Lebanon
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U.S. policy on Iran
Trump's fake "stability" premise
The United States justifies its policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran by accusing the nation of "destabilising" the region. But neither is stability the correct criteria for evaluation of Middle East politics, nor is Tehran essentially behaving any differently to its neighbours, says Ulrich von Schwerin
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Rabih Abou-Khalilʹs "The Flood and the Fate of the Fish"
Crisp chamber music
After a seven year break, Rabih Abou-Khalil, a pioneer in Oriental jazz, has released a new album entitled "The Flood and the Fate of the Fish". Stefan Franzen met the musician on the Cote d'Azur
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Lebanese comic artist Rawand Issa and "Not from Mars"
Being illegal is unbearable
The Lebanese comic artist Rawand Issa loves black. Her illustrations are satirical, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and above all introspective. Her graphic novels also raise political questions, however, and combine minor everyday emotions with major social issues. By Julia Neumann
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Award for epistolary novel about the fate of refugees
IPAF: Hoda Barakat wins prestigious Arabic literature prize
The Lebanese writer Hoda Barakat was awarded the most important Arab literary prize on 23 April for her epistolary novel about the fate of refugees.
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Human rights in Lebanon
Kafala and its ʹcommoditiesʹ
"Where is your bint from?" is not an unusual question in Lebanon. 'Bint' means girl in Arabic, but here refers to housekeepers, maids or nannies working in Lebanon under kafala sponsorship. It is a loaded term that refers to thousands of African and Asian workers arriving in Lebanon every year. By Antoine Abou-Diwan
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Interview with Lebanese film director Nadine Labaki
"Children are the first to pay for our wars"
In "Capernaum", Nadine Labaki tells the dismal story of Zain, a boy living on the streets of Beirut. She calls the system behind it "modern slavery". Paul Katzenberger spoke to the Lebanese director
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Citizen journalists in Lebanon: Looking for stories in the refugee camp
Rayan Sukkar (24) lives in Lebanon's Shatila refugee camp. She was born and grew up there and works as a citizen reporter for the online platform Campji.
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Portrait of the Lebanese-American artist Helen Zughaib
"We are more similar than dissimilar"
Since 9/11, Beirut-born Lebanese-American artist Helen Zughaib has used her art to project positive images of Arabs and the Middle East to a mostly American audience. Based in politically charged Washington D.C., her goal is not to take sides, but highlight the consequences of life-changing situations. By Yasmine Salam
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Profile: Hoda Marmar, administrator of Beirutʹs Bookoholics
Truly, madly, deeply into books
Hoda Marmar is the administrator of the popular bilingual "Bookoholics" group in Beirut, which recently celebrated its sixth anniversary and which has, in those six years, discussed 125 books in Arabic and English. By Marcia Lynx Qualey
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Social inequality in the Arab world
There is no state in Lebanon
Poverty is more than a lack of money, as the World Bank definition confirms. Moreover, it is harder to bear in countries where social inequality is more marked and individuals have less chance of social advancement. Mona Naggar recounts her observations from living in Beirut
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Ziad Doueiriʹs film "The Insult"
A microcosm of Lebanese society
In Ziad Doueiri’s "The Insult", a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian foreman in Beirut have an argument that lands them in court, and ultimately triggers civil war-like clashes between the two ethnic groups. By Schayan Riaz
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NGO with an Identitarian agenda
Preying on Syrian war widows
When members of a German Alt-Right NGO visited a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon recently, it was ostensibly to offer aid to the destitute. But the visit served another purpose: playing out the Identitarian agenda of Fortress Europe to the home crowd. Anchal Vohra reports from the Bekaa Valley