Qifa Nabki
Qifa Nabki
Lebanese Parliamentarians’ Salaries & Benefits
I can’t resist plugging my father’s recent appearance on Al-Fasad, a great evening talk show in Lebanon that addresses political and economic corruption. Abu Elias addressed, among other things, the issue of parliamentarian compensation in Lebanon, which is scandalously high. This was the second installment in a series on the subject. See here for his … Continue reading
Syria’s Defecting Bloggers
I’ve been a little obsessed with the changes in the Arab blogosphere over the past year, and the Syrian blogs are among the most interesting to me, perhaps because I’ve been reading several of these bloggers for years. The shift in perspective as a result of the uprising is remarkable. People like Robin Yassin-Kassab and … Continue reading
The Orthodox-Maronite Gathering (OMG) Proposal: Proportional Representation Meets Sectarian Nomination
Much has already been said about the very peculiar electoral law proposed by the Orthodox Gathering and endorsed by all of Lebanon’s Maronite leaders. Civil society groups say that it further entrenches sectarianism. Michael Young writes that it deepens Christian isolation. Meanwhile, Ziyad Baroud is hedging his bets. My biggest problem with the proposal is … Continue reading
Hizbullah, Ashura, and the Art of the Political Parable
I’ve written something for the NY Times Global’s Latitude blog about one of Nasrallah’s Ashura speeches last month. In the interest of space, I couldn’t include extensive translations from the speech, so I thought I’d make them available here. For context and the broader argument, check out the original post here. I’ve been criticized before … Continue reading
Mikati Squares the STL Circle
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati was expected to make a major address today concerning the stalemate over the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which was threatening to bring down his government. Mikati did speak to the media, but it was only to say that he had transferred Lebanon’s share of the funding … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…