Archive

March  2005

• The Glendale Heights Daily Herald of March 31  discussed the meeting of scientists, at Wheaton College , that tackled the issue of how to bring clean water to victims of war and natural disasters, such as the recent tsunami. Among the speakers was Chris Walley, former head of the geology department at American University of Beirut.
  

• The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of March 24 reported on the Kaslik bombing in a Christian neighborhood in Beirut where Christians, Sunni and Shiite Muslims and Druze have lived together in relative harmony since Lebanonâ??s civil war ended in 1990. Many Lebanese believe that it and the earlier explosions were intended to demonstrate that Lebanon still needed the Syrian security presence to maintain calm, but Dr. Farid el Khazen, chairman of the American University of Beirutâ??s political studies department and an opposition activist, believed otherwise saying, â??The government and Syria would like to postpone the elections, and this would be a pretext to say we canâ??t hold it because of the violence. Therefore, it will not be surprising if these criminal acts continue and move from one location to another." The bombing came a day before the United Nations is expected to release a report into Haririâ??s assassination and on the same day of the resignation of the Lebanese judge investigating the case, citing exhaustion.
  

• Seattle Times, Los Angeles Daily News, and Globe and Mail of March 8 reported on Hezbollahâ??s military role in Lebanon. Official status aside, Hezbollahâ??s military role could be "neutralized" without Syrian troops in the country for backup, said Ahmad Moussalli, associate professor of political studies at the American University  of Beirut. "Hezbollah has been used as a card in the politics of the area. We are going through a very tough time where Syria and Hezbollah will have to rethink their strategies," he said.
  

• KTLA-TV ran an article by Los Angeles Times of March 7, about the planned Hezbollah demonstration for Tuesday March 8 in Beirut.  In it, they quote AUB professor Nizar Hamzeh "They can't really afford to be silent on this, if they continue being passive it's going to seem as though the whole country subscribes to dismantling the resistance.â?They also quoted AUB political scientist Adnan Iskander, "It's saving face for the Syrians, showing that there are people here who support them and so on," and "But now the government could ask the Syrians to stay in the Bekaa. I think it hinges on whether the Syrians should withdraw before the elections, because if they stay in the Bekaa, we won't have a free election.
  

• Daily sentinel of March 7 reported on the recent phenomenon of protests, sweeping across the Arab world, where the people have found the courage to speak up against the ruling body. Among those interviewed was Fared el-Khazen, chair of the political science department at the American University of Beirut, who said, "Without some internal pressure for change, it of course won't happen. But at the same time, there wouldn't be an incentive in the Arab world to change without the pressure created by the removal of Saddam Hussein and the voting in Iraq, even if it wasn't perfect.â?
  

• Georgetown Times, Journal Inquirer, and Delaware County Daily Times of March 5 reported on the current situation in Lebanon, saying that the Opposition leaders reiterated their skepticism that any announced Syrian withdrawal would satisfy protesters. "We can't have elections as long as Syrian troops are in the country," said Fared al-Khazen, chair of the political science department at the American University of Beirut and a strategist in the opposition movement. "Basically, they run the country. So you cannot have free and fair elections when you have such a situation.â?
  

• U.S. News & World Report of March 4 discusses and analyzes the on going protests in Lebanon, with John Waterbury, president of the American University of Beirut, commenting, â??there is a sense of euphoria and accomplishment in the unity across sects, with the important exception of the Shiite community, which is almost unprecedented in contemporary Lebanese history."
  
• The Seattle Times of March 4 reported on the protests in Lebanon, with interviews with several of the protestors in Downtown Beirut, mostly made up of students and members of the younger Lebanese generation. "This is really unprecedented in Lebanon. Before, it was always Muslims or Christians, this or that," said Fared al-Khazen, chair of political science department at the American University of Beirut. "Today people are going to the street every day with one objective: sovereignty for Lebanon."   
  
• KTLA-TV and the Sioux Falls Argus Leader of March 4 reported on the inevitability of a Syrian withdrawal, saying that Damascus is looking for a way to leave gracefully.  "They're trying to find an Arab umbrella for the withdrawal from Lebanon," said Adnan Iskander, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut. "It's a formality which gives the impression that Syria is responding to pressure from Arab countries, which makes it easier. It saves face, really."