Archive

May 2007

• Lowell Sun of May 30 reported on Dr. Nizar Nuwayhid joining Emerson Hospital's Westford facility. He attended the American University of Beirut. He completed his residency at the university's medical center, as well as the Strong Memorial Hospital in New York. 

• The Middle East Online of May 27 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, the Director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University if Beirut, in which he blamed the current state of the Arab world on the United States' and Britain's policies in the region since  colonial times, back in the early 20th century. He explained that in the previous century, those two colonial powers supported the idea of having strong, almost tyrannical rulers. Khouri said however that the United States and Britain have only now realized these errors, after witnessing the bloodshed in Iraq, and the rise of the Islamic group Hamas in the Palestinian territories. 

• Daily Tribune of May 27 and China Post Online and Kuwait Times of May 26 reported on the Lebanese army's determination to get rid of the Fatah-Islam militant group. Timor Goksel, a political scientist at the American University of Beirut, and former spokesman of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said, "Militarily, the Army, with all its shortcomings, is capable. They can do it, but at what price? There are other small groups which will come in their support and that can cause trouble too."

• Electronic Intifada of May 26 and Global Research of May 25 reported on the army's shelling of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, as part of the Lebanese army's battle with Fatah-Islam militants. Written by Dr. Marcy Newman, a Visiting professor at the American University of Beirut's center for American Studies and Research (CASAR), the article reported on the plight of Palestinian citizens living in the camp, and how the Lebanese media is refraining from reporting the true number of casualties, and the real humanitarian suffering the refugees are going through.

• Global Research of May 26 and ReliefWeb and IRIN News of May 22 reported on the Lebanese army's battle with Fatah-Islam militants in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camps and the growing fears that the fighting may actually spread to other camps scattered across the country. Hilal Khashan, a political scientist at the American University of Beirut suggested that one solution to the conflict may be granting leading Palestinian factions control of the camp in coordination with the Lebanese government. That way, he explained the state may monitor the developments in the camp. He added, "Fatah-Islam will not leave, but they will be controlled and limited to the camp."

• World Socialist of May 25 highlighted the United Statesâ?? stand towards the Lebanese government in that it fully supports the armyâ??s efforts in fighting the mainly Sunni Fatah-Islam militant group militant group. This outpouring of support has sparked some speculation over the sides backing and financing the militant group. Seymour Hersh of the New Yorker speculated that the Sunni Lebanese powers are in fact financing the group in order to garner U.S. support against the rise of Shiite Islam. He explained, â??The American role is very simple. Weâ??re in the business now of supporting the Sunnis anywhere we can against the Shiites, against the Shiites in Iran, against the Shiites in Lebanon.â? Professor Charles Harb of the American University of Beirut echoed this speculation. He said that the impoverished Sunni city of Tripoli has become â??fertile territory for the proselytizing of Salafist and radical Sunni groups.â? He added that political cover was needed for their empowerment, which was he claimed was provided by the head of the mainly Sunni Future Movement, MP Saad Hariri.

• The Middle East Online and the International Herald Tribune of May 24 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, the Director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, in which he said that the eruption of violence between the Lebanese army and the Fatah-Islam militant group in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon was inevitable due to three factors. He said that the fighting broke out as a result of the already existing tension between the Lebanese and the Palestinians and the tension between Lebanon and Syria. Khouri also considered that the United Statesâ?? global war on terror contributed to the increasing the threat of extremism throughout the Middle East. He warned that the threat of extremism is here to stay as long as no changes in policies are implemented in the Middle East or the U.S.

• Scranton Times Tribune of May 23 presented an article about one of the possible successors to the position of head of the World Bank, Dr. Ashraf Ghani. A Muslim with both United States and Afghanistan citizenship, Dr. Ghani has specialized in fixing struggling economies. For 15 years, he was the World Bankâ??s boots-on-the-ground, working on large-scale projects in Russia, China and India. He has a BA from the American University of Beirut and doctoral degrees in anthropology from Columbia University.

• Pharmabiz.com of May 22 and National Institutes of Health of May 21 reported on a study by researchers from the American University of Beirut, Pennsylvania University and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), on the microarray technology. The study revealed that microarray technology makes it possible to more definitively identify skin lesions in mice that are thought to be at high risk of progressing to a type of cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

• The Middle East Online of May 21 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, the Director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about the difficulties that may face nations when it comes to changing the rulers or system of rule in a country. In an interview with Cullinet Software magnate John Cullinet, Khouri highlighted the fact that despite the number of intellectuals and liberal thinkers in the Middle East, the region is still ruled by outdated regimes.

