Is Tunisia Rewriting History Again?

Is Tunisia Rewriting History Again?

In late 2010, Bouazizi lit the candle of the Arab Spring by setting himself on fire, giving hope to oppressed populations and despairing youth. During the past five years, the revolutionary flames were intended as an antidote against the darkness of decades of injustice, torture...

Lebanon’s Game of Chicken

U.S. officials in Lebanon currently support Lebanese Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri’s proposal for early legislative elections. U.S. support comes from fears of security risks stemming from the stagnation of Lebanon’s institutions, as parliament has failed for two years to elect a president. While members of parliament (MPs) continue to abstain from legislative sessions, denying quorum on a presidential vote, the two steadfast coalitions – March 8^th and March 14^th – have started to break.

After a deal failed at the end of last year to build momentum behind presidential candidate Suleiman Frangieh – leader of the Marada party and part of Hezbollah’s March 8th coalition – Hezbollah has since backed Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, who is also a member of March 8^th.  With Saad Hariri’s Future Movement (Sunni) leading parties within March 14^th in support of Frangieh, and with MPs from both coalitions contributing to the lack of quorum needed to cast the vote, both sides use the other’s absence as evidence of political malfeasance. From the U.S. perspective, ending the deadlock is matter of security. However, for Lebanon’s top politicians, the delay tactics constitute a game of political chicken. The winner gets to decide the future of Lebanon’s power structure.

Russia Set to Pull Out…Maybe Not

Recently, the Russian government announced it will begin pulling out its’ troops from Syria. According to Russian Air Force Commander Viktor Bondarev in an interview conducted with Pravda, the primary contingent of Russian military forces will leave Syria in the next 2 days, which places...