Qifa Nabki
Lebanon
Lebanon’s Latest Game of Chicken: Who Will Resign First?
Today has been a very silly day in Lebanese politics. A cabinet session scheduled to address various issues unrelated to the funding of the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) had to be canceled because ministers belonging to General Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement decided not to turn up. The reason? According to various sources, … Continue reading
Hizbullah, Mikati, and the STL Funding Showdown
Ever since Najib Mikati took over as Prime Minister of Lebanon earlier this year, things have gone relatively smoothly. With no opposition in the cabinet, there have been few opportunities for conflict (with the exception of the odd squabble between Michel Aoun and his disgruntled allies). All that could change next week. The cabinet must … Continue reading
A New IHT/NY Times Blog
Greetings to all from Beirut, where I’ve been meeting with MPs, civil society folks, and good friends about the Lebanese senate project I’m working on. Will have more to say on this score when I’m back in Cambridge, but for now, I thought I’d direct you to a new International Herald Tribune / NY Times … Continue reading
QN to Beirut in time for Independence Day fireworks?
I’m off to Beirut this weekend to do some work on a research project I’ve been developing at Stanford’s Program on Arab Reform and Democracy. The project deals with the challenge of establishing an upper legislative chamber in Lebanon, which is called for by the Ta’if Accord. I’ve written on this subject in the past, … Continue reading
Lebanese Political Talk Show Rumbles: A Tentative Top Five
As regular readers will attest, I’m something of a Lebanese political talk show junkie. Shows like Kalam al-Nas, Bi-Mawdu`iyyeh, al-Fasad, and others, in my view, do a much better job of derailing politicians off their talking points than most of their counterparts in the West. In a country where the print media is largely ignored … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…