Qifa Nabki
Arab Politics
Ubiquitous Liberalism: Amr Shalakany on Law and Revolution in Egypt
I went to an excellent talk a couple nights ago at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies, to hear the very talented legal scholar Amr Shalakany discuss his new book, Izdihār wa-Inhiyār al-Nukhba al-Qānūniyya al-Miṣriyya, 1805-2005 (“The Rise and Fall of the Egyptian Legal Elite, 1805-2005”). Amr is the Aga Khan Distinguished Visiting Professor of … 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
Lebanon and the Arab Revolutions
Several months ago, I found myself in a group discussion on Facebook about the Arab revolutions. Egypt and Tunisia had recently toppled their dictators, and the freedom train seemed poised to roll into Yemen, Libya, Syria, and beyond. It escaped no one during this season of political transformation in the Middle East that Lebanon was … Continue reading
Révolution à la Libanaise
A friend of mine, J of Chalcedon, left a great comment a couple days ago in the midst of a discussion about Lebanese electoral politics. I reproduce it below: “Greetings and salutations. I don’t comment here much anymore, largely because work and the general regional upheaval occupy my attention. I do check out the conversation … Continue reading
What Does the Future Hold For Syria?
My good friend George Saghir, one of the best analysts of Syrian economic affairs, has written a thought-provoking essay for Joshua Landis’s Syria Comment, in which he argues that Syria is staring down the same shotgun barrel as virtually every other Arab nation. Unless it finds a way to radically increase economic activity and curb … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…