A few days ago, two Lebanese politicians literally went at each other’s throats on national television. Setting aside a moment of personal glee - I like a good Lebanese smackdown every now and again (see Qifa Nabki for a list of the best) - the incident was both disappointing and extraordinarily dangerous. For that reason, in contrast to my usual pattern, [...]
Archive for the ‘March 14’ Category
Tell ‘Em Why You Mad, Son! Understanding Lebanon’s Uncivil Political Discourse
Posted in Lebanon, Levant, March 14, March 8, Syria, tagged Alawites, Alloush, Assad regime, Brawl, Fight, Lebanese, Politicians, Pride, Sunnis, Syrian revolution on November 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Ministries of Tomorrow: Creating a Cabinet for the New Lebanon
Posted in Lebanon, March 14, March 8, tagged Bullshit, Cabinet, Drug Trade, Future, Lebanon, Ministry, Money Laundering, Ranting on August 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The unrest that has swept though the Middle East this year, particularly the increasingly vigorous revolt - excuse me, D.C. policy wonks, “transition” - in Syria, has had little actual resonance in the streets and squares of Beirut, at least when compared to Lebanon’s own mass mobilizations of 2005. What the Problem Is, Baby? One underexplored element of [...]
Deal With It: In Plain English (or Arabic), Hizbullah Rejects the STL
Posted in Hizbullah, Lebanon, Levant, March 14, Middle East, tagged CIA, Hariri assassination, Mughniyeh, Special Tribunal for Lebanon on July 3, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Mere days after accusing the U.S. Embassy in Beirut of harboring spies, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah took the opportunity to react to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s indictment of four Lebanese citizens (at least two of whom have ties to the Party of God). Greeting the STL… and Showing it the Door In his speech, [...]
Another Ripple: The STL Indictment Trickles Down to Lebanon
Posted in Hizbullah, Lebanon, Levant, March 14, March 8, Shiites, Sunnis, Syria, tagged Badreddine, Daniel Fransen, Hariri assassination, Hizbullah, Mughniyeh, Special Tribunal for Lebanon on June 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
After six years of delay and anticipation, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has issued the first of a series of indictments relating to the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. According to an STL press release, Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen has determined that Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare’s first indictment presents “prima facie evidence for this case to [...]
Get Your Head in the Game: The Two Tales of Lebanon’s Governmental Vacuum
Posted in Lebanon, March 14, March 8 on June 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Now that Lebanon’s General Security has declared that Lady Gaga’s Born This Way album is ready for entry, perhaps the Lebanese can return to more important things, like the five-month-long government vacuum in Beirut. Since a Hizbullah-led walkout toppled Lebanon’s national unity government in January, days of anger have given way to weeks of negotiations [...]
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 [...]
Patiently Waiting: Assessing the Slight Dip in American Assistance to Lebanon
Posted in Hizbullah, Lebanon, March 14, United States, tagged State Department, U.S. foreign aid, U.S. foreign assistance, USAID on February 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The U.S. Department of State (“State Department” or “DOS”) has just issued its budget request for the fiscal year of 2012. Not surprisingly, the State Department is responsible for coordinating and leading all international assistance programs. For two reasons, this year’s budget request is particularly important. First, American domestic politics – under the twin impact [...]
The “Day of Rage” in Words and Pictures
Posted in Hizbullah, Lebanon, Levant, March 14, March 8, Sunnis, tagged Day of Rage, Najib Mikati, Saad Hariri, Special Tribunal for Lebanon on January 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
March 14 partisans across the country, particularly Sunni supporters of former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, have been protesting what they believe is a political coup by Hizbullah. Earlier today, Najib Mikati, a billionaire Sunni politician from the northern city of Tripoli, secured enough votes to head Lebanon’s next government. Although Mikati had emerged as the Hizbullah-led [...]
Despicable Demonstrations: March 14′s (Correct) Concerns and the Dangers of a Mikati Premiership Do Not Justify Tire-Burning
Posted in Lebanon, March 14, March 8, Shiites, Sunnis, tagged Najib Mikati, Omar Karami, Protests, Saad Hariri, tire-burning on January 24, 2011 | 1 Comment »
This past weekend saw Lebanon’s political stand-off heat up. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah both laid out their respective camp’s positions (I’ll be reacting to these speeches later this week). Druze chieftain Walid Jumblatt, who had until now vacillated between the March 14 and March 8 coalitions, finally threw in [...]
Christmas Conversations (Part I): “There’s a Plan in the Works”
Posted in Christians, Hizbullah, Lebanon, March 14, Middle East, tagged Aoun, Assange, Christmas, Geagea, Hizbullah, Lebanese Christians, Special Tribunal for Lebanon on December 27, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Christmas Eve rarely provides a respite from intense political debate in Lebanon. Indeed, with members of the family back in town, the holiday resembles a political brawl more than a religious celebration – or maybe, in the words of D.L. Hughley, “that’s just my house.” For the past decade, members of my mother’s family, their family and [...]
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 [...]
Silencing the Alarmists: Why The Conventional Wisdom Was Wrong
Posted in Lebanon, March 14, March 8 on June 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Lebanon’s elections have surprised many observers. Few expected a victory by the March 14 coalition, and fewer still anticipated an expanded parliamentary majority. Despite a conventional wisdom that all but conceded a Hizbullah-led opposition victory, a group of Washington-based Lebanon analysts predicted a ‘March 14′ victory in successive analyses conducted over a two-month period leading [...]
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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