Qifa Nabki
Lebanese elections
Calling all FPMers
Can someone explain Michel Aoun to me? No need for responses from the M14ers who read this blog: I know what you think of him. I’d like to hear from the FPMers. How to explain Aoun’s latest behavior, from turning down Hariri’s lunch invitation, to insisting on Gebran Bassil’s re-appointment as Telecommunications Minister (when he … Continue reading
Aoun Rejects Hariri’s “Conditions” For Lunch Meeting
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanese MP and leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, General Michel Aoun, rejected Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri’s invitation to discuss the stalled cabinet formation over lunch. A dispute over the candidacy of Aoun’s son-in-law Gebran Bassil for the position of Telecommunications Minister is widely believed to be the main obstacle to the … Continue reading
Hariri For Government Formation Without “Hastiness”
I’m so pleased that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has one hand on the wheel and the other firmly on the emergency brake, because this whole cabinet formation process is going a little too quickly for my taste. I mean, it’s only been two months since the election. What’s the big rush? Interrupting the poor man … Continue reading
March 14 Comes Undone
It’s the end of an era. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I can’t quite recall who made this point a few months ago, but it seems certain that the era of high-stakes, zero-sum politics is over, having been replaced by the mundane triangulations of consociational compromise. Or something like that. In other words, Lebanon … 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…