Sir Isaac Newton once noted that “every body persists in its state of being at rest or of moving uniformly straight forward, except insofar as it is compelled to change its state by force impressed.” Also known as the first of his three Laws of Motion, Newton’s basic idea is that an object that is not moving or moving in a constant speed in a straight line will stay like that until something pushes it or blocks its path. And for as much as I have been observing, reading about and analyzing Arab uprisings these days, I haven’t found a more simple explanation for them as this. Continue reading “Laws of Motion”
No Permanent Friends, No Permanent Enemies
The years have not been able to erase one of the first and most valuable lessons in politics and on the dynamics of international relations that I learned, only reinforce it. Continue reading “No Permanent Friends, No Permanent Enemies”
The End of a Revolution
“In a revolution, as in a novel, the most difficult part to invent is the end.”
– Alexis de Tocqueville
In a revolution, the beginning should not be marked by the first calls to mobilize against the existing order, but as the fruits of mobilization translate into concrete action to transform given the defeated order. The end, therefore, is the culmination of implemented change with a clear vision for the new, and hopefully better, order. Continue reading “The End of a Revolution”
When Bullets No Longer Kill
A lot has been written, is being written, and will be written on the 2011 Arab Revolutions: the surreal way in which one country after the other finally gave in to the will of the people, the way preemptive reform proved a futile tactic of political systems to gain the time they no longer controlled, the way dictators fled in shame as all their ill-gotten wealth could no longer buy them the power they still vied for. But more importantly, there is the People… Continue reading “When Bullets No Longer Kill”
I Live…(The Proud Version)
- I live in a country where a hometown means that everyone knows who I am, what my father does, where my mother is originally from, what car my uncle drives, and who my cousins are married to all at once Continue reading “I Live…(The Proud Version)”
I Live…(The Dismal Version)
- I live in a country that boasts one of the world’s earliest examples of urban planning yet lacks any such planning to speak of today Continue reading “I Live…(The Dismal Version)”
A Conspiracy by the People
Not every call for freedom will result in improved political and civil liberties. Not every call for an end to corruption will result in greater prosperity. Not every cry for justice will result in the release of those unfairly detained. But when there is a call, someone must listen… Continue reading “A Conspiracy by the People”
The Road to Secularism – Part II
As someone who believes that one must judge others not only by their words, but also by their actions, and for the sake of my credibility and convictions, I woke up on Sunday, March 20, 2011 with the intention of ‘putting my money where my mouth is.’ And so I joined what turned out to be the largest demonstration to date, of tens of thousands of fellow citizens, calling for the downfall of the confessional regime in Lebanon. Continue reading “The Road to Secularism – Part II”
From Man-Made Revolutions to Nature’s Deadly Wrath
As closely as I have been following the events in Libya, hoping the country will avoid falling into a civil war and manage to overthrow the lunatic colonel once and for all. As I assume it is only a matter of days until Yemen becomes yet another example of the failures of preemptive reform. Continue reading “From Man-Made Revolutions to Nature’s Deadly Wrath”
The Road to Secularism
If you happen to be in the Middle East these days without punching your fist in the air, calling for the downfall of someone or something, then something must be wrong. To be fair, the people of every single Arab country (and Iran) are/would be completely justified in doing so. Yet in the chaos and confusion of it all, there was one single nation standing out, that was apparently on the sidelines of all the action: Lebanon. Continue reading “The Road to Secularism”
Eye on the East 