Worried About A Damascus Washington Rapprochement? You Needn’t Be

Hillary Clinton is getting out of her way to allay Lebanese fears over an American Syrian dialogue.

Bummer. It turns out Hillary Clinton is just Like George W. Bush after all. Or so it must be what’s going through the heads of the Iranians and the Syrians right now. The “axis of evil” states are suddenly [...]

Alarabiya is Not Aljazeera, and It Matters.

By granting his first interview to Alarabiya –the pan-Arab underdog– instead of Aljazeera, Mr. Obama is already signaling that he is taking sides in the Arab world’s divide.

Hezbollah’s Predicament: To Join or Not to Join?

Whether or not to add a Lebanese front to the Gaza war is a very difficult decision for Hezbollah.

So far, Mr. Nassrallah is only using his “soft power”. Relying on his prestige and influence among Arab masses, he urged Egyptians to break open the walls of Rafah with their “bare chests”. Whether  his prime-time TV [...]

Can Lebanon Handle Those Fancy Planes?

The average Lebanese are cheering the Russian deal. But a closer look should give them pause for thought.

It was by all means a feat by our Minister of defense Mr. Elias El Murr. As he toasted his celebratory vodka with his Russian counterpart, he must have predicted how the Lebanese, people and media, would be [...]

The Audacity Of Peace In The Middle East

It appears President-elect Obama is flirting with the 2002 pan-Arab peace plan as a way to address the stalemate in the Middle East.
Back in 2002, When I was listening to the Arab peace plan as proposed by the King of Saudi Arabia, I remember having mixed feelings. The plan, branded as “historic”, proposed peace [...]

Who Is Targeting The Lebanese Army?

As yet another tragic attack takes place against Lebanese men in uniform, let’s review who the culprits behind this attack might be:

 
In no particular order, here are the 4 most plausible theories making the rounds in Lebanon.
Theory #1:

The Culprits: Sunni Salafist terrorists
Why it could be true: Alquaeda-linked jihadists were recently defeated and humiliated [...]

Assad And Putin Give Each Other Leverage

The Russians and the Syrians are exploring their options, but broad conclusions remain premature.
Assad and Medviedev. Conspiracy in Action…
Question #1: If you were the Russian president and you want to find a way for punishing the US and Israel for training the Georgian army without stepping too much on Washington’s toes, what would you do?
Question [...]

The Tripoli Explosion: Muslim Fundamentalists Or Syria?

Like in the aftermath of many terrorist activities before it, the Lebanese will be divided over who is behind the bus bombing in the northern city.
(Reuters)
Whenever a terrorist event like the bus explosion in Tripoli this morning takes place, the Lebanese, depending on their biases, immediately look in two different directions.
Two culprits
Those who are inclined [...]