Categories
Lebanon People Politics World

Bernard Kouchner, Did you Know?

Bernard KouchnerSince our politician still can’t decide anything alone we receive a lot of foreign politicians in Lebanon. One of our regular guest in the French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, we got used to seeing him once a month on TV since the crisis started so here are some facts about him that might interest you.

  • He is the co-founder of Medecin sans frontiere (Doctors without borders) and Doctors of the world.
  • He worked as humanitarian volunteer during the siege of the Nabaa camp in Lebanon (1975).
  • He worked closely with Imam Moussa El Sadr.
  • He tried to broker a cease fire between Aoun and Geagea in 88.
  • His son stayed in Lebanon for a Month after the last war to participate in the relief efforts in Khyam.
  • He is born from a Jewish Father and a Protestant Mother.

Sources 1 2

Categories
Lebanon Politics

Une croix sur le Liban

While searching for a picture for the book “Une croix sur le Liban” I found this interesting article written by Robert Solé in “le Monde” on the 24th of November 2006 (3 Days after the murder of Pierre Gemayel). Here’s the article:

Franchement, ne trouvez-vous pas disproportionné tout ce tintamarre à propos du Liban ? Voici un pays minuscule, qui n’a aucune ambition nucléaire et même pas un litre de pétrole. Rien ne le contraignait à être la première démocratie du monde arabe. Rien ne l’obligeait à accueillir les réfugiés palestiniens que ses voisins rejetaient. De quel droit refuserait-il qu’Israël, l’Iran et quelques autres l’adoptent comme champ de bataille ? Et pourquoi tant d’ingratitude à l’égard de son grand frère syrien, qui voulait seulement l’occuper, pour le protéger contre lui-même, et mettre la main sur son économie ?

Que des chrétiens et des musulmans de dix-sept communautés différentes aient su y partager le pouvoir pendant des décennies ne nous intéresse pas. D’ailleurs, les chrétiens finiront par quitter cette région à laquelle ils n’appartiennent que depuis vingt siècles. Accessoirement, que nous importe si beaucoup de Libanais chérissent la langue et la culture françaises ? N’est-ce pas un peu ringard à l’heure de la mondialisation ?

Oui, vraiment, il serait temps de mettre une croix sur le Liban.

Categories
Books Personal

Currently Reading

I recently got this book from Virgin, the book is in french and I got it because its name attracted me. The book is called “Une croix sur le Liban” and is written by Jean-Pierre Peroncel-Hugoz, I didn’t start reading yet but it’s a small book so I should be able to finish it quickly.

According to the cover the book is written by a journalist who was living in Lebanon during the war, I read a lot of similar books and reading the opinion of a foreigner is always interesting so I hope this book follows the same pattern. I’ll write a review of it when I finish reading it.

Une croix sur le liban

Categories
People Weird World

Modern Days Robinson Crusoe

Actually it’s not one, it’s 11 new Robinson Crusoe and they were not lost in an island, their ship wrecked in Russia and they managed to survive for 3 months from fish they caught and some flour they found in an old abandoned military base! Read the complete story from BBC here.