Facts, News, Trends, Analysis
Walid Jumblatt, Lebanon’s Progressive Socialist Party leader had harsh criticism for Aoun’s visit to Syria last week. It seems as if Lebanon is not only at odds with Syria personally, but also at odds with Syria’s reconciliation with the world. He heavily berated the hypocrisy of Aoun’s visit and proclaimed that he would never reconcile [...]
As Lebanon’s Michel Aoun visited Syria, he toured some of its churches and Christian religious sites. This article explains the author’s frustrations with the niceties and falsehoods that the world adopts at the expense of the people in the Middle East.
Sade San A Jong
Lebanon will conduct its parliamentary elections as scheduled, despite rumors that they are to be postponed. The elections will be held in the Spring and concerns that they could be canceled are unjustified, note senior government officials. The elections are typically held between April 20th and June 29th.
The elections were to be postponed following the [...]
December 4th 2008, the leader of the Lebanese Parliament, Walid Jumblat, suggested that a peace between Syria was impossible and not feasible. Jumblat said Wednesday that the incumbent coalition wants and needs to win in order to avoid “Syrian tutelage.” He reiterated that if the incumbent party was unable to win, then Syria would succeed [...]
The Lebanese economy is booming in light of the global economic crisis, reports BBC News. Lebanon, a country known for its political turmoil and wars, appears to be thriving in the new economic climate. Banks have been reporting record deposit numbers and their vaults are full of cash.
According the a Lebanese banking official, this is [...]
December 5th, the Lebanese pro-Syrian Shiite group Hezbollah voiced its approval of Christian opposition Leader Michel Aoun’s trip to Syria. Hezbollah’s parliamentarians expressed their excitement as from their perspective Aoun engaged Syria and approached it with the right outlook instead of repeating some of the mistakes of the past. This was a historic trip [...]
The Carter Center has announced that former US President Jimmy Carter will be visiting the Middle East this month, and will be focusing on issues of particular concern to Lebanon and Syria. As part of his visit, Carter will lead an assessment mission in Lebanon to prepare for the upcoming 2009 elections and to consider [...]
Lebanese officials have dismissed concerns that the parliamentary elections scheduled for next spring may be canceled. Calling such claims unfounded, officials insist that, as planned, elections will take place between April 20 and June 29, 2009. Skeptics have cited the deep political fragmentation among Lebanon’s political forces, and have voiced particular concern that the the [...]
Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun criticized the UN’s handling of Israel in relation to other Middle Eastern nations. He did this not at home, in Lebanon, but at Damascus University during his visit to Syria.
Aoun, who is in Syria to meet with top officials, including President Bashar Assad, in order to [...]
Human rights organizations around the world have praised Lebanon’s recent ruling in the case of Muhammad Mugraby, a prominent human rights lawyer. Mugraby was on trial for slander following his 2003 speech in which he openly and harshly criticized the Lebanese government’s policies, focusing particularly on the violent suppression of political dissent and the use [...]