Election Lockdown in Beirut

Voters in Beirut give the election a'thumbs up'; city holds its breath as results trickle in
by Andrea McMahan

BEIRUT - Election Day has kicked off in Beirut and anticipation hangs in the air. Life size posters displaying the various candidates are plastered across the city while supporters have taken to the streets waving party flags and wearing colorful T-shirts expressing their party loyalty. In a move reminiscent of the Iraqi election, voters are marked with a purple thumb (such as Nadim and Dr. Georges Bashir pictured above) in an attempt to eliminate duplicate voting.


One would almost think the city was hosting the Super Bowl with all the excitement. However, the possibility is quickly dashed by the scores of military personnel that have been deployed to Beirut and other surrounding areas in an effort to minimize any potential trouble relating to the election. Troops are visible from all corners of the city, with many stationed in armored tanks at busy intersections around Beirut while military checkpoints monitor passing motorists. With the city heavily secured most people feel reassured taking to the polls. However, one can't escape the collective holding of breaths as the country awaits tomorrow's results.

Despite the tension, people are still going on with their day-to-day lives as many people in Beirut are accustomed to doing. The city has officially closed through Monday with businesses and restaurants going dark and limited interaction on the streets. However, a few cafes have remained open hoping to cater to the scores of citizens who have returned to Beirut to cast their vote and are seeking a slice of the nightlife. Many people we’ve talked to regard the brief reprieve as ‘business as usual’ and look forward to Tuesday when the city gets back into full swing.
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Dispatch from Beirut - An Interview with Nick Blanford

Nick Blanford is a reporter for the Christian Science Monitor. He is also researching and writing a book on Hezbollah. In this interview, Nick discusses the Lebanese election, the role of Hezbollah, and their reaction to President Obama's Cairo speech.
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Happy Birthday Mayor Gurduna!

by Andrea McMahan

ISTANBUL - Recently in Istanbul we celebrated the birthday of former Mayor Ali Mufit Gurduna. Mayor Gurduna served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1998 until 2004 and is still a very popular figure around town. Our gracious and ever-social host, Allen Collinsworth, first met Mayor Gurduna while working at the East West Institute in New York (as did Justin) and then later served as the Mayor’s advisor when he moved to Istanbul in early 2000.

We joined the Mayor, his wife, daughter, and a few other close friends and family for an intimate party at Supper Club, a South Beach meets Bali-themed nightclub in downtown Istanbul. Here the crowd lingered over exotic cocktails while belly dancers and drag queens performed on stage. We joined our group by first kicking off our shoes and nestling into the oversized pillows that decorated our Moroccan-styled table. The club generously provided slippers for those squeamish about going barefoot. Allen made the initial introductions while we then proceeded to spend the evening getting to know our new Turkish friends over mojitos, champagne and an unforgettable chocolate pistachio cake.


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Better Learn How to Treat them Right

By Justin McMahan

ISTANBUL - When I first heard this Rihanna song, I was sure it would overnight become the girls’ empowerment mantra of 2009. It never did. The beating she suffered at the hands of Chris Brown might have dampened the creative promotion ideas of her handlers.

Anyway, it was around the same time that I did a brief stint working with Senator Boxer’s foreign policy team. Women’s rights is a high priority for her. During the recent committee reshuffling, she took the helm of the international organizations and women’s rights sub-committee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

But it was in preparation for then Secretary-designate Clinton’s SFRC nomination hearing that I became more attuned to the issue, especially as it pertained to the Taliban’s treatment of women. I saw pictures of girls, burned by acid thrown by Taliban henchmen. Disturbing is an understatement. I consider myself a moral relativist, but there are some actions that leave the realm of relativism and enter the realm of moral absolutism. Throwing acid on girls who just want to go to school is one of them.


That said, these slides are not meant to be a commentary on the chador or burqua. Though I am not personally in love with the idea of women wearing burquas by mandate, it is not my place to judge a culture in which it is the practice. This means that these slides are in no way a commentary on religious or cultural practices in Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iran or Egypt.

What they are is a commentary on violence against women, whether it takes place in Swat, Buner, Washington or San Francisco. Turn on sound to listen.

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From Istanbul With Love

By Andrea McMahan
June 2, 2009

OLYMPOS, Turkey - These are pictures from the first leg of our trip in Istanbul. We've been in Turkey a little more than a week and are enchanted by the history, architecture and natural beauty of the country. If Turkey's hospitality is a precursor of what we can expect from the rest of the Middle East, then we're in for a treat! Stay tuned as we depart Thursday for Beirut.