Check Archive

May 2009

• Ilaf (Britain) and Dar Al-Hayat (Britain) of May 1, and Al-Mashriq (Iraq) published an interview with Afghani diplomat Khalil Zadeh who studied at the American University of Beirut and is considering in the running for the Afghani presidential elections.

• Al-Ghad (Jordan) of May 2 published a feature article on Jordan's former president Wasfi Al-Tall who studied philosophy at AUB.

• Al-Watan (Qatar) of May 2 published a review of the recently published novel Al Sarab by Ibrahim Al Gharab in which the protagonist, "Dr. Wael," studied medicine and worked at AUB where he met his future wife.

• The Jordan Times (Jordan) of May 3 published a story on the new land construction project, the Cedar Island, that is being considered for implementation in Lebanon. The paper said that a group of professors from the AUB protested the project and included a quotation by AUB professor Jad Chaaban as describing it as "an urban, economic, and an environmental disaster."

• Al-Ahram (Egypt) of May 3 reported on the opening of a new sports facility at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and said that next month, AUC will host the first competition in the new sports complex with athletes from AUB, who will visit AUC for a series of games including men's football, women's basketball, men's and women's volleyball, and tennis.

• Peninsula Qatar and Gulf Times of May 3 reported on Silatech, an Arab initiative aimed at promoting youth employment. The initiative is set to release an index on the challenges facing Arab youth in finding employment. Silatech had also recently held a Knowledge Consortium in Beirut. The Consortium includes the International Labor Organization, the World Bank, the Middle East Youth Initiative of the Dubai School of Government and the Brookings Institution, the Nike Foundation, the Issam Fares Institute of the American University of Beirut, and the Gallup Organization.

• The American University in Cairo of May 3 reported on the Universityâ??s inauguration of its new sports facility. In May, the facility is set to host 100 athletes from the American University of Beirut to participate in a series of athletic contests.

• Al-Ghad (Jordan) of May 4 published a profile of Jordanian politician Ibrahim Izzeddine who tried to join the American University of Beirut as a student.

• The Jerusalem Post (Israel) of May 4 published a story on the new land construction project, the Cedar Island, that is being considered for implementation in Lebanon. The paper said that a group of professors from AUB protested the project and included a quotation by AUB professor Jad Chaaban as describing it as "an urban, economic, and an environmental disaster."

• The Gulf Times (Qatar) and The Peninsula (Qatar) reported on Silatech's, the Arab initiative chaired by HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misnad to promote youth employment. The paper described Silatech's special meeting of its Knowledge Consortium in Beirut last week to review programs to be unveiled at the 2009 Doha Summit in June. The paper said that the consortium included the International Labor Organization, the World Bank, the Middle East Youth Initiative of the Dubai School of Government and the Brookings Institution, the Nike Foundation, the Issam Fares Institute of the American University of Beirut and the Gallup Organization.

• The General Secretariat of the Executive Council - Abu Dhabi of May 5 reported on a digital maintenance program, the first experiment of its kind in the field of electrical networks. Maintenance time was reduced to three minutes, and helped save Dhs12 million of total GDP in Abu Dhabi. The project director was engineer Sameer Jardaq who graduated from the American University of Beirut in 1992 with a degree in electrical engineering.

• Middle East Online of May 6 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, on the options available to the American administration in its Middle East policies under the leadership of United States President Barack Obama. Khouri observed, â??We can be fairly sure that if the United States puts its full weight behind a policy option that appeals to the majorities of Arabs and Israelis, and is anchored in American self-interest, its chances of being implemented are high.â?

• Naher und Mittlerer Osten (Blog) of May 6 published a response to an article by William Marling who had criticized in a recent article Lebanonâ??s banning of books by Israeli and Jewish authors, as well as books that portray Israel and Jews in a good light. The response, written by John Hayden, a MA candidate from the American University of Beirut, criticized Marlingâ??s article saying that it portrays Lebanon in a negative light and has false facts. For example, Hayden slammed Marlingâ??s allegation that the Diary of Anne Frank is banned from Lebanon saying that a copy of it can be found at AUBâ??s Jafet Library.

