Difference between revisions of "Ziad Abdelnour"

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{{person
 
{{person
 
|image=zanour.jpg
 
|image=zanour.jpg
−
|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziad_K._Abdelnour
+
|wikipedia=*
−
|constitutes=financier, businessman, fraudster
+
|militaristmonitor=https://militarist-monitor.org/profile/ziad-abdelnour/
 +
|constitutes=financier, businessman, neoconservative
 
|wikipedia_protection=pc1
 
|wikipedia_protection=pc1
 
|birth_date=1960-12-03
 
|birth_date=1960-12-03
 +
|amazon=https://www.amazon.com/Ziad-K.-Abdelnour/e/B005NHQYVO
 
|birth_place=Beirut, Lebanon
 
|birth_place=Beirut, Lebanon
 
|religion=Roman Catholic
 
|religion=Roman Catholic
 +
|Awards = 500 Most Influential CEO in the world, Global Shaper <ref>https://richtopia.com/inspirational-people/500-ceos</ref>
 +
|father = Lebanese industrialist and former MP Khalil Abdelnour (1992-2000)
 +
|relatives =Salem Abdelnour
 +
|occupation = Author, Wall Street Financier, CEO, influencer
 +
|crunchbase=https://www.crunchbase.com/person/ziad-abdelnour
 
|nationality=Lebanese, American
 
|nationality=Lebanese, American
 +
|description=A neoconservative financier who was disciplined by the [[SEC]].
 +
|website=http://www.ZiadAbdelnour.net
 +
|twitter=https://twitter.com/blackhawkini
 +
|youtube=https://www.youtube.com/user/ZiadKAbdelnour
 
|alma_mater=American University of Beirut, Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania
 
|alma_mater=American University of Beirut, Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania
 
|powerbase=http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Ziad_Abdelnour
 
|powerbase=http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Ziad_Abdelnour
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|criminal_charges =Violation of Sections 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities Act,
 
|criminal_charges =Violation of Sections 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities Act,
 
Violation of Section 15(a) of the Exchange Act
 
Violation of Section 15(a) of the Exchange Act
−
|criminal_penalty = $25000 fine, 5 year ban from dealing in securities
+
|out_of_court_settlement= $25000 fine, 5 year ban from dealing in securities (now expired)
 
|employment=
 
|employment=
 
}}
 
}}
−
'''Ziad Abdelnour''' is a Lebanese American [[financier]] who reportedly had close ties to the US [[Neocon]] network. However, he fell foul of the [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]], who charged him under the Securities Act. He agreed to a cease and desist order which banned him from the securities industry for 5 years.<ref name=sec/> Reporting on this settlement, Dealbreaker magazine remarked that Abdelnour used to be a prominent "junk bond salesman during [[Michael Milken]]’s glory days ... so he’s not all [[fraud]] all the time, whatever he’s up to these days."<ref name=dealbreaker/> In 2016, [[Richtopia]] ranked him as one of The 500 Most Influential CEOs.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Most Influential CEOs in the World|url=https://www.rise.global/500-ceos|website=Richtopia - Retrieved June 5, 2016}}</ref>
+
'''Ziad K. Abdelnour''' is a [[Lebanon]]-born [[US]] [[financier]] whose out of court settlement with the [[SEC]] in 2013 fined him $25,000 and banned him from dealing in securities for 5 years. He continues to work for [[Blackhawk Partners]], which he started in 2006.
  
 
== Background ==
 
== Background ==
−
Abdelnour is the son of [[Lebanese]] industrialist and former MP [[Khalil Abdelnour]] (1992-2000) and the nephew of former Lebanese financier and MP [[Salem Abdelnour]] (1960-1964 and 1972-1992).
+
Ziad Abdelnour is the son of [[Lebanese]] industrialist and former MP [[Khalil Abdelnour]] (1992-2000) and the nephew of former Lebanese financier and MP [[Salem Abdelnour]] (1960-1964 and 1972-1992)<ref>"[http://www.arabamerica.com/arabamericans/ziad-abdelnour/ MP Salem Abdelnour]"</ref> In 1984 he graduated from the [[Wharton School of Finance]].
  
