Check Archive

February 2009

• PlusNews of February 1 reported on the mismanagement of water in Lebanon and the Bekaa region in particular. It noted that Lebanon boasts the highest annual rainfall in the region, but this resource is not being exploited. In a lecture in January at the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, Hamed Assaf, a professor of water resources engineering at the university, urged regional governments to practice water demand management.

• The Middle East Online and Middle East Times of February 4 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about Arab societies and the reasons why they spawn violent tendencies. He explained that the oppressive Arab regimes that stifle free thought are the cause for the emergence of violent trends. He said, The cross-fertilization between politics and the world of ideas remains weak in the Arab world, which is one reason why our region counts more indigenous terrorists and exiled intellectuals than it does respected resident researchers and public policy analysts.

• Al-Basaer (Iraq) of February 4 published a review of the recently published work of Ibrahim Khalil al-'Allaf entitled A l-'Iraq w'al-wilayat al-muttahida al-Amerikiyah: Dirasat fi al-Ta'reekh w'al-siyasa, w'al naft, w'al-ta'leem. In his book, al-'Allaf argues that the American missionaries wanted to create a university in Mosul similar to the one they created when the American University of Beirut was founded.

• The Peninsula Qatar of February 6 and Qatar Tribune of February 5 reported on Al Amal Hostpitalâ??s first cancer conference that was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Doha. Breast cancer was found to be the most common cancer in Qatar with approximately 110 cases reported in 2007. At a session on the Update on the epidemiology of breast cancer in the Arab countries, Dr. Nagi S. El Shahir from the American University of Beirut said that breast cancer is the most frequent cancer in Arab countries constituting between 14 percent and 42 percent of all cancers among women.

• UAE Interact of February 7 and Emirates News Agency and Breitbart.com of February 6 reported that the Regional Ethical Journalism Initiative will soon be launched at a conference in Dubai. Participants at the two-day event include heads of journalists associations and syndicates, editor-in-chiefs, industry experts and media personalities from Arab countries, West Asia and Africa. Among those participating is Ramez Maluf, a professor of journalism at the American University of Beirut.

• Al Ahram Weekly Newspaper of February 7 reported on the Lebanese parliamentary elections set for June and the possibility of the formation of a bloc of independent candidates. American University of Beirut political science professor, Karim Makdisi said the proposed bloc was an attempt to reach voters who wanted to see a Christian resurgence in power but did not necessarily want to align with the March 8 opposition bloc or anti-Syrian March 14 movement.

• Gulf News of February 7 reported on students at the American University of Dubaiâ??s reception of its recently held job fair. Some students viewed the event as being helpful, while others believed that they did not benefit from it. Expeditors, a global logistics company, was at the fair seeking fresh graduates with no professional background who can grasp and understand the culture and region with ease. said Fadi Al Hakim, distributions manager. Al Hakim was recruited by the company at a similar event at the American University in Beirut five years ago. Having completed management training he is now the one searching for budding graduates.

• Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat (KSA) of February 7 published an article about the Iranian diplomats who went missing in Lebanon in 1982. The paper said that the first significant event that took place after their alleged abduction was the kidnapping of AUB's president David Dodge in 1982.

• Peninsula Huda (Qatar) of February 7 reported on the Al Amal Hospital First Cancer Conference in which Dr. Nagi Saghir Clinical Professor, Hematology- Oncology, AUBMC, gave a talk on Breast Cancer in the Arab region. The paper said that workshops and lectures were held at the sidelines of the conference intended to raise breast cancer awareness.

• Yemen Observer (Yemen) of February 9 published an interview with Yemeni student Farea Mahmood Al-Muslimi who has received the US Department of State Funded MEPI's Tomorrow's Leaders scholarship to study Political Studies and Public Administration at AUB.

• The Middle East Online of February 9 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about how he believes the world is a better place now that former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's term in office has ended. He noted that the appointment of George Mitchell as U.S. President Barack Obama's envoy to the Middle East is a first step that positive change will be reached in the region.

• Yemen Times of February 9 published an article by Magda Abu-Fadil, director of the Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut, about qat chewing in Yemen. Qat is a plant that is widely grown in Yemen. She observed that an alarming number of women have started chewing qat, which is considered as a stimulant to some and a doping agent to others.

