William Hybl, Chairman of the Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, answers FAQs about Getting the People Part Right: A Report on the Human Resources Dimension of U.S. Public Diplomacy. (This last link downloads the PDF). The report calls for, essentially, a reconfiguration of the way that the Foreign Service thinks about public diplomacy, with the […]
For the past few years there is always something happening in Lebanon. And rarely is something good.The country did not have a President, the government was weak and did not really work, the Parliament was closed. Then the clashes started inside the country. Then we have seen Doha and now we are in the post-Doha […]
Hours before the parliament convened to vote on the electoral law on Monday, an explosion occurred in al-Bahsas in Tripoli. Reports suggest the explosion targeted a military bus carrying at least 20 soldiers, leaving at least six dead and 17 injured. The Voice of Lebanon radio station reported that a Renault 18 sedan, which was […]
AP is reporting that the Sudanese Military killed six and captured two kidnappers after a high-speed desert chase on Sunday. According to the two captured kidnappers the tourists are being held hostage in Chad. The interesting part of the article is that the Sudanese Government linked the eight kidnappers to a rebel group in Darfur. […]
Absent of any near-term threats to natural security from a land invasion, the Egyptian military continues to strengthen its conventional land forces to deter long-term threats and bolster its reputation as a powerful, or perhaps the most powerful, fighting force in the Middle East and Africa. But Egypt does have a significant national security threat […]
Autumn is slowly coming to Beirut. For almost two months I kept on complaining about the heat and the humidity. Now I might start with the brief rainfalls. While dining with friends I found out that today is al Quds day and that many Hizballah fans went to the border. It was a no comment […]
Excellent reading about Hizballah's controlled suburbs. As it looks, Hizballah's Pentagon, as some called dahyeh was not as controlled as many thought. Don't get me wrong, Hizballah is strong, but far from being invincible. NOW Lebanon: The Internal Security Forces (ISF) recently implemented what it has called a "security plan" in the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs […]
Hamida Ghafour, Afghan-Canadian journalist, is skeptical about Sarah Palin's symbolic value for feminism not just in the United States but globally. The piece is a bit disjointed, but her point, namely that women around the world are fighting an uphill battle for their rights, and having an anti-women woman in the White House isn't going […]
… at least, for now. Iraq's Parliament arrived at a resolution to put off the resolution of the Kirkuk issue until later so the rest of the country can vote on time. (On time now meaning before January 31, 2009 – the squabbling over jurisdiction of Kirkuk will need to be resolved by March 2009). […]
Transparency International recently released their 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index. Iraq is in the bottom (most corrupt) 3 for the second year in a row – #178 of 180 countries. Qatar is the least corrupt Arab country, according to the table, at #28. (The US is #18). Correction: As the report is titled Corruption Perceptions Index, […]
Yesterday, Saudi Arabia's National Day, was marked by some unexpected commentary from the King and perhaps expected but still bold commentary from others. The King said: “Unfortunately, the image of Islam is being tarnished by none other than Muslims themselves,” the monarch declared. He spoke clearly and repeated the word “unfortunately” several times. “If we […]
John Nagl, co-author of the Counterinsurgency Field Manual, has an interview on the security climate in Iraq at the World Politics Review.
The New York Times has another installment of their ‘Generation Faithful‘ series on youth in the Middle East. This edition focuses on Dubai, a city that “has everything money can buy, but it does not have a unifying culture or identity.” Dubai in its current form is a young city; the UAE came into being […]
Away from the political scene, but deeply influenced by it, there were recent incidents when people were injured and some lost their lives. It may not have caught the headlines outside the country, but these individuals were fighting over flags, flyer's and posters. Over symbols. Whenever I have a meeting or an interview I made […]