Check Archive

June 2009

• NewMatilda of June 1 reported on the role of the Lebanese media in the country's parliamentary elections set for June 7. The media is seen to benefit from the elections where some politicians use some outlets for their own political campaigns. Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, observed that the results of the elections will play a pivotal role in the region.

• DNROnline.com of June 2 published a list of American universities in the Islamic world, which included the American University of Beirut.

• IMEU of June 2 and The Middle East Online of June 1 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about the recent shift in stance of the American administration regarding Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories. He added, The immediate emphasis on freezing Israeli settlements is heartening, and it is reasonable to ask the Arabs to make a reciprocal gesture of equal magnitude of criminal activity from our side, such as clamping down hard on terrorism against civilians.

• WRAL.com of June 2 reported on renowned Lebanese designer Reem Acra who has dressed some of the world's most famous celebrities. She grew up in Beirut as the only daughter among three brothers. Her father was a prominent doctor and professor emeritus of environmental science at the American University of Beirut. The article noted that ever since she was a child, Acra had shown a talent for designing clothes.

• www.latimes.com (USA) of June 4 published an article featuring the posters issued in Lebanon to advertise for the forthcoming parliamentary elections including a controversial poster belonging to the Free Patriotic Movement highlighting a beautiful brunette urging women to "be beautiful and vote." The paper quoted AUB professor of architecture and design Zeina Maasri as saying "the influence of consumer advertising on political campaigns over the years has affected not only the imagery but the rhetoric."

• The Guardian Weekly of June 4 reported on Israeli nurse and volunteer for Physicians for Human Rights, Pnina Feiler, who currently volunteers in clinics to aid Palestinians. She credited learning Arabic at the American University of Beirut in 195 for facilitating her job of working with Palestinians.

• Bloomberg of June 4 reported on American President Barack Obama's recent address to the Muslim world in an attempt to bridge the gap between East and West. Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, said, The symbolism was strong, the substance was thin. Equating the Palestinians and the Israelis at the same level was very significant.

• Bloomberg of June 4 published reactions by students from the Middle East to American President Barack Obama's recent address to the Muslim world. Naseem Ferdowsi from American University in Beirut said, I feel Obama gave a thoughtful speech. He brought religion up in a respectful way and was very honest in saying relations between the US and Middle East cannot change overnight.

• PBS NewsHour of June 4 published the transcript of an interview it conducted with Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, Abderrahim Foukara, Washington, D.C., bureau chief for Al Jazeera Arabic, Sumaiya Hamdani, associate professor of history at George Mason University, and As'ad AbuKhalil, a professor of political science at California State University at Stanislaus, to assess American President Barack Obama's recent address to the Muslim world. Khouri said, There are a lot of good vibes, good feelings, good rhetoric. But none of it has been translated into serious policy yet. But it was a speech, and people take it for what it is, which is setting out some American principles. We've yet to see a translation of those principles into real serious policies.

• The Los Angeles Times of June 4 reported on the political advertisements that have been adopted throughout Lebanon ahead of the country's parliamentary elections. The influence of consumer advertising on political campaigns over the years has affected not only the imagery but the rhetoric, said Zeina Maasri, a professor at the American University of Beirut. She added, The way politics are advertised now is not that much different from the way commodities are advertised.

• Voice of America of June 4 reported on the complex structure of Lebanon's political system, which is divided along sectarian lines. The structure has its critics, while others like Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said, Let us be realistic, Lebanon is built on a political fault line and to tell you the truth and to be honest, I like it the way it is because it cannot get any better. If they try to make it better, it will get worse."

• BBC (Britain) of June 5 reported on the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Lebanon arguing that no side is likely to win a clear majority. The paper quoted AUB professor of political studies Kareem Makdisi as saying "I think there's been a huge amount of money spent here, per capita more than anywhere else on any election in the world, and this money distribution certainly de-legitimizes the elections."

• Sawa (USA) of June 5 announced that the Lebanese people are getting ready to vote for a new parliament on June 7 and included a quotation by AUB professor of political studies Hilal Khashan.

• Dar Al-Hayat (Britain) of June 5 published a profile of late Syrian poet Azmi Murohli, who pursued his graduate studies at AUB.