• WAM of February 11 reported that Supreme Council member and Ruler of Sharjah, H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi has been awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the American University in Cairo (AUC). He noted in his acceptance speech that the American University of Sharjah was established based on studying various institutions in the region. He said, The American University in Cairo and the American University of Beirut are excellent examples of quality higher education institutions in the region.

• The Middle East Online of February 11 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about the future of the two-state solution in the Palestinian territories based on the outcome of the Israeli elections. He said that the land is on the verge of being divided into four states, one ruled by the Palestinian group Fatah, another by Hamas, one by the militant and racist right in Israel, and one by a center-left Israel.

• The National Newspaper of February 11 reported on Josh Winters and Nate Train, two business partners who established the Los Angeles-based Blackwood design and build firm. They recently expanded their firm to Dubai where they aspire to find uses for old spaces in the city, such as Al Baraha in Deira and Al Quoz off Sheikh Zayed Road. Train did graduate work at the American University of Beirut, and Winters completed his MA studies in the architecture and history of the Middle East at University of California in Los Angeles.

• Emirates News Agency (UAE) of February 12 reported that the Supreme Council member and Ruler of Sharjah, H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi was awarded an honorary doctorate by the American University in Cairo. The paper quoted Al-Qasimi as saying in his acceptance speech that "Before we started in Sharjah, we studied various institutions around us to optimize our resources and to benefit from their previous experiences. The American University in Cairo and the American University in Beirut are excellent examples of quality higher education institutions in the region Å  As an institution, The American University of Sharjah is already fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Universities in the United States, like AUC and AUB."

• Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat (KSA) of February 12 reported that the director of the AUB Journalism Training Program Magda Abu Fadel participated in an investigative journalism workshops held in Yemen to train Yemeni journalists.

• Uruknet.info of February 13 published an article by Adib Kawar, a writer, researcher, translator Arab and/Palestinian and Zionist affairs, who graduated from the American University of Beirut in 1954. In his article, Kawar assessed the Israeli elections, noting that they proved beyond doubt that there is no right or left as well as there are no extremist Zionists and no moderate Zionists, they are equally extremist in their hatred of Arabs.

• King Abdullah II official website of February 15 announced the recipients of Al Hussein Decoration of the First Order for Distinguished Contribution. They included Musa Zuhdi Nather, founder of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Jordan and Chemistry Labs at Muta University; and professor of chemistry at the University of Jordan and the American University of Beirut.

• eArticlesOnline.com of February 16 published an article by Dr. Raja Srour about liposuction and cosmetic surgery. Dr. Srour has been a plastic surgeon for nearly 30 years. He earned his Medical Degree from the American University of Beirut.

• The Middle East Online of February 16 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about the importance of American-Iranian rapprochement. He said, A serious American-Iranian rapprochement is eminently achievable if it reflects American and Iranian interests, and is not distorted or held hostage by Israeli fanatics and their wild surrogates in Washington lobbies and pro-Israeli think tanks. He added that the rapprochement would favor Arab-Israeli peace in the region.

• Adab wa Fan (Other) of February 17 reported on an exhibit by internationally acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid held at the Architecture Museum in London. The paper said that Hadid has a BS in mathematics from the American University of Beirut.

• The Middle East Online of February 18 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about the opportunity for change in American and Arab-Islamic relations under the new American administration. He noted that the American administration's willingness to improve ties with Muslim societies and the latter's awareness that their violent trends will lead to catastrophe as main causes for the possible change.

• Trade Arabia, AME Info, and The Open Press of February 18 reported that White Mountain Technologies has launched the UniversiTools Career Center, which optimizes the services of college career planning and placement offices. Regional members of the UniversiTools user community include the American University of Beirut, American University in Dubai, and Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) in Lebanon.

• Ar-Riyad (KSA) of February 18 published an editorial by Munah Al-Solh in which he recounts the effects of Arab nationalism prevalent in Iraq and Egypt on Lebanon. Al-Solh mentioned that a number of graduate students at AUB were very active in nationalist movements.

• The Yemen Observer (Yemen) of February 19 published an editorial piece by Rami Khuri, director of AUB's Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, entitled "The Four State Solution," in which he argues that, whoever wins the Israeli elections, the chances of a negotiated peace based on a two-state solution are slim.

• Al-Qabas (Kuwait) of February 20 announced the start of the Al-Bustan International Music Festival which will include a few concerts at AUB's Assembly Hall.

