arab spring

Lebanese Christian Cleric Debunks Myth of Rejectionist Moral Outrage over Jerusalem

If you follow news from Arabic sources, both the traditional and new media, while simultaneously relying on news from Western sources, you will feel as if you were [...]

18 March 2018

The Decline of Lebanese Press? A Story of Politics, Corruption, Nepotism and Sectarianism

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7 March 2017

Terror in Istanbul, Discord in Beirut – When are the Innocent Guilty?

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27 February 2017

“Nefertiti’s Daughters”: Using Street Art to Foment Revolution

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21 February 2017

Farag Bayrakdar’s ‘In Between the Lines’: When ‘Nation’ Becomes a Weapon!

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8 December 2016

A Poem By Farag Bayrakdar – The Rose and My Friend, Somehow

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1 December 2016

The Arab-Christian Predicament Before and After the Rise of the Islamic State

by Elie Chalala. Many Mideast scholars and political groups have grown increasingly concerned with the dwindling numbers and persecutions of Mideast Christians. One Lebanese [...]

12 November 2016

Reckoning with Darkness: Looking Back on Algeria’s Dark Decade

Still from the film “Let Them Come” (2015). by Bobby Gulshan. The Algerian Civil War began in 1991 and ended in 2002. Known as the Dark Decade, the period began [...]

21 September 2016

Manufactured Expertise: Selling Out Arab News Audiences

by Salam Kawakibi. Since the onset of the “Arab Spring,” and through the development of revolutionary phases, with their violent consequences, Arab satellite TV [...]

16 September 2016

Amin Maalouf Talks about his latest book “Origins”

Amin Maalouf, perhaps the most famous and popular member of the French Academy, is a best-selling author and known as an intellectual whose works “honored” the French [...]

26 June 2016

Deadly Identities

Introduction by Elie Chalala. Recently the Lebanese branch of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has issued a statement asking Amin Maalouf to apologize [...]

26 June 2016

Rima Assaf: How One Broadcaster Liberated Her Emotions with the Written Word

by Rima Assaf. While preparing my report on the Holocaust of Aleppo, I felt the customary format of broadcast news did not allow me to express my feelings. Thus, I have [...]

4 May 2016

Syrian Children and the Exit from the Dark Tunnel!

by Salam Kawakibi. For more than five decades, the Syrian child was subjected to an orderly process of upbringing to control the phases of his growth and maturity. Following [...]

10 April 2016

Syrian Booknotes

by Elie Chalala. Since the 2011 March uprising, scores of books have been published on Syrian politics, with most written by a new generation of scholars with no longstanding [...]

23 January 2016

Faten Hamama (1931-2015): The Loss of an Arab Icon

by Nada Ramadan Elnahla The pinnacle of fame! The scepter of art! The throne of the cinema! . . . To her, life is art. To her, art is life. And between the two, she is the [...]

16 January 2016

Tawfiq al-Hakim: Foretelling the Youth Revolution

by Nada Ramadan Elnahla. In 1984, Tawfiq al-Hakim (1898-1987) – a major literary and intellectual figure in Egypt and the Arab world who contributed to the development of [...]

11 January 2016

When Morning Died (A Tribute to Sabah, 1927-2014)

by Hanna Saadah When Morning rose to wake the Arab eyes From long colonial sleep, tears turned to smiles And country song-and-dance redeemed the skies And dabki arms, [...]

29 December 2015

From Harem to Civil Society: The Journey of Fatima Mernissi

by Yassin Adnan. For some years, Fatima Mernissi has remained absent from the limelight. While she has written books that have shaken both Arab and Western opinion for two [...]

16 December 2015

Women of the Revolutions: The New Faces of Arab Feminism

by Angele Ellis. Two recent documentaries directed by women provide connected narratives – in wide-angle and close-up – of feminism in the Arab world. Together, they [...]

8 December 2015

A Subtle Approach to Unmasking the Assad Regime

by Bobby Gulshan. I struggled a bit to know what to say about PBS Frontline’s “Inside Assad’s Syria.” Searching the internet for reviews of the film, I found [...]

10 November 2015

‘Rescuing Christianity in Syria’: Syrian Christian Community Gone Long Before the Jihadists!

by Salam Kawakibi. Many factors contributed to the decreased numbers of Syrian Christians before the 2011 revolutionary uprising. These included immigration based on [...]

4 November 2015

Sin, Redemption, and Visions of Female Illness in Modern Arab Literature

by Bobby Gulshan. Edward Said opened the space, Homi Bhabha articulated the next steps forward, and subsequently other scholars have emerged to take up the call. They desire [...]

30 October 2015

From Kansas to Beirut: A Tale of Two Women

by Lynne Rogers. Sarah Houssayni’s debut novel, “Fireworks,” begins at the onset of the Israeli 2006 bombing of Lebanon in retaliation for the Hezbollah kidnapping of [...]

