Opinion Policy Analysis by Rhea Haddad, Staff Writer

While Lebanon took the necessary measures to fight the virus and even had a more aggressive approach compared to countries having a very low COVID-19 incidence rate like Taiwan, it was not able to reach the same results.

Opinion piece by Maria Wehbe and Tala Karkanawi, Staff Writers

Today, the rules and regulations implemented within our society take a toll on each and every one of us, whether in a positive or negative way. However, one cannot neglect the fact that it strips away part of our identity because our culture reprimands us of acting in certain ways because of its norms and values. In other words, this means that even though it is said that our freedom is one of our basic human rights, how much “freedom” do we really have?

Elissa Hassan, Contributor and Sarah El-Abd, Editor-in-Chief

On the 9th of November, The Phoenix Daily met exclusively with His Excellency the Minister of Public Health, Hamad Hassan, for an interview in the main ministerial office. The interview encompasses discussions exclusive to The Phoenix Daily on the Lebanese lockdown, the strategic vision and mission Dr. Hassan had for the Ministry in a pre-Covid19 and post-Covid19 world, the fight against institutionalized corruption, the peaceful transition of power to the prospectively upcoming new Minister of Public Health, and further on the August 4th tragedy, the pharmacy impasse, and ministerial diplomatic relations.

Opinion Analysis by Gaelle Nohra, Staff Writer

With university elections striking national affairs these two weeks, it has certainly come to your attention the rise in the number of independently running students whose main campaigning slogan consists of them not being affiliated with any political party or political club active within their respective university. That said, “non-politically affiliated” has transcended the slogan level and now constitutes not just an eligibility criterion, but a privilege header on the candidate’s profile and whose absence might be perceived as a black point on their record.

Campus Policy Analysis by Annabelle Ghanem, Staff Writer and Tala Majzoub, Staff Writer

In light of the political parties backing out of the American University of Beirut’s student body elections, progressive and secular students were more than ready to reclaim the AUB democratic space. The AUB Secular Club, which has long been the country’s largest and most renowned independent student platform, is now competing with Change Starts Here, a new independent movement that was born three months ago in light of the Lebanese revolution. For the first time in AUB’s history, the competition is now between two independent movements.

Opinion Analysis by Myriam Skaff, Contributor

Creativity is not a product of the elite, the intellectual or the philosopher. Humans are innately creative. Their drive to create is infinite, and the final product comes in various tangible (objects) or intangible (language) ways. Language is the finest example of oral remix, from the choice of words to the syntax of our sentences.

Opinion News Analysis by Tala Majzoub, Staff Writer

Lebanon’s fragile sectarian balance has left different sects seeking refuge from foreign players. In light of this fragmentation, rival regional and global powers are competing for ascendancy. Turkey is a central player, seeking to leverage both its Sunni Islamist credentials to appeal to Sunni Arab populations, and where relevant its Turkic ethnicity to appeal to Turkic remnant populations in the Levant. Considerable and solid evidence indicates that in Lebanon, a similar pattern is being followed by Turkey, especially in the North.

Opinion piece by Elie El Hajj, Contributor

The Lebanese black market is pretty much like Lebanon. You love it and hate it at the same time, you can never know what’s going to happen in it and even if you try to anticipate, it will come chase you at nigh asking for your dollars. So how can we know what to do with our money? And how can we know about the authenticity of these factors influencing our economy?

Opinion Analysis by Tala Majzoub, Staff Writer

Nina maligns feminists as the enemy because they challenge the patriarchal status quo that she seems to have internalized. While I respect that a good number of women today still maintain Nina’s perspective on traditional gender roles, it is important to acknowledge that they are opinions, not universal truths. Drawing on the assertions she made on her episode discussing the feminist movement, is Nina Abdel Malak brainwashed, ignorant, or simply opinionated?

Opinion Economic Analysis by Sandro Joseph Azzam, Staff Writer

In the days leading up to Hariri’s nomination as PM and carrying on with momentum afterwards, the USD/LBP exchange rate dropped from over 8700 down to 6400 at the time of writing. Was the appreciation of the Lira due to the increased sense of certainty that comes with the designation of a PM? Or is there something fishy going on?

Energy Policy Analysis by Zeina Dagher, Staff Writer

Lately, the electricity sector has been a central topic when discussing the Lebanese crisis. This is very understandable, as now more than ever, the Lebanese are struggling with power cuts, and living with as low as two hours of State-provided electricity per day. Therefore, today, many of the proposed reform plans have included the rehabilitation of the electricity sector as a key factor in saving the country. However, what rehabilitation are we talking about? Knowing that we’re living in times where we’re undoubtedly experiencing the disasters of climate change, and knowing that Lebanon has very valuable untapped natural resources, it should be evident that investing in climate-friendly and sustainable alternatives, instead of the ever-so problematic fossil fuel industry, is what’s best for 2020 Lebanon.

