Qifa Nabki
Saudi Arabia
Syrians and Saudis on the Same Page?
Beirut will host a rare summit of regional leaders this weekend–all the more remarkable for having been organized on very short notice. There are reports that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will be joined by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Erdogan and Ahmadinejad are apparently planning visits as … Continue reading
UN Sanctions on Iran: How Should Lebanon Vote?
As Michael Young points out in his column in The Daily Star today, there’s a decent chance that Lebanon will soon find itself in a bit of a tight spot vis-à-vis the proposed UN resolution to sanction Iran. Apparently, Obama administration officials believe that they can persuade China to get onboard, which would then put … Continue reading
Egypt Selling Lebanon Down the Nile?
An astute reader of this blog sent me the following commentary, which speculates about the significance of several curious little signals coming out of Egypt. ** In a sudden cloud burst of optimism, the Cabinet Alert Level was raised to orange Monday evening, only to come crashing down on the rocks of further demands by … Continue reading
When Bashar Met Abdullah
The news is full of speculation about the potential consequences of yesterday’s meeting between King Abdullah al-Saud and President Bashar al-Assad. The Saudi king paid a landmark visit to Syria this week, commandeering two of Damascus’s largest hotels for his entourage, and sitting down with the Syrian president to discuss important matters such as the … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…