Qifa Nabki
Nasrallah
Fearful Symmetry
Below is a translated excerpt from the most recent speech by Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah. His discussion of the timing and planning of Hezbollah’s retaliation for Israel’s attack in Quneitra a couple weeks ago was absorbed, characteristically, with the question of symbolism. Nasrallah’s postmortem glosses on his party’s operations often assume this pose of the charismatic schoolmaster, drawing the attention of … Continue reading
Revisiting the Dystopia
Last year around this time, I spent an afternoon imagining what a worst-case scenario would look like for Lebanon in 2014. Here’s an excerpt to jog your memory: “As the year draws to a close, Lebanon exists in a state of low-intensity civil war. The Army has begun to fracture along sectarian lines. Saudi-bought French weaponry begins … Continue reading
Where Will All the Jihadis Go?
Since the signing of the US-Iran nuclear agreement, several curious news items have stoked speculation that some of the major players in the Syrian crisis may be coming around to a more accommodating negotiating posture, in advance of the Geneva peace conference scheduled for January 22, 2014. On December 3, Hizbullah secretary-general Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah … Continue reading
Pathos and Promises: Nasrallah on the Dahiyah Blast
Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah addressed a large crowd of supporters in Aita al-Shaab this evening via videolink from Beirut. The topic was yesterday night’s car bomb in al-Dahiyah, which killed two dozen people, wounded hundreds, displaced hundreds more, and caused enormous damage to a residential neighborhood. Nasrallah called on the Lebanese to work together … Continue reading
Analysts and Combatants Discuss Qusayr in Lebanon’s Premier Spin Room
Two Thursdays ago, the Lebanese political talk show Kalam al-Nas featured an interesting discussion of Hizbullah’s involvement in the battle for al-Qusayr, and its repercussions on the Lebanese domestic front. Several guests weighed in (including Ramzi Kanj, Nawfal Daou, Salem Zahran, Mohammad Salam, Saleh Machnouk, and Louay Miqdad), and while no fists were thrown, the show had … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…