Qifa Nabki
Lebanon
Conspiracy Chronicles, no. 2
“What is with all of these wild fires?” I asked Abbas as we drove back to Beirut from Saida. “This is a mafia at work,” he said confidently. “Really?” “Yes, isn’t it obvious?” “Ummm…” “The fires are always in the Chouf. Always roughly in the same area.” “Not really.” “More or less. They are mostly … Continue reading
Landis and Abbas Go Head to Head
Given the enormous potential of Syria’s peace negotiations with Israel to transform the strategic balance of the region, it is a bit odd that the discussion of this issue has been largely absent in Lebanese media and political circles. The talks are hardly ever mentioned by opposition figures, and the majority only ever seems to … Continue reading
HummusGate
I haven’t gotten so many email forwards about a Lebanon-related issue since the National Geographic special about Phoenician DNA, which featured a stunning photo-montage of several sweaty and very hairy Lebanese fishermen (or, maybe just accountants pretending to be fishermen) rowing a boat and trying their best to look non-Arab. The latest story, showing up … Continue reading
Moubayed Strikes Out
Sami Moubayed has a piece in Asia Times this week (“Syria plays hardball with the Saudis”), in which he compares the litany of victories registered by Syria to the string of Saudi defeats. I usually like Sami Moubayed’s analyses, and I found much of what he said in this article to be true, apart from his … Continue reading
Lucky ’13?: Living With Lebanon’s Watered-Down Electoral Law
The ambitious draft law published by the Boutros Commission is officially on ice. The law actually passed by Lebanon’s parliament is a sad shadow of the original, having been stripped of some of the most potentially far-reaching reforms, such as lowering the voting age, allowing Lebanese living abroad to cast absentee ballots, mandating a fixed … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…