 
== Career ==
 
== Career ==
−
Abdelnour is a regular speaker on TV{{clarify}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Ziad Abdelnour|url = http://www.foxnews.com/archive/ziad-abdelnour/index.html |website=FoxNews. Retrieved April 17, 2012}}</ref> and has written on wealth creation, physical commodities trading and Middle East geo-political analysis at industry conferences in USA.<ref name="Jones Forrest"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Ziad K. Abdelnour|url=https://freedomfest2015.sched.org/speaker/ziad_abdelnour.1tllvcz9|website=Freedom Fest Las Vegas Conference. Retrieved July 8, 2016.}}</ref><ref name=" Atlas Society">{{cite web|title=Ziad K. Abdelnour|url=http://atlassociety.org/objectivism/atlas-summit/atlas-summit-blog/3213-ziad-abdelnour-in-the-news|website=-The Atlas Society Conference. Retrieved May 11, 2012.}}</ref>
+
In 1995, Ziad Abdelnour was a partner with [[Continuum Capital]], a privately held investment and merchant banking firm in [[New York City]].<ref>https://www.meforum.org/articles/other/lebanon-israel-s-true-partner</ref> He worked{{when}} as an investment banker at [[Drexel Burnham Lambert]]<ref>Landon Thomas Jr. (August 1, 2006). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/01/business/worldbusiness/01wall.html From Lebanese-American Financiers, Differing Views on the Strife]". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2014.</ref> where he was a high yield bond trader under [[Michael Milken]].
 +
 
 +
Abdelnour has spoken on TV<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/archive/ziad-abdelnour/index.html </ref> and has written on "wealth creation", physical commodities trading and Middle East geo-political analysis at industry conferences in USA.<ref name="Jones Forrest"/><ref>https://freedomfest2015.sched.org/speaker/ziad_abdelnour.1tllvcz9</ref><ref name=" Atlas Society">http://atlassociety.org/objectivism/atlas-summit/atlas-summit-blog/3213-ziad-abdelnour-in-the-news</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Connections===
 +
Ziad Abdelnour had close ties to the US [[Neoconservative]] network, but was charged by the [[SEC]], indicating that he fell out of favour. He agreed to a cease and desist order which banned him from the securities industry for 5 years. Reporting on this settlement, ''Dealbreaker'' magazine remarked that Abdelnour used to be a prominent "[[junk bond]] salesman during [[Michael Milken]]’s glory days... so he’s not bad all the time, whatever he’s up to these days."<ref name=dealbreaker/> In 2016, Richtopia ranked him as one of "The 500 Most Influential CEOs".<ref>https://www.rise.global/500-ceos</ref>  
  
 
===Blackhawk Partners===
 
===Blackhawk Partners===
−
Abdelnour established Blackhawk Partners, which appeared "geared towards high net worth individuals or entities, requiring a minimum investment ranging from $10 million to $100 million, and running in duration from one day to forty weeks."<ref name=dealbreaker/> For an eighteen month period beginning in September 2009 the firm offered in a web posting investments in prime bank instruments that were claimed to yield returns of as much as 600% without risk.<ref name=secactions>http://www.secactions.com/this-week-in-securities-litigation-week-ending-may-10-2013/</ref> Such remarkable offers (up to 100% in one day!) did not attract any investors, but did attract the attention of the [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]], which began an investigation and subsequent lawsuit.<ref name=sec/>
+
In 2006, after a 22-year career on [[Wall Street]]<ref>[https://issuu.com/rogerradcliffe/docs/blackhawkpartnersandgoldensea_68963b271094ca "Blackhawk Partners and Golden Sea Ways sign a 200 Million Euros Partnership Agreement to Fund"]. Retrieved 26 February 2015.</ref> he founded Blackhawk Partners, which appeared "geared towards high net worth individuals or entities, requiring a minimum investment ranging from $10 million to $100 million, and running in duration from one day to forty weeks."<ref name=dealbreaker/> For an eighteen month period beginning in September 2009 the firm offered in a web posting investments in prime bank instruments that were claimed to yield returns of as much as 600% without risk.<ref name=secactions>http://www.secactions.com/this-week-in-securities-litigation-week-ending-may-10-2013/</ref> Such remarkable offers (up to 100% in one day!) did not attract any investors but did attract the attention of the [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]], which began an investigation and subsequent lawsuit.
 +
 
