The Lebanese Government: Who Is In Control?

by Ghassan Karam
No institution and especially no cabinet can perform effectively if its members hold contradictory beliefs and are guided by incompatible ideas and paradigms. T

Patriarch Rai: THe Lebanese president should have more power

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai said on Monday that the 1989 Taif Agreement “is not a holy document that descended from heaven.”

After holding talks with Change and Reform bloc MP Nematallah Abi Nasr he said: “We don’t mind change and if we needed a new agreement, then why not.”

“We all accepted the Taif, but the agreement has flaws and needs to be reformed,” Rai was quoted by the National News Agency as saying. (more…)

Elimination of Sectarianism: If Not Now, When?

By Ghassan Karam
The current Lebanese political structure is built on two irrational and undemocratic principles: (1) rigid political sectarianism and (2) equal distribution of parliamentary seats.