Check Archive

July 2008

• Nieuwsbank of July 1 reported on the Secretary General of Amnesty International, Irene Khanâ??s recent to visit to Lebanon to receive an honorary doctorate from the American University of Beirut for her work in human rights. She held talks with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, House Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Fuad Siniora where she urged the need to establish an independent judicial system in Lebanon.
• Silo Breaker and Daily News Egypt of July 2 reported on a study by Jad Chaaban, a professor at the American University of Beirut, entitled, â??The Costs of Youth Exclusion in the Middle East.â? He found that in 2006, youth exclusion in Egypt cost the country $53 billion, or 17 percent of Egyptâ??s GDP. Among the factors aggravating this problem, he said is drug abuse, dropping out of school and youth migration.
• Kommersant of July 3 reported on the appointment of Fawzi Kyriakos Saad as CEO of Credit Suisse Russia. A native of Lebanon, he earned his bachelors degree from the American University of Beirut, and he has an MBA from the Columbia University School of Business. Prior to joining Credit Suisse in 2006, he held various positions at JP Morgan Chase.
• Counter Punch of July 5 published an article by Karim Makdisi, an assistant professor of political studies at the American University of Beirut, about how football can be used to enforce national unity in Lebanon. He noted that football is the most popular sport in the country, uniting people from different sects. This, he said, should have been employed by the ruling powers to bolster national unity. However, Makdisi said that this was â??never really allowed to develop by Lebanonâ??s authorities that are ever mindful of protecting sectarian identities and preventing a genuine national spirit from emerging.â?
• North Texas e-News of July 5 presented three reasons why the United States is admired around the world. The article noted that the United States is admired for its democratic process, educational system, and technological advances. It said that the United States established educational institutions in nations as far as Egypt and Lebanon that have excelled in that part of the world. It pointed out the American University of Beirut was the first university in the region to admit women.
• Welcome Europe of July 8 reported on nine Lebanese students and one scholar receiving an Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses scholarship for the 2008-09 academic year. The scholarship allows the students to attend one of 103 Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses offered by a number of European universities. The American University of Beirut was among the four universities participating in the program.
• The Huffington Post of July 13 published an article by Magda Abu-Fadil, the Director of the director of the Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut about the programâ??s hosting of 15 Iraqi media outlets informing them on new market- and consumer-oriented approaches.
• The Los Angeles Times of July 13 reported on Al-Manar television station owned by the Hizbullah Lebanese militant group and its campaign against the United Statesâ?? policies in the Middle East. The article said that the station is careful not to attack American values and it has sought hard not to alienate Arab states that have been critical of Hizbullahâ??s conduct in Lebanon. â??Al-Manar is widely viewed and respected in the Arab region,â? said Nabil Dajani, media professor at American University of Beirut.
• The Wall Street Journal of July 13 reported on Syrian President Bashar al-Assadâ??s participation at the launch of the Mediterranean Union that took place on July 13. Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut interpreted the development as an attempt by Syria to end its regional and international isolation, especially since the new French administration under President Nicolas Sarkozy seems to be adopting a more open approach towards Syria than his predecessor Jacques Chirac.
• Indianapolis Star of July 15 reported on Carmen Carson joining Stratford at WestClay company as the wellness director. Carson graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelorâ??s in political science and French. She has an MA in international affairs from Johns Hopkins University. She also attended the American University of Beirut.
• IJnet.org of July 15 published the announcement for Arab journalists to take part in the workshop on citizen and on-line journalism that will take place at the American University of Beirut from July 21-25.
• PBS of July 17 presented the transcript of a discussion by Rami G. Khouri, the Director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, and Daniel Levy, of the Middle East programs at both the New America Foundation and the Century Foundation, while participating in an American television show. The discussion dealt with the recently held prisoner swap between the Lebanese militant group Hizbullah and Israel on July 16 and the repercussions it may have on regional developments. He said, â??Hizbullah achieved diplomatically what it said it would always achieve through diplomatic and military force, which is get its prisoners back. It's better for Hizbullah and Israel to exchange prisoners than to exchange rockets and missiles.â?
•   Interest Alert of July 18 and Prime Newswire and Quote.com India of July 17 published a reported that Generex Biotechnology Corporation will be holding a symposium in Syria on educating and training Middle Eastern endocrinologists on the treatment of diabetes mellitus using Generex Oral-lyn(tm), the company's proprietary oral insulin spray product. Participants at the meeting include Dr. Sami Azar of the American University of Beirut and Dr. Bassam Abdul Maseh, Chairman of the Syrian Endocrine Society.
• Cambridge News Online of July 19 reported on Susan van de Ven, the daughter of assassinated president of the American University of Beirut, Malcolm Kerr. She recounts the experience of finding out about her fatherâ??s murder in 1982 at the hands of Islamists. She was inspired to write a book about the tragedy entitled, â??One Family's Response to Terrorism, A Daughter's Memoir.â?
• The Christian Science Monitor (United States) of July 19 published an article about the latest developments in the Lebanese crisis and included the opinion of AUB Professor Ibrahim Moussawi who said that Lebanon is in a better position to negotiate with Israel because of Hizbullah.

