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”
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
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”
The Failures of Preemptive Reform
The Tunisian Revolution took the world by surprise. That very same revolution took the Middle East and North African world by storm. The desperate act of a courageous ordinary young man, ending his existence in the same way he had always seen his life go by, slowly, painfully, modestly, unnoticed. At the end, he was not even able to enjoy the fruits of his own sacrifice. Others would, while others watched… Continue reading “The Failures of Preemptive Reform”
Arab Nationalism?
I never believed in Arab nationalism. Continue reading “Arab Nationalism?”
“When will we become Lebanese?”
From Bouazizi to Tahrir Square; trying to keep up between Manama, Benghazi, Tehran, and Sanaa; and before we turn our walls into live feeds of events in the countries that remain, I think of Lebanon… Continue reading ““When will we become Lebanese?””
Eye on the East 