Qifa Nabki [ˈki-fə ˈneb-kē] is a blog about Lebanese politics written by Elias Muhanna, a PhD candidate in Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations at Harvard University and a Visiting Fellow at the Stanford University Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. In 2012, Muhanna will join the faculty of Brown University as an Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature. His principal academic areas are classical Arabic literature and Islamic intellectual history, and he has published on subjects ranging from medieval encyclopaedism to travel literature, to the material culture of the pre-modern Mediterranean world.
In addition to his academic work, Muhanna has written on contemporary cultural and political affairs in the Middle East for several general-interest publications, including The New York Times, The Nation, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, The National, Mideast Monitor, World Politics Review, Bidoun, and Transition, and is regularly quoted in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC World Service, The Financial Times, The Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, The Christian Science Monitor, Slate, and Al-Jazeera International.
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Recent Publications
“Syria’s Defecting Bloggers,” NY Times (December 28, 2011): On the sea change in public opinion about Bashar al-Assad.
“Nasrallah’s Fighting Words,” NY Times (December 14, 2011): Ashura as passion and parable.
“Just Another Day in Lebanon,” NY Times (November 23, 2011): On the Special Tribunal’s impending trial in absentia.
“No Victors in Lebanon,” Foreign Policy (Jan. 13, 2011): As the Lebanese government unravels, it’s hard to see how anyone comes out on top.
“An Interview with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” Foreign Policy (August 13, 2010): An interview with Dr. Fatima el Issawi, spokesperson for the U.N. Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
“The words on the street,” The National (August 13, 2010): A discussion of the sociolinguistic situation of Arabic and its alleged demise. (Online title: “The death of Arabic is greatly exaggerated”)
“The Best Defense,” Foreign Policy (August 9, 2010): An analysis of Hizbullah’s accusations against Israel in the matter of the Hariri assassination.
“A Forest of Fathers,” The Nation (July 15, 2010): A review of Michael Young’s book, The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle.
“Lebanon’s Confused Secularism,” The Guardian (April 23, 2010): The confessional system has failed, but if secularism is to succeed, clarity needs to be added to the language surrounding it.
“Final Confession?“ The National (March 5, 2010): Following appeals to end Lebanon’s sectarian system of political representation, the question remains if bolder strategies are needed to secure the nation’s unity.
“Twelve Months,” The National (December 31, 2009): A review of 2009, a year of realignments in Middle East politics.
“One and Many,” The National (December 4, 2009): A review of Eugene Rogan’s book, The Arabs: A History.
“All for None,” The National (October 2, 2009): Four months after a historic election, Lebanon is still without a government. Elias Muhanna urges an end to the cult of consensus.
“Two Houses, Many Mansions,” The National (August 14, 2009): How to fix Lebanon’s Parliament? Double it. The argument for establishing a bicameral legislature in Lebanon.
“Deconstructing the Popular Vote in Lebanon’s Election,“ Mideast Monitor, vol. 4, no. 1 (July-August 2009): The Lebanese opposition managed to win the popular vote handily, while still losing the election.
“Coalition of the unwilling,” Foreign Policy (June 22, 2009): Post-election wrangling has already begun in Lebanon.
“US-backed majority holds on to power in Lebanon,” World Politics Review (June 9, 2009): Surveying the results of Lebanon’s parliamentary elections.
“Bring it Aoun,” The National (June 5, 2009): Michel Aoun’s supporters revere him as a reforming hero, the only man able to repair a nation’s woes – and he agrees. A 4,000 word profile of the overlooked core of Lebanon’s opposition.
“What if Hezbollah Wins?“ Foreign Policy (May 5, 2009): Hezbollah games out the Lebanese electoral system.
“Stumbling Blocs,“ The National (May 1, 2009): As Lebanon’s closely contested elections approach, it is clear that the era of high-stakes, zero-sum politics is over.
“Our Lady of Hizbullah,” Bidoun (Winter 2008): On Julia Boutros’s revolutionary hit single, Ahibaa’i, and her muse: Hassan Nasrallah.
“Folk the Kasbah,” Transition, no. 94 (2003), pp. 132-49. On the great folk poets of Moroccan contemporary song, Nass el-Ghiwane.
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October 7, 2008 at 2:45 am
Great articles!
November 3, 2008 at 9:28 am
Just came across your blog, nice posts
January 4, 2009 at 3:44 pm
great posts… keep them coming. Original, refreshing point of view.
January 29, 2009 at 12:41 am
Hey, I just stumbled upon your websites and I must say I’m impressed with your style. I am glad to have found a nicely unbiased view among the mire of the internet.
March 29, 2009 at 3:32 pm
[...] Qifa Nabki Qifa Nabki is the pseudonym of a Lebanese Ph.D. student in Near Eastern studies, currently living [...]
April 7, 2009 at 9:31 pm
I’m a fan of your blog, lots of great posts.
April 27, 2009 at 4:48 am
wow…..i am so glad i stumbled upon your blog…its amazing
April 28, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Hi there,
Great blog. I’m just putting together a piece on on the ad campaigns in the election, would appreciate if you could send me a mail to arrange a chat.
best regards,
May 6, 2009 at 4:42 am
The sheer force of your intellect and purpose were enough to ensure the success of this endeavour.