• The National Newspaper of May 8 reported on the development of the American University of Beirut over the years in light of the recent inauguration of its newest president Peter Dorman.

• The National Newspaper of May 8 reported on Metropolis Cinema, Beirutâ??s first art house. Located in the district of Hamra, just a short distance from the American University of Beirut to the north and the Lebanese American University to the south, the cinemaâ??s opening coincided with the eruption of the July 2006 war on July 11 of that year.

• Al-Ghad (Jordan) of May 9 published a profile of Islamic political activist Ishaq Al-Farhan who graduated with a BS in chemistry from the American University of Beirut in the 1950s.

• The Jordan Times (Jordan) of May 10 published an article arguing that the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Jordan and Palestine is an opportunity to review and declare the role of Christian Arabs in the peace process. The paper said that the role of Arab Christians in modern Arab nationalism was best reflected in George Habib Antonius' book The Arab Awakening, in which he traced Arab nationalism to the reign of Mehmet Ali Pasha in Egypt and argued that Arab nationalism was a product of the West, especially of Protestant missionaries from Britain and the United States and saw the role of the American University of Beirut (originally the Syrian Protestant College) as central to this development.

• 24-7 PressRelease of May 10 and I Newswire of May 8 reported that the Bicharaf Initiative team attended the 3 ^rd Annual International Conference on Information and Communications Technologies and Development (ICTD) that was held at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar on April 17 through 19. The ICTD conference highlighted the importance of technology and its usability in developing societies.

• Al-Qabas (Kuwait) of May 11 published a profile of Ray Kuwaiti TV anchor Rabab Baddah who worked as a researcher at AUB before working for the Lebanese NBN station.

• The Middle East Online of May 11 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, highlighting the significance of the upcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections. He added, â??The Lebanon election is best seen in a wider context of six important elections that will have been or will be taking place this year starting last November, in six societies critical for the Middle East: the United States, Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran and -- probably soon -- Palestine.â?

• RBM Online of May 12 published the findings of a report by a research team from the American University of Beirut Medical Center. The report reached the conclusion that â??Elevated day 10 FSH, of clomiphene citrate challenge test, is predictive of pregnancy loss in patients undergoing IVF.â?

• The Middle East Online of May 13 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about signs that the Arab world is willing to make concessions to Israel in order to make progress towards peace with Israel. Khouri warned, however, that the Arabs should make sure that Israel also makes concessions of its own so that it does not gain an upper hand against them.

• Kadirjasin of May 13 published an excerpt from a book by Juan Cole, entitled, â??Engaging the Muslim Worldâ? in which he demonstrates that Lebanonâ??s fate is not being inextricably linked to that of Iranâ??s. He said that he had the chance to witness this fact when he visited the American University of Beirut in 2007 where he was presenting a lecture and where he engaged some of the students about Lebanon and Iran.

• BIR News of May 13 reported that over a 1000 participants are set to attend the BIR Dubai Convention. Eminent speaker at the General Assembly will be Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut. He also lectures in media and politics at the University of Chicago and is a senior fellow at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University.

• Kuwait Times (Kuwait) of May 17, and Gulf News (UAE) of May 17 and May 18 published an article on Pope Benedict's recent tour in the Middle East. This was co-authored by Hiba Zeino, a Political Science graduate of AUB.

• Kippreport of May 17 presented a profile of Nasser al-Saidi, the chief economist at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Executive Director of Hawkamah - The Institute of Corporate Governance. He held the position of Lebanonâ??s Minister of Economy and Trade and Minister of Industry from 1998-2000. He was also a professor of economics at the University of Chicago and the American University of Beirut.

