Qifa Nabki
Lebanon
Popular Vote, Redux
The latest issue of Mideast Monitor is out, and I’ve got an article in it called “Deconstructing the Popular Vote in Lebanon’s Elections,” a more polished version of a post that originally appeared on this blog last month. I highly urge you to read the other articles in the issue, as they are all excellent. … Continue reading
A Job Well Done
I have to concur with Rob, over at the Shack, that the latest issue of The Review is very, very good. But this should come as no surprise to those of us who know the man behind the magic at the region’s most engaging journal of ideas and criticism. Jonathan Shainin, a superb young editor … Continue reading
Walid Goes a-Courtin’
Twitter and the blogosphere are buzzing with news of Walid Jumblatt’s latest about-face, in which he announced at a PSP gathering that his alliance with March 14 “was driven by necessity and must not continue.” Jumblatt further stressed the need “to rethink a new formation that would provide a way out of bias and prevent … Continue reading
The Lebanon of Western Europe
There’s another great post on the excellent blog Strange Maps focusing on this fascinating “cartogram of regional political mentalities in Switzerland.” Here’s how to read it: A cartogram being a map morphed by non-geographic data, there is very little left of Switzerland’s familiar shape to recognise here. The confederation’s centuries-old cartographic persona is transformed by … Continue reading
How Many Lebanese Were Flown In To Vote?
Even before the results of last month’s parliamentary election were announced, there was a great deal of discussion in the media about the money being spent to fly thousands of Lebanese home to vote. This, we were told, was a massive operation, costing millions of dollars, and resulted in anywhere between 60,000 to 120,000 additional … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…