on the aftermaths in lebanon (& elsewhere)

added: Rashid Khalidi in the Nation: Anger in the Arab World.

Karim Makdisi of the American University of Beirut in the LRB, on How the War Will End.

Michael Young of Beirut's Daily Star, on the possible consequences of Hizbullah's rising influence in Lebanese politics: Hezbollah's Other War (thanks to the anon commenter below for pointing this one out).

Andrea Stanton, a ME studies grad student at Columbia, writing for Time.com about her recent journey out of Lebanon: What I Saw On the Road to Damascus. Amid the grimness, this part made me smile, because I've had the same conversation so many times:

When I stopped at my favorite mini-grocery store to pick up some milk, the shopkeeper was in the middle of a conversation with friends. "I hope the American Administration falls because of this," he told them. "I hope Bush falls." Seeing me, the blonde foreigner, he asked where I was from. I told him: American, but living in Beirut. He smiled and said: "American! Welcome! We hate your government, but we love the American people. You know, we all want to live there!" Syrians have told me this for years, whenever I reveal my nationality. It was reassuring to know that at least for now they still feel the same way: affection for Americans, antipathy towards our foreign policy. As long as they are willing to make this distinction, I am still happy to think of Damascus as my home away from home.

Though since we (unlike the Syrians) have the ability to throw out the bastards who rule us, I'm not sure we shouldn't be held more responsible for their deeds. But I love Damascus too, and I want to be able to go back, so I hope she's right.