 +
== SEC case settlement ==
 +
In 2011, Abdelnour was targeted by the [[SEC]] for advertising/solicitation after he published an informational blog post on his Blackhawk Partners company website talking about the mechanisms of private placement issues and how they work. On 7 May 2013, after two and a half years battle with no proven wrong-doing, the [[SEC]] and Abdelnour reached an out of court settlement, amounting to a $25,000 fine and 5 year ban from the securities industry.
  
−
===SEC fraud case settlement===
+
In the settlement, the SEC determined that he "knew or recklessly disregarded that the representations he made about the private placement programs on Blackhawk's website and in documents he provided to potential investors were false."<ref>[http://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2013/33-9402.pdf SEC v/s Ziad Abdelnour]</ref> In a private statement, Abdelnour emphatically stated that he never put anyone of his clients or partners at risk and has nothing to hide. He stated that no money was moved, no trade was done, and no one made or lost money, and that the blog was simply for educational purposes. 
−
On 7 May 2013, the [[SEC]] and Abdelnour reached an out of court settlement, amounting to a $25,000 fine and 5 year ban from the securities industry, after which he can reapply for permission to enter the business.<ref name=sec>https://web.archive.org/web/20140110213035/http://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2013/33-9402.pdf</ref><ref name=secactions/>
 
  
−
[[Matt Levine]] writing in ''Dealbreaker'' magazine remarked that "a $25,000 fine is I guess a little harsh for a scam that didn’t actually hurt anyone, but at the same time it’s a little mild for an intentionally scammy effort to steal millions of dollars, failed or not."<ref name=dealbreaker>{{cite web|title=Investment In Paranoid Fantasy |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110213035/http:/dealbreaker.com/2013/05/investment-in-paranoid-fantasy-of-massive-global-conspiracy-less-lucrative-than-promised/|website= - Dealbreaker. Archived on December 29, 2014.}}</ref>
+
Opinion columnist, [[Matt Levine]] writing in ''Dealbreaker'' magazine remarked that "a $25,000 fine is I guess a little harsh for a scam that didn’t actually hurt anyone, but at the same time it’s a little mild for an intentionally scammy effort to steal millions of dollars, failed or not."<ref name=dealbreaker>https://web.archive.org/web/20140110213035/http:/dealbreaker.com/2013/05/investment-in-paranoid-fantasy-of-massive-global-conspiracy-less-lucrative-than-promised/</ref>
  
−
==Publications==
+
== Activities ==
−
Abdelnour has contributed a number of articles to the [[Middle East Forum]] web site.<ref>[http://www.meforum.org/search.php?cx=015692155655874064424%3Abbfcmdvi9ym&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=Ziad&sa=Search Articles by Ziad Abdelnour] - Middle East Forum - searched 4 September 2013</ref> With [[Daniel Pipes]] he was co-Publisher of Middle East Intelligence Bulletin <ref>[http://www.meforum.org/meib/ Middle East Intelligence Bulletin] - Web site Home page. 4 September 2013</ref> including the report ''Ending Syria's occupation of Lebanon: The US Role''.<ref>Daniel Pipes and Ziad Abdelnour, [http://www.meforum.org/research/lsg.php Ending Syria's occupation of Lebanon: The US Role], ''Lebanon Study Group Report'' (Middle East Forum, May 2000)</ref>
+
Ziad Abdelnour is chairman and a founding member of the [[United States Committee for a Free Lebanon]], an activist organization lobbying the United States government to oppose Syria's influence in Lebanon, supporting the Syria Accountability Act<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Ending-Syrias-Occupation-Lebanon-U-S/dp/0970148402 Ending Syria’s Occupation of Lebanon: The U.S Role] </ref>. He supported the neoconservative [[Middle East Forum]], co-authoring in 2000 a Forum study whose signatories included later [[George W. Bush]] administration officials [[Paula Dobriansky]] and [[Douglas Feith]].
  
