the owner of a Faraya ski rental shop, who asked not to be named.

“Thirty years of experience have taught us that half our seasonal sales happen between December 20th and January 5th, so that's 40 percent of our season gone up in smoke,” he added.

News | No business for snow business in sunny Lebanon

The global interconnectivity of nations is no surprise, but the specifics of the engagement can be intriguing. Nepal, the evocative remote mountain Kingdom, has long been a source of domestic workers for Lebanon. Nothing so unusual about that. There are large numbers of Asian laborers in the Middle East.

However, as is sometimes the case in international labor markets, there is often a dark underbelly to the trade. In many cases, Asians sell or mortgage their little patch of hereditary land to fund their journey overseas for work. Current economic conditions have seen many having to return home, large number of construction workers from Dubai just as one example. These workers return home destitute and are now often absent the family land that would have supported them in nations with no welfare systems. Their future is dire

This lack of options leaves many workers depressed, and sometimes suicidal.  In the case of the Nepalese workers in Lebanon, it is estimated 10 have died or committed suicide since October alone.  Many of these workers hand over their passports on arrival as surety to gain employment and end up in situations equivalent to domestic servitude.  In a drastic step to curtail this problem, the Nepalese Government a work deployment ban to Lebanon ceasing the ability of workers travelling there for work. While the intent of the ban is admirable, the consequence may well be an absence of economic opportunities for Nepalese laborers

Nepal reintroduced last week a work deployment ban for Lebanon, highlighting growing international concern over the treatment of migrant domestic workers following a wave of suicides over the last two months. According to a report published Saturday by Nepalese newspaper The Himalayan Times, Nepal’s Department of Foreign Employment reintroduced the ban, lifted in May, because of the recent suicides of two female nationals.

Sunit Bholan, 22, allegedly committed suicide October 8, and Mina Rokaya, 24, died in hospital on October 23. A police report seen by Human Rights Watch (HRW) says she died from a heart attack. The women are among at least 10 migrant domestic workers to have died since October.

“The ban … is a necessary emergency step in the face of an alarming rise in the number of suicides by domestic workers in Lebanon,” said Fatima Gomar, editor of Migrant-Rights.org. “There is a growing understanding among Asian governments that they need to step up and bar their citizens from working in countries where their rights are not protected.”

Still, Gomar doubted the ban would halt Nepalese workers travelling to Lebanon illegally.

Nepalese workers, the majority of them women, count for some 17,000 out of approximately 200,000 migrant workers in Lebanon.

The Daily Star – Lebanon News – Nepal bans migration to Lebanon amid abuse fears

The statistics for the education levels of young Palestinians refugees are shameful, and to some extend explain why such youngsters form a fertile recruiting ground for those who would radicalize their world view. This sampling from the Palestinian population resident in Lebanese refugee camps is a stark reminder of how yet another generation of youngsters is being sacrificed to make a political point

- 50 percent of 17-year-olds and 40 percent of 16-year-olds receiving no education

- nearly 15 percent of children between the ages of seven and 17 drop out of school

- child labor among Palestinian refugee children stands at 6.1 percent

- one third of the Palestinian children are illiterate

The recent U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report on the subject coincides with the 20th anniversary of the international convention on the rights of the child, and sends a sobering message to all involved in the region.

“The figure is really worrisome when you consider that half of 17-year-old children are school dropouts as opposed to 40 percent when it comes to 16-year-olds,” Torres said.

“This is a sensitive age and if you add that to other risks they are exposed to in the camps, there is reason for alarm.”

He said most of the kids drop out because of poverty, the lack of appropriate educational programs and a lack of perspective for the future.

“The youngsters say why study when I can’t work afterwards;,” Torres said.

Lebanese law prevents Palestinian refugees from practicing most professions or owning property.

Torres said another alarming factor is child labor among Palestinian refugee children which stands at 6.1 percent, most of them boys.

“This is too high when you compare it to figures in developed countries where child labor has practically disappeared,” Torres said.

There are an estimated 250,000 to 270,000 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon. The majority are from families which arrived in 1948 following the creation of the state of Israel.

News | School dropout high in Palestinian refugees: UN

The US has a dualism in its relations with Lebanon. While it continues to condemn Hezbollah, has a checkered military history there, it does still like to give Lebanon largesse gifts of arms from time to time. Of course, the US foreign policy of military sales and assistance to select partners is one of the most powerful tools in its armory. In provisioning arms to its friends, it can easily disturb delicate regional balances. By ill-considered transactions it can arm friends that later turn into enemies, such as happened with the Taliban. In giving military capabilities to Lebanon the US walks that thin line between helping friends or enabling enemies.