• LA Times (USA) of June 5 published an article featuring the posters issued in Lebanon to advertise for the forthcoming parliamentary elections, including a controversial poster belonging to the Free Patriotic Movement of General Michel Aaoun, highlighting a beautiful brunette urging women to "be beautiful and vote." The paper quoted AUB professor of architecture and design Zeina Maasri as saying "the influence of consumer advertising on political campaigns over the years has affected not only the imagery but the rhetoric."

• Globe and Mail of June 5 reported on the significance of the Lebanese parliamentary elections and the impact their results will have on the fate of the country. A couple of fundamental choices are at stake in this election, said Karim Makdisi, a political science professor at the American University in Beirut. The first one is the choice between supporting a 'resistance' program and supporting a pro-West agenda. The other battle, he added, is over who will lead the country's influential Christians.

• The Brunei Times, The Jordan Times, and 7 Days of June 5, iafrica.com and IC Publications of June 4, and The Gulf Times of June 3 reported on American President Barack Obama's recent address to the Muslim world in which he promised a change in U.S. policies towards Muslims and the Islamic world. Karim Makdisi, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said, It was a speech certainly more balanced than there has been for a long time from a US president, going back as long as I can remember. He added however that he did not expect the speech to create high hopes among Arabs of major change.

• BBC News UK of June 6 reported on the political alliances of the Christian leaders in Lebanon ahead of the country's parliamentary elections, with Christian leader Michel Aoun allying himself with the Shiite militant group Hizbullah. Since the 1990s, Hizbullah has been playing a very intelligent game. They made a clear decision and put aside the idea of creating an Islamic state, instead focusing on national resistance. Their alliance with Christian leaders is part of this strategy, observed Karim Makdisi, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut.

• South Asian Journal of June 6 and BBC News UK of June 5 reported on the Lebanese parliamentary elections and how people cast their votes without taking into account their respective parties political platforms. Karim Makdisi, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said, There's been too much focus on the importance of the election, but substantive policy debates have not taken place. No-one is asking why we are failing in economic and social policies, why is poverty on such a dramatic rise, why ordinary citizens don't have water and electricity.

• BBC (Britain) of June 6 published a political commentary on the forthcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections arguing that there is a new joke in Beirut - "Lebanon's heated election campaign, it goes, has given birth to two new religious sects Shia and Sunni Christians." The paper quoted AUB professor of political studies Kareem Makdisi as saying "Since the 1990s, Hezbollah has been playing a very intelligent game. They made a clear decision and put aside the idea of creating an Islamic state, instead focusing on national resistance. Their alliance with Christian leaders is part of this strategy."

• LA Times (USA) of June 6 and June 7, and Al-Waqt (Bahrain) of June 7 reported on the forthcoming Lebanese elections on June 7 saying that "expatriate Lebanese and observers are flooding into the nation for Sunday's vote." The paper quoted AUB professor of political studies Charles Harb as saying "Lebanon is a composition of minorities, and . . . each minority is sponsored by a world player, and these are the main players in the Middle East."

• Bloomberg of June 7 reported on the U.S.-backed March 14 Coalition's victory in the Lebanese parliamentary elections. This was the first real victory by pro-American groups in the ideological battle that has defined this region in the last ten years, said Rami Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut.

• The Seattle Times of June 7 and The Los Angeles Times of June 5 reported on the key players in Lebanon's parliamentary elections. Charles Harb, professor pf political science at the American University of Beirut said, Lebanon is a composition of minorities, and ... each minority is sponsored by a world player, and these are the main players in the Middle East. We're talking about the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, France. There's a lot at stake here.

• Telegraph.co.uk (Britain) of June 8 published a political commentary on the results of the Lebanese parliamentary elections arguing that it was an unexpected defeat for Hizbollah "which had been expected to boost the influence of its backers Iran and Syria if it won." The paper quoted Rami Khouri, director of AUB's Issam Fares Institute for Public Affairs as saying "This was the first real victory by pro-American groups in the ideological battle that has defined this region in the last 10 years. Every time the US tried to help somebody in the region, it hurt them and they lost."

• theage.com.au of June 8 and The Sydney Morning Herald of June 7 reported on the Lebanese people's anticipation of the country's parliamentary elections. Any time we can have elections in Lebanon is a good thing, said Musa Sadi, a student at the American University of Beirut. I want an end to the sectarian system, he added.