−
In 2011 he wrote ''Economic Warfare: Secrets of Wealth Creation in the Age of Welfare Politics'', arguing that governments should focus on wealth creation, not job creation.<ref name="Jones Forrest">{{cite news|url=http://www.moneynews.com/InvestingAnalysis/Abdelnour-Government-Businesses-Jobs/2011/12/01/id/419692/ |title=Abdelnour: Government Needs to Let Businesses Create Jobs |first1=Forrest |last1=Jones |first2=Ashley |last2=Martella |date=December 1, 2011 |newspaper=Moneynews |publisher=[[Newsmax Media|Newsmax]]}}</ref>
+
"In 2000, he was an author of a policy paper advocating the removal of the Syrians from Lebanon that was endorsed by a number of people with close ties to Bush advisers, including [[Richard N. Perle]], a [[Reagan]] administration [[assistant secretary of defense]]; [[Douglas J. Feith]], one of the architects of the plan to invade Iraq; and [[David Wurmser]], adviser to [[US Vice President|Vice President]] [[Dick Cheney]] on the Middle East."<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/01/business/worldbusiness/01wall.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=middleeast&adxnnlx=1154455370-sCKn8yFUsT7Aa+FIOYZXGA</ref>
  
−
==Quotes==
+
== Opinions ==
−
In an interview with Trish Schuh in 2005, he said: <ref name="TS">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110805071341/http://www.counterpunch.org/schuh11182005.html Mehlis's Murky Past; US and Israeli Proxies Pushing the Next Neo-Con War: Faking the Case Against Syria], ''[[Counterpunch]]'', November 18, 2005 - Retrieved from Internet Archive 21 September 2016 (No longer available on Counterpunch</ref>
+
In an interview with [[Trish Schuh]] in 2005, Abdelnour said:  
 
{{SMWQ
 
{{SMWQ
−
|subjects=Iran
+
|ref_name=TS
−
|constitutes=Psychopathy
+
|source_url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805071341/http://www.counterpunch.org/schuh11182005.html
−
|text=[[Iran]]? We will not let Iran become a nuclear power. We'll find a way, we'll find an excuse- to get rid of Iran. And I don't care what the excuse is. There is no room for rogue states in the world. Whether we lie about it, or invent something, or we don't... I don't care. The end justifies the means. What's right? Might is right, might is right. That's it. Might is right...
+
|source_name=Counterpunch
−
|date=November 18, 2005
+
|source_details=Mehlis's Murky Past; US and Israeli Proxies Pushing the Next Neo-Con War: Faking the Case Against Syria]
−
|source_name=Internet Archive
+
|date= November 18, 2005
−
|source_URL=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805071341/http://www.counterpunch.org/schuh11182005.html
+
|text=Iran? We will not let Iran become a nuclear power. We'll find a way, we'll find an excuse- to get rid of Iran. And I don't care what the excuse is. There is no room for [[rogue state]]s in the world. Whether we lie about it, or invent something, or we don't... I don't care. The end justifies the means. What's right? Might is right, might is right. That's it. Might is right...  
 +
|subjects=Iran/Nuclear weapons, rogue state
 +
|constitutes=machiavellianism
 
}}
 
}}
−
And:
+
Later on in the interview he states
 
{{SMWQ
 
{{SMWQ
−
|text=Iran's going to be finished and every single Arab regime that's like this will be finished. Because there is no room for us capitalists and multinationalists in the world to operate with regimes like this. Its all about money. And power. And wealth... and democracy has to be spread around the world. Those who want to espouse globalization are going to make a lot of money, be happy, their families will be happy. And those who aren't going to play this game are going to be crushed, whether they like it or not! This is how we rule. And this is how it's going to be as long as you have people who think like me.
+
|text=Iran's going to be finished and every single Arab regime that's like this will be finished. Because there is no room for us capitalists and multinationalists in the world to operate with regimes like this. Its all about [[money]]. And power. And wealth... and [[democracy]] has to be spread around the world. Those who want to espouse [[globalization]] are going to make a lot of money, be happy, their families will be happy. And those who aren't going to play this game are going to be crushed, whether they like it or not! This is how we rule. And this is how it's going to be as long as you have people who think like me.
 
