Moussa Bashir · May, 2008

Latest posts by Moussa Bashir from May, 2008

Lebanon: The Doha Agreement

Lebanese political leaders who met in Doha under the patronage of the Emir of Qatar Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani reached an agreement last week. The full text of the agreement was posted by Blogging Beirut among others. As a result of the Doha Agreement the Lebanese parliament convened...

Lebanon: A deal is reached in Doha

“Beirut – Lebanon is where the action will be after a deal was reached yesterday to end the political crises in Lebanon. Finally Lebanon this week will have a president and the tent city will disappear … hurray …what a break …The Lebanese will never forget Qatar,” reports tearsforlebanon in...

Lebanon: National dialogue in Doha

Lebanese parliamentarians, ministers, and opposing political leaders are currently holding talks in Doha, Qatar. This national dialogue came at the end of violent clashes between opposition and pro–government groups two weeks ago. The talks are taking place since Saturday in an attempt to reach an agreement on the national unity government, the election law and to finally elect a consensus president. Following are some bloggers reactions on the dialogue.

Lebanon: Psycological traumas

“Many Lebanese, myself included, argue that this technically short conflict did far more psychological damage than the 34 day 2006 war. Civil wars are much harder psychologically than wars with ‘the other’,” concludes Charles Malik, who wrote anecdotes of the psychological effect of the conflicts in Lebanon.

Lebanon: Agree or stay away

“On the way to Beirut International Airport, members of the ‘Handicapped Union’ and other NGOs tell Lebanon's politicians, war lords, inflated clowns & others not to return if they fail to settle their differences,” writes Friday Lunch Club about the Lebanese leaders peace talks taking place in Qatar.

Lebanon: “Revolverism”

“Firing weapons in the air is a local custom rooted in tradition and history and nurtured by more than a century of frivolity and inter-communal love,” states Ms. Tee, while posting a 99-year-old report written by the British Consul General in Beirut at the time.

Lebanon: Civil Strife

The military confrontations between the different factions in Lebanon have subsided a bit. The Lebanese Army has declared that it will interfere forcefully to restore order. It also seems that there is some sort of undeclared agreement between different sides to avoid escalation. There is a real fear that the conflict will slip into a full fledged civil war. The past five days were marred with killings, atrocities, destruction and violence. Here are some bloggers’ reactions on the crisis.

Lebanon: Conflict is beyond sectarianism

“His [Nasrallah] words highlighted a deep political divide that goes beyond sectarianism, which pits those who see Lebanon as prey to a Western plot to dominate the region against those who see the chief plotters as Iran and Syria,” notes Burghol on the conflict in Lebanon.

Lebanon: “Unsung heroes”

“Another, silent army has deployed, clad in bright green: the Sukleen cleaners. Many come from India, Bangladesh, or Sri lanka, and they are here, in the middle of this conflict, to clean the Beiruti's mess,” writes Rami Zurayk about the garbage collectors in Beirut.

Lebanon: Back to sectarianism

“People are now being forced, many times against their will, back into their religiously dominated sectarian camps for protection. This has often heartbreaking personal consequences,” writes Manuela Paraipan about her experiences in the Lebanese conflict.

Lebanon: Entering a new phase

“The short, but violent civil war of the past three days will be followed by a grander civil war that may take years … a civil war for hearts and minds. For it is only with the trust of the Lebanese people can Hizballah truly rule this country,” writes Antun...

Lebanon: “We did not stage a coup”

“If we wanted to stage a coup, you would have woken up this morning in prison, or in the middle of the sea. We do not want that. It is a political issue, with a political solution through early elections,” Jnoubiyeh quotes S. Hassan Nassrallah's comment directed to the Lebanese...

Lebanon: Government Decrees Repealed

“The army command has just announced it is reinstating Wafiq Shuqair as the head of airport security and will investigate Hizbullah’s communications network ‘without harming the resistance’, asking for the withdrawal of all armed men and the reopening of the streets,” reports In the Middle of the East about the...

Lebanon: “Hot Summer”

“It's a pretty hot summer indeed in Lebanon… A strike that turned into a civil war… I'm scared..Yesterday when I heard the gunshots getting closer to my house I couldn't stand up!! I couldn't run!! and I couldn't even move!!!” writes NightS on her experience with the current events in...

Lebanon: Like being under siege

“I live in Ras El-Nabeh, where clashes have been raging for the last 2 days, and thanks god today is relatively calm and under the Lebanese army control. But still, I didn’t go to work in fear of not being able to come back! Yeah feels like being under siege!”...

Lebanon: Future TV Vandalized

“During the war last summer, i cried the most when i heard that the Baalbek ruins are being threatened. Not equally dramatic but equally tragic, it seems that all the archives of future tv got totally destroyed! (18 years worth of records),” writes Mirvat about the damaging of one of...

Lebanon: Misunderstanding?

“…Hezbollah's private telecommunications network that triggered the confrontation is a ‘secure network of primitive private land lines [that] helped the guerrillas fight Israel's high-tech army in the 2006 summer war’ quotes GPC on one of the direct causes of the current conflict in Lebanon.