Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
Lebanon’s power sharing scheme is no longer sustainable By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz Here is a recent Lebanon headline: Optimism on government formation surges. Over the last year, news about cabinet formation has run like a weather forecast. More than ever before, people inside and outside Lebanon are asking if the state is approaching total collapse….
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Lebanon on a failure track for the near future By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz When I left Lebanon in 1975 I never thought I would stay abroad for the rest of my life. I simply could not imagine that this country would ever reach such a stage of largely self-inflicted decline. The destructive power of politics…
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Lebanon’s crisis calls for radical local reforms and a revised US Mideast policy By Ghassan Micel Rubeiz When my friends in the US ask me to explain what is happening in Lebanon, I talk about how rampant corruption is, how emotionally dichotomized society is, how the national debt has grown out of control, how much…
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The newly formed Lebanese cabinet deserves a chance By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz A popular uprising forced the resignation of the Lebanese prime minister and his cabinet last October. But a strong self-serving government and a very unpopular parliament are still operating with full force. The uprising has a long way to go to achieve its…
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Regime not listening to the people and future of Lebanon at crossroad The sociopolitical situation in Lebanon deteriorates. A sign of hope is the resilience of the October 17 uprising. Public protest against the government’s corruption is unprecedented. Led by women and young adults, the uprising is authentic, effective and peaceful. The central question is…
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Algeria: The People Are Missing In Algeria, Saïd’s name was firmly rooted as a passe-droit code among a relative consensus of the Algerian regime’s clans. By Abdennour Toumi The relation between the Algerian regime, finance, and the powerful business barons of the private sector under the Bouteflika system have pushed many observers and political analysts…
More Arab Americans should run for public office By Ali Gadelhak There are about 450,000 Arab Americans in the Chicagoland area and about 1.7 million Arab Americans in the United States. Of the 535 seats in Congress, Arab Americans occupy seven of them. America needs more Arab Americans in office – at all levels of…
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Tunisia in transition with hope and challenges, UN expert says Tunisia has continued to make progress on democracy since the revolution more than seven years ago, including a Constitution guaranteeing fundamental rights for all Tunisians, but there is still a lot to do, says a UN human rights expert. “Tunisia still faces numerous challenges, including…
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Egypt tackles software piracy, with lowest theft-rate in Middle East Egypt Launches Digital Forensic Lab to Improve Intellectual Property Rights’ (IPR) Protection and Enforcement. Govt. made great strides to combat cyber-crime and crack down on IP infringement The Government of Egypt has announced today that it is setting up a specialized digital forensic lab for Intellectual…
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Is Islam compatible with Democracy? Is Islam compatible with Democracy? Echoura-cracy, Democracy and Islamic Economy Toward the Emerging Neo-bourgeoise. The moderate Islamists seem to be seeking a realistic economic strategy to adjust between Sharia, martini and bikini like in Qatar, Morocco and Turkey. By Abdennour Toumi Is Islam compatible with Democracy? This is a question…
