The Beirut Banyan

I discuss the recurring suspension of the Beirut port blast investigation, Judge Tarek Bitar's continued pursuit and the reasons I think the threats against him are more performative in nature than meant to remove him, in an attempt to discredit the entire process as was done to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/Fve_5cMKr3U

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Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

0:00 Intro

0:25 What is Kulluna Irada?

10:55 'Email your ambassador'

17:10 The same page

26:12 Port blast investigation

35:45 Opposition parties

46:06 Reflective

50:48 Splintering

We're with Diana Menhem for Episode 279 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/BUId-YOV0iM

We discuss civic engagement, political reform and the wider role of Kulluna Irada.

Our conversation includes position papers and policy statements delivered by Kulluna Irada, lobbying efforts regarding lawsuits and the port blast, and why political clarity is essential for opposition parties to win seats in next year's parliamentary elections.

We also talk about whether the splintering of advocacy groups hurts efforts done and Diana's own reflections on her career in civil society stemming from the You Stink crisis and Beirut Madinati through to her current position in Kulluna Irada.

Diana Menhem is the managing director of Kulluna Irada.

The position papers and policy statements mentioned in the episode are linked below in order of appearance:

'Email your ambassador':

https://kulluna-irada.org/diaspora

'Diaspora Participation in Lebanon’s 2022 Elections: Cancelling the Six Expats Seats'

https://kulluna-irada.org/article-122

'Call for an International Investigative Mission into the Beirut Blast'

https://kulluna-irada.org/article-123

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

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Or donating through our Patreon page:

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Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.ronniechatah.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

0:00 Intro

0:58 Karantina

19:01 1934 Beirut Port Blast

25:47 Tramway

42:52 Train

48:12 Alternative Modes

57:26 Pressing Matter

We're with Mohamad El Chemaa for Episode 278 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/Ai_sxzYy9Nk

We discuss Karantina's construction and evolution, the 1934 port blast and the country's once-renowned public transport system including the Beirut tramway and Lebanese national rail network.

Our conversation includes urban planning gone astray, alternative modes of transport proposed and never implemented and the simple dream of an urban planner.

Mohamad El Chemaa is an urban planner and researcher at Beirut Urban Lab.

The articles by Mohamad referenced in this piece are below in order of appearance:

'Beirut’s forgotten medical history: Quarantining before COVID-19' in Beirut Today:

https://beirut-today.com/2021/04/06/beiruts-forgotten-medical-history-quarantining-before-covid/

'The forgotten explosion: Reconstructing the 1934 Beirut port blast' in L'Orient Today:

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1270337/the-forgotten-explosion-reconstructing-the-1934-beirut-port-blast.html

'Whatever happened to our alternative modes of transport?' in L'Orient Today:

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1270337/the-forgotten-explosion-reconstructing-the-1934-beirut-port-blast.html

The metro system article referred to by Najib Mitri is accessible below:

'A 1968 USSR Study for Beirut Metro' in Blog Baladi:

https://blogbaladi.com/a-1968-ussr-study-for-beirut-metro/

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.ronniechatah.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

0:00 Intro

2:23 Scar

15:48 Change

31:17 Reconciliation

39:47 Militia

48:00 Sovereignty

56:23 Elections

1:11:50 On Your Terms

We're with Samy Gemayel for Episode 277 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/3aJdZ4eht-0

We discuss the shared pain of losing family members to political assassinations, and inheriting legacies from loved ones.

Our conversation includes Kataeb's political evolution since 1936, along with its militia role during the 1970s and 80s. We touch on the difficulties of addressing responsibility during the civil war years, including multiple massacres from Damour to Sabra and Shatila.

We also talk about the long-term consequences of diminished sovereignty, and the type of political agency that can emerge from next year's parliamentary elections. I also let Samy address some of the negative feedback I received for willing to host him on the podcast.

Samy Gemayel is the President of Kataeb Party.

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

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Or donating through our Patreon page:

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Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/8p47uTIfPAg

Subscribe to The Beirut Banyan's YouTube channel and help promote our video releases:

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Thanks to everyone listening and watching. Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode with Samy Gemayel.

