Qassiounology

If you've got any interest in the Syria Kremlinology Michael Young and Samir Kassir discussed in their interview yesterday (I find Syrian and Lebanese politics an implacable challenge to my attention span, but it's an important topic), an interesting resource is the Middle East Intelligence Bulletin affiliated with Daniel Pipes. They don't seem to have updated the thing since May, but there are some interesting recent articles: Gary Gambill's dismissal of the idea that Syria's Old Guard is running the show; Ziad Abdelnour's analysis of Emile Lahoud's attempt to extend his term; Abdelnour's story on an illustrative incident in the Lebanese parliament; and most interestingly, a defense of Samir Geagea. Geagea belongs in jail for a variety of reasons (in particular for stealing attention away from his more talented sisters Eva and Magda), but he really is Lebanon's Martha Stewart: convicted of a crime he could only be charged with because he was being tried on another count that ended up being dismissed. You can get the general gist from the story. I can't vouch for all the details, or for MEIB's political slant, but it's a good way to get up to speed.