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The Media Line and News Blaze of
December 1 reported on an article in the Kuwaiti daily Al Seyassah that alleged that the Lebanese militant group Hizbullah may overthrow the Syrian regime if it were to sign a peace treaty with Israel. The Kuwaiti paper said that the group had set up cells in Syria that would execute the takeover. Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said, â??Hizbullah is concerned that the Syrian regime will eventually sign a peace treaty with Israel â?¦ But as far as Hizbullah setting up cells in Syria with the aim of staging a coup against the regime â?? I believe this is farfetched.â?
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Al-Haqa'iq (Britain) of
December 1 published a political editorial analyzing the characteristics of past and current leaders of the Palestinian Fateh party some of whom have studied and taught at AUB.
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640 WGST of
December 6 and ABC 27 HD and 13WMAZ of
December 5 reported on former American President Jimmy Carterâ??s visit to Syria and Lebanon in which he is scheduled to present a lecture at the American University of Beirut on December 12 entitled, â??30 years after Camp David: A memo to the Arab World, Israel and the Quartet.â?
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World Security Network of
December 7 reported on the security situation in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein al-Hilweh in southern Lebanon. It interviewed a number of members of the various groups present at the camp. They included Sheikh Jamal Khatab, a graduate of the American University of Beirut who is known in the camp for promoting an al-Qaeda-style ideology.
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Ilaf (Britain), 14 March, Sawa (USA), and the Central News Agency of
December 7; and Ar-Rouiah (Kuwait) of
December 8; and Dar Al-Hayat (Britain) of
December 11 carried the announcement by AUB that the 39th US president Jimmy Carter will be lecturing at Issam Fares Hall on December 12. The paper said that the title of his lecture, presented by the Issam Fares Institute at AUB, is "30 years after Camp David: A memo to the Arab World, Israel and the Quartet," and is part of the Institute's Bill and Sally Hambrecht Distinguished Peacemakers Lecture series.
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JTA of
December 10 reported on former American President Jimmy Carterâ??s visit to Lebanon in which he is expected to meet with Lebanese officials and hold a talk at the American University of Beirut, entitled, â??30 years after Camp David: A memo to the Arab World, Israel and the Quartet.â? The article highlighted the fact that he will not be meeting with any officials from the anti-American Hizbullah militant group.
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Oman Tribune of
December 12, Sauk Valley Newspapers and Santa Fe New Mexican of
December 11, and Chicago Tribune.com of
December 10 reported on U.S. President-elect Barack Obamaâ??s intention to hold a speech addressing the Muslim world from an Islamic capital. â??He cannot visit an Arab country because all the Arab world is in a state of decay,â? said Hilal Khashan, professor of political science at the American University of Beirut. â??He has to go to a place where there is a story of success,â? he added, saying that Ankara, the Turkish capital, appears to be the prime candidate.
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Al-Jazeera.net (Qatar), Reuters.com (USA), ynetnews.com (Israel) of
December 13; and Reuters.com (USA), Nobles News (Syria), and Sawa (USA) of
December 14; and cyberia.com, Al-Wasat (Bahrain), and Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat (KSA) of
December 15 reported on the lecture given by former US president Jimmy Carter at Issam Fares Hall on December 12. The papers said that his lecture at AUB was part of his five-day visit in Lebanon in which he was investigating the possibility of sending a delegation from the Carter Center to monitor the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Lebanon.
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The Sunday Times Online, The Estacada News, and Oman Tribune of
December 14, Ma'an News Agency and Technorati of
December 13, and The New York Times, The Post Chronicle, and Indy Bay of
December 12 reported that former American President Jimmy Carter hopes that U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will achieve progress in Middle East peace efforts. He said at a talk at the American University of Beirut, â??My hope is we will see a new movement towards a comprehensive peace in this region.â?
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Country 1031FM and HNN of
December 14, The Middle East Online, Yahoo! Malaysia News, Breitbart.com, and Haaretz.com of
December 13, and FOX News.com, Onenewsnow.com, PR-Inside, and Ynet News of
December 12 reported that former American President Jimmy Carter was disappointed not to meet with officials from the Lebanese militant group Hizbullah during his visit to Lebanon. During his trip he held talks with various Lebanese officials and held a talk at the American University of Beirut.
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The Middle East Online of
December 15 published an interview by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, commenting on the 60
th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the United Nations. He noted that when it comes to the rights of Palestinian refugees, they are barely being respected in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
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Scoop, Palestine Chronicle, and Counter Punch of
December 15 reported on the recent visit by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to Lebanon during which he met with various Lebanese officials and held a talk at the American University of Beirut. Prominent during his visit was the Lebanese militant group Hizbullahâ??s refusal to meet with him. Carter had also proposed during his visit that he monitor Lebanonâ??s 2009 parliamentary elections in spring.
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Trade Arabia of
December 16, Reuters, Taranaki Daily News, and The Saudi Gazette of
December 15, and Yahoo! India News of
December 14 reported on reactions across the Arab world to the shoe-throwing incident by an Iraqi reporter against U.S. President George W. Bush during a press conference in Iraq. Hilal Khashan, political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said, â??I can't remember a lower point in U.S. prestige abroad.â?
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Arabisto.com of
December 16 reported on the shoe-throwing incident by an Iraqi journalist against American President George W. Bush as the latter was on a surprise visit to Baghdad. Karim Makdisi, Assistant Professor of Political Science at AUB, said, â??There are all sorts of positive things that come from America but when it comes to American foreign policy it is way, way, way behind the rest of America.â?
