Qifa Nabki
Qifa Nabki
Daily Star: Lebanon’s Political Woes Are a National Pain in the Ass
This Daily Star editorial means well, it really does. But who could resist pointing out the little Freudian slip… “The only long-term solution to Lebanon’s perineal political woes is to completely overhaul the system. That means drafting a new electoral law that provides a basis for genuine representation in the government and creating mechanisms for … Continue reading
Saad Hariri Takes the Plunge
Cozily ensconced on the fifth floor of Widener Library, surrounded by musty tomes and post-it notes, I’ve finally found a moment to check on the old blog after a fortnight’s hiatus. Luckily, there is actually something to talk about. Saad al-Hariri has finally put together a cabinet proposal and submitted it to President Suleiman for … Continue reading
Back to the Mines
Well, I’m heading back to Cambridge tomorrow, after a wonderful year away. There will be spotty internet access for the next few days as we move into our new place, and shortly thereafter I’ll be back in the regular grind of dissertation research, conference papers, grant applications, and teaching. What this means is that blogging … Continue reading
A Reality TV Show Proposal: “Repair Lebanon”
Hendrik Hertzberg, writing in last week’s New Yorker, describes a fascinating new populist initiative called Repair California, which aims to solve that state’s governance problems (legislative gridlock, huge budget deficits, bureaucratic inefficiencies) through a citizen-sponsored constitutional convention. Here are the salient bits of the article: “California, it turns out, is ungovernable. Its public schools, once … Continue reading
Amuk in AfPak
So apparently there was an entirely inconsequential election in Afghanistan yesterday. Helena Cobban’s got a roundup of the story, and Registan has been great all week. My only contribution to the coverage is a plea for abbreviational evenhandedness. As long as people are too lazy to say or write “Afghanistan and Pakistan,” lumping them together … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…