Nothing seems to be going right for Mohammad Morsi. With the economy on the brink of collapse, and rising internal anger at his mismanagement, Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood are probably regretting their rush to be the first to grab power after Mubarak’s downfall. The first successor to Mubarak was always going to be doomed, [...]
What Really Happened Between Putin and Morsi
Posted By antounissa on May 8th, 2013
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Lebanon’s Liberals Must Take Advantage of Orthodox Electoral Law
Posted By antounissa on February 22nd, 2013
Roughly 50 people turned out to protest the proposed Orthodox Gathering’s Electoral Law on Tuesday, which had just won approval from a parliamentary committee earlier that day. The law further entrenches Lebanon’s sectarian political system by restricting voters to electing representatives within their religious sect (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Shia Muslim, Sunni Muslim, Druze etc.). [...]
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The politics of my “SSNP” name
Posted By antounissa on October 23rd, 2012
As with most things in Lebanon, individual names are quickly affiliated with a certain sect or faction. For an Australian-born and raised journalist of Lebanese origins working in Lebanon, affiliations associated with my name can put me in hot water. “Antoun” is the Arabic form of “Anthony”, “Tony”, “Antoine”, “Antonio” and whatever other variation of [...]
Posted in Lebanon
Video of violent March 14 riot at government HQ in Beirut
Posted By antounissa on October 21st, 2012
I was standing at the front of the rally today in front of Mohammad al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut when Future TV personality Nadim Koteich called on the crowd to storm the Grand Serail and demand the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Mikati. As you do, I ran with the mob as they headed towards [...]
Posted in Lebanon
Pics from deadly Beirut bombing plus analysis
Posted By antounissa on October 19th, 2012
I arrived about 30 minutes after the blast, took the following pics. Latest info is that among the dead was head of Lebanon’s Information Security Branch Wissam al-Hassan. No doubt fingers will be pointing at Syria. Lebanon’s security branch is essentially Sunni dominated with deep ties to Saudi intelligence. Hassan is a renowned opponent of [...]
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Twin car bombs rock Beirut
Posted By antounissa on October 19th, 2012
Two car bombs killed at least eight people and wounded 78 in Beirut’s Sassine quarter, according to the latest official death toll. The two vehicles detonated at approximately 2.45pm local time in a narrow street of the predominantly Christian neighbourhood, causing extensive damage to adjacent residential and commercial buildings. A 46-year-old witness said he heard [...]
Posted in Lebanon
Assad must turn words into action
Posted By antounissa on June 23rd, 2011
My latest piece on the unfolding crisis in Syria, published on ABC’s The Drum. In his first speech in two months, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad once again vowed political reforms while emphasising the need to combat outlaws and extremists. Assad’s third speech since the Syrian revolt began was perhaps the first real sign that the [...]
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Democracy’s price may be too high in Syria – further comments
Posted By antounissa on April 15th, 2011
I wrote a piece on Syria’s recent turmoil that was picked up by ABC’s The Drum. Judging by some of the comments at the end of the piece, it appears my article has been misconstrued by some. Of course, in an ideal world, we want every nation to be democratic, and every human being to [...]
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Ideals and interests coalesce in Libya
Posted By antounissa on April 4th, 2011
My piece in Online Opinion on the notion of legitimate foreign intervention, case study: Libya.
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Libya is not Iraq
Posted By antounissa on March 22nd, 2011
For some, Western intervention in Libya is the nail in the coffin of the Libyan Revolution. It has been contended that this no longer a domestic uprising, but a war that now includes foreign powers with a set of interests at the forefront. Maximilian Forte, for example, claims that the Libyan rebels have erroneously surrendered [...]
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