Qifa Nabki
Syria
A Response to Imad Moustapha
The indefatigable Camille-Alexandre Otrakji, over at Syria Comment, has published an exclusive interview with Imad Moustapha, the Syrian ambassador to the United States. The interview consists of questions submitted by various Syria Comment regulars, and to his considerable credit, the ambassador agreed to field them in a two-part series. Part One covers the topics of … 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
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
The Syrian Deployment: For Domestic or Foreign Consumption?
Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar carried a front-page investigative feature today about the much-discussed deployment of Syrian Army forces on its border with northern Lebanon. Al-Akhbar, known for its pro-opposition line, interestingly did not seek to sweep aside recent reports claiming that the Syrian troops numbered in the thousands, not hundreds. In fact, the paper’s reporter confirmed … Continue reading
Lebanon’s Cabbies on the Syria-Israel Negotiations
View from a ’72 Benz C250 series, issue no. 1. Beirut’s service taxi drivers are more oppressed than usual these days. The new Interior Minister, Ziad Baroud, is proving his mettle by enforcing the long-ignored seat belt law, and so the chauffeuriyyeh are predicitably getting shafted, not least because most old cabs don’t even have working seat … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…