Qifa Nabki
Middle East
Camille Otrakji and Elias Muhanna Talk Syria at Bloggingheads.tv (Part II)
I recorded another segment with Camille Otrakji for Bloggingheads about Syria. Some of you may remember the first conversation we had last year, and the interview I did with Camille (which generated 724 comments). In this discussion, we look at the deepening conflict and what — if anything — can be done to bring the … Continue reading
On Revolutions, Past and Present
Thomas Babington Macaulay, the British historian and politician, once had this to say about the French Revolution and its discontents (as Roy Mottahedeh reminds us in the preface to his The Mantle of the Prophet): “A traveller falls in with a berry which he has never before seen. He tastes it, and finds it sweet and … Continue reading
Sectarianism in the Eye of the Beholder: Shehadi Responds to Landis
And the hits keep coming. Nadim Shehadi articulates much better than I do the fundamental point of contention with Josh Landis regarding the question of Lebanese and Syrian sectarianism. I’m hoping MESA can be persuaded to host an installment of this very interesting exchange in Denver later this year. See below. * This is another attempt … Continue reading
More on Levantine Sectarianism
Joshua Landis sent me a response to my post from a few days ago, which I publish below. I think we’re talking past each other in certain ways, but I’ll let the readership sort that out. * Dear Elias, Please allow me to respond to your earlier post, entitled “Who is Right on Syria?. You … Continue reading
Who is Right on Syria?
Greetings from dissertation-land. I’ve tried my best to keep my head down over the past few weeks, hence the long spell between posts. Since the comment section is stirring with a discussion about the events in Syria, though, I thought I’d throw a quick post up with some of the most interesting bits and pieces … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…