• Arab News of June 9 and Reuters Foundation, The Saudi Gazette, Kuwait Times, and Al Watan Daily of June 8 speculated over the possible developments in Lebanon following the U.S.-backed March 1 Coalition's victory in the parliamentary elections. â??Lebanon will not witness another round of violence, said Hilal Khashan, political science professor at the American University of Beirut. There's a regional understanding on this, which we saw at work yesterday when despite the heated atmosphere, the election took place peacefully, he added.

• UK PubMed Central of June 8 published a study by Dr. Jamil Karsh of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center entitled, Abdominal Pregnancy Following Rupture of Cesarean Scar.

• ISN Eth Zurich of June 9 reported on the March 14 Coalition's victory in the Lebanese parliamentary elections. Professor Hilal Khashan from the American University of Beirut commented, The elections don't change anything on the ground. True, March 14 won a majority but this majority can't be translated into real political assets because Lebanon is governed by accommodation.

• OCALA.com of June 9 and The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune of June 8 assessed the Lebanese parliamentary elections and the March 14 Coalition's victory over the Hizbullah-led opposition, linking the victory with American President Barack Obama's recent address to the Muslim world. Evidently the majority of the Lebanese have resolved their minds; they don't want confrontation, they want peace, said Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at American University of Beirut, indirectly referring to Hizbullah's hostile position towards Israel.

• CBS News of June 9 and Gulf News and TwinCities.com of June 8
  reported on dilemmas facing Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri
  after the March 14 Coalition won a majority of seats in Lebanon?s
  parliamentary elections. Hariri is faced with the tough choices of
  either granting the Hizbullah-led opposition a blocking minority in
  the new cabinet or tackling the issue of Hizbullah's arms possession.
  Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American
  University of Beirut, said, If Hariri forms a cabinet and does not
  give the opposition veto power, Hizbullah will march into Beirut the
  next morning. If he gives Hizbullah veto power, he lets down those who
  support him.

• Dar Al-Hayat (Britain) of June 10 reported that Silatech, the Wolfensohn Center for Development at Brookings, the Dubai School of Government, and the Issam Fares Institute at AUB have entered into a new partnership to undertake and promote impact evaluation across the Middle East in the critical areas of employment and entrepreneurship.

• Fuel TV Blog of June 10 published a report by Drs. Taha S,
  Siddik-Sayyid S, Alameddine M, Wakim C, Dahabra C, Moussa A, Khatib M,
  Baraka A. of the Department of Anesthesiology at American University
  of Beirut Medical Center on how Propofol is superior to thiopental
  pain relief for intubation without muscle relaxants.

• Mohave State Bank of June 11 and The Irish Times and The Jordan
  Times of June 10 reported that the Lebanese parliamentary elections
  did not create a new status quo in the country therefore leaving
  political parties in the country in the same position they were before
  the polls. Hilal Khashan, head of the department of political science
  at the American University of Beirut, said that since the election did
  not alter the relationship between the blocs, they have no alternative
  but to cooperate.

• Castanet.net of June 11 published the obituary of Ronald William who was born in Lebanon in 1928. He earned his education at the American University of Beirut and the College of Fan Engineering in London. After working in Canada, Lebanon, and Jordan, he moved with his family to the United States in 1981 where he worked for three years at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Ohio.

• Hairenik Association Inc. of June 12 reported that Ohio Governor Ted Strickland held a reception in Cincinnati on May 30 honoring first-generation immigrants who have made significant contributions to the state. Among the honorees was Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio, Armenian American Hagop Pambookian. He holds a BA from the American University of Beirut and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Michigan.

• Congoo of June 13 announced that the Nature Conservation Center for Sustainable Futures, Ibsar, at the American University of Beirut will launch the project titled 'Food and Health in Rural Lebanon: Options to Improve Dietary Diversity, Food Security, Livelihoods and Ecosystem Management' on Friday June 19.

• Hawk Central of June 13 published an article by Patrick Hitchon, a graduate of the American University of Beirut in 1974, about the Arab world's positive reception of American President Barack Obama's recent address to the Muslim world.

• Tehran Times of June 14, Newsweek of June 12, and MSN News UK of June 11 published an interview with Karim Makdisi, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut, assessing what the political and economic scene in Lebanon will be after the March 14 Coalition won a majority in the recent parliamentary elections.

