tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40567219106073872922013-05-13T12:29:03.090-04:00Dustinnoreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-40444349015871823982013-05-13T11:34:00.001-04:002013-05-13T12:29:03.127-04:002013-05-13T12:29:03.127-04:00

We see people being honored and decorated every day with medals, certificates and ceremonies for achievements that are truly merited at times or just bestowed at other times because the act bodes well with a certain vision society has for things. Then we have those referred to as “heroes” by disenfranchised communities in honor of the ones who dare to speak up against what they perceive as

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-43174513957113028602013-05-06T13:51:00.000-04:002013-05-06T13:51:54.403-04:002013-05-06T13:51:54.403-04:00

As he jogged casually with his troops, Yair Golan, the general who commands Israeli forces on the Syrian and Lebanese fronts sent what is supposed to be a message to President Bashar Assad, "There are no winds of war." Remember this scene for as long as you live. And remember that the days before that, and months before that, and years before that, Israel violated Syrian air space and conducted

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-71797357102937904552013-04-29T19:19:00.001-04:002013-04-29T19:19:16.569-04:002013-04-29T19:19:16.569-04:00

While on the surface it looks like Israel is intent on attacking Iran to prevent it from pursuing its nuclear ambition, the subtle but significant moves by Israel indicate that the next likely target is Syria instead. Why not, since striking Syria at this time, will draw Iran along with its satellites (Hezbollah and Hamas) in and – if the plan works -- deplete their capabilities. If we are to

Dustinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-87510981023926764612013-04-22T12:49:00.000-04:002013-04-22T12:49:36.045-04:002013-04-22T12:49:36.045-04:00

A horrific act of terror near the finish line of the Boston Marathon resulted in the death of three people and the maiming of hundreds. Just as with other tragedies that befall us, the noises of condemnation get loud after the fact, the blame games begin; speculations float around and become part of the air we breathe. In this case too, we could not wait for an investigation; we jumped to

Dustinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-70206523920367646612013-04-08T09:54:00.000-04:002013-04-08T09:54:11.205-04:002013-04-08T09:54:11.205-04:00

This is not the Tunisia I know and love. That was my first impression as I recently visited the North African nation I have grown fond of over two decades of extensive visits and following meetings with many of the strong, smart Tunisian women I always admired and respected. Signs of extremism are everywhere from the main streets to the alleys of the capital Tunis which swelled after the

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-78515502777249140992013-03-25T12:12:00.000-04:002013-03-25T12:21:17.432-04:002013-03-25T12:21:17.432-04:00

As soon as I landed in Cairo, I could feel the heaviness of life, economy, politics and breath. It didn’t take long for the first Egyptian to blurt that things were “better under Mubarak’s dictatorship than they are in the Muslim Brotherhood’s lair.” A slew of similar observations followed, mostly from poor people like a taxi driver who told me he sometimes works all day long to barely avoid

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-12119067084137050212013-03-18T15:27:00.000-04:002013-03-25T12:21:22.934-04:002013-03-25T12:21:22.934-04:00

The Galilee predates any known old texts and all holy books. Driving through the winding roads of villages and cities of the Galilee is a voyage through the history of a land and its people. Visiting the Galilee in the company of Palestinian Historian Johnny Mansour was an eye-opener. Throughout our day trip he pointed out plenty of evidence about what he and other scholars describe as the old

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-83970323043935842562013-03-15T10:40:00.001-04:002013-03-15T11:36:39.237-04:002013-03-15T11:36:39.237-04:00

By Guest Blogger Hanibaael Naim Editor's Note: Syria enters the third year of its uprising in devastation to the people and land. Satellite imagery gives a grim picture of what has become of the land while the horror of a rising death toll now at more than 70,000 according to the UN and more than a million refugees scattered around the world facing a dangerous and uncertain future. In

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-91316636048568035612013-03-11T14:23:00.002-04:002013-03-11T14:24:14.126-04:002013-03-11T14:24:14.126-04:00

