November 1, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Due Constitutional Amendments
By Joe M.

BEIRUT: During the past two years, several conflicts took place with regards to interpretations of different parts of the constitution, in addition to the blocking of several decisions by the standing President of the republic and with the proposition of a new electoral law by the Boutros commission among other things that mandate the need for constitutional amendments to be carried out as soon as possible.Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fatah is the Only Hope…

LONDON: Recently I engaged in an email exchange with a Palestinian friend of mine from Gaza who identified herself as a non-partisan secular Palestinian. She took a strict position against Fatah accusing them of being “the most repugnant gang of thugs and thieves” and went on to arguing that among the only two “real” options offered to Palestinians Hamas was the better alternative. Her arguments were basically that Fatah was no more than a bunch of corrupt politicians looking for nothing else but their own personal interest, who were also unable to deliver any of the Palestinian national aspirations. She even ventures further into accusing Fatah to be “in collusion with the occupation.” This is what I had to say…Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------October 15, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hezbollah Shows Goodwill toward presumed Hariri Assassins
Editorial

In February 28, 2006, Dubai-based Al-Arabiya News Channel asked Deputy Secretary General of Hezbollah Naim Kassem why Hezbollah is not helping the investigation process of the assassinations that have taken place in Lebanon, knowing that the party has a powerful intelligence agency. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Constitutional Views:
The logic used by the Lebanese opposition and majority
By Joe M.

BEIRUT: Scripts are the compilation of ideas, efforts and discussions. This is why there is always a debate about what was actually written, the background for writing it and the context in which it was composed. In the case of the constitution, there are different views on how it should be looked at and interpreted based on the above. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Washington believes Lebanon valuable for its worth
Hussain Abdul-Hussain

WASHINGTON: Surveys held by American statistics companies on public opinion in the Arab Middle East have shown Morocco followed by Lebanon as the nations with the highest ratings in favoring America. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Can the Syrian Regime Survive this time?
Samir Louze

DUBAI: Again Syria finds itself faced with an increasing hostile environment, pressures are mounting and the regime is finding it harder to manoeuvre. Could this be the final battle before the capitulation of the Asad dynasty? Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

October 1, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How Humiliated Can the Syrian Regime Get?
Editorial

The last two weeks have shown the true face of the Syrian regime: A paper tiger internationally and a mafia gang at home. Despite an Israeli air raid on Syria, the regime that is celebrated across the Arab world as being the last one standing to Israeli hegemony, issued a number of worthless statements promising Israel retaliation, which never came. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Saving Iraq
By Hussain Abdul-Hussain

WASHINGTON: Since the American war in Iraq and the downfall of the Saddam Hussein regime in April 2003, the world and America have engaged in an endless debate on what would be the best combination to stabilize the country after the demise of its dictator.Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Importance Of The Upcoming Presidential Elections
By Joe M.

BEIRUT: The prerogatives of the president were reduced after the Taef Accord that shifted most of them to the Council of Ministers’ collective decision, most of which moved later to the consociational democracy zone. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

September 15, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Editorial
In this issue Alternative attempts to present different scenarios pertaining to the impending presidential elections in Lebanon. The current President Emile Lahoud’s term was extended under Syrian coercion for three years, that term is about to end. In the midst of the political rift amongst the warring camps in Lebanon known as March 14 and March 8, the constitutional deadline for the elections cruelly lays its weight on the political process in the country. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Failure to Elect President
By Mark Daou

LONDON: The French envoys return to Lebanon in September trying to negotiate a way out of the deadlock by seeing possible names for the presidency. The aim is to find someone accepted by both sides. A list is formulated and sent to the regional players including Syria, Saudi, USA, Egypt and Iran. A visit will be paid to the Syrian regime to try to get their endorsement for a calm solution of the crisis in Lebanon. The Syrian’s will reply that the solution will be with an agreement with the USA and not with intermediaries and that there should be a package over Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon. Efforts will fail to produce a result. An urgent Arab summit will be attempted to support the constitutional transition of the Lebanese presidency, the states will fail to organize it for the differing positions among the states. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What If: The speaker attends all the meetings of the upcoming presidential elections
By Joe M.

BEIRUT: In a televised interview broadcasted few days ago on LBCI television, Speaker Nabih Berri mentioned that even during the last ten days of the presidential elections’ constitutional deadline no one can call the parliament for a meeting as long as he is calling it. He stressed that also the last ten days will require a two-thirds majority and promised to have every day a session during that period as the Parliament is considered in session. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

September 1, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let's Amend the Lebanese Constitution
Alternative

The writers of these lines do not endorse constitutional amendment per se. But when it comes to Lebanese presidential elections, it has become evident that a serious flow undermines this already complicated process, which whenever takes place, drives the nation to the verge of a civil war. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A possible Scenario for Lebanon in the Coming Months
By Joe M.

BEIRUT: Even though the prerogatives of the president were trimmed after the end of the civil war and the ratification of the Taef Accord in 1991, the Lebanese presidential elections remain troublesome as ever. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Logic of a Presidential Candidate: Michel Aoun
By Hussain Abdul-Hussain

WASHINGTON: Kesrouan MP Michel Aoun has made it clear over the past two decades that his political plan hinges around one point, becoming Lebanon’s president.

Here in Washington, the debate is heated within the Lebanese community between the March 14 supporters and Aoun’s partisans, who once yielded some influence inside the administration but lost it all after Aoun signed a deal with Hizbullah. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 15, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Say no to army candidates for president
Alternative

The unfolding events in Lebanon has added to the roaster of presidential candidates yet another army general as Army Commander Michel Suleiman, empowered by the army’s performance during clashes in the north, implicitly pushed forward with his candidacy. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh Darfur!
By Hussain Abdul-Hussain

WASHINGTON: We Arabs seem we just don’t care about Darfur.