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he Christian Science Monitor of
December 17 reported on the talk by of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter that he gave at the American University of Beirut in which he urged the need to push forward Middle East peace efforts. He said, â??The minimum message I bring is that peace is necessary not only for Israelis and Palestinians but the entire region and indeed the entire world.â?
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New Straits Times of
December 17 reported on Dr. Najla Bashour, author of several Arab books for children. Her interest in the subject first emerged while helping Palestinian children refugees in Lebanon when she realized that there was a shortage of this material in the country. Of Jordanian descent, she earned her education at the American University of Beirut.
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Middle East Times of
December 18 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, speculating whether Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas will extend the ceasefire they reached a few months ago. He noted, â??The main criteria for a renewal of the Hamas-Israel ceasefire are not fear of the other or the ability to inflict military pain, but respect for the other and the willingness to deal as equals.â?
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Palgrave Macmillan of
December 18 reported that the Journal of Asset Management has published a paper by Dr. Salim Chahine entitled, â??Value versus growth stocks and earnings growth in style investing strategies in Euro-markets.â? Dr. Chahine is an Associate Professor of Finance at the American University of Beirut. He has a PhD in Business-Finance from the University of Aix-Marseille III in France.
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Daily Kos of
December 18 reported on the lecture by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter at the American University of Beirut. At the lecture, Carter hoped that U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will focus on pushing Middle East peace efforts.
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Chicago Tribune.com of
December 21 reported on the criticism incurred by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama by his recent decisions in which he appointed pro-Israeli officials in his new administration. The decisions dashed some expectations that had hoped that Obama would pave the way for peace and not war, as some Arab press had predicted as a result of the appointments. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who gave a lecture at the American University of Beirut, was one of the forerunners of Obamaâ??s critics and demanded that the president-elect clarify his appointments.
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OEN of
December 22 published an article by Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a journalist and graduate of the American University of Beirut, about Syriaâ??s ongoing influence in Lebanon despite its withdrawal from the country in 2005. He said that Syria still holds some power in Lebanon through pro-Syrian Lebanese media outlets.
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Aljadid of
December 23 reported on a two-day symposium organized by the UNESCO Foundation for the Safekeeping of Tyre. Present at the symposium was Leila Badr, head of the American University of Beirutâ??s Archaeological Museum, who urged officials at the event to restart professional digs in Tyre.
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Tahlequah Daily Press of
December 23 reported on Dr. Sara Brown who reminisced about the time she spent Christmas in Lebanon. She said that she had spent the holiday with a Muslim family while she was a student at the American University of Beirut.
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The Washington Post of
December 26 published the obituary of Ibrahim Ibrahim, former director of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University. Born in Palestine in 1932, he completed a master's degree in political science and Islamic studies at Germany's University of Heidelberg in 1964 and received a doctorate in Middle Eastern history and political science from Oxford University in 1967. He worked as an assistant professor at the American University of Beirut between 1968 and 1972.
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Kuwait Times and Sudan Vision of
December 27 and Los Angeles Times, Morning Call Online, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Central Florida News, CBS News, Yahoo! Malaysia, and Fox59 of
December 26 reported on the calm in Lebanon despite the ongoing tension between the rival political groups. â??People want the truce to last, but the question is whether the factions realize this,â? said Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut.
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Globe and Mail of
December 28 reported on Israelâ??s offensive on the Gaza Strip. It said that even though Israel hopes its attacks may weaken the militant Palestinian group Hamas, the move may actually backfire and persuade more people to turn to violence to deal with Israel. Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, said, â??The massive suffering Israel inflicts on ordinary Palestinians transforms a largely docile population into a recruiting pool for militants, resistance fighters, suicide bombers, terrorists and other warriors.â?
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Free Internet Press and Delaware Online of
December 28 reported on the outrage in the Arab world towards Israelâ??s offensive against the Gaza Strip. Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut said that despite the offensive, â??Arab publics are too weak to do anything about it.â?
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Cleveland.com of
December 29 reported that Israelâ??s offensive on the Gaza Strip may backfire by strengthening the Syrian and Iranian-backed militant group Hamas instead of weakening it. Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said, â??As long as Hamas holds on, Hamas can always say it held its ground. No matter how this ends, the position of the so-called Arab moderates will deteriorate and Iran will get stronger.â?
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Pan African News and Jordan Times of
January 2, The Indian Express, Gates of Vienna, Al Jazeera, Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, Khilafah.com, The News, and Politikkavisen.no of
December 31, and Gulf Daily News, Gulf News, Kuwait Times, The Star, Javno, Reuters South Africa, and The Post Chronicle of
December 30 reported on U.S. President-elect Barack Obamaâ??s silence over Israelâ??s offensive against the Gaza Strip. â??Obama's position is very precarious. The Jewish lobby warned against his election, so he has chosen to remain silent (on Gaza),â? said Hilal Khashan, a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut.
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Charlotteobserver.com of
December 31 announced that a play, based on the abduction of Brian Keenan during the Lebanese civil war, will be held at Carolina Actors Studio Theater. Keenan was kidnapped while he was heading towards the American University of Beirut and was held captive for over four years.
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Adnkronos of
December 30 speculated over the motivations of Israelâ??s offensive against the Gaza Strip besides destroying the militant group Hamas. Talal Nizameddin, a political analyst at the American University of Beirut, said that the offensive may also be targeted against Iran and Syria that both support Hamas and the Lebanese militant group Hizbullah.