November 12th, 2009 by Zack

The Daily Star reports that Senior Shiite cleric Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah is calling for the new Lebanese government to protect peace and economic security.  Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is also asking for greater cooperation among the Arab and Islamic states to adopt a resistance strategy against Israel.  Nasrallah has also underscored his party’s commitment to the success of the new cabinet.  Andrew Butters writes in Time that a fear of sectarian violence underlies the new political deal because the political wrangling has not addressed underlying resentments or the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud has laid the basis for transparent municipal elections by declaring that meetings regarding the election will be kept open.  Johanna Hawari-Bourgely talks about the Professional Mediation Center in Beirut and its work to train future Lebanese politicians.  While the concept of an ombudsman is still new to  Lebanon, she believes “the institutionalized practice of mediation within universities will experience an important development in the years to come.”

Finally,  the Lebanon Anti Bribery Network (LABN) has launched its policy paper on “The Lebanese Electricity Sector Crisis,” which highlights the electricity sector as one of the country’s most complex industries that is rife with corruption.

Posted in Diplomacy, Elections, Lebanon |