Politics aside, most of us have been raised to value the importance of arriving at a fair peace solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We believe Israel has oppressed the Palestinians, no matter who started it, and that’s why we went to wars with the Jewish State. Palestinian rights have always been a debt we owe, not only to our Palestinian brethren, but also to humanity at large. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Metn referendum: A political suicide for the Aoun ‘Tsunami’
By Joe M.

BEIRUT: It has been a dream for Kesrouan MP Michel Aoun to come back to Lebanon and take over the presidency the way Charles De-Gaulle, the former President of France, took over the presidency after his come back from exile. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 1, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Religion A Cultural Construct that Secularists should engage
By Mark Daou

LONDON: I am a secularist and exercise my choice of distancing myself from religious dogma and crude beliefs. Yet, I cannot claim that I’m a-religious or of having no relation to religion. As a secularist I do not think that my primary task is to avert religion, on the contrary I think as a secularist I should be engaging it, from my own perspective. Full Story
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hezbollah Logic
By Hussain Abdul-Hussain

WASHINGTON: Many of us have tried to understand the Hezbollah logic, but to no avail.

Hezbollah demands the formation of a national unity government despite the fact that it commands no majority in parliament. When reminded of its parliamentary representation, Hezbollah blames the March 14 majority for the 2005 election law, even though it was the 2000 parliament dominated by Hezbollah and its allies that approved this law. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter VII and the culture of Chapter VII
By Joe M.

BEIRUT: After the ratification of UNSC Resolution 1757 on June 10, 2007, the International Tribunal for Lebanon under Chapter VII of the UN Charter came to life.

But what does Chapter VII of the UN Charter stipulate?
Chapter VII allows for imposing several measures as mentioned in Articles 41 and 42 of the UN Charter that might lead to the usage of force for the implementation of a UNSC resolution. Article 41 allows for the taking of necessary measures in order to preserve international security including the imposition of sanctions of economic and diplomatic nature on countries deemed uncooperative. Article 42 allows for imposing other levels of sanctions along with the possibility of using force through military operations in order to implement the resolutions. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 15, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lebanese Left and Sovereignty
By Hussain Abdul-Hussain

WASHINGTON: Late inspiring journalist Samir Kassir was said to be the first leftist to reconcile his pronounced leftist thought to his endorsement of the principles of Lebanese sovereignty and independence. But not all of the Lebanese leftists follow in his footsteps today. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lebanese Presidential Elections: here we go again
By Joe M.

BEIRUT: It has been a norm and part of the Lebanese presidential election folklore to see tension and escalation directly prior to such election. Below are the incidents that took place in the famous 1958 riots that coincided with the end of term Camille Shamoun and the start of the debate of electing his successor. It is interesting to note the many similarities between then and now (49 years later) in terms of sequence of events, regional interferences and proposed solutions. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The way forward for the Independence Intifada
By Mark Daou

LONDON: Revolutions are rare occurrences particularly in traditionalist societies such as Lebanon. Nonetheless, that eastern Mediterranean country dazzled the world for months in 2005 with a rapid shift of its political landscape. Millions took to the streets carrying their flags, their smiles, their optimism, their heads held high. The passage of time and the unfolding of events created a distance which allows for a more studious assessment of the events that the late Samir Kassir named the Beirut Spring. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Excerpts from the July 2007 Brammertz Report
Compiled by Alternative Staff

- The commission continues its obligation to protect the confidentiality of its investigation (to ensure the integrity of the legal process and to protect those who have provided information and assistance).

- The commission’s work will be transferred to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Tribunal for Lebanon. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 1, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

14 contributions for March 14
The need for a research center
By Joyce Nassireddin

LONDON: In the middle of the current political situation and the somehow “down” feeling among most of the people primarily as a result of the explosions, it has become a necessity to remind each other of what has been done so far since the beginning of the Independence Intifada in February 2005.Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How credible is the Angry Arab blog?
By Hussain Abdul-Hussain

WASHINGTON: Blogs have been on the rise for a while now to the extent that some of them have played, at times, the role of credible news sources. But how credible are these blogs? Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Derailing sectarianism, not abolishing it, maybe the key to enhancing the political system
By Joe M.

BEIRUT: Changing the current Lebanese confessional system is a must to stop this cycle of deadlocks. This issue raises many concerns and questions. Are the people ready for abolishing it as in the constitution? Do we have enough “democratic culture” to do so and what if we don’t? Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------June 15, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If Democrats take over presidency, what are their options?
By Hussain Abdul-Hussain

WASHINGTON: American voters and the world supporting change in Washington in 2008 should start drawing scenarios for Democrats taking over the presidency and probably reaffirming their hold of Congress. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'No winner or loser’ is the problem, not the solution
A proposed nine step solution
By Joe M.

BEIRUT: The “no winner, no loser” scenario that everybody has been trying to consider, at least after the Independence uprising of 2005, is actually the problem and not in anyway the solution to the Lebanese political stalemate. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What if our parents subscribed to Facebook?
By Mark Daou

LONDON: It is only a matter of time until a curious inquisitive parent finds their way to Facebook and a message pops up saying “Confirm Sam is your Dad?” Your parents would never have to ask you how you are feeling, who your friends are or where you were last night. Facebook can answer all of your parents’ questions with all of your information, documented, archived and easily accessible. Full Story

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------