28 October 2015

Etel Adnan’s ‘THE ARAB APOCALYPSE’

by Mona Takieddine Amyuni. In a meeting with my students at the American University of Beirut on December 14, 2000, the Lebanese-American poet Etel Adnan told us that she [...]

18 October 2015

When a Corpse Becomes an Icon for Syria’s Agony and Abandonment!

by Elie Chalala. “For a moment I was in a state of disbelief, thinking sleep had overtaken him,” wrote Mr. Ghassan Charbel about Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler who died [...]

9 October 2015

Andrée Chedid’s ‘Wounded Beirut’

by Mona Takieddine Amyuni Black Winds In many languages men devastate the land tear it up with gun-fire Smash it with terror bury it under the dead In the spiral of ages In [...]

6 October 2015

Arab Revolutions Produce neither New Knowledge nor Genuine Criticism

by Elie Chalala. Hussam Itani has written a post titled, “Intellectual Production and Criticism.” “Since the beginning of the Arab revolutions, no concept has [...]

25 September 2015

Adonis Sings the Same Old Tune, Again and Again!

by Elie Chalala. Adonis is once again talking and singing the same, stale, old songs about ‘changing society.’ The latest refrain in this worn-out tune appeared in a 4500 [...]

21 June 2015

Words Behind Bars

Tadmur prison in the words of Faraj Bayrakdar: “In February 1988, 16 prisoners, including myself, were moved to the Tadmur Prison, where we spent four years. Finally they [...]

26 May 2015

Generations of Catastrophes: The Palestinian Problem at Half a Century

A Brief Introduction by the Author. I rarely passed on an Al Nakba remembrance, an event which was pivotal in forming my political and moral consciousness during my early [...]

16 May 2015

Poveri Cristi del nostro tempo – Buona Pasqua 2015 con la bimba siriana che si arrende davanti… all’obiettivo puntato. E “Little Lamb” di William Blake.

Questa foto del fotografo turco Osman Sağırlı ha fatto il giro del mondo. Mostra una bimba siriana che scambia la macchina fotografica per un fucile puntato e… alza [...]

4 April 2015

As 20th Century Begins, British ‘Orientalism’ Tool of Colonialism

by D.W. Aossey. The Hollywood epic, “Lawrence of Arabia,” immortalized the familiar story of T.E. Lawrence. But few know that proponents of the Orientalist ideologies [...]

22 March 2015

‘The Assads’ Syria’ Nevermore: Ziad Majed Speaks on His ‘The Orphaned Revolution’

Let’s begin with the title of the book. What do you mean by the “orphan revolution?” I chose this title, which was used by Farouq Mardam Bey in one of his articles two [...]

17 March 2015

Assia Djebar (1936-2015) – Home in France, heart in Algeria

by Elie Chalala. Assia Djebar has been a problematic for some Arab intellectuals, both when she became an “immortal” or a life-long member of the prestigious [...]

21 February 2015

Syrian Regime “Dresses” up Image with Choreographed “Demonstrations”

by Elie Chalala.The heart wrenching images from Syria never stop engulfing the viewer with pain and helplessness as well as an anger that can distract attention from [...]

7 February 2015

The Victim Of Beauty: Reviving the Literary Legacy of Mai Ziadeh

by Ghada Samman. There is something tragic about the life of Mai Ziadeh, a writer who was falsely accused of insanity in her 50s. This accusation stripped her of her freedom, [...]

23 January 2015

Dopo gli attacchi a Charlie Hebdo, la macchina del fango di Assad pronta a sfruttare il terrorismo. E altre posizioni “critiche” dal mondo arabo.

di Elie Chalala. L’ultima campagna mediatica del mumanah (l’allenza anti-occidentale dei sostenitori di sinistra dei Baathist-Hezbollah) è stata inventarsi una nuova [...]

20 January 2015

Twisted Logic: The Younan Sisters and Julia Boutros Sing the Same Deceptive Tune

by Elie Chalala. The conflicts in Syria and Iraq have led to various types of wars, including those of an artistic and cultural characters. One could certainly classify the [...]

30 December 2014

Asala a thorn in Assad’s side, her arrest a black eye for the Lebanese government

by Elie Chalala. It is amazing how the Syrian regime orders its priorities at a time when an armada of allied forces daily bombards its territory. Nothing appears to restrain [...]

4 October 2014

Arabic Poetry and the Public Sphere Today: a Conversation between Abbas Beydoun and Rula Jurdi

by Rula Jurdi Abbas Beydoun by Mamoun Sakkal “Before we ask ourselves why are the readers of Arabic poetry declining we must remember that throughout history, if one [...]

21 September 2014

Sulla resistenza dei cristiani in Siria

di Michele Marsonet. Dopo l’ultima dichiarazione di Barack Obama a West Point, secondo la quale gli Stati Uniti non hanno affatto rinunciato a rovesciare Assad e intendono [...]

