I was turning over potential topics to write about this week. The Middle East is a goldmine - never sparing its people from horrors, nor journalists from subject matter. Gadi Eisenkot has been tasked with forming the Israeli government after Benjamin Netanyahu broke the record for the longest tenure in the prime minister's office, shattering many other things along with it. The animosity toward Netanyahu has coalesced into a torrent, casting Eisenkot in the role of a savior.
However, this reserved general, who lacks the knack for theatricality and media flair, faces a monumental task to extract political life from the heavy shadow of Netanyahu. Some believe he needs a resounding war to reassure Israelis and help them rid themselves of Netanyahu's ghost. During the government formation process, the Prime Minister-designate will navigate a minefield, facing the ambitions of coalition partners eyeing the premiership, the tactical traps set by the Likud leader, and the heavy uncertainty looming over both Washington and Tel Aviv.
Another region-centric topic worthy of coverage is the decision by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) to establish the "Iron Gate" task force. The decision aims to prevent Iran from acquiring advanced weaponry, dual-use technologies, or sanctioned materials through land crossings. This ambition is highly complex, given the divergent stances of Iran's neighbors, the unique intricacies of the Caspian Sea issue, and the Russian-Iranian nexus in that arena.
Furthermore, the step raises questions as to whether it serves as an alternative to a new round of war against Iran, keeping in mind that it requires a long time to bear fruit, assuming it succeeds. It is no secret that such a wait would be costly for the countries involved in this conflict and its fallout.
I was weighing these two topics when I received a gracious call from an Iraqi friend who remains steadfast in his long-standing fondness for Beirut. He inquired about the truth of reports he had read regarding a surge in purse-snatching and muggings on certain streets of the Lebanese capital, noting that some of these incidents involved the use of guns or knives. I replied that pickpocketing is a global phenomenon, reminding him of the exploits of watch and phone thieves on the streets of London and numerous European cities. The caller laughed, remarking that pickpockets in Beirut remain modest amateurs who might need a training course to expand their horizons and operations.
The caller remarked that the contemporary world belongs to pickpockets, noting that from the perspective of international law, the removal of Nicolas Maduro from the Venezuelan presidential palace constitutes a full-fledged act of theft. He added that the world is currently witnessing a horrific heist, as Putin's Russia openly declares its determination to seize 20 percent of the territory of Ukraine - a country whose existence and international borders are globally recognized.
No one punished Donald Trump for his actions in Caracas, and no one will punish Putin for his actions in Kyiv. The world penalizes petty thieves while bowing to the will of the major ones.
The conversation went on. The Middle East has witnessed terrifying acts of theft. In the 1967 war, Israel seized the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and Sinai. It refused to return the stolen territories, with the exception of Sinai in exchange for a ransom: Egypt's exit from the military dimension of the conflict. Under Netanyahu, Israel practiced theft on an unprecedented scale. The "security zones" it establishes on the territory of Lebanon and Syria and inside Gaza are acts of theft accompanied by a scorched-earth policy and acts of genocide. In the West Bank, fanatical settlers undertake the theft of lands and crops.
The fracture of the international system is a danger as perilous as the erosion of state authority within national borders. Fractured states face existential threats to both their present and their future. Among these dangers is the seizure of the decision-making power over war and peace by armed factions from the hands of legitimate established governments. This means factions are successfully transforming entire maps into missile and drone launching pads, and into arenas for wars that far exceed their state's capacity to endure.
The caller argued that terrifying geographic maps, closing straits, and causing spikes in fuel and food prices worldwide also fall under the category of theft. Similarly included in this category are violating state sovereignty, destabilizing nations, and establishing micro-armies within them that plunder economic resources to forcefully hijack roles and influence.
I rebuked my friend and accused him of going too far. He said he was speaking out of bitterness because Iraq had suffered the most extensive heist since World War II, surpassing what Russia witnessed following the suicide of the Soviet Union. He added that thieves had plundered more than 500 billion dollars from Iraq's public funds. He reminded me of the piles of cash and gold recently uncovered in the hideouts of several corrupt officials, following efforts by the government of Ali al-Zaidi to halt the plundering of public funds.
He also noted that he was among the victims of the brazen financial heist witnessed in Lebanon, where citizens' bank deposits were effectively stolen. This wiped out the lifelong savings of ordinary citizens and the modest pensions retirees had counted on to sustain them in their final years.
How harrowing it is to live in an era dominated by thieves! While most governments can confront petty pickpockets targeting a phone, a handbag, or a handful of dollars, many hesitate to challenge the sharks. These master thieves possess vast arsenals and sit directly within parliaments or operate through proxies, wielding the power to topple governments should anyone attempt to reclaim public funds from their grip.
The only path to escaping these master thieves lies in returning to a strict respect for international law, state sovereignty, and internationally recognized borders, while halting policies of blackmail and the hijacking of sovereign decision-making in world capitals. Within nations, the only solution is the rule of law and robust institution-building. The era of the thieves has endured for far too long.
