“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 ‘Middle East’ 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 »
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 [...]
A User Manual for Lebanon: 10 Resolutions for the Summer Season (2011 ed., Part 2)
Posted in Lebanon, tagged Beirut, Diaspora, Racism, Rant, Society, Summer 2011, Traffic, Vacation on July 8, 2011 | 4 Comments »
(CONTINUED…) 6. I Will Not Watch Kalam al-Nass The news is bad. Political talk shows are just plain stupid. I’m just tired of watching thugs, crooks, politicians masquerading as clerics, illiterate academics, clannish elites, and the seemingly endless stream of “former ambassadors.” Never again! Well, maybe the occasional show, but I’ll be sure to check [...]
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 [...]
“Majnoun!” Crazy Couples and Lebanese Politics on Street Corners in Washington
Posted in Lebanon on April 16, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Lately, with a final round of law school exams around the corner, I’ve taken to jogging at night. It’s not because I can’t sleep or because I’m having deep thoughts – explanations my mother apparently prefers – but simply that I’ve been studying late, it’s less crowded at night, and Washington’s spring evenings are perfect. It’s nice [...]
Movin’ On Up! The Daily Star Remakes Itself
Posted in Lebanon, Levant, Middle East, tagged Beirut, Journalism, The Daily Star, Website on April 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Absolutely stunning. After years of settling for a garish and unwieldy website, The Daily Star has finally adopted a new online format. Gone are the tacky colors, pesky embedded advertisements, and useless clutter. The style is sleek, well-organized, and very accessible. Such change was long overdue. Hopefully, the website represents part of a deeper commitment to what was once the Middle East’s premier [...]
Dispatches from Damascus: Where to Look for Updates on Syria
Posted in Middle East, Syria on March 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Dissent in Syria has led to some fascinating, but sometimes utterly gruesome, human stories. Obviously, it is far too early to tell whether protestors can succeed in securing reform or overthrowing the Baath regime. In any case, any form of sustained dissent in Syria will have consequences far beyond the country’s borders. The following sources should [...]
A Choice Under Fire: Dissent and Brutality in the Middle East
Posted in Middle East, United States on March 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
As people across the Middle East continue to demand change, a group of leaders have proven more obstinate – and far more brutal – than their Tunisian and Egyptian counterparts. For all their differences, the regimes in Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, and now Syria have effectively shown what many Middle East observers already knew: survival trumps all [...]
Partying with God? Issues to Consider in the Hizbullah Debate
Posted in Israel, Lebanon, United States, tagged David Ignatius, Engagement, Hizbullah, National Intelligence Estimate, National Security Council, Obama administration on March 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
According to The Washington Post’s David Ignatius, an upcoming National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Hizbullah has led the Obama administration to consider whether the U.S. should initiate contacts with the “Party of God.” Although National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor has since said that “U.S. policy toward Hizbullah has not changed and is not changing,” [...]
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 [...]
A Shepard Emerges: The New Maronite Patriarch and the Way Forward
Posted in Christians, Lebanon, Middle East on March 17, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
After a quarter-century under Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, the Maronite Church has found a new leader. On Tuesday, a Maronite Synod of 38 bishops elected Bechara Rai as the community’s 77th patriarch. Rai, who had served as Archbishop of Jbeil (Byblos), was one of the favorites and may have had the tacit support of the Vatican. [...]
For a Public Opera House
Posted in Lebanon on February 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
For all its glitz and glamor, Beirut still lacks a permanent public performance space – like the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC – for Lebanon’s philharmonic and oriental orchestras. Despite the fact that record stores, insurance company offices, and nightclubs have sprouted up in buildings that could provide a space for public arts in the capital, Beirut’s [...]
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