• Boston University of June 15 reported that the American University of Beirut is set to honor Boston University professor Farouk El-Baz with a Doctor of Science degree for his outstanding contributions to geology. Baz is director of the Boston University Center for Remote Sensing. He is also a board member of the Geological Society of America Foundation, which established two awards in his name to encourage and reward scientific research in the desert

• University of South Australia of June 16 announced that two of its staff have won Endeavour Executive Awards, which will see them travel to Malaysia and Lebanon in search of new approaches to teaching and learning. Dr. Peter Hill, Lecturer in Academic Development, will spend two months in Lebanon at the American University of Beirut as a visiting fellow. I'm interested in learning more about how teaching and learning is currently supported and practiced in a premier Middle Eastern university, he said.

• Individual.com of June 16 reported that the American University of Beirut announced the establishment of the Georges N. Frem Manufacturing Technologies Hub in the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. Frem (1934-2006) founded INDEVCO (Industrial Development Company), which now has over 50 affiliates with more than 7500 employees in the Middle East, North America, South America and Europe.

• The New York Times of June 16 announced under its Dining Benefits section that Rami Zurayk, a founder of Slow Food's Beirut chapter, will attend a Lebanese dinner on June 19 at Ilili, 236 Fifth Avenue (27 ^th Street). Proceeds from the event will benefit the Slow Food Harvest Time program in New York schools and a program at the American University in Beirut that supports small farms.

• The Daily News Online of June 18 reported that the Cortland State College Alumni Association will present its highest honor, the Distinguished Alumna Award, to a retired Batavia city school teacher Rosa LaSorte Rich next month. In 1964, she started the first health and physical education program for women at the American University in Beirut. She spent four years there, instituting the first full-year overseas student teaching program.

• HomeTownLife.com of June 18 reported that Kamal Nasser, M.D., has joined the medical staff at Botsford Hospital. He is board certified in Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care Medicine and Internal Medicine. He received his medical education from the American University of Beirut and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Wayne State University.

• North Texas e-News of June 19 included in its On This Day in history section on June 19 that in 1982, David S. Dodge, then president of the American University of Beirut, was kidnapped.

• The Cherokeean of June 19 reported that Austin Governor, Rick Perry, has appointed three members to the Nursing Facility Administrators Advisory Committee for terms to expire Feb. 1, 2015. Among them is Ziad Haydar, vice president of health care improvement, director of the center for health care improvement, and corporate director of surgical services for Baylor Health Care System. He received a bachelor's degree and medical degree from the American University of Beirut, and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University.

• The New York Times of June 20 reported that Alison Howard Leavitt and George Samir Khalaf were married Saturday evening in Scarsdale, N.Y. The groom is the son of Roseanne and Samir Khalaf. Mrs. Roseanne Khalaf is an assistant professor of English and creative writing at the American University of Beirut, and her husband is a sociology professor there.

• Ashrae of June 21 reported that the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recognized 56 members and one chapter for contributions to ASHRAE. One of the awards, the ASHRAE Poster Presentation Award, was awarded to Nesreen Ghaddar, Ph.D., Kamel Ghali, Ph.D., Ralph Saade and Amer Keblawi for Design Charts for Combined Chilled Ceiling Displacement Ventilation Systems. Saade and Keblawi are graduate students at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at American University of Beirut.

• On Point of June 23 presented a recording of an interview it conducted with Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, and Anthony Cordesman, the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, about the protests in Iran over the outcome of the country's presidential election.

• The Media Line of June 24 reported on significance of Syria's release of 23 Lebanese prisoners from its jails, some of whom had been imprisoned since the 1975-90 Lebanese civil war. Hilal Khashan, chair of the Political Science Department at the American University of Beirut, said, Syria is moving away from Iran, especially after the latest state of events there. The Syrians have decided to shift their alliances in the region, and therefore they have to open up to the Lebanese and establish a rapport with the incoming Lebanese cabinet.

• British Journal of Ophthalmology of June 24 published the results of a study by the Department of Ophthalmology at the American University of Beirut that found that selective blockade of vascular endothelial growth factor was effective in causing regression of conjunctival microvessels in three eyes with inflamed pterygium or residual pterygia.

• Al-Waqt (Bahrain) of June 25 published the proceedings of an interview with Bahraini banker Khaled Jahani on a TV talk show airing on LBC channel called Fi Hadithin Akhar (in another talk). The paper said that Jahani received a scholarship from the Bahraini government in 1974 to study at AUB but he graduated with a degree in computer science and accounting in 1979 from Manchester University in the United Kingdom instead. due to the war in Lebanon.

