Reportedly, an item of discussion Tuesday between Lebanese officials and Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, was the presidential election. Assuming Zarif has a say in the matter, which he doesn’t, that the topic should have been broached with him at all is worrisome. It is unfortunate that Lebanon’s Christian leaders appear not to sense… اقرأ المزيد
| The Daily Star How did Michel Aoun interpret the important statement this week of the speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri? In remarks to As-Safir, Berri said that he would not vote for Aoun as president, after the general said that parliament was illegitimate. “I personally do not accept this logic, and I refuse to… اقرأ المزيد
President Bashar Assad’s address last weekend, in which he admitted that the Syrian armed forces were losing territory because they were suffering from “manpower” problems, revealed a great deal about what lies ahead in Syria. In his remarks, Assad stated that his forces were short on men, and went on to outline what this meant… اقرأ المزيد
According to the Los Angeles Times a secret CIA assessment predicts that Iran will spend most of the expected $100 billion windfall from the lifting of international sanctions on its economy, not on allies or militant groups in the Middle East. Citing two U.S. officials who insisted on remaining anonymous, the article noted, “Intelligence analysts… اقرأ المزيد
| The Daily Star While the calls for President Bashar Assad to step down continue, in many respects the Syrian president has already lost power. Assad has become a figurehead as Iran has taken control of Syria’s regime and its praetorian military units, and is even manipulating sectarian dynamics in parts of the country. That’s… اقرأ المزيد
How were Aounists supposed to interpret the remarks of Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general, Naim Qassem, Monday? While in the Bekaa Valley, Qassem declared that “either Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun is elected as president, or the [election] will be delayed indefinitely.” The Aounist rank and file will have welcomed this unconditional backing for the general,… اقرأ المزيد