That's Capital

The Lebanese-Israeli war is horrific, and its horror is glaringly present via media. Or at least pieces of it. Anderson Cooper probably wouldn't care what I think, but it was foolish of my previous post to be snarky about his work. He and much of the media on the ground, whether on television, print or radio, are capturing the human suffering on both sides. If nobody is capable of framing particularly piercing questions or finding people who can answer them, perhaps it's because we're all stunned. This may show my own confusion but right now, my chief hope is that... Read more →

The CNN Television anchor is proving his weight in journalistic gold. Not only can he get deep truths from Angelina Jolie, he can show up in a war zone and find contender material. At least for clothing. The green military shirt he wore Saturday while reporting from Beirut gave him the authority of a deeply embedded journalist. Vaguely Israeli Defense Forces, yet also vaguely Lebanese Army, he could be in bed with either side and smoothly come off as a man of action. Or at least a judge on America's Top Model. If only Cooper could figure out what questions... Read more →

Israel is a country where a fatal traffic accident makes it to the front page of national news. Which also makes it a nation where extended war is not an option unless, of course, you choose to forget. It's a country that has made its unofficial capital of Tel Aviv a world-class city, a thrilling 24/7 metropolis with great food, nightlife and not an ounce of discussion about the politics that stew around it. It's a country where a mass of its Jewish citizens were born to parents or grandparents whose native language was Arabic, exist in a region where... Read more →

Link: The Thinking Lebanese. An interesting blog that I found during a period of trying to find some new voices during this breakout of war. Read it for more substance I've seen others provide, and certainly what I can offer. It is written by Lebanese who are understandably angry at Israel's bombardment of their country but more angry at Hezbollah. Here are a few thoughts, hopefully clear. I've been spending the last six months trying to write something lucid about the Middle East. What really pushed me was back in the spring when an English newspaper published an indulgent and... Read more →