• Inter Press Service of June 25 reported on the obstacles that will inevitably emerge during the formation of a new Lebanese government in light of the divide in the Christian ranks in the country. Christians were clearly split during the 2009 elections, as witnessed in the close electoral results of various candidates in different regions, said political scientist Hilal Khashan from the American University of Beirut.

• Blood of June 25 published a report by the Department of Internal Medicine at the American University of Beirut on entitled, Phase 2 study of the efficacy and safety of the combination of arsenic trioxide, interferon alpha, and zidovudine in newly diagnosed chronic adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL).

• Erie Times News of June 26 announced the May 2 marriage of John Persinger and Sarah Elizabeth Smiles. The bride, a former political reporter for the Melbourne-based newspaper The Age, lived in Beirut for a period of time where she earned a master's degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the American University of Beirut.

• BBC Online (Britain) of June 27 reported on the recent appointment of Lebanese MP Saad Hariri as Prime Minister, now in the process of formulating a new national unity government. The paper quoted Rami Khoury, director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at AUB, as saying "His [Hariri] rhetoric now is much more reconciliatory, and is very different from what it was two years ago, when he was clearly a divisive figure."

• The Arab American News.com of June 27 published an article by Karim Makdisi, a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut, analyzing the recent Lebanese parliamentary elections in which the pro-West March 14 Coalition won a majority. He observed, Lebanon's June 2009 elections might have been internationally praised as free and fair, it represented a step backwards in terms of long-term, socially progressive reform for the Lebanese themselves. On the one hand it has re-entrenched sectarianism, deepened rifts and mistrust between Sunni and Shi'a communities, and brought out the chauvinist tendencies within the Christian elite. On the other hand, the elections returned to power politicians committed to crony capitalism and dependency on regional patrons.â?

• Redlan Dsdaily Facts of June 27 published the obituary of Camille Nehme Ayoub who passed away in Redlands, California on April 28. Born in Lebanon, he studied at the American University of Beirut and then moved to France before settling in the United States.

• San Francisco Chronicle of June 28 and The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, and Free Internet Press of June 27 reported on the appointment of Saad al-Hariri as Lebanon's new prime minister. Bringing him on is part of a consensus. He is coming in with regional agreement, as part of the larger Saudi-Syrian agreement, said Karim Makdisi, a professor of political science at American University in Beirut.

• Gates of Vienna of June 28 and BBC News of June 27 reported on the appointment of Saad al-Hariri as the new Lebanese prime minister. Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, said, He has made mixed impressions, and he still has to prove himself, but I think he has shown himself as a smart man who is up to the task.

• American Journal of Otolaryngology of June 29 published the abstract of a study by a research team from the American University of Beirut Medical Center on Leishmaniasis of the auricle mimicking carcinoma.

• The New Nation of June 29 and The Muslim News of June 26 reported that American President Barack Obama's address to the Muslim did not really affect how the Lebanese voted in the country's recent parliamentary elections. Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, described Lebanese politics as local, regional, global and cosmic.

• NRtoday.com of June 28 announced the engagement of Virginia Ann Crowe and Dr. Gabriel Bou Merhi who are both residing in the United States. Bou Merhi earned his medical degree at the American University of Beirut. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

• HCPro of June 30 reported that the American University of Beirut Medical Center has become the first hospital in the Middle East to earn the prestigious ANCC Magnet Recognition Program (MRP) designation. I decided to embark on the [MRP] journey the moment I recognized that it would raise the bar of quality to a level of excellence for our patients who deserve the very best, said Assistant Hospital Director for Patient Care Services Gladys Mouro, who spearheaded the six-year effort.

• EI of June 30 published a review of Embers and Ashes: Memoirs of an Arab Intellectual, by late Palestinian author, Hisham Sharabi. The book follows Sharabi's early life in Palestine, where he was born in 1927, his studies at the American University of Beirut, and finally his own American experience and life as a university professor at Georgetown.

• Electronic Intifada (USA) of June 30 published a review of the recently published autobiography of late Palestinian intellectual who died in 2005 entitled Embers and Ashes. The paper said that the autobiography recounts his early life in Palestine, where he was born in 1927, his student years at the American University of Beirut, and finally his own American experience and life as a university professor at Georgetown.