Qifa Nabki
Lebanese elections
Stumbling Blocs
I’ve written a piece about the electoral campaign for The National. To regular readers of this blog, there won’t be anything new, except maybe the by-line. I suppose that all of those aggrieved taxi drivers will finally have a way to track me down. Stumbling Blocs As Lebanon’s closely contested elections approach, it is clear … Continue reading
The Tribunal is Dead! Long Live the Tribunal!
As I waited in line for my zaatar man’oushe this morning, a passerby waved to Ali, the baker, and wished him a good morning. “What’s so good about it?” Ali muttered back, staring down at his bucket of chopped tomatoes. The supporters of March 14th are not loving life today, despite Saad al-Hariri’s efforts to … Continue reading
Whither the Tribunal?
BREAKING NEWS: All Four Generals Released… (see below for update) We are hours away from a potentially groundbreaking decision, vis-à-vis the detention of the four generals held in connection with Rafiq Hariri’s murder, the fate of the International Tribunal, and (further down the road) the outcome of the parliamentary elections. Daniel Bellemare, prosecutor to the … Continue reading
Sheikh Nadim, Abu Laymouneh, and the Mother of all Battles
View from a ’72 Benz C250 series, no. 5 It took all of thirty seconds to determine that Abu Georges, the driver of the white ’78 Peugeot with the immaculate interior, was a perfect candidate for a piece in this series. We were rumbling down the hill in Achrafieh on a cool spring night, and … Continue reading
Will the U.S. Punish Lebanon For Electing The Opposition?
Hillary Clinton popped over to Beirut yesterday to say hello to old friends, snap a few pictures, visit Rafiq Hariri’s tomb, and grab a quick falafel sandwich at Sahyoun’s. The aim of her visit was to reassure everyone that the United States is not planning to sell Lebanon down the river: “There is nothing that … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…