|date=November 18, 2005
 
|date=November 18, 2005
−
|source_name=Internet Archive
+
|ref_name=TS
−
|source_URL=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805071341/http://www.counterpunch.org/schuh11182005.html
+
|subjects=Iran, democracy, neoconservatism, globalization
 
}}
 
}}
 
===On Israel's Invasion of Lebanon===
 
===On Israel's Invasion of Lebanon===
 +
 
{{SMWQ
 
{{SMWQ
−
|subject=Syria, Lebanon, Israel
+
|ref_name=TS
−
|text=The end justifies the means. I don't care about how it's done. The important thing is that it is done. I don't rule out force. I'm not against force. If it's an option, it will be an option... I have — we have — absolutely no problem with heavy US involvement in [[Lebanon]]. On an economic level, military level, political level, security level... whatever it is. [[Israel]] is the 51st state of the [[United States]]. Let [[Lebanon]] be the 52nd state. And if the Arabs don't like it, tough luck.
+
|source_url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805071341/http://www.counterpunch.org/schuh11182005.html
−
|date=18 November 2005
+
|source_name=Counterpunch
−
|source_name=Internet Archive
+
|source_details=Mehlis's Murky Past; US and Israeli Proxies Pushing the Next Neo-Con War: Faking the Case Against Syria]
−
|source_URL=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805071341/http://www.counterpunch.org/schuh11182005.html
+
|date= November 18, 2005
 +
|text=The end justifies the means. I don't care about how it's done. The important thing is that it is done. I don't rule out force. I'm not against force. If it's an option, it will be an option... I have — we have — absolutely no problem with heavy US involvement in [[Lebanon]]. On an economic level, military level, political level, security level... whatever it is. [[Israel]] is the 51<sup>st</sup> state of the [[United States]]. Let [[Lebanon]] be the 52<sup>nd</sup> state. And if the Arabs don't like it, tough luck.
 +
|subjects=Lebanon
 +
|constitutes=machiavellianism
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 +
====Hezbollah====
 
{{SMWQ
 
{{SMWQ
 +
|text=The Lebanese cannot have their cake and eat it, too...Let’s get rid of this cancer [<span/>[[Hezbollah]]<span/>]... Let’s finish the job.
 +
|source_URL=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/01/business/worldbusiness/01wall.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=middleeast&adxnnlx=1154455370-sCKn8yFUsT7Aa+FIOYZXGA
 +
|source_name=New York Times
 +
|date=1 August 2006
 
|subjects=Hezbollah
 
|subjects=Hezbollah
−
|text=The Lebanese cannot have their cake and eat it, too...Let’s get rid of this cancer [<span/>[[Hezbollah]]<span/>]... Let’s finish the job."
 
−
|source_URL=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/01/business/worldbusiness/01wall.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=middleeast&adxnnlx=1154455370-sCKn8yFUsT7Aa+FIOYZXGA
 
