“You need a gun.” It was February 14, 2005. Hours earlier, in a massive blast that shook Beirut to its core, assassins had taken the life of former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri and dozens more. Between bouts of shock and rage, many Lebanese pointed the finger at Syria, but others focused their attention on [...]
Archive for the ‘Druze’ Category
My Grandfather, Hizbullah, and the Hobbesian Jungle
Posted in Christians, Druze, Hizbullah, Israel, Levant, Shiites, Sunnis, tagged Beirut, Conflict, Hobbes, Levantine, Pluralism, Tension, War on August 20, 2011 | 1 Comment »
The Druze Question: Why Lebanese Sovereignists Must Reach Out
Posted in Christians, Druze, Hizbullah, Lebanon, Levant, March 14 on March 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Once again, the Druze of Lebanon have a pivotal role to play in their country’s destiny. The Druze in Lebanon’s Emergence Alongside the Maronites, Lebanon’s Druze community can claim a thousand-year presence in Mount Lebanon. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Druze Emir Fakhr el-Din managed to harness Druze and Maronite support and carve out [...]
Restoring a Floundering Myth: It’s Time to Stop the Erosion of Coexistence and Pluralism in Lebanon
Posted in Christians, Druze, Lebanon, Levant, Shiites, Sunnis, tagged Boutros Harb, Coexistence, Contemporary Lebanon, Modern Lebanon, Pluralism on January 18, 2011 | 4 Comments »
Admittedly, Lebanon does not live up to its liberal mythology. But, for all its warts, and despite periodic failures, coexistence among Lebanon’s communities reflects, and in turn promotes, a pluralism that is absent throughout much of the Middle East. Since the mid-19th century, when European intervention in Ottoman-era Mount Lebanon helped consolidate communalism, political pluralism [...]
Right ‘Round, Right ‘Round
Posted in Druze, Hizbullah, Lebanon, March 14, March 8, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United States, tagged communal politics, Hariri, Jumblatt on August 21, 2009 | 1 Comment »
He’s done it again. Walid Jumblatt has left the March 14 coalition – or maybe not. Being the leader of the fiercely proud and historically influential Druze minority, “Walid Beik” operates to keep his community secure and his dynasty relevant. With that said, it appears that three trends have led Jumblatt to move away from [...]
The Danger of Microphones: Empowering the Insane and Theatrical
Posted in Druze, Lebanon, March 14, March 8, tagged communal politics, Jumblatt, Kalam al Nass on June 1, 2009 | 1 Comment »
“Stability in Lebanon should never be taken for granted,” concludes a recent article on Lebanon in The Economist. Though the respected British weekly eloquently states the obvious – that the Lebanese state of affairs is as precarious as ever – Lebanon’s rival factions continue to trade jabs over everything from political vision to the proper [...]
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About the Author
Tweeting Lebanon
- Pressing peace between #Syria and #Israel is a bad idea now. A flimsy regime on its way down is a stable partner for peace? @emile_hokayem Posted4 days ago
- RIP Nassib Lahoud... What more can one say? Posted1 week ago
- @Marilynzakhour How unfortunate. Posted2 weeks ago
- @lizsly Love Feltman, but he's wrong on this one (unless I missed broader context). Turkey? Israel? Among Arab countries, Lebanon? Posted2 weeks ago
- Tweeting from my TV. I've fought it for years, but Google and the rest of the Big Brother grid own my ass now. God help us all. Posted2 weeks ago
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The Silent
