Qifa Nabki
Qifa Nabki
A Letter from Israel
(I received this today from Israel, on day two of the assault on Gaza). I’ve been driven mad by this whole thing since yesterday, literally in a state of shock, not believing that the so-called “moderate” leadership of Olmert, Livni, and Barak, could actually give the go-ahead to such a bloody operation. And now, despite the … Continue reading
Beirut in the Rearview Mirror
Dear friends, apologies for the scattershot postings these days. I’ve just embarked upon my winter holidays and am now looking forward to the perspective (and broadband connection) that comes with leaving Beirut for a few weeks. All this is to say that my inexpert musings over the next month or so will not even be … Continue reading
Michel Aoun & the Eastern Christians
I woke up this morning to be confronted with a flood of articles about the General’s trip to Damascus. Everywhere one looks, it seems, people are tripping over themselves to either claim or contest Aoun’s status as… er, how does one translate za’im masi7iyii al-sharq? The region’s head Christian? The Eastern-Christian-in-chief? Mr. Christianer-than-Thou? I don’t know about you, but I … Continue reading
Rebooting March 14th?
Something’s going on with March 14th. I’ve felt for a while that the coalition had begun to come apart at the seams before the events of May 7th, and the Doha Accord only formalized the fact that M14 was totally adrift: aimless, divided, and desperately in need of a raison d’être. It was not clear … Continue reading
Streets of Hamra
The Beirut Marathon began this morning at 7:30 AM, with perfect weather: a brisk 19/66 degrees with clear skies and dazzling sunlight. Hamra was completely cordoned off, with all cars ordered off the street since last night at 9PM. Amazingly, the Hamrawis obliged. The rare lull of activity in the streets meant that I was … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…