Always a big fan
May 18, 2009 at 10:26 am
Hope you will enjoy my blog as much as I enjoyed yours, cheers. I have once tried to initiate a meeting between Lebanese bloggers but it did not happen. Sincerely, Tarek
June 4, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Hello: This is a great resource, thank you.
I am just wondering if you can confirm something for me. Is there any rule about whether a certain ratio of Cabinet must be current Members of Parliament?
For example, the PM who is standing in Saida – he doesn’t seem to be a currently elected M.P. Also some of the other of the 30 Ministers (e.g. Lahoud, Arslan) they do not seem to be Members of Parliament – so can the President, on the advice of Parliament, appoint 30 non-MPs to Cabinet?
Any advice, gratefully received.
June 7, 2009 at 5:07 pm
thanks, Elias. really nice site!
June 7, 2009 at 6:05 pm
QN,
Now i know who you are , I will write more,
June 14, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Nice Ideas, I love the Article about Saker, espacially the HeadLine “the Eagle Has Landed” Nice. and By Reading some of the Articles, i still haven’t Find Out About your Political Direction.
June 15, 2009 at 9:32 pm
elias! just came across this. bravo…
July 31, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Like everyone else, I too am glad I came across this blog!!! I like your style of writing
and will DEFINITELY check one of your books at Virgin next week!!!
All the best!!!
July 31, 2009 at 7:41 pm
lol – I told you I’m dozing off!! I thought you’ve written books… anyhow, I’ll go tru the blog later!! Still though, I LOVE your writings!!!
August 17, 2009 at 5:05 am
woooooow,it’s amazing
October 12, 2009 at 2:03 am
Hello
Impressive blog..I looked for a contact E-mail but I couldn’t find one so here I am
Would you be interested in a blogging initiative for the Lebanese Woman?
Email me if you’re interested
Have a great day!
Salam
December 21, 2009 at 9:58 pm
AMAZING WEB FANTASTIC WRITING KEEP THE GOOD STUFF COMING WITH MORE SPECIFIC SUBJECTS
May 29, 2010 at 7:22 am
very good blog. i will link it in mine.
jolanda
July 26, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Mr. Muhanna
May I please submit comments to your blog? Thank you for considering this request.Brief C.V.
Author- “Ethics in Medicine”
Visiting Prof. Harvard Medical School – Ethics
Visiting Prof. Harvard Medical School –Neurosurgery
Adjunct faculty Boston Coll. Law School -Ethics in Health Law
Adjunct faculty Brandeis University – Bioethics
Neurosurgeon-retired
July 27, 2010 at 2:53 pm
I recently became aware of a potential tragedy that we all would want to prevent – a second Lebanese war. I am not influential enough to do anything to prevent it. I hope that you may be able to put the following data in the proper hands.
Despite the existence of 11,000 UN troops in South Lebanon, Hezbollah has established bases with military equipment, weapons caches, in villages very close to schools and hospitals, all near the Israel border. This is contrary to UN resolution imposing a blockade on weapons intended for Hezbollah and banning Hezbollah from operating near the Israeli border.
If Hezbollah attacks Israel, Hezbollah would be condemning Shiite villages and villagers to tragic ends. This potential tragedy must be prevented.
July 27, 2010 at 2:54 pm
I recently became aware of a potential tragedy that we all would want to prevent – a second Lebanese war. I am not influential enough to do anything to prevent it. I hope that you may be able to put the following data in the proper hands.
Mr Noe
Despite the existence of 11,000 UN troops in South Lebanon, Hezbollah has established bases with military equipment, weapons caches, in villages very close to schools and hospitals, all near the Israel border. This is contrary to UN resolution imposing a blockade on weapons intended for Hezbollah and banning Hezbollah from operating near the Israeli border.
If Hezbollah attacks Israel, Hezbollah would be condemning Shiite villages and villagers to tragic ends. This potential tragedy must be prevented.
September 24, 2010 at 7:29 am
Dear Elias Muhanna,
I would be interested as to the origin of the map of the Israeli bombings you used in this post:
http://qifanabki.com/2010/07/02/israel-lebanon-war-nicholas-noe/
Could you kindly let me know where I oculd find this in hi resolution?
Many thanks,
Steffen Gassel
Beirut
December 20, 2010 at 11:07 pm
Great blog!
January 29, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Awesome blog…. good job
May 18, 2011 at 10:26 pm
QN,
I sincerely believe that multiplicity of views is healthy as long as it does not generate incongruity ,organic inconsistencies and paradoxical statements that defy logic.
That is why Alex et al need to answer only one question; which I do not think that they can:
What are the basis that any entity, especially a political one, would ever reform itself into its negation? If the negation was so attractive then one would assume that it would have been declared as the goal right from the start.
Is it possible for capitalism to reform itself into communism? or a religious order into aetheism? If that is not so then why on earth would a dictatorship reform itself into its antithesis, a democracy.
One further illustration: Hezbollah can never be expected to stop being the Hizb of Allah. Once that happens then they will stop being what they set out to be. Such a transformation , if it takes place, will not be a voluntary one, it has to be forced it will be a revolution.
November 14, 2011 at 1:56 am
This is marvelous! I love your blog. Definitely, a great source for political analyses on Lebanon and MidE current events. Excellent work
December 29, 2011 at 8:45 am
I just came upon your comment in the NYT and found your blog. What a gift!