Qifa Nabki
Lebanon
Watch Your Mouth
Don’t miss Jean Aziz’s excellent op-ed in al-Akhbar today; it’s a letter to President Michel Sleiman, asking him to explain his reasons for arresting three young Lebanese for slander and defamation against the president, on Facebook. The Western press is claiming that the incriminating Facebook posts were taken down, but you can find copies of … Continue reading
Hezbollah, the Basij, and the Iranian Green Movement
Hilal Khashan, Professor of Political Studies and Public Administration at the American University of Beirut, recently claimed that Hezbollah sent several hundred members to Iran last year to help clamp down on the anti-regime protests. Khashan, who is frequently quoted in the foreign press on Lebanon-related stories, says that his source for this information is … Continue reading
Israel, Syria, and Lebanon: Thinking Outside the Box
Maybe you all can help me understand an idea that I’ve repeatedly encountered among various neoconservative Mideast watchers, with regard to the question of whether or not to engage Syria. In a nutshell, the idea is that the best way for Washington to get what it wants–namely a Syrian regime that doesn’t threaten American or … Continue reading
Lebanon’s Jews: A BBC Arabic Documentary
Somehow, I missed this incredible BBC Arabic documentary about Lebanon’s Jewish community. It follows the stories of several people who left Lebanon for Israel after 1948, reconstructing these narratives both from their own testimonies as well as the memories of their friends and neighbors whom they left behind. I highly recommend watching the entire thing … Continue reading
Palestinian Rights in Lebanon: Reform on the Way?
Contrary to what many reported immediately after the fact, the debate in the Lebanese Parliament last Tuesday over the issue of Palestinian rights did not slam the door on any potential future reforms. True, no law was passed. But the outcome — a decision to send the draft laws to a review committee and bring … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…