Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
Lebanese political system cannot fix itself, responsible external assistance is badly needed By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz The Lebanese civil war has ended, but could it start again? If civil war reignites, Lebanon will easily pass from a “failing” to a “failed” state. Abandoned by the international community, this Mediterranean country, once called the Switzerland of…
No easy solution for Lebanon By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz Lebanese President Michel Aoun is expected to announce next week his choice of a new prime minister designate. Who is willing to assume the task of forming a cabinet to address Lebanon’s huge problems? There is talk about the possible designation of Najib Mikati, a former…
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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Lebanese should use tragedy to come together, not come apart The devastation in Lebanon caused by an explosion of more than 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate deserves a serious investigation. And there first place to look is in the circle of Russian influence including its trerrorist partners Iran, Hezbollah, and Syria. Vladimir Putin’s Russia is…
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Increasingly Questionable US military presence in the Middle East By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz The expanding US military presence in the Mideast reveals a number of central problems. The threats of ISIS lie dormant. The new discoveries of vast fields of natural gas and oil in the Mediterranean Levant basin (and elsewhere) are temptations for state…
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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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Uprising in Lebanon must focus on domestic reform, not on Hezbollah By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz The uprising is not about Hezbollah’s dominant role in Lebanon, and it should not be; it is largely about corrupt domestic politics. But the attitude of Hezbollah- locally know as The Resistance- toward real reform may either help or derail…
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US Institute for Peace to detail Syria Report Sept. 26 Congress directed the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) to facilitate the bipartisan Syria Study Group (SSG) to examine the current state of the conflict and make recommendations on the military and diplomatic strategy of the United States going forward. To present the SSG’s final…
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Iran’s extremism is empowered by Palestinian suffering By Ray Hanania This column I wrote in the Arab News examines one of the main factors that empower Iran. Israel’s refusal to make peace and America’s support of Israel’s extremist government. Americans like outgoing United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, one of the most despicable human beings on…
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Precarious times for Lebanon By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz The situation in Lebanon is worrisome. Since May, political impasse persists as the prime minister-designate fails to form a cabinet. The economy worsens; national debt soars: over 150 % of GDP; badly needed international aid is postponed due to instability. A more important threat to this weak…
Promising Lebanese elections may have little impact on nation’s precarious system By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz The sole remarkable “result” of the parliamentary elections in troubled Lebanon is that it did happen- and it was competitive. A country of 4.5 million citizens hosting a million and a half Syrian and Palestinian refugees is nonetheless capable of…
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With Israel and Iran clashing over Syria, no end in sight for the conflict Conflict in Syria expands beyond Syria including Russia, Iran, Israel, the United States, Hezbollah, Saudi Arabia and Europe By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz In Syria, the conflict is no longer primarily Syrian. With seven years of political and military escalation, Syria has…
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Invoking God’s affiliation in Mideast conflicts A close look at the tenuous relationship between Lebanon and Hezbollah. Hezbollah is neither a unique “state-within-a-state” phenomenon in the region nor the only entity proclaiming to be a “Party of God”. One can see analogous dynamics in Israel settlers’ movement. By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz In Arabic “Hezbollah” stands for…
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Hariri shelves his resignation: conditional good news for Lebanon By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz A sigh of relief in Lebanon: On November 22 Prime Minister Saad Hariri put on hold his November 4th resignation in a cabinet which includes Hezbollah Party, in order to negotiate terms for Lebanon’s neutrality in Arab affairs. “Neutrality,” “dissociation” and “self…
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Lebanon turmoil stoked by pro-Iranian extremists The murder of Rafic Hariri weighs heavy over freedom in Lebanon, 12 years later. And the same forces of violence and extremism are seeking to enforce more change through terrorism. Hariri’s son Saad faces threats of violence from Syria, Iran and Hezbollah extremists By Ray Hanania If people want…
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Hariri’s resignation sign of more trouble for Lebanon and the region By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz The resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri last week has serious implications for Lebanon, the region, and beyond. Hariri’s withdrawal from political office was shocking in form and substance. The televised resignation speech was delivered in Riyadh, not in Beirut. …
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Futility of Gulf Cooperation Council diplomacy towards Qatar By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz Shunning Qatar undermines a precious structure of pan-Arab diplomacy. The blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt against Qatar is more about relations with Iran than alleged links to terrorism. Unlike Saudi Arabia, Qatar has good relations with Iran…
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