It has crossed my mind on several occasions during my lifetime that Haifa is the city I could one day live in. Diverse, lively and has a great beach. After all, I grew up with countless stories about Haifa’s golden days pre-1948: The hustle and bustle of the Horse and Carriage Square (Sa7et El 7anatir) and the life of comfort Palestinians lived there before they became refugees. I’ve heard

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-26948411853587954722013-03-04T13:38:00.000-05:002013-03-11T14:21:34.120-04:002013-03-11T14:21:34.120-04:00

No other city says Palestine to me more than Ramallah. At the Kalandia checkpoint, a large Israeli sign warns visitors they are about to enter Palestinian territories and that as such their safety and security are under threat. The obvious separation wall Israel has erected is an eyesore that immediately sets a mood of desperation and isolation. The huge cement wall which Israel calls “security

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-65467503573255259752013-02-25T13:44:00.002-05:002013-02-25T13:44:29.940-05:002013-02-25T13:44:29.940-05:00

To visit Jerusalem is considered a pilgrimage no matter what your religion or ideology. Its mysticism is hard to miss. You feel it through your pores, into your bones and all the way deep into your soul. The outpour of faith and awe of its visitors reverberate at so many different levels of one’s being and its history touches you so deep that expression becomes impossible. In the midst of the

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-46848615969708959732013-02-18T10:22:00.002-05:002013-02-18T10:25:56.396-05:002013-02-18T10:25:56.396-05:00

Walking around the fashionable Hamra area of Beirut recently I was shocked by the amount of Syrian accents I encountered. Young and old, pedestrians and car riders, patrons at sidewalk cafes and restaurants, teenagers hanging at neighborhood corners, high-end shoppers and bargain hunters, in hotel lobbies and apartments; dialects of various Syrian cities were noticeable everywhere. Even the

Dustinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-31291945152804096342013-02-15T11:37:00.003-05:002013-02-15T11:38:26.916-05:002013-02-15T11:38:26.916-05:00

by Magda Abu-Fadil I finally made it to Monte Carlo. Not as a gambler, but a visitor who missed the opportunity several times during previous trips to the French Riviera where I spoke at events or addressed university students. My visit to Monaco broke a stay in Menton a few kilometers away where I met with undergraduates during an orientation program at Sciences Po’s Middle East/

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-72535096740180567302013-02-11T12:25:00.002-05:002013-02-11T12:25:28.660-05:002013-02-11T12:25:28.660-05:00

The pulse of the world is going at an alarming rate signaling an inevitable explosion. While some individuals and politicians are concerned only with their small turf, the entire globe is going through transformation adding emerging crises to already accumulated challenges and unresolved problems. We live in a world going through a major disorder and in dire need for balance. The significant

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-44370999350089802492013-02-04T11:35:00.003-05:002013-02-04T11:35:41.195-05:002013-02-04T11:35:41.195-05:00

Why should everything logical be turned into a controversy in Lebanon, and why should commonsense modern laws be so agonizingly difficult to pass? I’m not going to discuss the shameful fact that Lebanese woman still does not have the right to naturalize her children or spouse, although that is one of the most backward signs of a nation ever. Today I’ll follow the trend and write about the Topic

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-30792389870867011482013-01-28T10:29:00.003-05:002013-01-28T10:29:53.813-05:002013-01-28T10:29:53.813-05:00

Marie was a beautiful Palestinian woman from Haifa who, like any young woman of the 1930’s, aspired to marry a good man and raise her own family. She met Youssef, a young Lebanese man From Bkassine who had immigrated to Palestine with his family in search of a better life. Under the British Mandate, immigrants to Palestine were given the choice of having the Palestinian citizenship or keeping

Dustinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-27647750572092193712013-01-21T14:05:00.001-05:002013-01-21T14:14:46.637-05:002013-01-21T14:14:46.637-05:00

