POMED Notes: Lebanon: On the Margins of the Arab Spring
On Friday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted an event discussing the implications of the Arab Uprisings for Lebanon’s future. The event hosted speaker Mohamad Chatah, foreign policy advisor to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Hosting the event was Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Marwan Muasher. For full event notes, continue reading below. Or, click here for the PDF The event began with a lecture ...
Lebanon: Activist Says Nasrallah Wants Out
According to Lebanese activist Lokman Slim, in a "meeting two weeks ago, Nasrallah 'complained he no longer wanted the job'" as Hezbollah's head. Slim notes that the conflict in Syria, and Hezbollah's close association and defense of President ...
Lebanon Condemns “Terrorist Attack” in Syria
Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour condemned a recent attack in Damascus, which killed 25 people and wounded 45 others. “Once again repulsive terrorism has hit the Syrian capital Damascus, which is an indication to a new and dangerous phase ...
Nasrallah Reiterates Support for Assad, Criticizes SNC
In his first public appearance since 2008, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to stand by Bashar al-Assad, saying "From the very beginning, we have made it clear that we stand by the (Syrian) regime, a regime of resistance." Nasrallah also ...
December 6, 2011
Category: Featured, Government, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Political transition, Syria, US foreign policy
Lebanon: PM Funds Hariri Case; Enforces Syria Sanctions
Lebanon's Prime Minsiter Najib Mikati said he transferred funding to the U.N. backed court investigating the assisnation of former PM Rafik Hariri. The $36 million of required funding for the Netherlands-based court was made on Wednesday, as Mikati stated “it ...
November 30, 2011
Category: Arab League, Featured, Government, Justice, Lebanon, Reform, Rule of Law, sanctions, Syria, United Nations
Syrian Incursion into Lebanon Sparks Sharp Response
Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) condemned the Assad regime in Syria for violating Lebanese sovereignty and reiterated his call for an end of Assad rule. Chabot stated that he was "appalled by reports of the kidnapping of Syrian dissidents in Lebanon ...
Summary and Highlights of the FY12 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bills
On Wednesday 7/27, the House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee held a markup session and voted to pass the 2012 State and Foreign Operations Appropirations Bill, as is, to the full committee. The bill would provide $39.6 billion ...
October 21, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Congress, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Jordan, Lebanon, Legislation, Libya, Media, Middle Eastern Media, Morocco, Multilateralism, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine, POMED, Publications, Reports, Rule of Law, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UN Human Rights Council, United Nations, US foreign policy, US politics, Western Sahara, Yemen
POMED Notes: “Hezbollah in the Wake of the Arab Spring”
On Tuesday, the Middle East Institute hosted a presentation by Randa Slim, a scholar at the Middle East Institute and Levant expert, which discussed the future of Hezbollah in the context of the Arab Spring. Slim addressed the way that Hezbollah views the Arab Spring, the domestic strategies of Hezbollah in the changing landscape of the Middle East, and how the Arab Spring affected the standing of Hezbollah in the ...
October 11, 2011
Category: Bahrain, DC Event Notes, Events, Government, Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Political transition, Saudi Arabia, Syria, US foreign policy
Senate Releases State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced S.1601, the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012 and its accompanying report. The press release noted the committee’s difficult task of funding more with less, including “responding to the turbulent events in the Middle East and North Africa,” with a total budget of $44.64 billion, which is $6.15 billion below the President’s request. On the Middle East and North Africa: ...
September 23, 2011
Category: Congress, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Hamas, Jordan, Lebanon, Legislation, Palestine, Political transition, Tunisia, United Nations, US foreign policy
Lebanon: Hariri Investigation Released Full Indictment
The U.N. backed tribunal investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has released the full indictment. Reactions to the release were predictably divided. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said, "the text in our hands ...
Syria: Violence Against Protesters Continue
Syrians, some with gunshot wounds, have fled into Lebanon in an attempt to escape from the brutal crackdowns taking place all over Syria. As Syrian refugees escape to bordering towns in Lebanon and Turkey, the military has also moved near the border of both Turkey and now Lebanon. Funerals were held for about 20 protesters on Friday, however Syrian security forces killed five protesters as the funerals quickly transformed into protests ...
Lebanon: International Implications of March 8 Goverment
Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) has introduced a new bill to "prohibit U.S. foreign assistance to a Hezbollah-dependent Lebanese government," defined as a government where the terrorist organization is part of the majority coalition, such as the one recently ...
June 20, 2011
Category: Congress, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Featured, Foreign Aid, Government, Hezbollah, International Law, Justice, Lebanon, Legislation, United Nations, US foreign policy
Lebanon: Sectarian Clashes in City of Tripoli
One person was killed and at least 7 others injured today during clashes between Sunnis and Alawites in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. Earlier, about 600 people had gathered to protest against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The army has deployed heavily in the Bab Al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods to prevent further violence.
Lebanon: High Wire Act for New Government
In Foreign Policy, Elias Muhanna describes how the recently announced government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Lebanon is attempting to hold together its long-fought-for coalition in the face international pressure. Muhanna argues that it is an "oversimplification" to ...
June 15, 2011
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Category: Diplomacy, Featured, Government, International Law, Lebanon, Military, US foreign policy
Lebanon: New Government Formed
Following months of deadlock, Prime Minister Najib Mikati formed Monday a 30-member Cabinet with a majority of ministers from the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition. United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams congratulated Mikati and "expressed hope that the new government ...
5 Reasons Why There Won’t Be War in Syria
Moisés Naím, writing for the Carnegie Endowment, discusses why the United States and Europe are attacking Libya with bombs and Syria with words. He first dismisses arguments that the justification for war in Libya is oil, arguing that it would be easier for U.S. oil companies to have security under Gadhafi rather than under the chaos that has ensued. He states that there are five reasons why the same response ...
May 20, 2011
Category: Diplomacy, Freedom, Human Rights, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Military, Multilateralism, Syria, Turkey, US foreign policy
Lebanon: Pressure to Form New Government
Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati is coming under intensified domestic pressure from his political opponents to form a new government. In addition to the normal divisions that complicate coalition-building in Lebanon, Al Quds reports that developments in Syria have ...
May 17, 2011
Category: Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Featured, Lebanon, Legislation, Political Parties, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: “Lebanon and the Arab Spring A Congressional View of Lebanon’s Role Amidst Historic Change in the Region”
On Tuesday, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) held a panel entitled, “Lebanon and the Arab Spring: A Congressional View of Lebanon’s Roles Amidst Historic Change in the Region.” USIP President Richard Solomon gave introductory remarks. Mona Yacoubian, Senior Program Officer for the Middle East and Director of the Lebanon Working Group, moderated the panel. Congressman Charles Boustany (R-LA), the son of Lebanese immigrants, offered his perspective on how ...
Lebanon: Possible Breakthrough in Political Stalemate
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati has reportedly come to an agreement on the interior ministry portfolio candidate after four months of wrangling between parties had held up the formation of the a new government. Mikati is due to finalize the ...
The Regional Significance of Bin Laden’s Death
Writing in the New York Times, Roger Cohen stated "Osama Bin Laden is dead -- and so is an old Middle East" and noted that the recent events in the Middle East demonstrate how the al-Qaeda leader had lost touch with Arab youth who have "move irrelevant....Facebook and Twitter turned out to be far more effective agents of change than any 'martyrdom' attack on apostates, crusaders and Zionists – the ...
May 2, 2011
Category: al-Qaeda, Bahrain, Civil Society, Corruption, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, North Africa, Pakistan, Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Nations, US foreign policy, Yemen, Youth