• ReliefWeb of May 17 reported that December 8, 2009 will mark the United Nations Relief and Works Agencyâ??s (UNRWA) 60 ^th anniversary. The agency is set to launch a project comprised of several events and publications to mark the occasion. The centerpiece of the project will be a high-level academic symposium that will be hosted in the autumn of 2009, in partnership with the American University of Beirut.

• The Middle East Online of May 20 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about how the American administration seems to be staying true to its pledge to introduce changes to its Middle East policies. He observed how the United States seems to be opening up to the idea of holding talks with Iran, while Israel still views the Islamic Republic as the major threat in the region, therefore revealing possible signs of disputes between the U.S. and Israel in the future.

• Arabian Business and I Newswire of May 20 and Free Press Releases of May 19 reported that the Bicharaf non-profit organization has conducted workshops for teachers and sessions for students at Dar Jana International School in Saudi Arabia from May 5 through 7. Bicharaf was established in 2004 by Dr. Tony Feghali at the American University of Beirut in an effort to create academic integrity awareness and improved business ethics.

• Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (Palestine) of May 20 published an interview with Jordanian intellectual Fathi Al-Biss on the controversy over his recently published book Inthial Al-Dhakira fi ma Hasal. The paper quoted him as saying that he received a letter from an old friend residing in Norway upon reading his article published online. The paper said that the letter was asking whether or not it is the same Fathi who studied at AUB.

• The Observer (Jordan) of May 20 published a profile of Salam Fayyad, new Palestinian Prime Minister and said that he received a bachelor of science in engineering from AUB, and a masters in business administration and a doctorate in economics from the University of Texas.

• Oman Tribune, The Saudi Gazette, The Gulf Times, Reuters US News, and The Jordan Times of May 21 reported that the militant group Hizbullah and its allies may have a slight edge over their rivals in the upcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections. Karim Makdisi, a professor at the American University of Beirut, said, â??It [Hizbullah] has absolutely no intention of a hostile takeover of the state, so it is in its strategic interest to ensure it has a measure of legitimacy and credibility within official channels.â?

• Al-Ghad (Jordan) of May 22 published a profile of Palestinian historian, scholar, and political activist Anis Sayegh who graduated with a BA is history and political studies from the American University of Beirut in 1953.

• Al Jazeera of May 22 published the audio transcript of an interview with Rami G. Khouri, the director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, Joshua Goodman, the head of research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy, and Syed Mohamed Marandi, a professor of Political Science at Tehran University, about the upcoming Iranian presidential election and the affects of regional developments on the Iranian voter.

• The Jordan Times (Jordan), Ad-Dustur (Jordan), Saudi Gazette (KSA), Al-Watan (Qatar), and Al-Ittihad (UAE) of May 22, and The Daily Star of May 25 published a political editorial which argued that opposition has slim edge in winning at the Lebanese parliamentary elections of June 7. The paper quoted AUB professor of political studies Karim Makdisi as saying "It has been clear for some time that Hizbullah has a very strong interest in ensuring a national unity framework."

• Al-Anbat (Jordan) of May 23 reported on the concert by Jahida Wehbe held on May 19 at AUB's Assembly Hall. The paper said that Wehbe recited classical Arabic poetry and sang traditional oriental songs.

• Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat (KSA) of May 23 reported that the Worldwide Alumni Association of AUB recently held its annual meeting and gala dinner at the Intercontinental London Park Lane Hotel in London.

• Al-Mashreq (Iraq) of May 24 reported that TV host Wafa Kilani delivered her first baby in Italy after having received medical treatment at AUB for two months.

• Ad-Dar Al-Iraqiyya (Iraq) of May 24 published an editorial piece discussing the social and professional dynamics in the lives of female journalists. The paper quoted director of AUB's Journalism Training Program Magda Abu Fadil as saying "spotlights are directed more towards women than men in media."

• Tishreen (Syria) of May 24 announced that AUB obstetrics and gynecology doctor Muhiddine Saoud gave a lecture at Al-Bayruni Hospital in Syria on ovarian cancer and surgical methods of extracting it.

