Qifa Nabki
Lebanon
Back in the Saddle
A happy new year to all, and many apologies for my brief absence from the blogosphere. Judging from the lively discussion taking place in the last post, no one seemed to notice I was gone. Firstly, I’d like to thank everyone for continuing to read and participate over the past year. I’ve been amazed by … Continue reading
On Brief Hiatus
Apologies for the current hiatus from posting. I’m in Beirut, attending a symposium about Arab cultural history hosted by the Orient-Institut and AUB, and have been occupied with matters medieval. Next week, I should have a chance to weigh in on the latest developments in Lebanonistan. In the meantime, check out this essay contest launched … Continue reading
Problem: There’s Nothing Wiki About Wikileaks
Yesterday, I pointed out the ID number discrepancies in two of the diplomatic cables published by the Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar, which — despite not having been released yet by Wikileaks — are being claimed by al-Akhbar as authentic. I have no idea whether these cables are real or fakes. They look real and sound real, … Continue reading
Wikileaks Shocker: Lebanese Defense Minister Reveals Plan to Stay out of Israel’s Way in Next War
If you haven’t yet seen them, be sure to check out the latest Wikileaks cables released to al-Akhbar, at least one of which is tremendously damning and could have major implications for the Lebanese political scene. (See here for the Lebanon-specific ones). In the cable mentioned, the Lebanese Minister of Defense Elias al-Murr discusses with … Continue reading
Hariri Tribunal Reports Tell a Different Story than CBC Account
I spent an hour or so this morning going through previous reports by the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC), in order to see how the historical record tallies with Neil Macdonald’s report about the Hariri investigation for CBC. As you’ll recall, Macdonald makes the following basic points in his piece: The UNIIIC did … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…