−
|source_name=New York Times
 
−
|source_details=1 August 2006
 
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 +
====War ====
 +
In 2013, he entitled an article ''Why a Middle East War is Inevitable'' which opined that "While it looks like [[President Obama]] wants to strip [[Iran]] of its nuclear ambitions through negotiations he has convinced the Israelis that if, by the summer of 2014, he fails to strip Iran of its nuclear program, he will back a large-scale military attack on the Iranian infrastructure using direct US power."<ref>https://www.ziadabdelnour.org/why-a-middle-east-war-is-inevitable/</ref>
 +
 +
==Cover-up==
 +
Ziad Abdelnour's Wikipedia page was deleted 4 times, including 3 times in December 2016.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log/delete&page=Ziad_K._Abdelnour</ref>
 +
 +
==Awards==
 +
In 2016, Ziad Abdelnour was named one of the “500 Most Influential CEO in the world” from Richtopia. Richtopia is a website whose mission is to enrich peoples lives using expert information.  Their ultimate vision is in alignment with the United Nations Development Programme‘s (UNDP) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The website counts on input and articles from financial and entrepreneurial experts. The list compiles influential executives who excel at being pro-active.
 +
 +
In 2017, Abdelnour received an award as a Global Shaper<ref>https://richtopia.com/inspirational-people/500-ceos</ref> from the World Economic Forum. The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.
 +
 +
== Publications ==
 +
Abdelnour has contributed a number of articles to the [[Middle East Forum]] web site.<ref>[http://www.meforum.org/search.php?cx=015692155655874064424%3Abbfcmdvi9ym&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=Ziad&sa=Search Articles by Ziad] - Middle East Forum - searched 4 September 2013</ref> With [[Daniel Pipes]] he was co-Publisher of Middle East Intelligence Bulletin <ref>[http://www.meforum.org/meib/ Middle East Intelligence Bulletin] - Web site Home page. 4 September 2013</ref> including the report ''Ending Syria's occupation of Lebanon: The US Role''.<ref>Daniel Pipes and Ziad, [http://www.meforum.org/research/lsg.php Ending Syria's occupation of Lebanon: The US Role], ''Lebanon Study Group Report'' (Middle East Forum, May 2000)</ref>
 +
 +
In 2011 he wrote ''Economic Warfare: Secrets of Wealth Creation in the Age of Welfare Politics'', arguing that governments should focus on wealth creation, not job creation.<ref name="Jones Forrest">http://www.moneynews.com/InvestingAnalysis/Abdelnour-Government-Businesses-Jobs/2011/12/01/id/419692/</ref><ref>ISBN 1118150120 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1118150120</ref>
  
 
==See Also==
 
==See Also==
 
* '''[[Document:US Planned Syrian Civilian Catastrophe Since 2007]]''' - See Timeline Section 2005
 
* '''[[Document:US Planned Syrian Civilian Catastrophe Since 2007]]''' - See Timeline Section 2005
 +
* '''[https://gdms.texilaconference.org/blog/top-linkedin-influencers/ 30 LinkedIn Influencers Who Built A Powerhouse Personal Brand]'''
 
{{SMWDocs}}
 
{{SMWDocs}}
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>

Latest revision as of 18:45, 18 November 2023

Person.png Ziad Abdelnour   Amazon Crunchbase MilitaristMonitor Powerbase Sourcewatch Twitter Website YouTubeRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(financier, businessman, neoconservative)
Zanour.jpg
Born1960-12-03
Beirut, Lebanon
NationalityLebanese, American
Alma materAmerican University of Beirut, Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania
OccupationAuthor, Wall Street Financier, CEO, influencer
ReligionRoman Catholic
Criminal charge
Violation of Sections 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities Act, Violation of Section 15(a) of the Exchange Act
Out of court settlement$25000 fine, 5 year ban from dealing in securities (now expired)
Founder ofUnited States Committee for a Free Lebanon
RelativesSalem Abdelnour
A neoconservative financier who was disciplined by the SEC.

Ziad K. Abdelnour is a Lebanon-born US financier whose out of court settlement with the SEC in 2013 fined him $25,000 and banned him from dealing in securities for 5 years. He continues to work for Blackhawk Partners, which he started in 2006.

Background

Ziad Abdelnour is the son of Lebanese industrialist and former MP Khalil Abdelnour (1992-2000) and the nephew of former Lebanese financier and MP Salem Abdelnour (1960-1964 and 1972-1992)[1] In 1984 he graduated from the Wharton School of Finance.

Career

In 1995, Ziad Abdelnour was a partner with Continuum Capital, a privately held investment and merchant banking firm in New York City.[2] He worked[When?] as an investment banker at Drexel Burnham Lambert[3] where he was a high yield bond trader under Michael Milken.

