Qifa Nabki
Qifa Nabki
Almost Half a Year Later, Lebanon Finally Has a Cabinet
Well, it took five months (almost to the day) but Lebanon seems to have finally turned the page on the historic parliamentary elections held on June 7, 2009. Not to jinx things, but the media is rife with reports that efforts to form a national unity government have succeeded, with the majority March 14 Forces … Continue reading
Is the Opposition Losing Patience With Aoun?
Three developments in the past couple of days have signaled that we may indeed be nearing the end of Lebanon’s five-month stretch without a government. 1) As reported earlier, Suleiman Frangieh — the leader of the Marada party, and a member of the Change & Reform Bloc — expressed his annoyance with the fact that … Continue reading
Of the People, By the People, For the People
Here are the results of the “government priorities” poll that I posted earlier this week. The response was good: almost one hundred unique users cast their votes. I’ve ranked them below, in order of descending priority. But first, some observations and caveats. I’m under no illusion that the poll is a scientifically accurate reflection of … Continue reading
Syrians Unveil New Secret Weapon
The influential Middle Eastern politics blog, Syria Comment, has the scoop on a new development in the Syrian security apparatus that has “the potential to change the strategic balance of power in the region.” Here’s an excerpt: However, on the heels of the Der Spiegel article, new evidence has emerged from Syria suggesting that the … Continue reading
Egypt Selling Lebanon Down the Nile?
An astute reader of this blog sent me the following commentary, which speculates about the significance of several curious little signals coming out of Egypt. ** In a sudden cloud burst of optimism, the Cabinet Alert Level was raised to orange Monday evening, only to come crashing down on the rocks of further demands by … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…