- Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by Elias-b

Renewed Lebanese drug trade hikes Mideast tensions

Elias — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:09:55 +0000

Lebanon’s drug-producing heartland is back in business with a resurgence of marijuana and poppy fields, challenging the country’s underpowered security forces and adding another dimension to Israel’s war with Hezbollah militants.

Associated Press interviews with farmers and Lebanese officials, and documents from international organizations that monitor drugs, show that the drug trade in the Bekaa Valley has ramped up again since its drop following the 1975-1990 civil war.

Israel’s Anti-Drug Authority claims Hezbollah is behind the flow of cross-border drugs as part of its war on the Jewish state. Hezbollah denies abetting drugs, saying it’s un-Islamic.

Production in the Bekaa peaked during the civil war, then died down to the point where the U.S. removed Lebanon from its list of big producers in 1997.

But on a recent visit by the AP, acres of cannabis were seen growing behind concealing stands of tall corn stalks, and farmers spoke openly of the fortunes they are making off the plants.

The Lebanese government, long preoccupied with violent political clashes in the country, has begun striking back by plowing up fields.

Terror in Lebanon Threatens National, Regional Security

Elias — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:55:29 +0000

Security in the north of Lebanon has deteriorated in the past few months due to sectarian fighting between the Sunni population and the Shia-Alawite community and recent terrorist attacks against the Lebanese armed forces in the...

15% of Lebanese Children Sexually Abused

Elias — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:41:47 +0000

A survey of 1,025 children across Lebanon has found that over 15 percent of those polled experienced some form of sexual abuse before or after the 2006 summer war with Israel. Most of these abuses, according to the study, occurred in the...

Israel: War Unlikely with Iran, Syria, and Lebanon in 2008

Elias — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:18:15 +0000

Iran will likely reach the nuclear tipping point in late 2009 or early 2010, the heads of the Mossad and Military Intelligence told the cabinet on Sunday, during an in-depth briefing on the strategic situation facing the country in 2008.The assessments were given by representatives from the Mossad, Military Intelligence, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the intelligence arm of the Foreign Ministry, and the Israel Police.

At the same time, the Mossad and Military Intelligence concurred that there was a low probability of war in 2008. While the intelligence officials said Iran was likely to reach a “point of no return” in its nuclear program by the end of 2009, they added that Syria was also engaged in an intense armament program and was deploying long-range missiles.

Lebanon : a “Secret” Emancipation

Elias — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:05:18 +0000

t’s Saturday night in a trendy nightclub of the capital. Alcohol flows freely and men and women are dancing wildly to the rhythm of a hip tune. Some daring young women – the usual bleached, silicone, bare-bellied blondes – are dancing on top of the bar, to the joy of the boys sitting below.
Not enough men...

In Beirut, few young men haven’t emigrated yet, and the competition is getting tough among women. From enticing dresses to plastic surgery, everything goes to attract the attention of their potential targets.

This image of emancipated women, perfectly tuned in the region with its satellite TVs, is a tourist trap of the capital and hardly reflects the complex realities of a country with multiple if not schizophrenic identities.