Abdelnour has spoken on TV[4] and has written on "wealth creation", physical commodities trading and Middle East geo-political analysis at industry conferences in USA.[5][6][7]

Connections

Ziad Abdelnour had close ties to the US Neoconservative network, but was charged by the SEC, indicating that he fell out of favour. He agreed to a cease and desist order which banned him from the securities industry for 5 years. Reporting on this settlement, Dealbreaker magazine remarked that Abdelnour used to be a prominent "junk bond salesman during Michael Milken’s glory days... so he’s not bad all the time, whatever he’s up to these days."[8] In 2016, Richtopia ranked him as one of "The 500 Most Influential CEOs".[9]

Blackhawk Partners

In 2006, after a 22-year career on Wall Street[10] he founded Blackhawk Partners, which appeared "geared towards high net worth individuals or entities, requiring a minimum investment ranging from $10 million to $100 million, and running in duration from one day to forty weeks."[8] For an eighteen month period beginning in September 2009 the firm offered in a web posting investments in prime bank instruments that were claimed to yield returns of as much as 600% without risk.[11] Such remarkable offers (up to 100% in one day!) did not attract any investors but did attract the attention of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which began an investigation and subsequent lawsuit.

SEC case settlement

In 2011, Abdelnour was targeted by the SEC for advertising/solicitation after he published an informational blog post on his Blackhawk Partners company website talking about the mechanisms of private placement issues and how they work. On 7 May 2013, after two and a half years battle with no proven wrong-doing, the SEC and Abdelnour reached an out of court settlement, amounting to a $25,000 fine and 5 year ban from the securities industry.

In the settlement, the SEC determined that he "knew or recklessly disregarded that the representations he made about the private placement programs on Blackhawk's website and in documents he provided to potential investors were false."[12] In a private statement, Abdelnour emphatically stated that he never put anyone of his clients or partners at risk and has nothing to hide. He stated that no money was moved, no trade was done, and no one made or lost money, and that the blog was simply for educational purposes.

Opinion columnist, Matt Levine writing in Dealbreaker magazine remarked that "a $25,000 fine is I guess a little harsh for a scam that didn’t actually hurt anyone, but at the same time it’s a little mild for an intentionally scammy effort to steal millions of dollars, failed or not."[8]

Activities

Ziad Abdelnour is chairman and a founding member of the United States Committee for a Free Lebanon, an activist organization lobbying the United States government to oppose Syria's influence in Lebanon, supporting the Syria Accountability Act[13]. He supported the neoconservative Middle East Forum, co-authoring in 2000 a Forum study whose signatories included later George W. Bush administration officials Paula Dobriansky and Douglas Feith.

"In 2000, he was an author of a policy paper advocating the removal of the Syrians from Lebanon that was endorsed by a number of people with close ties to Bush advisers, including Richard N. Perle, a Reagan administration assistant secretary of defense; Douglas J. Feith, one of the architects of the plan to invade Iraq; and David Wurmser, adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney on the Middle East."[14]

Opinions

In an interview with Trish Schuh in 2005, Abdelnour said:

“Iran? We will not let Iran become a nuclear power. We'll find a way, we'll find an excuse- to get rid of Iran. And I don't care what the excuse is. There is no room for rogue states in the world. Whether we lie about it, or invent something, or we don't... I don't care. The end justifies the means. What's right? Might is right, might is right. That's it. Might is right...”
Ziad Abdelnour (November 18, 2005)  [15]

Later on in the interview he states

“Iran's going to be finished and every single Arab regime that's like this will be finished. Because there is no room for us capitalists and multinationalists in the world to operate with regimes like this. Its all about money. And power. And wealth... and democracy has to be spread around the world. Those who want to espouse globalization are going to make a lot of money, be happy, their families will be happy. And those who aren't going to play this game are going to be crushed, whether they like it or not! This is how we rule. And this is how it's going to be as long as you have people who think like me.”
Ziad Abdelnour (November 18, 2005)  [15]

On Israel's Invasion of Lebanon

“The end justifies the means. I don't care about how it's done. The important thing is that it is done. I don't rule out force. I'm not against force. If it's an option, it will be an option... I have — we have — absolutely no problem with heavy US involvement in Lebanon. On an economic level, military level, political level, security level... whatever it is. Israel is the 51st state of the United States. Let Lebanon be the 52nd state. And if the Arabs don't like it, tough luck.”
Ziad Abdelnour (November 18, 2005)  [15]

