Watching events unfold in Iraq this year has been like viewing a slow-motion train wreck. Iraqi tribal leaders have been warning since spring about the rise of the terrorist ISIS and pleading for American help. But after months of slaughter, the United States is only now beginning to build an effective tribal-assistance program. The Albu… اقرأ المزيد
Wassim Mroueh| The Daily Star BEIRUT: Hezbollah and the Future Movement agreed during an ice-breaking meeting Tuesday to start a “serious and responsible” dialogue with the aim of easing political tensions in the country and paving the way for energizing state institutions. “Both sides stressed their eagerness and readiness to start a serious and… اقرأ المزيد
Wassim Mroueh| The Daily Star BEIRUT: Officials from the Future Movement and Hezbollah will sit face to face Tuesday, marking the start of a dialogue aimed at easing sectarian tensions in Lebanon and paving the way for the election of a president. Speaking to The Daily Star Monday, a Hezbollah official said that the… اقرأ المزيد
Hussein Dakroub| The Daily Star BEIRUT: France will start delivering to the Lebanese Army weapons paid for by a $3 billion Saudi grant once the deal has been finally signed in Saudi Arabia within three weeks, Prime Minister Tammam Salam said Sunday. Speaker Nabih Berri, meanwhile, said the planned dialogue between the Future… اقرأ المزيد
Kareem Shaheen| BRITAL, Lebanon: The paved road, once a smuggling route, leads through Hezbollah and Lebanese Army checkpoints to a majestic view of the Qalamoun mountains, perched across the deep valley. Behind the closest peaks is a road that once led from Syria’s Zabadani to the embattled Lebanese border town of Arsal, now severed… اقرأ المزيد
Is the global war on terror (GWOT) that the United States launched in 2011 after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks succeeding or failing? This would seem to be a compelling question for the United States and the world – but it receives surprisingly little attention. After 13 years of GWOT, events this year emphasize the… اقرأ المزيد