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Sunday, November 22, 2009 09:41 GMT

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Not All Earthquakes Are Political
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - South Lebanon is reputed for orange groves and orchards lined with lush banana trees. For many around the world, it also conjures up images of a fierce battleground, where all regional conflicts come to life. In recent months, however, the region has also become known for its intense seismic activity.
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Conflict Finds a Creative Side
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - Can beauty arise from conflict? When looking at the art scene in the Middle East, where a fault line of political instability stretches from Lebanon, Syria and Israel to Iraq and Iran, the answer seems to be a resounding 'yes'.
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Civil Wars Find New Fronts
By Mona Alami
TRIPOLI - An eerie calm reigns over the new demarcation lines drawn in northern Tripoli, the second largest city in Lebanon, which gets its name from the Greek 'tri-polis', or 'three cities'. One week after violent combat erupted between the Alawite minority from the Jabal Mohsen area and the Sunni community of Bab el-Tebbaneh - separated by the wide Syria Street - tensions still run high.
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After Accord, the Inevitable Bickering Begins
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - A month has gone by since the May 21 Doha agreement between warring Lebanese factions, which ended a week-long civil conflict that erupted on May 7, and led to the death of 67 people. Painstakingly brokered in Qatar's capital with the support of the Arab community, the peace deal also stipulated the election of consensus president Michel Suleiman. But ever since, Lebanese politicians have been bickering relentlessly over ministries in the future government.
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Wine Flows Under Hezbollah's Shadow
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - Pine trees adorn majestic mountain flanks separating south Lebanon from the Chouf region in the village of Jezzine. Amid the shrubbery, lush vines, their crisp leaves tinted emerald green, bear the promise of a future harvest as the grapes start to form on the twisted branches. Bordering known Hezbollah strongholds, wine production seems to be thriving, in an area where the peaceful co-existence between the culture of the vine and the 'party of God' is indeed a paradox.
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Newsrooms Fall Prey to Seven Deadly Sins
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - Prejudiced reporting is not uncommon anywhere, but in Lebanon the level of news distortion has taken on a new dimension as a result of assassinations, physical threats, political pressure, biased reporting, lack of professionalism, rampant corruption and self-censorship. These are the seven deadly sins that have increasingly been plaguing the Lebanese media over the years.
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Divided We Arm
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - Despite the new peace agreement in Doha, Lebanese are becoming increasingly polarised, with confrontation between groups affecting the population at every level.
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Celebrities and Celebration Take Their Own Toll
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - In the dark streets across from the main Hamra road, one of the major commercial arteries in Lebanese capital Beirut, light streams from behind the drapes of a first floor apartment. A politician's speech blaring from a TV resonates loudly in the night. As music cues the closing credits of the show, sudden celebratory gunfire from the political figure's supporters erupts outside.
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In Beirut, the Party Has Begun
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - The 'party capital' of the Middle East seems to be awakening after an 18-month slumber. As news of a political agreement between feuding Lebanese factions and an imminent presidential election circulated on Wednesday May 21, Lebanese almost immediately began to gather in the Beirut Central District while the tent city erected by the opposition was still being dismantled.
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Breakthrough At Last
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - The highway connecting East and West Beirut, known locally as 'the ring', was bustling with unusual activity Wednesday morning. An incredible sight seemed to attract passers-by, who slowed down their cars suddenly before coming to a full stop and exiting. By the Riad al-Solh statue in the Beirut Central District (BCD), a symbol of Lebanese dissension had fallen.
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Druze Take On Hezbollah, Because They Must
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - Ghostly white sculptures are scattered along the greenery on each side of a sinuous road leading up to a Lebanese mountain range, their silhouettes contrasting against the violet sky. This area, known as the Symposium in Aley, Mount Lebanon, is located behind the infamous '888' mountaintop, a strategic point in Lebanese military history.
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All Roads Do Not Lead to Beirut
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - In the wake of the deadly conflict that has left Lebanon with at least 65 dead and 200 injured, the roads in and out of the Land of the Cedars have proved a difficult journey for most. As the rubble was being cleared by large trucks - after an Arab delegation was able to negotiate a breakthrough among feuding politicians – some Lebanese are asking how long the roads will remain clear.
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Hezbollah, In Opposition, Takes Charge
Analysis by Mona Alami
BEIRUT - At least 11 people are dead and 30 injured during ferocious gun battles pitting opposition Shia Amal and Hezbollah fighters against members of the Sunni Future Movement, which is part of the majority March 14 alliance in government. As the opposition's militia men clamped down on government headquarters, the balance of power seems to have been shifted permanently in the Land of the Cedars.
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Mona Alami, a French-Lebanese journalist based in Beirut, brings IPS exclusive and incisive reports on the challenges that armed conflict poses for the Lebanese people's daily lives. Mona took to reporting after a law degree and an MBA. Her reporting spreads across the canvas from the pressing news of the day to a close look at broader issues that others have mostly forgotten.