Current Analysis Lebanon: An Occupation Ends Just about everything about last week's Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon was surprising to most observers. When, in the early hours of May 24, the last Israeli soldier stepped off Lebanese soil and locked the border gate behind him, he ended a 22-year occupation several weeks ahead of Lara Deeb • 6 min read
Current Analysis "They Dignified Our University" In February 1998, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Secretary of Defense William Cohen, and National Security Adviser Sandy Berger held a "town meeting" at Ohio State University to rally public support for a new round of bombing of Iraq. Despite the administration's careful orchestration of the Fadia Rafeedie, Nadine Naber • 7 min read
Current Analysis Lebanon's Most Dangerous Summer Lebanon is where Palestinians were most loved and most hated, said Shafiq al-Hout, a former PLO Executive Committee member and now the top PLO official in Lebanon, at the 1983 PNC Algiers meeting. Listeners could not have missed the reference to the cold-blooded massacre of about 2,000 Palestinian refugees Ghassan Bishara • 6 min read
Current Analysis Destroying Houses and Lives Salim Shawamreh is a Palestinian living with his family just outside occupied Jerusalem, or not really living, he protests, because "you are always in fear" of the Israeli soldiers marching to "your house hauling your belongings out the street and bulldozing your house." As terrifying and Ghassan Bishara • 7 min read
Current Analysis Greater Insecurity for Refugees in Lebanon Expectations of a regional settlement have exacerbated the always bad security situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Possible unilateral Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon has intensified regional competition to control the "Palestinian card," particularly in the South where more than hal Rosemary Sayigh • 6 min read
Current Analysis News Not "Fit to Print" On February 8, at 12:45 am, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a series of air strikes against Lebanon as revenge against recent Hizballah attacks in south Lebanon. Three power switching stations, the most vital electricity facilities in the country, were bombed -- one in the Jamhour district of Jennifer Loewenstein • 7 min read
Current Analysis Rafsanjani's Gambit On February 18, Iranians will go to the ballot box for another crucial event, this time to elect the sixth Parliament (majlis) of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The elections have raised considerable excitement in Iran because President Muhammad Khatami's forces may gain control of the Majlis, which Djavad Salehi-Isfahani • 7 min read
Current Analysis Israeli-Syrian Talks: Back In a Deep Freeze Israel's terms for peace with Syria as revealed in the Israeli-leaked American document speak of a military redeployment with the settlements remaining in place. While Syria is responding favorably to Israeli demands for normalization and security, Israel's ideas are more a road-map for permanent oc Ghassan Bishara • 6 min read
Current Analysis The Collapse of WTO Negotiations: Implications for the Middle East The failure of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial meeting to agree to launch a new global trade agreement, amidst protests of the WTO's policies by labor and environmental activists outside the meetings and developing countries' delegates inside, was a major setback for proponents of greater deregulation Robert Naiman, Steve Niva • 6 min read
Current Analysis Equal Rights for Arabs in Jewish State: A Goal Unrealizable Azmi Bishara, a Nazareth-based Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset, is recognized as one of the freshest voices speaking on behalf of the Palestinian people and their rights. A Ph.D. in philosophy, Bishara has effectively used his parliamentary position to articulate Palestinian national aspirations, as well as to promote Laurie King-Irani • 6 min read
Current Analysis Petition Charges Israel with War Crimes QANA, SOUTH LEBANON -- A sprawling mass tomb in the heart of this small hilltop village bears silent witness to a war crime committed by Israeli forces here one spring day in 1996. The town, less than five miles away from Israeli-occupied south Lebanon, is the site of a United Laurie King-Irani • 7 min read
Current Analysis Egypt: An Emerging "Market" of Double Repression Recently, Egyptians have entertained dreams of political reform only to be crushed in October by a cosmetic ministerial reshuffle. President Hosni Mubarak ordered this reshuffle following a plebiscite approving him for a fourth presidential term; a massive wave of pre-election propaganda predictably Fareed Ezzedine • 6 min read
