Qifa Nabki
Lebanon
Brotherly Love
Prominent members of Lebanon’s parliamentary majority and opposition have expressed displeasure at the prospect of a Syrian-Saudi effort to determine the composition of Lebanon’s next government. Everyone from Michel Aoun to Walid Jumblatt to Naim Qassem to Amin Gemayel have spoken out against the idea of Saad al-Hariri handing over the reins of power to … Continue reading
I Fought the Law…
Mitch Prothero has a must-read piece in The National about the fascinating intersections of drug trafficking, organized crime, and age-old tribal revenge politics in Lebanon’s Beqaa valley. Here’s a selection: To illustrate the far-reaching influence of the families, the officer recounted a story that started 10 years ago when a member of the Internal Security … Continue reading
The Christian Vote
I’m personally not so interested in questions like: “Who is the most popular Christian leader in Lebanon, according to Christians themselves…?” But it seems that many others (including a few readers of this blog) are interested in precisely this question, so I’ve decided to look into it. First, a methodological puzzle. How do you go … Continue reading
Saad al-Hariri Takes the Helm
Four years after his father’s assassination, Saad al-Hariri has been nominated to the premiership. He received the votes of all 71 March 14 MP’s, plus another 12 MP’s from opposition leader Nabih Berri’s bloc (presumably as a quid-pro-quo for Berri’s re-nomination as speaker). While Hizbullah did not lend its support to Hariri’s nomination, one has … Continue reading
Coalition of the Unwilling
I have a short piece over at ForeignPolicy.com‘s “The Argument” blog about the cabinet formation. Here are the first couple of paragraphs, with a link to the rest. Come on back and comment, if you’re so inclined. Coalition of the Unwilling By Elias Muhanna When the March 14 coalition won a parliamentary majority in Lebanon’s … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…