The US, however, has plenty of goodies to give.  The US is responsible for around 50% of the total worldwide arms business. The next  Top 20 countries are only  responsible for around 20% of all arms sales,  so the power is relatively concentrated. Many developing nations want to be invited to eat at the top table, and the best way to get invited is to be an ally of the US. The US just handed out a small carrot to Lebanon but what it buys in the longer term is yet to be seen.

BEIRUT: The United States provided several significant deliveries of equipment to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) during the past two weeks, a statement by the US embassy said on Saturday. “Specifically the navy was given eight Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boats which are specially suited for coastal patrolling and counter-smuggling operations,” the statement added. The US also contributed nine Humvee ambulances and 60 Humvee tactical military vehicles. Lastly, according to the embassy statement, the US delivered a fire truck to the LAF to assist in fighting fires on military bases.

The Daily Star – Politics – US provides LAF marine equpiment to patrol coast

The world is changing its attitude toward Syria, and we suspect the invisible hand of the US is behind the softening of opinions towards Damascus. We reported recently about how Turkey has welcomed Syria back into the fold. Now another regional power, Saudi Arabia, has shaken the hand of the once leper-state of Syria. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has just wrapped up a goodwill visit to Damascus breaking tension between the two countries in relation to differing views about Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine.

Lebanon, however, has been the cause of recent tensions because Riyadh-backed prime minister-designate Saad Hariri has failed to reach agreement with the Shiite Hezbollah-led bloc supported by Syria. This standoff has seen Lebanon without a government since a general election in June, but now both Riyadh and Damascus are calling on the Lebanese factions to form a unity government as quickly as possible.

“A national unity government is the basis for stability, unity and strength in Lebanon,” SANA cited the Saudi and Syrian leaders as saying as Abdullah rounded off his first visit to Damascus since taking the throne in 2005.

“The visit might be a turning point in the whole Arab world,” Turki al-Sidiri, editor-in-chief of the Saudi al-Riyadh daily, told Al Arabiya.

He added that the “Saudi-Syrian talks mark the beginning of an Arab strategy that will change the deteriorating situations, especially that both Saudi Arabia and Syria are powerful states that are capable of achieving a lot of accomplishments.”

The decision of removing the obstackes hindering closer ties could contribute to helping stabilize Iraq, which borders both countries, and to ending a political stalemate in Lebanon, where Riyadh and Damascus have great influence and have been on opposite sides of the fence.

Middle East News | Saudi monarch wraps up landmark visit to Syria

Even the most recalcitrant observer must notice that the world power rankings are changing. Some superpowers are on the wane, while others strive to replace them. The G8 becomes the G20, China becomes the economic power of note, Europe develops a second wind as it recovers ahead of the US, and America finds that its power and influence is most decidedly finite. It is a brave new world out there, and if you are still in denial, let us take a look at the wine industry as an indicator of change.

If we look at the manufacturing end of the wine business, the new world has been in ascendancy for a while such as the Australian and South American varietals. Now, we have an emergence of an even newer world, or a reversion to an ancient one depending on your point of reference, as Lebanon explodes on to the wine scene. Lebanon has some prime wine growing opportunities with vineyards now planted in clay and limestone soil that lies between the mountains and the Mediterranean at more than 3,000 feet elevation. It makes a whole new industry for a country famed for its ingenuity in making profits

Most of the world’s winemakers worry about the weather because great wine is made in the vineyard, but in Lebanon they worry about other things.

“Weather, if only I could worry about the weather. No, I don’t worry about the weather. We are blessed with wonderful weather,” said Sami Ghosn, 43.

Along with his brother, Ramzi, 44, in the early 1990s Ghosn reopened the family’s Massaya vineyard in the Bekaa Valley where there is sunshine some 300 days a year.

The vineyard had been closed since 1975 when the Ghosn family, who are Lebanese Christians, fled at the start of the 15-year civil war.

Variety News | Make wine not war: Lebanon winemaker

If that wasn’t enough to have the traditionalists spluttering into their prized cabernet sauvignon, Hong Kong is now the world’s largest wine market, surpassing London and New York. The world changes, the powers shift as they engage and cross-pollinate and new realities develop. The cries of ‘Sacre bleu! What is the world coming to!’ are drowned out by the sound of the popping of corks as Hong Kong enjoys its successes

Sotheby’s, the auctioneer, sold $7.9 million ($4.9 million) of vintage wines in October. It said it had sold $14.3 million of wine so far this year in Hong Kong, far outstripping its sales of $10.5 million in New York and $8 million in London.

In the October sale, one unnamed wine buff from mainland China paid a record $93,077 for an Imperiale (the equivalent of eight bottles) of 1982 Château Pétrus, in a further show of the spending power of the Chinese. Overall, the auction raised almost a third more than Sotheby’s estimate

Hong Kong becomes world’s largest wine market – Telegraph