• The Middle East Online of May 25 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about how education in the Arab world is just as important as solving the regionâ??s crises. He accused Arab governments of stifling the potential of the regionâ??s youth and preventing them from benefiting from the boom that the area has witness in recent years.

• Al-Watan Al-Iqtisadi (Qatar) and Ar-Raya (Qatar) of May 26 reported that Omar Al-Fardan has been appointed vice president of the administrative board of United Arab Bank. The paper said that Al-Fardan is a member of AUB's board of trustees.

• Al-Wasat (Bahrain) of May 26 and The Kuwait Times (Kuwait) of May 27 published a political editorial stating that the opposition has a slim chance of winning at the Lebanese parliamentary elections of June 7. The paper quoted AUB professor of political studies Karim Makdisi as saying "It has been clear for some time that Hizbullah has a very strong interest in ensuring a national unity framework."

• Ar-Rai (Kuwait) of May 26 published an interview with dean of AUB's Olayan School of Business George Najjar on the recent accreditation that the the school received from AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business).

• Al-Ghad (Jordan) of May 27 published a political editorial questioning the effectiveness of costly electoral ads emerging prior to the Lebanese parliamentary elections on June 7. The paper quoted AUB professor of communications Nabil Dajani as saying that promotional campaigns aim at arousing supporters' emotions and mobilize them.

• Adabfan (Other) of May 27 reported that Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, who has a BS in mathematics from AUB, is working on a project of improving exhibition and museum spaces in Egypt.

• Arab News of May 27 reported that plans are underway to establish a science and health university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A study was carried out with the support of the American University of Beirut in order to determine the feasibility of the project.

• The New Nation of May 27 reported on Irene Zubaida Khan, Amnesty Internationalâ??s Secretary General since 2001. The article highlighted Khanâ??s achievements so far, including reforming the organizationâ??s response to crisis situations, personally leading high level missions to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Palestinian Territories. She is the recipient of several awards including an honorary doctorate from the American University of Beirut.

• The Middle East Online of May 28 published an article by Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, about the impact the world economic crisis is having on the Arab world and particularly Dubai. He said that the crisis should be seen as an opportunity for the Arabs to tackle various issues affecting the economy such as socio-economic reform and promoting employment.

• Al-Watan (Qatar) of May 29 and Sawt Al-Umma Al-Arabiyya (Egypt) and Falastine Al-Yawn (Palestine) of May 31 reported on the lecture given by Dr. Azmi Bshara entitled "Palestine an Arab Cause or the Palestinian Problem?" held at AUB's Issam Fares Hall on May 14. The paper said that the lecture was organized by the AUB Palestinian Cultural Club that, in commemoration of the 61st anniversary of the Palestinian NAKBA.

• Gulf Daily News of May 30 reported on a ceremony that took place in Beirut on May 30 to honor more than a hundred University College of Bahrain (UCB) graduates. Guest speaker at the event was American University of Beirut School of Business Dean Dr. George Najjar.

• The National Newspaper of May 30 reported on the Emirate of Sharjah in the UAE. It is the home of several museums and in 1998 it was named UNESCOâ??s Cultural Capital of the Arab world. It also hosts the American University of Sharjah that is considered one of the most prestigious universities in the region second only to the American University of Beirut.

• Emirates Business of May 30 conducted an interview with Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, about his ambition to have the emirate play a greater social, economic, and academic role in the UAE. Crown prince since 2003, he studied economics at the American University of Beirut until the eruption of the Lebanese civil war forced him to move abroad and complete his degree at the University of Michigan.

• Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (Palestine), Al-Riyadh (KSA), and Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat (KSA) of May 31 published an article abiut the popularity of smoking in Lebanon. The paper quoted Dr. Ghazi Zaatari AUB professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and head of the WHO study group on tobacco regulations and AUB professor of health science Rima Nakkash that there is an increase in smoking among youth in Lebanon.