In which the claim by Yes Minister’s Sir Humphrey that, “subsidy is not to be given for what the people want! It is for what the people don't want but ought to have!” resonates in Qatar.
Despite some grandstanding by high-ranking politicians stating that Lebanese women should have full citizenship rights, these promises, needless to say, have so far come to nothing.
While more and more Qataris seem to be expressing their disapproval or disquiet not only in the Majalis but also in the wider public sphere, it would be naive to speak of further liberalisation of the liberalised autocracy.
In the wake of this episode, the Lebanese are well aware of the aphorism attributed to Trotsky, “you may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you”.
Despite it all, Hezbollah remains a key constituent of the weak and de-facto decentralised state - the legitimate representative of the overwhelming majority of Lebanese Shiites and the ally of the largest Christian Party in the country.
While the Geneva talks, if they are actually held, are tipped to fail, a political settlement may well be the only hope, not only for Syria, but also for the region.
While a protracted civil conflict in Lebanon is unlikely, a clash between Hezbollah and Israel is only too feasible.
The intermingling of sports, politics and identity in the region makes it too important to be overlooked.
The poet Adonis who has called on Assad to cede power to what initially began as peaceful protests, was also the subject of sectarian0-fuelled online death threats for his criticism of the rebels’ transgressions and his position against regional and international intervention.
Heightened security has so far managed to contain the Sheikh’s roving and provocative marches.
It was only a matter of time before Hezbollah would also join in the fight out of loyalty to a regime dubbed by David Hirst its “midwife”, as well as in an effort to protect its supply routes.
Rather than fly to nearby Cyprus to tie the knot, Nidal Darwiche and Khouloud Sukkarieh, supported by lawyer Talal Husseini, have attempted to force through the first civil marriage carried out on Lebanese soil.
