Ad nauseam, ad infinitum. For the 8th time, the Lebanese parliament has postponed electing a president. The many factions had agreed on choosing Gen. Michel Suleiman to replace Emil Lahoud, but it has hit many, many snags. For one, the Lebanese constitution forbids high-ranking state employees from becoming President, so Suleiman will have to resign or the Constitution will have to be amended. The constitution allows for that, but the opposition parties (notably Hezbollah) are opposed to that. That link, from the excellent Daily Star, also describes in detail what the postponement is all about- essentially each side trying to get the most out of a comprehensive agreement on the shape of the next government. For a good look at why things are so chaotic, read the latest entry in Michael Young's blog. It is fairly dizzying. Hassan Naffa has a good article about Lebanon being the testing-ground of the Arab World in last week's al-Ahram, and how the crisis “is not a constitutional one; it is one of consensus or, more accurately, the lack thereof.”
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