Opinion Analysis by Stephanie El Khoury, Contributor

In today's political climate and biased news outlets, social media in Lebanon has become one of the most important media platforms for individuals to get updates and information. There has been an apparent rise in self-proclaimed thawra-accounts and influencers since through them individuals are able to keep up with the latest news regarding the corrupt class in charge of our government as well as respond to calls for revolution. Pro-thawra social media accounts and influencers tend to misinterpret and undermine the relationship that political parties have with their followers. Through shaming followers, they are strengthening the bond that these people have with their political party.

Campus Policy Analysis by Taleen El Gharib, Staff Writer

In October 2019, the Lebanese American University’s student council had only a total of 4 independent candidates in Beirut and Byblos combined. This year, nearly one year after the October 17 revolution, all independent candidates won a seat in the student council, with 9 out of 15 in Beirut and 5 in Byblos — a total of 14. For years, student council elections were doused in the domination of sectarian parties on campus, but they have officially been uncrowned. […] independent candidates gave The Phoenix Daily exclusive and detailed statements about their experiences during the election period.

Opinion Analysis by Joelle El Sheikh, Staff Writer

What started off as a frustrated cry against corruption by small groups of people, triggered by the bill to implement a tax on the free mobile communication application WhatsApp, quickly turned into a much bigger and impactful display of anger and a sense of despair spreading through all Lebanon, creating a sense of solidarity that broke all sectarian boundaries. From filling every square in Lebanon to forming a record-breaking human chain, the Lebanese people spared no effort, violent or non-violent, to exhibit their thoughts on the political system which has failed its people.

Opinion piece by Zeina Dagher, Staff Writer

Only a few weeks ago the Lebanese people suffered disappointment when the then-Prime Minister Mustafa Adib stepped down, having not been able to quickly form a government that would alleviate and possibly resolve the crisis according to the demands from abroad. Now, back to square one, the future seems darker than ever. It seems like in times like these, people are getting caught up in the politicians’ useless games, and the bigger picture is almost lost. Therefore, it seems like right now is the best time to bring things back to point zero. We always hear about the youth being Lebanon’s only hope and future. Consequently, highlighting the opinion of younger people is important, because then we can know what to concretely demand.

Opinion Foreign Policy Analysis by Francesco Pitzalis, Staff Writer and Tala Majzoub, Contributor

On the 1st of October, Lebanon and Israel, “neighbouring” states that have been at war since the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1948-49, agreed to hold negotiations to end the long-running maritime border dispute. The question therein lies, if Lebanon employs a non-compliant yet pragmatic policy towards israel; will Lebanon abandon the Palestinian cause? Likewise, in the absence of normalisation, will the West, through diplomatic, economic and political ostracization continue to make Lebanon’s life a living “hell”?

Opinion Economic Analysis by Gaelle Nohra, Staff Writer

Externalities refer to the costs and benefits affecting a third party who did not choose to incur those costs and benefits, and free-riding is just one type of a positive externality. This article will address the dilemma of fresh-dollar earners residing in Lebanon at the moment, and question the extent to which free-riding reflects upon their situation.

Opinion Analysis by Maria Wehbe and Joelle El Sheikh, Staff Writers 

Our nation is on the verge of collapse, and so is our educational system. That is to say that even before COVID-19, students and parents were not at ease due to the economic crisis that has been cumulating for the past couple of months as well as the raise of the poverty rate. Due to COVID-19, everything shifted: everything was transferred online and that is how E-learning became a very important factor in all of our lives, whether teachers or students.

Interview Analysis by Michel Sadek, Staff Writer

On the 19th of September 18-year-old Lebanese performer Nour Ardakani was named the 16th member of world-renowned pop group Now United. The love for music running deep in her veins, it was only right that Nour seized the opportunity to take her passion to the next level. So with her “calm confidence” and phenomenal talent, Nour proved to Simon Fuller and Now United scouts that she was the best candidate to represent the long-misunderstood MENA/North Africa region in the pop group. What makes this success story so special, however, is not confined to Nour’s talent, but rather who she is as a person: A prodigy “looking to put Lebanon on the world map.”

Opinion Piece by Annabelle Ghanem, Staff Writer

Have you ever asked yourself, what exactly is an expat? Or why people are expats to begin with? The common definition does not provide a proper image of what an expat really is, especially a Lebanese expat. We might not have all the answers to our questions about what happened on the 4th of August, however we do know how every Lebanese felt after witnessing or hearing about what is sure to be one of the major turning points in Lebanese history, the Beirut Explosion. Thus, 24 Lebanese expats, coming from 24 different countries, gathered the time and strength to provide me with 24 raw stories detailing what happened on the 4h of August 2020.