• The Jordan Times of May 20 reported on an Al Arabiya television debate entitled, â??Is the Arab World Betraying its Youth.â? Among the topics discussed was the â??wastaâ? or nepotism. Asked by Al Arabiya News Channel Presenter Taleb Kanaan whether the American University of Beirut admitted students by â??wastaâ?, AUB board member Ibrahim Dabdoub replied, â??People can even enter Harvard through â??wastaâ?, but the point is whether you can graduate from there.â? Dabdoub, who is CEO of the National Bank of Kuwait, said nepotism existed in many parts of the world today in different forms and was indeed a problem. The issue of â??wastaâ? was considered to be one of the compounding factors affecting youth today, with panelists noting that such injustice was a result of the failure of governments to build the needed ground for equal employment opportunities based on qualifications.

• Monstersancritics.com of May 19 published a list of attacks Iran has committed against western figures and locations, such as November 1979 hostage situation in which American citizens were held captive in Tehran for 444 days. The list also included the kidnapping of Peter Kilburn, a librarian at the American University of Beirut, who was abducted by Iranâ??s operatives in December 3, 1984, and then killed in1986.

• Business Intelligence Middle East of May 17 reported on the Lebanese governmentâ??s signing of an agreement with the International Monetary Fundâ??s Post Conflict Assistance Fund to oversee state spending. "The role of IMF is crucial to the development of the Paris III project because most - in fact, all - major countries requested that the IMF approve any program to be submitted by government," Mazen Hanna said at a Paris III panel being held at the American University of Beirut. "Lebanon got a lot of project finance pledges, which we are trying to convert into budgetary support or at least to shift loans into expenditures the government would have to make," Hanna said. The Paris 3 donor conference was aimed to aid the Lebanese economy after the July 2006 war left it close to collapse.

• The Middle East Online of May 15 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, the Director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about the relationship between the military and the government in the Arab world and in Turkey. He expaliedn that in Turkey, the military was able to set a fine line between interfering in politics and in maintaining the countryâ??s security, which has led to the secularization of Turkey. In the Arab world on the other hand, the governmentsâ?? reliance on the military transformed Arab regimes into security states. He said that there is a need to break the Arab rulersâ?? reliance on military force if they want the establishment of a more democratized Arab world.

• National Post of May 12 reported on the eccentric and extreme lifestyles of Arab emirs in a book by Fuad I. Khuri, entitled, â??An Invitation to Laughter: A Lebanese Anthropologist in the Arab World.â?  Khuri was a social anthropologist who spent much of his life as a scholar analyzing Arab customs with the methods he learned in the United States and taught at the American University of Beirut.

• The Middle East Online of May 10 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, the Director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about Turkeyâ??s successful balance of secularism, nationalism, democracy, religion and politics in rule. He hoped that it may set an example to the Arab world on how to balance these issues and implement liberal systems of government.

• Sacramento Bee of May 10 reported on Shereen Hamadehâ??s winning of a scholarship after competing in the annual Scholarship Essay Contest, open to high school seniors in Sacramento. Hamadeh, 17, said her essay was inspired by last year's evacuation from Lebanon during the July 2006 war, where she helped out in refugee camps and saw war first-hand. Hamadeh plans to attend the American University of Beirut to study medicine.

• Converge Online and Electronic Business Asia reported on Intel Corp. Chairman Craig Barrett announcing that his company will be increasing technical and doctor training support for a Telemedicine Program at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) and the Nabatiyeh Governmental Hospital in Nabatiyeh. The Telemedicine systems provide the hospitals with real-time video consultation between physicians kilometers apart, the ability to share data and to diagnose patients from afar. "The Nabatiyeh-Beirut Telemedicine Program could not come at a better time," said Dr. Nadim Cortas, Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the faculty of medicine and AUBMC. "Since last summer, there has been an increase in eye and skin problems due mainly to crowding, particularly among the residents of South Lebanon. Now we can bring medical expertise to more people, and faster than before,â? he added.

• The Middle East Online of May 8 and the Age of May 7 published an article by Rami G. Khoury director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, in which he criticizes the Westâ??s, and particularly, the United Statesâ?? policy towards the Palestinian national unity government. He questioned how the Westâ??s approach pf boycotting the government may actually achieve any progress in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, by stressing the need for dialogue to end disputes.

