Israel’s post-modern air strike on Syria, adventurism and pre-emptive interventions

Israel’s mysterious air strike on Syria yesterday puts into focus the shift in the Jewish state’s strategic approach in recent years. There’s a noticeable shift from its former adventurism towards a pre-emptive paradigm often described as ‘surgical’. Both approaches were driven primarily by Israel’s security considerations, but they differ significantly in terms of Israel’s appetite for major geo-strategic restructuring projects. Far from being driven by principles, this transformation is pragmatic and it illustrates the changing mind-set within the Israeli establishment. 

Unfinished Revolution: Discussion on Egypt (Video)

Video of the Cross Talk discussion with myself, Wael Eskandar and Ariel Ratner.

"Egypt's revolution is in crisis. Will it lead to revolution 2.0? The current political establishment has barely had enough time to govern – does this mean the country is at a dead-end? Does the opposition only want to see the current powers fail? Could it do a better job?"

A Short Conversation at an Egyptian Black Bloc House

There's always that one guy at anarchist demonstrations that stands out from the rest, but nobody has bothered to understand this phenomenon so far. In what follows, we give you an insight into the back story and unmask the real reasons behind it.

“Mum, I need some money”

“What for? I just gave you some yesterday”

Egypt's National Salvation Front: The Sultan's Slackers

Read my comment piece on Now News about Egypt's ineffective opposition.

The Arab Spring Stages – By Dire Straits’ Hits

In addition to their glorious music, Dire Straits proved to be prescient in their choice of song titles. Here’s a breakdown of how their song titles match the different stages of the Arab Spring:

الحزب السلفي الفينيقي: تحرك قبل فوات الأوان

انشاء محميات طبيعية لطوائف لبنان منعا لانقراضها

سلط الاهتمام الشديد بمشروع اللقاء الأرثوذكسي والتخوف من الأعداد الكبيرة من اللاجئين السوريين والفلسطينيين التي وصلت إلى لبنان من سوريا الضوء على الهواجس الديموغرافية لبعض الطوائف اللبنانية وخوفها على مستقبلها في البلد. و أفادت مصادر غير معلنة عن مشروع جديد يتبلور لإقامة محميات طبيعية لحماية الطوائف

A Beginner’s Guide to al-Qaeda's One-Eyed, Cross-Eyed, and Blind Leaders and Movements in Al-Maghreb

It’s déjà vu all over again as yet another western leader decides to take on Global Jihadism© in one of its strongholds, in the process making life for the rest of us infinitely more exciting and no doubt leading to the introduction of even stricter airport security procedures. (We anticipate that this process will culminate in travellers forced to travel naked with only a toothbrush for company.)

إعلان انتخابي: الطائفية تراث حافظ عليها

إضغط على الصورة للمشاهدة من البداية

Tire-burning protest machine and power generation unit for Lebanon

Click on image to enlarge

This machines is designed to satisfy Lebanon's energy demand while keeping the traditional practice of burning tires alive. All the current features of tire-burning protests, like smoke, noise, fumes, but with the added benefit of generating electricity in the process. 

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Where’s the politics? Comment on the Syrian Coalition’s Vision for a Transitional Period

The Syrian Coalition (SC) has published its ‘draft vision for a transitional period’ following the collapse of the Assad regime (see below).

The Unintended Consequences of the Orthodox Election Law

The so called ‘Orthodox Gathering Election Law’ has generated heated debate in Lebanon, particularly after the major Christian parties have now signalled their support for this proposal.

Video: Whatever Happened To The Arab Spring?

Video of a panel discussion at the Battle of Ideas 2012 at the Barbican Centre in London with Rania Hafez, Mark Seddon, myself, and Nadim Shehadi, chaired by Tara McCormack. I outline my assessment of the Arab Uprisings and make the argument against intervention and for self-determination. Watch up for the comical ending.

Lebanon’s leaders build an Ark.

A fierce storm has been lashing Lebanon since Saturday. The storm has led to severe flooding and near-paralysis of the entire country. The country hasn't seen a storm like this for decades, some say millennia. Someone remembered a storm like this from a long long time ago, a man from across the southern border had bought all Lebanon’s store of cedar trees and used them to build a big boat. There were conspiracy theories and some muttered that somehow the Jews seem to know about disasters before they happen.

Libya’s Slapstick Democracy Explained

What exactly is happening in Libya after the revolution, you must be wondering. Since international media seems to have forgotten about the country, we decided to write a short guide about Libya’s tentative steps towards democracy. Typically, this process of transition has been misinterpreted by western media with its overly ethnocentric understanding of what democracy should look like.