(The first of two installments) This is a true story that began when Palestine existed as an entity under the British Mandate, and shared soft borders with Lebanon, Syria, Transjordan and Egypt. Life then was very simple and decisions were made short term, although they bore lifelong consequences. Most stories passed on through the generations speak of basic plans for weeks or months, never

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-9784762412444610452013-01-14T13:24:00.002-05:002013-01-14T13:24:40.430-05:002013-01-14T13:24:40.430-05:00

The Palestinian struggle for statehood has been for the most part a violent one. Whether one agrees or disagrees with its violent path and the goals it achieved, it is important to remember that Palestine today is at the verge of becoming once more a part of the international community after seven decades of being denied that right and privilege. In the west, the mere mention of the words

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-36403615228219192122013-01-07T14:32:00.001-05:002013-01-14T13:23:41.701-05:002013-01-14T13:23:41.701-05:00

The Syrian Opera House is probably the most significant part of President Bashar al-Assad’s latest speech. A venue very fitting for a staged performance by Syria’s strongman as he put on a well-scripted show to say nothing new and offer no substance to a people suffering through the worst political and military crisis in its history. The speech, if anything, offers a glimpse into the fading

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-54346538582589211372012-12-31T15:26:00.003-05:002012-12-31T15:29:36.884-05:002012-12-31T15:29:36.884-05:00

In the big scheme of things, today is nothing more than another date in a calendar. Yet, people give it great importance and treat it with reverence as if a period is truly ending and another one is starting. If we were on an island in the middle of nowhere, with no watches to tell the time or calendars to point out the date, would we know the difference? Would it even matter? The importance of

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-85158867932591031792012-12-24T11:02:00.001-05:002012-12-24T11:02:48.161-05:002012-12-24T11:02:48.161-05:00

As this eventful year draws to a close, we are humbled by the heavy toll the Syrian people have paid and continue to pay for their freedom. As expected, President Bashar al-Assad has shown his willingness to sink the entire country in a bloodbath rather than admit his government’s failure to uphold a façade of peace and stability it was able to propagate for decades. Syrians face a bloody

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-92188762071872521632012-12-17T20:57:00.001-05:002012-12-17T20:57:14.190-05:002012-12-17T20:57:14.190-05:00

Bashar al-Assad must be finally seeing the writing on the wall: “You are done Mr. President!” One has to give him credit for staying the course and playing strongman for almost two years, a quality or vice many predicted he cannot pull off. Well, he did and he has survived so far the fate some of his Arab counterparts have faced. He remains in a position to negotiate his way out of the impasse.

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-73648192151131833992012-12-10T13:30:00.007-05:002012-12-10T13:30:56.789-05:002012-12-10T13:30:56.789-05:00

We speak of red lines all the time as if they are hard, well-defined not-to-be-crossed lines because they will certainly bring undesirable consequences. We forget that the red line is a virtual line that often lives only in the head of its beholder, and can have any color of the rainbow or all its colors at once. It’s just agreed upon by society that we refer to it as the red line to suggest a

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-32480596800069060472012-12-03T13:57:00.002-05:002012-12-04T09:48:19.069-05:002012-12-04T09:48:19.069-05:00

When one word is worth a million rockets, that word must be Palestine! Palestine’s ascension to a non-member observer state at the United Nations is a large victory for the Palestinians. This puts Palestine one step closer to equal footing with other nations, one step closer to full membership and the right to vote. What’s more crucial at this stage is that Palestine now has access to the

Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074689245193515200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056721910607387292.post-34185986165610652402012-11-26T15:02:00.000-05:002012-11-26T15:04:35.307-05:002012-11-26T15:04:35.307-05:00

Victory these days has become a cheap commodity that warlords bestow on each other to lift the morale and propagate a false sense of achievement. While there is no doubt that everyone should see the latest Gaza ceasefire as a victory in saving innocent lives, I remain weary of statements such as those made by Hezbollah’s Secretary General Hassan Nassrallah. I’m not sure what Sayyed Nassrallah

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