0:00 Intro

0:25 America

28:50 Stability & Crisis Management

47:56 Two Narratives

1:01:49 Sovereignty & Neutrality

1:23:38 October 17

We're with Nadim Shehadi for Episode 276 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/502pNWB33_E

We discuss America's influence in Lebanon over the past two centuries, and the soft power interchange among people and education vs a more recent foreign policy defined by hard power expenditure and bureaucracy.

Our conversation includes a fork in the road for Lebanon and two possible narratives emerging, one cautiously optimistic and the other catastrophic.

We also debate sovereignty and neutrality and focus in on past disassociation agreements, and conclude with perspectives on the October 17 uprising's political prospects for next year's parliamentary elections.

Nadim Shehadi is the Executive Director of the Lebanese American University New York Headquarters and Academic Center.

The article mentioned at the start of the episode is linked below:

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1914966

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

0:00 Intro

1:05 Tankers & Talks

7:58 Coming from Syria

14:01 Hof Line

23:37 Expectations from Elections

35:33 Burden

44:36 Engaging Iran

49:14 Lebanese Forces' Disarmament

We're with Laury Haytayan for Episode 275 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/nAK5qU9hHjA

We discuss the energy crisis impacting Lebanon, along with the Iranian oil tanker and World Bank proposal both involving Syria.

Our conversation includes Laury's perspective on the Hof Line and more recent negotiations regarding off-shore reserves, expectations from next year's elections and the wider dilemma of Iran's military and security involvement in Lebanon.

We also put the Lebanese Forces' militia disarmament in the early 1990s in perspective, and whether that offers any comparisons to a possible Hezbollah disarmament.

Laury Haytayan is an oil and gas governance expert and a member of Taqaddom.

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

0:00 Intro

4:23 Political Curiosity

18:42 The Same Story

28:29 Broader Alliance

35:43 National Elections

51:38 Hezbollah

1:00:09 Not Leaving

1:08:51 Clarity

1:14:37 Lebanese Forces & Opposition

We're with Rawad Taha for Episode 274 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/ekKbRFkfIIs

We discuss Rawad's political activism, how the readings of Samir Kassir impacted his views and whether the current aspirations of Minteshreen match those from the buildup to the March 14 movement.

Our conversation includes expectations from local elections, working with broader alliances for next year's parliamentary elections and the wider debate surrounding Hezbollah's security apparatus and varied opposition views on the Lebanese Forces.

Rawad Taha is a member of Minteshreen.

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

0:00 Intro

2:29 Preconditions

8:57 Sovereignty

28:25 Militia

34:21 Neutrality

50:00 Baabda Declaration

1:02:11 Federalism

1:25:24 Intellectual Journey

We're with Hicham Bou Nassif for Episode 273 of The Beirut Banyan.

We discuss lost sovereignty, the necessity for a foreign policy of neutrality including examples from the late 1950s and 60s, and the wider debate on decentralization and federalism in Lebanon.

Our conversation includes false equivalence when it comes to comparing political parties with a militia, the 2012 Baabda Declaration's limited impact on local attempts at disassociation, and Hicham's intellectual curiosity and journey when it comes to political science and Lebanese history.

Hicham Bou Nassif is an Associate Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College - California.

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

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Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.

0:00 Intro

4:39 The Last Few Weeks

11:55 Crossroads

15:08 Dysfunction

29:10 Determination

33:24 Iran's Needs

42:38 False Equivalencies

1:01:26 Warzone

1:08:14 Salvageable System?

1:22:55 Departure

We're with Tala Ramadan for Episode 272 of The Beirut Banyan.

We discuss the immense challenges over the past few weeks and rampant dysfunction making daily life enormously difficult in Lebanon.

Our conversation includes a reflection of Iran's security needs in Lebanon, disagreement over what I consider false equivalencies and whether Lebanon would be better described as a war-zone.

We also talk about the governing system's viability with or without geopolitical conflict and the departure of too many friends and relatives from Lebanon.

Tala Ramadan is a Beirut-based journalist and reporter for L'Orient Today.

The education-related piece briefly mentioned in this episode is linked below:

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1272303/pursuing-education-in-lebanon-in-the-midst-of-a-financial-crisis-power-outages-and-internet-disruptions.html

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Animation & illustration by Sana Chaaban.