Qifa Nabki
Syria
Game-Changer: Nasrallah Announces a New Hezbollah Deterrence Strategy
What began as an apparent mistranslation of Ehud Barak’s remarks regarding Israel’s peace negotiations with Syria has snowballed into the clearest possible articulation of a new strategic posture by Syria and Hezbollah towards Israel. Let’s rewind the tape to last week. On February 1st, Ehud Barak made some remarks at an IDF gathering, saying something … Continue reading
U.S. Names Ambassador to Syria; Different Ali Tajeddine Onboard Ethiopian Airlines Crash
Sources are reporting that the new American ambassador to Damascus will be Robert Ford, former ambassador to Algeria and current deputy ambassador to Iraq. It’s funny: I was having tea with an NPR journalist yesterday afternoon and we were remarking on the fact that we still have no inkling of what the Obama Administration’s Syria … Continue reading
News & Notes (Dec. 30, 2009)
I haven’t read it yet, but judging from the reviews, it sounds like Lee Smith’s book is a bit of a dud. Max Rodenbeck skewers it for The National: “Smith believes he has much to teach us about this corner of the world, a patch he covered, from Cairo and Beirut, for the Weekly Standard, … Continue reading
Moving On
It had to happen sooner or later. I can imagine that when Majd al-Assad died last week, Saad Hariri’s advisors all reached for their cell phones at the same time and called Qoreitem. “This is our chance. Let’s get it over with.” On the occasion of Hariri’s visit to Damascus, I found myself reflecting on … Continue reading
News and Notes
Here’s some worthwhile reading to keep you busy. My buddy Sean questions Spencer Ackerman’s credentials. But not in a snarky way. Middle East Policy Group Survey quotes a State Dept. analyst wondering whether Lebanon should be sacrificed (to Syria) in the service of American interests (via FLC). Brian Whitaker reflects on the latest ICG report … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…