Qifa Nabki
Elections
Nasrallah Tips His Hand
In a speech commemorating the one-year anniversary of Imad Mughniyeh’s death, Hizbullah secretary-general Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah lingered briefly on the subject of Rafiq al-Hariri’s assassination, saying that it was an event that the entire nation mourned. Striking a tone both solemn and conciliatory, Nasrallah paid homage to the idols of his political opponents by way … Continue reading
“What if Hizbullah Wins?”
This is a question that one hears frequently these days in Beirut. If you haven’t heard it yet, be assured that in a couple of months, it will be all anybody is talking about. Why? Because there is a legitimate possibility, some would say probability, that the Lebanese opposition will become the majority in the … Continue reading
The Perfect March 8 Electoral Strategy? Just Relax…
If I were a political consultant to the March 8 forces, here’s what I would suggest by way of electoral strategy advice: Just relax. March 14 is doing all of its work for you. Each passing week brings another miscalculation by the ruling coalition, another blunder, another poorly-coordinated move. The wire-tapping scandal fizzled when Defense … 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
The AUB Elections
It’s nearing ten o’clock in the evening here in Beirut and the din of car horns has not yet abated. The occasion? Why, democracy of course. The American University of Beirut held its student elections today. Early this morning, Bliss Street was a sea of sartorial officialdom: the grey urban camouflage of the ISF, the … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…