In 1914, with the onset of World War I, Ottoman Turks abrogated the Règlement Organique (1860-1864) that had freed the Mount Lebanon Mutassarifiyah (Governorate) from Ottoman rule. Turkish troops re-invaded the country and imposed a draconian military occupation.

A perfect storm of food and animal requisitions, forced conscription, and a locust epidemic caused a generalized famine. Resistance leaders were hanged in downtown Beirut. By the end of the war, one-third of Mount Lebanon’s population had perished, and one-third had emigrated.

Of the six siblings of my grandparents’ generation, four left the country for Latin America. My paternal grandfather, Youssef Ayoub Hitti, settled in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, founded the Arzit Lebnen newspaper in 1916, and assembled an armed company of volunteers to fight on the side of the Allied Powers and contribute to the liberation of Lebanon. Youssef returned in 1922 after Turkey's defeat and the Governorate's expansion to today’s Greater Lebanon. This site is dedicated to preserving and continuing his life’s work, the Arzit Lebnen newspaper. Learn more

Tongue-Tied “Arab World” – Part I: What’s in a Union?

Arab world map
Amidst all the talk about democratization in the Middle East, one salient argument is that the economic development of otherwise ...
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The Inevitable War in Lebanon

The Inevitable War in Lebanon
(Translated from Arabic: https://www.asasmedia.com/news/399390/ حرب-لبنان-صارت-حتميّة) This is what Western diplomats are telling Lebanese officials and politicians about the “Completed Gaza ...
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What Does the West Really Want from Lebanon?

What Does the West Really Want from Lebanon?
They keep coming: EU, US, French and German ministers, envoys, ambassadors instructing the Lebanese on how to avoid a blowup ...
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Israel to Dump its Palestinian Human Garbage in Africa

Israel to Dump its Palestinian Human Garbage in Africa
More Africans and Asians from across war-torn and economically unlivable countries continue to trek towards Europe and the West, driven ...
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Advice to Palestine

Advice to Palestine
Israel’s very creation had one objective: Delete the word “Palestine” from the dictionaries and the maps. For now, Israel has ...
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What Will Hezbollah Do if/when Pushed North of the Litani?

What Will Hezbollah Do if_when Pushed North of the Litani
Preventing the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 1701 is no longer an option as enormous international pressure ...
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Kamal Begot Walid and Walid Begot Taymour

Kamal Begot Walid and Walid Begot Taymour
If the title sounds biblical, it is because the facts are of biblical vintage. In Lebanon, as elsewhere in the ...
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The Drawn Out French Lebanese Divorce

Le Long Divorce Franco-Libanais
No one doubts the slow decline of the French language (Francophonie) in Lebanon, a warning sign of future fractures to ...
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Le Long Divorce Franco-Libanais

Le Long Divorce Franco-Libanais
11 décembre 2023 Il n’y a aucun doute que la francophonie au Liban est en déclin, un signe avant-coureur de ...
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Lebanon: Likely Prospects of All-Out War

Tank Firing
Israel’s declared objective of eliminating Hamas is unachievable, according to most experts, even if Gaza were to suffer the fate ...
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