• AINA of July 19 and AXcess News of July 18 reported on the fate of the Lebanese militant group Hizbullahâ??s weapons in light of the recent prisoner swap between it and Israel. The swap has managed to strengthen Hizbullah on the internal scene because it is viewed as being the only side in Lebanon capable of negotiating with Israel. Lebanon is now viewed as being in a position of power to hold indirect negotiations with Israel, as Hizbullahâ??s close ally Syria is doing, observed Moussawi, a political lecturer at the American University of Beirut.

• Middle East Forum of July 20 reported on Syriaâ??s waning influence on its close ally the Lebanese militant group Hizbullah. The article noted that upon its establishment in the 1980s, Hizbullah was firmly in Syriaâ??s grip, being reprimanded for actions it executed without its permission, such as the kidnapping of American University of Beirut President David Dodge. However, over the years, and when Syria withdrew from Lebanon in 2005, Hizbullah became more powerful locally and regionally. It has managed to take decisions independent from Syria, appearing that it only took orders now from its main backer Iran.

• IRIN News of July 20 and ReliefWeb of July 19 reported on the recent prisoner swap between the Lebanese militant group Hizbullah and Israel that succeeded in releasing five Lebanese prisoners from Israeli jails. In the Arab world, the accomplishment has been seen as a victory by the resistance group against Israel. Ahmad Moussalli, a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut said, â??Peace talks have led to nothing tangible, but force has. There is a mood among the new generation that Israel can be taken on and defeated. Islamist movements will see their recruitment increase.â?
• Yahoo! Of July 20 reported on views in the Arab world of American presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. It noted that Arabs view McCainâ??s foreign policies as being similar to current President George W. Bush. Obama, who opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq from the very beginning, however seems to be advocating different policies. Karim Makdisi, a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut, said Obama may support â??an old-style U.S. interest in the region that looks for stability rather than personalized and violent regime change.

• Dar al-Hayat (Britain) of July 20 published an article about the influence of the western civilization on the current Arab ideologies and the spread of American universities in Arab countries. The paper said that AUB was known as the Syrian Protestant College and was founded by the American missionaries.

• The Conservative Voice of July 20 reported on the success of such resistance movements such as the Lebanese group Hizbullah in combating Israel. The article quoted American University of Beirut Professor Charles Harb as saying, â??Peaceful overtures to the Israeli government always fails to achieve results, and that is why armed struggle by groups such as Hizbullah have been successful in getting Israel to cooperate.â? Furthermore, the article stressed that the resistance movements are motivated by their conviction that Israelâ??s very existence violates biblical scriptures that it claims to uphold, something the United States has failed to realize.

• E-Life (Britain) of July 21 published an article about the increase of rents in Dubai and the spread of the " sharing" phenomenon. The paper presented the story of Riham, a math teacher, who studied at AUB.

• Middle East Times (Britain) of July 22 published an article by Rami Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute of Public Policy and International Affairs at AUB, entitled " Why everybody negotiates in the Middle East."

• Moldova Azi, Daily Times and Business Record of July 22 reported on the United Statesâ?? appointment of Asif Chaudhry as its new Ambassador to Moldova. Prior to his appointment, he served as Agricultural Minister Counselor at the United States Embassy in Cairo. Asif Chaudhry received his bachelor's degree from the University of Punjab, his master's degree from the American University of Beirut and his PhD from Washington State University.

• Huffington Post of July 30 reported on unemployment among the youth in Egypt, most notably university graduates. The article explained that with the soar in the number of educated youth in the country, the labor market has not expanded, resulting in the great unemployment rate and sense of hopelessness among the graduates. Rami G. Khouri, Director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, said, â??Many Egyptians feel that they haven't been given a chance to improve their lives and are demoralized by their lack of self-efficacy.â?