In Geopolitics Today - Monday, November 1st
Lebanon Stumbles into Diplomatic Row with Gulf States and G-20 Summit Ends in Few Concrete Commitments
Lebanon Stumbles into Diplomatic Row with Gulf States
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have all withdrawn their diplomatic personnel in Lebanon after a Lebanese official made stark comments on Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the war in Yemen. The move by the four Gulf states comes at a time when Lebanon is reeling from unrest and economic disarray, with Hezbollah accusing Lebanese Forces (LF) Party for firing at protesters from rooftops in an apparent attempt to drag Lebanon into a civil war. The decision by the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain to cut diplomatic ties to Lebanon in solidarity with Saudi Arabia leaves Lebanon increasingly isolated.
The statement which has caused the diplomatic spat came from the Minister of Information of Lebanon, George Kordahi, who criticized Saudi Arabia’s military involvement in the Yemen. Kordahi said that Houthi rebels are merely defending themselves against Saudi military attacks, describing the years-long war as "futile" and “absurd.” In doing so, Beirut has angered Riyadh and its allies, all of which proceeded to denounce Lebanon for attempting to stall efforts to establish peace. The UAE chose to impose a travel ban for its citizens, preventing them from travelling to Lebanon. Moreover, Riyadh went beyond the actions of its Gulf allies and announced a total ban of all imports coming from Lebanon.
Following the decision by the four Gulf allies, Lebanese President Michel Aoun has urged Saudi Arabia return to dialogue in an effort to defuse the tensions caused by Kordahi's criticism of the Saudi-led war effort in Yemen. Lebanon's government tried to make clear that Kordahi's statements were a reflection of his personal opinion rather than the official policy of Beirut. Lebanon's Foreign Minister extended an invitation to his Saudi counterpart to “engage in dialogue to solve all outstanding problems.” But the Saudi Foreign Minister chose not to entertain any discussions, and said that Riyadh was no longer interested in dealing with Beirut. The crisis has left Lebanon isolated in the region at a time when the country is under immense internal and external pressures.
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G-20 Summit Ends in Few Concrete Commitments
The leaders of the Group of Twenty (G-20) countries met in Rome over the weekend to agree on a range of initiatives, but stopped short of establishing a clear path to achieving them. The agenda for the summit included climate change, the COVID pandemic, a global tax deal and economic policies, among others. Nonetheless the summit holds significance as the G-20 represents roughly 80% of the world's GDP, 60% of the population and an estimated 80% of greenhouse gas emissions.
The climate was a critical component for the summit. On the eve the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), the leaders in attendance reiterated and reaffirmed their commitments to the objectives of the Paris Agreement, namely to keep the average global temperature increase below 2 degrees. A great deal of emphasis was placed on an even lower threshold of + 1.5° C rise in temperatures compared to the pre-industrial era. The leaders of G-20 countries also agreed to stop subsidizing new coal-fired power plant projects abroad, but such projects planned on national territory were not part of the commitment, limiting the effectiveness of the initiative on combating climate change.
But the meeting of so many national leaders also brought other agreements. The summit saw broad support for a global tax deal which would see multinational businesses subject to a 15 percent tax. Brokered by the OECD and backed by some 136 countries, the deal has long been in the making and is expected to come into effect in 2023. But commitments made at the summit will amount to little unless each participating country first passes the legislation into national law. Seperately, the United States and the European Union agreed to end a dispute over steel and aluminium tariffs on the side-lines of the summit, and both expressed a joint intention of countering China’s dominance of the steel industry by committing to combat an overcapacity of ‘dirty’ steel production in the industry.
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