Lebanese Civil War
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Interview with Lebanese activist Nizar Hassan
Beirut's ruling elite may be down, but they are not yet out
In the “Lebanese Politics Podcast”, co-host Nizar Hassan analyses political events in Lebanon. In interview with Qantara, he talks about solutions to the country’s economic crisis, the role of Hezbollah in the political negotiations and Lebanon's political prospects
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Interview with Lebanese director Rabih Mroué
"First, they all have to go. And all means all"
The Lebanese director Rabih Mroué explains why a tax on WhatsApp led to an outbreak of mass protests in his country. And also why the government has until now refrained from using force. Rabih Mroue talked to Till Briegleb
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Interview with Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf
Petrodollars proved stronger in the Middle East than cultural tradition
Decades of oil exports have completely destabilised culture and politics in the Middle East. Speaking with Lena Bopp, the renowned writer Amin Maalouf says that the distorted political discourse in the Arab world is now impacting on the West
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Book review: Pierre Jarawanʹs "The Storyteller"
Reconciling histories
Originally published in German in 2016 at the height of the refugee crisis, Pierre Jarawanʹs debut novel deftly captures the multi-layered existence of those who are forced to leave their homeland. Newly available in English, "The Storyteller" is a moving tale of the quest for personal identity. Richard Marcus read the book
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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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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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What triggered the Middle Eastern revolts in 2011?
The economics of Arabellion
Syrian historian Nasser Rabbat argues that the Arab Spring resulted mainly from social imbalance and the misery of large sections of the population within the Arab world. Moreover, as long as economic inequality persists, these states will continue to be plagued by instability
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Civil wars in the Middle East
The Arab issue of kith and kin
However they may appear in their early stages, Arab civil wars are wars between kinsfolk. The social group becomes partisan, whether sectarian, tribal, party political or ethnic. Whatʹs more, argues Morris Ayek, Arab civil wars have no end
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Election fallout in Lebanon
Co-operation is key
Although the Hezbollah-led coalition won the recent elections in Lebanon, the result also makes it clear that political exclusion is in no-oneʹs best interests. Memories of the nation’s own civil war are still too vivid. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Parliamentary elections in Lebanon
Much ado about nothing
Lebanonʹs forthcoming parliamentary elections will likely be the dullest since the end of the countryʹs war in 1990. No significant surprises appear to be looming, nor are there major political stakes or programmes mobilising the attention of voters. By Joseph Bahout
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Lebanon′s education system
The problem with political Islam
Hassan Lama′a reports on the religious networks that exist within the Lebanese education system and how political Islam schools are still influencing new generations of students
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Book review: Iman Humaydan′s ″The Weight of Paradise″
Suppressed guilt, suppressed memories
In ″The Weight of Paradise″, the Lebanese writer Iman Humaydan, born in 1956, gives us a layered depiction of the individual and collective traces left on her country by the civil war. By Claudia Kramatschek