Hezbollah

“The Lebanese cannot have their cake and eat it, too...Let’s get rid of this cancer [Hezbollah]... Let’s finish the job.”
Ziad Abdelnour (1 August 2006)  [16]

War

In 2013, he entitled an article Why a Middle East War is Inevitable which opined that "While it looks like President Obama wants to strip Iran of its nuclear ambitions through negotiations he has convinced the Israelis that if, by the summer of 2014, he fails to strip Iran of its nuclear program, he will back a large-scale military attack on the Iranian infrastructure using direct US power."[17]

Cover-up

Ziad Abdelnour's Wikipedia page was deleted 4 times, including 3 times in December 2016.[18]

Awards

In 2016, Ziad Abdelnour was named one of the “500 Most Influential CEO in the world” from Richtopia. Richtopia is a website whose mission is to enrich peoples lives using expert information. Their ultimate vision is in alignment with the United Nations Development Programme‘s (UNDP) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The website counts on input and articles from financial and entrepreneurial experts. The list compiles influential executives who excel at being pro-active.

In 2017, Abdelnour received an award as a Global Shaper[19] from the World Economic Forum. The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.

Publications

Abdelnour has contributed a number of articles to the Middle East Forum web site.[20] With Daniel Pipes he was co-Publisher of Middle East Intelligence Bulletin [21] including the report Ending Syria's occupation of Lebanon: The US Role.[22]

In 2011 he wrote Economic Warfare: Secrets of Wealth Creation in the Age of Welfare Politics, arguing that governments should focus on wealth creation, not job creation.[5][23]

See Also

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References

  1. ↑ "MP Salem Abdelnour"
  2. ↑ https://www.meforum.org/articles/other/lebanon-israel-s-true-partner
  3. ↑ Landon Thomas Jr. (August 1, 2006). "From Lebanese-American Financiers, Differing Views on the Strife". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  4. ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/archive/ziad-abdelnour/index.html
  5. ↑ a b http://www.moneynews.com/InvestingAnalysis/Abdelnour-Government-Businesses-Jobs/2011/12/01/id/419692/
  6. ↑ https://freedomfest2015.sched.org/speaker/ziad_abdelnour.1tllvcz9
  7. ↑ http://atlassociety.org/objectivism/atlas-summit/atlas-summit-blog/3213-ziad-abdelnour-in-the-news
  8. ↑ a b c https://web.archive.org/web/20140110213035/http:/dealbreaker.com/2013/05/investment-in-paranoid-fantasy-of-massive-global-conspiracy-less-lucrative-than-promised/
  9. ↑ https://www.rise.global/500-ceos
  10. ↑ "Blackhawk Partners and Golden Sea Ways sign a 200 Million Euros Partnership Agreement to Fund". Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  11. ↑ http://www.secactions.com/this-week-in-securities-litigation-week-ending-may-10-2013/
  12. ↑ SEC v/s Ziad Abdelnour
  13. ↑ Ending Syria’s Occupation of Lebanon: The U.S Role
  14. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/01/business/worldbusiness/01wall.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=middleeast&adxnnlx=1154455370-sCKn8yFUsT7Aa+FIOYZXGA
  15. ↑ a b c Counterpunch Mehlis's Murky Past; US and Israeli Proxies Pushing the Next Neo-Con War: Faking the Case Against Syria]
  16. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/01/business/worldbusiness/01wall.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=middleeast&adxnnlx=1154455370-sCKn8yFUsT7Aa+FIOYZXGA New York Times
  17. ↑ https://www.ziadabdelnour.org/why-a-middle-east-war-is-inevitable/
  18. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log/delete&page=Ziad_K._Abdelnour
  19. ↑ https://richtopia.com/inspirational-people/500-ceos
  20. ↑ Articles by Ziad - Middle East Forum - searched 4 September 2013
  21. ↑ Middle East Intelligence Bulletin - Web site Home page. 4 September 2013
  22. ↑ Daniel Pipes and Ziad, Ending Syria's occupation of Lebanon: The US Role, Lebanon Study Group Report (Middle East Forum, May 2000)
  23. ↑ ISBN 1118150120 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1118150120
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