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Arabdemocracy: Calculation Mistake

http://www.arabdemocracy.com/2011/05/calculation-mistake.html

Thursday, May 12, 2011. You are a 16 year-old high school student. It’s Friday morning, second period… Algebra. The teacher walks in and gives that pop quiz he’s been promising all week: a sheet of paper with a one-line question on it. You take one look at it and realize that you will solve this in 10 minutes tops. You know this. You’ve got it. You WILL ace this quiz! Monday morning. You get the quiz back and to your horror, you got a failing grade! You cannot believe it. What went wrong? A plan to rescu...

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Arabdemocracy: January 2012

http://www.arabdemocracy.com/2012_01_01_archive.html

Monday, January 16, 2012. Difficult Conversations: Syria as seen from Lebanon. Few Lebanese can pretend to be fully objective when it comes to events in Syria. The emotional baggage from the 'Pax Syriana', the infamous Status quo imposed by the Assad's regime on the country, still runs deep in the Lebanese psyche bringing significant bias to any cold-hearted analysis. And Syria; from Lebanon; for all intent and purposes is Assad's Syria; with its figures, its slogans and its modus operandi. My position i...

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Arabdemocracy: February 2011

http://www.arabdemocracy.com/2011_02_01_archive.html

Monday, February 21, 2011. Everyone wants a piece of the revolution. Re-published with permission from. Before we get into this, I'd like to clarify two things:. I am fully aware that the situation we are in is most likely the result of years and years of bad government policies and opportunistic behaviour by a select few. I am even more aware that I will probably never make an impact in the real world, because my ideals are too extreme and frustratingly impractical. Links to this post. Links to this post.

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Arabdemocracy: The Ghost of Bachir Gemayel

http://www.arabdemocracy.com/2012/09/the-ghost-of-bachir-gemayel.html

Wednesday, September 5, 2012. The Ghost of Bachir Gemayel. This year, August, as opposed to September was the month of Bachir Gemayel. The change in month is also coupled with a change in image. A new re-looked Bachir, better suited for the 21. Century, was unveiled for the celebrations organised by his son Nadim in memory of the former’s 1982 election. The Lebanese Forces, stuck to a more traditional portrait of their historical leader for the annual mass honouring their martyrs. The nostalgia for bette...

arabdemocracy.com

Arabdemocracy: December 2010

http://www.arabdemocracy.com/2010_12_01_archive.html

Friday, December 10, 2010. A Scandalous Lack of Scandal: Why Wikileaks failed to impress in Lebanon. Republished with permission from Karlremarks. But what are the revelations exactly? Lebanese leaders conspire against each other with foreign powers? Did we need the leaks to figure out that it was designed as a tool for political revenge and a stick with which to beat Syria? In solidarity, critically, with Al-Akhbar. Links to this post. Tuesday, December 7, 2010. اتركوا شجرة واحدة لحبل مشنقتكم". سأتوقف&#...

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Arabdemocracy: May 2011

http://www.arabdemocracy.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

Sunday, May 22, 2011. Why Syria’s Christians Should Not Support the Assad Regime. At the Dormition of Our Lady Greek Catholic cathedral in Old Damascus, Father Elias Debii raises his hands to heaven and prays for divine protection for embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Bishop Philoxenos Mattias, a spokesman for the Syriac Orthodox Church said: “We are with the government and against these movements that oppose it”. The Asad regime will not remain in power forever. Such a system of governance is ...

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Arabdemocracy: Lessons from Syria

http://www.arabdemocracy.com/2013/02/lessons-from-syria.html

Friday, February 15, 2013. There are two parts to this. Brilliant article by Beesaan el Shaikh in Al Hayat (Arabic) which I believe is an imperative read for anyone interested in the Arab uprising. The first part of the article uses the tragedies generated by the revolution as a very compelling argument NOT to support it. The second part, near the end, turns the argument around making a simple but slam-dunk case for the revolution. Don’t get me wrong, just like Beesaan el Sheikh says in her article...

arabdemocracy.com

Arabdemocracy: October 2011

http://www.arabdemocracy.com/2011_10_01_archive.html

Sunday, October 16, 2011. 2011: The rise of the Arab Ego. A healthy ego is essential for the sound functioning of any individual. Societies and groups also require the healthy equivalent of an ego, which can be defined as a set of guiding principles in how they perceive themselves and their relationship with others. The last century was particularly harsh as it opened on hope in a dawn of self-determination, prosperity and unity. A new Arab ego based on self delusion is still an unhealthy one. Honest...

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Arabdemocracy: Syria: enter the worst-case scenario

http://www.arabdemocracy.com/2012/09/syria-enter-worst-case-scenario.html

Friday, September 7, 2012. Syria: enter the worst-case scenario. Well over a year ago – 16 months to be precise –shortly after the start of the Syrian revolt against the Baathist regime, I made the. On this blog that the regime’s violent response was the sort of grave error that would put what was then still largely a peaceful popular uprising at a point of no return. New York Times report. In sum, the Syrian revolution today is facing a serious double-edged risk. While it will certainly end the Baat...