14 June 2014

A Tale of Two Lies: ‘Transfer’ of Homs Population Sold As ‘Victory’

by Elie Chalala. I have been watching and hearing too much about Assad’s military and political victories, especially his spurious electoral 88 percent landslide. [...]

14 June 2014

Contro la censura di Assad: la fotografia della donna di Aleppo che ha creato il caso.

di Elie Chalala. Ogni volta che guardo immagini da Aleppo o sento che le periferie povere della città sono state nuovamente fatte bersaglio dalle bombe di Assad, mi ricordo [...]

21 December 2013

The Arab and Lebanese Left: From Political Economy to Islamophobia?

by Elie Chalala. I am amazed by the intellectual decay of recent leftist analysis regarding the Syrian revolution. I am not referring to the immorality of their positions [...]

23 October 2013

Sulla Siria e sul ritorno dell’antiamericanismo

di Michele Marsonet. Era forse prevedibile, ma non fino a questo punto. Chi in questi giorni convulsi ha criticato l’incertezza del presidente Obama e la sottovalutazione [...]

8 September 2013

Assad’s New Front: When Words Become Weapons

by Elie Chalala. In addition to being a prominent Syrian leftist with a significant presence in the revolution, Michel Kilo is also a great short story teller. His anecdotes [...]

6 September 2013

Muslim Brotherhood: A Legacy of Cultural Desecration

by Elie Chalala. Now that Mohammed Morsi has exited the stage, what will the students of Arab politics remember about his Islamic regime? The Brotherhood has violated a long [...]

7 July 2013

The Image of the Slain Child in Banias

by Elie Chalala. Why would a child be slaughtered? What threats does he pose to the Assad regime or any tyrannical regime? Yassin al-Haj Saleh tackles these difficult [...]

23 June 2013

The Battle of Qusayr: End of ‘Resistance Glory’ and ‘Brotherly Bonds’

by Elie Chalala. Leaving the city of Qusayr in ruins, Hezbollah and the Assadist army revived memories of the debris of other battered cities: the destruction of Guernica, [...]

16 June 2013

Noi stiamo con Kyenge – E una poesia di Maya Angelou “Phenomenal Woman”.

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size But when I start to tell them, They think I'm [...]

13 June 2013

Horrors on the Syrian Coast: Sectarianism, Savagery, and Silence

by Elie Chalala. After watching and reading coverage of Assad’s Shabiha massacre of more than 360 people in Banias, Ras al-Nabeh, and the village of Bayda, and after [...]

2 June 2013

The Arab Spring Hasn’t Bloomed Yet… But Hegel’s “Philosophy of History” Says it Will!

by Elie Chalala. Those bemoaning the death of the Arab Spring must read what Hashem Saleh has to say. Unlike the apologists for Arab dictatorships who are reading the Arab [...]

31 March 2013

Lettera dalla Siria. Storia della piccola rifugiata Raghad e del suo “gambetto” di basilico.

di Najat Abdul Samad. Raghad era magra e il suo aspetto era fragile come la stanza che era diventata una nuova casa per lei, per la madre, i sei fratelli e la famiglia dello [...]

27 January 2013

The Battle for the Arab Viewer A Tale of Two Networks

by Bobby Gulshan. The Battle for the Arab Viewer A film by Nordin Lasfar Icarus Films, 2012, 48 minutes Nordin Lasfar’s “The Battle for the Arab Viewer” puts the debate [...]

9 December 2012

Your Silence is Killing Us

by Elie Chalala. “Your Silence is Killing Us” was the slogan put forth by the peaceful Syrian opposition on one of its many Fridays. It has become a sort of tradition to [...]

8 December 2012

The Children’s Revolution: Youth and the Syrian Rebellion

by Farag Bayrakdar. It’s okay to cry a little for Syria and her people.And it’s also okay to believe freedom is near. The tsunami of Tunisian revolution toppled [...]

13 October 2012

Prison: Geography of Despotism

By Hala Muhammad Prison: A Geography of Despotism without a Place in the Nation A picture of a wood stove warms hearts. The gas stove in the picture has an odor. The prisoner [...]

28 September 2012

Aleppo e il racconto di tre città. O della bestia che se vivrà inghiottirà la Siria intera.

di Yassin al-Haj Saleh. (Yassin al-Haj Saleh è considerato uno dei più importanti osservatori della vita politica siriana. Ha trascorso 16 anni nelle prigioni di Stato, una [...]

23 August 2012

La satira nel “pallone” del vignettista Marco Vukic – Giugno 2012: dalle pazze idee di Berlusconi ai consiglieri sardi….

Prometto di non dire più che i socialisti rubano. In cambio i socialisti potrebbero smettere di rubare. Paolo Hendel _____________ 1) Lunedì 28 [...]

21 June 2012

Ossama Mohammed – A un giovane regista siriano

di Ossama Mohammed A un giovane regista siriano. Non amo il montaggio parallelo (1), perché così sono stato creato dal dio del cinema: e chi può discutere con gli dei? Ma [...]

16 June 2012