• 14 March, Dar Al-Hayat (Britain), and Al-Rai (Kuwait) of February 20, and www.cyberia.com and Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat (KSA) of February 21 reported that AUB inaugurated on February 19 the Rafic Hariri School of Nursing in a ceremony in Issam Fares Hall. The papers said that AUB President Peter Dorman, AUBMC Dean Nadim Cortas, Director of the School of Nursing Huda Huijer, and AUB Board member, MP Saad Hariri gave inaugural speeches during the ceremony which was followed by a visit to the cedar tree planted on AUB campus in memory of Rafic Hariri. The papers also said that the AUB School of Nursing was named after late PM Rafic Hariri following a $10-million pledge by MP Saad Hariri to name and endow the school.

• Al-Waqt (Bahrain) of February 21 published an article by Arab national activist Ahmad Al 'Ubaidly in which he recounts his decision to study at the American University of Beirut.

• Jordan Times of February 22 reported on a book by Serene Husseini Shahid, entitled, Jerusalem Memories. The book is Shahid's memoir aimed for her children and future generations to inform them about what life was like before Israel's occupation of Palestine. Born in Jerusalem in 1920, Shahid earned her education at the American University in Beirut.

• The Middle East Online of February 23 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about the emergence of more moderate trends in the Middle East and the United States in light of the election of Barack Obama as the new U.S. President. Khouri noted however, that this moderation has been accompanied by the emergence of Israeli extremism with the likely election of Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel's new Prime Minister.

• aljazeera.net (Qatar) of February 23 published a book review of Harakat Al-Qawmiyyin Al-'Arab (Arab patriots movement), authored by Abed Raja Sarhan. The paper said that the book surveys the emergence and the history of the Arab Nationalist Party and argues that the movement came partly as a result of political and intellectual environment dominating AUB.

• Ad-Dustur (Jordan) of February 23 published a profile of Arab nationalist and political activist Sobhi Ghosha. The paper said that Ghosha graduated from AUB with an MD in 1953 and said that it was there where he made his first connections with Arab nationalists.

• The Middle East Online of February 25 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about the importance of American rapprochement with Iran and Syria. He said, Iran, Syria and the United States (with the U.S. being a proxy for Israel on many of the issues at hand) would probably find themselves on friendlier terms if they focused on identifying and acknowledging the core national rights and interests they wish to safeguard, rather than reacting to the hostile intentions and aspirations that they perceive in each other -- namely, their mutual hegemonic ambitions in the region.

• The Middle East Online of February 25 reported on Palestinian women photojournalists working in the Palestinian territories. Among the photojournalists mentioned was American University of Beirut graduate Karimeh Abbud (1896-1955), the first Palestinian woman to become a professional photographer.

• Al-Qabas (Kuwait) of February 25 published an in memoriam piece commemorating Kuwaiti celebrity Abdallah Yusuf Al-Ghanem who passed away on February 24. The paper said that Al-Ghanem is an AUB alumnus.

• Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat (KSA) of February 25 published a political piece on the repercussions of the assassination of Lebanese PM Rafic Hariri in 2005 and the imminent international tribunal. The paper recounted how Lebanese MPs flocked to AUBMC following news that Hariri was transferred there for treatment.

• AME Info of February 26 and MENAFN of February 25 reported that a symposium on Building Capacity to Enhance Food Safety in the Middle East, which was chaired by Dr. Aisha Abushelaibi from the UAE University, was attended by Professor Ewen Todd, from Michigan University, Mr. Atef Idriss, President of the Middle East North Africa Food Safety Associates (MEFOSA) Lebanon, Dr. Zeina Kassaify, Assistant Professor of Food Microbiology at the American University of Beirut, and Dr. Amir H. Mokhtari a Research Environmental Specialist at RTI International in the United States.

• AME Info and Trade Arabia of February 26 reported that Al Rai Media Group, a leading Kuwait-based media conglomerate, has appointed advertising professional Karim S. Tabet as Group General Manager, Marketing and Sales. Tabet is a graduate of the American University of Beirut and a post-graduate from the prestigious Oxford University and holds 26 years of experience in his field.

• News Yemen of February 27 published an article by Magda Abu Fadil, director of the Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut, about Yemen hosting a large number of refugees despite its economic problems. She said that the refugees mainly come from African countries, with the greatest numbers coming from Somalia.

• Al-Arabia (UAE) of February 28 published a political editorial arguing that democracy is not treated in a sacred manner as the United States claims it should be. The paper included a quotation by Christopher Hitchens during a lecture he gave recently at AUB.