Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
Lebanese parliament afraid to vote for next president By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz When will Lebanon’s political leaders agree to vote for the next president of the republic? In this troubled country people are tired of talking politics. Helpless, day by day, they have been watching their country’s decline. Signs of malfunction are everywhere. The government…
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Who will choose the next Lebanese President? By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz Since September of last year the Lebanese parliament has failed to elect a president for a country which has been bankrupt for four years. The Parliament has voted eleven times, but the results have been inconclusive. Banks are not able to return money to…
AHRC’s Humanitarian Mission to Lebanon The American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) delegation to Lebanon recently returned from humanitarian fact-finding mission. The AHRC delegation visited several non-governmental organizations and institutions that included ANERA-Lebanon, Al-Hamshari Hospital, El-Buss Clinic, the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, Lebanon and the US Embassy in Beirut. Given the dire humanitarian crisis in Lebanon,…
To what extent is Hezbollah responsible for the current crisis in Lebanon? By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz The Lebanese remain split over the issue of the armed presence of Hezbollah. Stuck in a stalemate, absent honest local dialogue, the situation of the country moves from bad to worse. What comes next? On January 13, the outgoing…
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ATFL and MEI Brief State Department on Lebanon Policy Recommendations At a meeting with senior State Department officials yesterday, the leadership of American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese descent, and the president of the Middle East Institute (MEI), the oldest Washington based institution dedicated solely to the study…
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AHRC Supports TPS Designation for Lebanon: The American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) adds its voice to Rep. Debbie Dingell’s in calling upon President Biden and DHS secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to designate Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). It is the practice of the US to give this status to countries experiencing extreme from natural or…
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…
ADC & Partner Organizations Call for Lebanon TPS Designation The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee on Tuesday August 24, 2021, with the support and endorsement of nearly 100 partner organizations, officially requested DHS Secretary Mayorkas, and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to designate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Lebanon. In light of severe economic collapse, a health…
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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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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 turmoil the focus on Arab Radio Show #ArabRadio host Ray Hanania talks with American Task Force on Lebanon President Ed Gabriel and Arab News Gulf Regional Manager Sarah Sfeir on the show June 30, 2021 in Detroit and Washington DC Radio Show Guests/Topics. Wednesday June 30, 2021 at 8 AM EST. We have a great lineup…
Lebanon and Syria’s futures intertwined By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz On October 17, 2019 the Lebanon erupted into a nationwide uprising demanding the dismantling of a corrupt and sectarian political system. Responding to unprecedented street protests, Saad Hariri resigned immediately. A new cabinet was formed by Hassan Diab, an academic with a limited background in public…
Arab American Memoir: “Stories My Father Told Me” Memories of a Childhood in Syria and Lebanon By Elia Zughaib, Illustrated by Helen Zughaib In a world driven by power, money, and the pursuit of personal success, Helen and her father Elia have given us a glimpse of an intact society stretched to the limit, yet…
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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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Minority Report: Arab News’ in-depth look at Lebanon’s Jewish community A once-thriving community with roots dating back hundreds of years, they are now a silent and forgotten minority. The Arab News Newspaper, the Middle East’s leading English language publication, tracked down Lebanese Jews in the diaspora to talk to them about their memories of a lost…
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Ziyad Brothers Importing brings Lebanese food donors together to help victims of Beirut devastation Chicago-based Ziyad Brothers Importing (ZBI), one of America’s largest distributors of quality Middle Eastern foods, has brought together leading Lebanese food manufacturers to provide food donations to help victims of the tragic events that unfolded in Beirut, Lebanon on August 4th. Ziyad team is currently in Beirut organizing the food distribution…
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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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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