Blogging Lebanon
since 2005
Blogging Lebanon since 2005
Even more on Qatar’s “creative” foreign policy by Shadi Hamid. Being both weak and strong, playing off giants against each others while maintaining a semblance of neutrality. Here’s a crazy thought: Qatar is the Walid Jumblat of the Middle East.
Mustapha Hamoui · Dec 15, 2010
I read this report with interest. It says that P.M. Hariri is using advanced Israeli technology for his security. This can be politically explosive (ok, bad pun) because of the stigma attached to Israeli products.
Mustapha Hamoui · Dec 15, 2010
Well, not quite. They’re coming as peace keepers after a one year hiatus. But the title of this post is not totally unreasonable. With their economy in the tank, those peace keeping jobs in south Lebanon with their high pay and relative safety are suddenly looking attractive.
Mustapha Hamoui · Dec 15, 2010
M.P. Walid Jumblats nominated Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for the Nobel Peace prize:
Mustapha Hamoui · Dec 14, 2010
In a New York Times Op-ed, Roger Cohen urges Washington policymakers to stop looking at Lebanon as a black and white case but as a complex, situation with many layers of grey. He makes some good points and he includes some fun nuggets, like Jumblat telling him that he decided to “downgrade” from being a national leader to tribal leader. But I think Mr. Cohen underestimates the American grasp of the Lebanese situation and overestimates the influence of Hezbollah.
Mustapha Hamoui · Dec 14, 2010
Who can document the effect of the weather on Lebanese billboards better than the gal who blogs about Lebanese billboards? Warning: some pictures contain graphic representations of horribly disfigured billboards.
Mustapha Hamoui · Dec 13, 2010
What a delightful read. I never thought of the various stages of the hamburger in Lebanon before reading Nasri’s mouth-watering piece.
Mustapha Hamoui · Dec 13, 2010
After Henrietta Aswad, Fatima al-Issawi now also resigns for “professional reasons”. I wonder what those reasons are. Are they morally conflicted about the Tribunal? Are they being threatened? Anyone has a good explanation?
Mustapha Hamoui · Dec 13, 2010
More figures emerge from the ISF on the effect of speed radars:
Mustapha Hamoui · Dec 13, 2010
They’ve got too much money on their hands:
Mustapha Hamoui · Dec 13, 2010