• CNBC.com of May 7 reported on the difficult task of monitoring the Syrian border on the Iraqi and Lebanese side, especially when it comes to controlling the flow of militants to and from Iraq. "Syria provides a sanctuary, a safe haven," said Dr. Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut. "The Syrians oversee the trafficking of militants," he said, despite recent statements by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that his country is cracking down on Al-Qaeda fighters.

• The American Muslim of May 7 published an article by John Alden Williams demonstrating the importance of the Muslim civilization over the centuries. He documented the rise and fall of Muslim civilizations, and considered, that after a lull in the early 20 ^th century, Islam is back on the rise in the world as more and more people are converting to the religion. He did not deny however that Islam is facing challenges due to the extremism. He explained how Lebanon, where he studied at the American University of Beirut, has come to embody the conflict between East and West, between the United States on the one hand and extremist thinking on the other.

• Tehran Times of May 6 and Arab Times, Gulf Daily News, and Khaleej Times Online of May 5 reported on Saudi Arabiaâ??s launching of a $70bn investment petrochemical industry program to boost development. The program was launched by Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al Naimi. He said, "Progress in the economy, research, science, and society will help remove dangers surrounding us." Naimi, who is an American University of Beirut graduate, added, "A strong economy will help stabilize the state. Underdevelopment only leads to desperation."

• Kuwait Times of May 5 reported on the honoring of the Alumni Association of the American University of Beirut (AUB) of one its former graduates, Akram Rachad Miknas, President of Promoseven Holdings Co, offering him an award of honor in recognition of his outstanding contribution and support to the Alumni Association. The ceremony was attended by around 400 persons and many ministers, MPs and key figures from the political media, social and cultural fields. Promoseven Holdings is one of the leading advertisement and communications companies in the Middle East with eighteen branches in all parts of the Arab world. It also owns many companies of advertisement, communication, planning, marketing, and public relations. In addition, Miknas owns many hospitality, leisure and recreation companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain. He is also the President of a McDonaldâ??s franchisee in Lebanon.

• Miami Herald of May 5 posted some memorable excerpts from commencement speeches, including on from the year 2000 by Palestinian activist Edward Said at the American University of Beirut. He said, â??In this part of the world we have suffered too much from the attitude that simply leaves politics and society to the politicians... leaving the important decisions to people who have governed us for too long, undemocratically, despotically, and with a great deal of contempt and cruelty.â?

• Electronic Intifada of May 5 published an article by Marcy Newman, a Visiting Professor at the Center for American Studies and Research at the American University of Beirut, about United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosiâ??s visit to the Middle East. Newman criticized what she interpreted as a biased visit in that Pelosi showed more compassion for the Israeli victims of the July 2006 war, and disregarded the damage the Jewish state inflicted on Lebanon.

• Houston Independent Media Center of May 5 and Electronic Intifada of May 4 published the program of films being screened at the Houston Palestinian Film Festival. The screening of one of the submitted films, Waiting, will be followed with a discussion led by Asâ??ad Abu Khalil, a professor of Political Science at California State University. Born in Lebanon, Khalil received his education at the American University of Beirut and his PhD from Georgetown University.

• Globe and Mail of May 3 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, Director of the American University of Beirut, about the Winograd report, which placed blame on the Israeli government for its failures in its July 2006 war on Lebanon. He said that despite the possibility the report may increase pressure on the government to resign, Israeli policy towards Palestinians will most likely remain unchanged.

• Yahoo Finance â?? Business Wire of May 3 on the promotion of Andre B. Sassine to the position of Senior Vice President with Hill Internationalâ??s Project Management Group. Sassine graduated from the American University of Beirut with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, and has over 20 years experience in the construction industry. Hill International is a company that provides program management, project management, construction management, and construction claims services.

• Lawn and Landscape (News) of May 2 reported on the appointment of Charles N. Zaher to the position of business development manager at HydroPoint Data Systems. He holds a B.S. in agricultural engineering from the American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon as well as a M.S. in Soils, Irrigation and Machinery Management, also from AUB. Prior to his appointment, Zaher held management positions with Rain Bird since 1993.

• The Jordan Times of May 1 in its Opinion Section published an article by Ziad Asali advocating the formation of a Palestinian state and an Israeli one in order to end the ongoing struggle between the two sides. He emphasized the importance of the 1967 war between the Arabs and Israelis, which broke out while he studying at the American University of Beirut. He said that this war, along with the 1948 one, is a landmark in Arab history since it affirms the fact that Israel is here to stay and that Arabs will fail in destroying Zionist ambitions in the region, therefore leading to the conclusion of the need to form two states.