http://www.thephoenixdaily.net/

The Phoenix Daily, Beirut (2024)

14/05/2022

"Innovative Lebanese concepts enriched the lexicon of democracies in the world. Seen in the aftermath of the Taif agreement, the parliamentary system was based on pactist, sectarian, consociational, quota, conventional, parity, proportional,and complex democracy. Accordingly, consociational democracy or the democracy of compromises prevailed at the expense of the law. Pactist democracy entered after the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanon in 2005, when it was raised at times by Christian groups, and at other times by Shiite Muslims, who had been marginalized since Ta’if, to challenge the legitimacy of government decisions and to prevent the parliament from adopting laws or agreements hostile to the Islamic Resistance project. The question now is; is it the turn of the Sunni Muslims to brandish the sword of Pactism to disrupt the effects of the upcoming elections in May 2022?" continue reading here

Innovative Lebanese concepts enriched the lexicon of democracies in the world. Seen in the aftermath of the Taif agreement, the parliamentary system was based on pactist, sectarian, consociational, quota, conventional, parity, proportional,and complex democracy. Accordingly, consociational democracy

15/04/2022

"“I work, I earn, I buy, I cook, I prepare, I feed, WE decide, but if he wants eggs… it should be eggs” – this intriguing quote uttered by a Syrian refugee woman in the Bekaa region portrays the control that men have as the heads of the household compared to women (El-Asmar et al., 2019). The phenomena of gender equality underlie equal prospects for both sexes, male and female, and envision equal rights economically, socially, culturally, nutritionally and politically with facilitated access to resources. Unfortunately, the reality of the middle-eastern society put all women and girls at a disadvantage, especially within the Lebanese population where around 1,349,955 are Syrian refugees, with over 50% of them being women and young girls." continue reading here

“I work, I earn, I buy, I cook, I prepare, I feed, WE decide, but if he wants eggs… it should be eggs” – this intriguing quote uttered by a Syrian refugee woman in the Bekaa region portrays the control that men have as the heads of the household compared to women (El-Asmar et al., 2019). The...

07/03/2022

"Amid talks of renewed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the globe is preoccupied by the military and security repercussions of such an event. However, the country was concerned with another crisis long before the current tensions: a dire humanitarian situation that could take a major turn for the worse in the case of renewed conflict. The situation isn’t made any better by the demographics of the Ukrainian population, which is relatively old. What are the implications of this renewed conflict and who will be suffering?" continue reading here

Amid talks of renewed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the globe is preoccupied by the military and security repercussions of such an event. However, the country was concerned with another crisis long before the current tensions: a dire humanitarian situation that could take a major turn for th

01/03/2022

"Living in a patriarchal society, most if not every woman grew up being oppressed in a certain way; being treated as objects, silenced, having their feelings undermined… women do not really have a way to express themselves or act freely. They should abide by societal rules and act upon them or else they will be punished and rejected. These rules have been so anchored in our society that many people find it “normal” to say things like “why are you sad? You must be on your period!” when it is really not. Through this opinion piece I expose, by sharing a personal experience, how society objectifies and condemns women for acting or not in a specific way." continue reading here

The Phoenix Daily is a national Lebanese independent newspaper covering national & international affairs in Arabic, English, and French for better and more intellectual Lebanon.

17/02/2022

"The paper delves into the topic of women’s sexual rights in the MENA region and how they’re shamed for exploring their sexualities. It will discuss two barbaric topics which are H***n Reconstruction Surgery and Female Ge***al Mutilation (FGM). Women are forced to be subjected to these surgeries and put under the knife which affects their sexual function and objectifies them. These surgeries are a byproduct of the patriarchy that rules in the MENA region. Women aren’t seen as human beings with sexual urges, they’re seen as objects and their worth is connected with their sexualities." continue reading here

The paper delves into the topic of women’s sexual rights in the MENA region and how they’re shamed for exploring their sexualities. It will discuss two barbaric topics which are H***n Reconstruction Surgery and Female Ge***al Mutilation (FGM). Women are forced to be subjected to these surgeries ...

11/02/2022

"Philosophy of feminism is a widely diverse field covering various topics, yet united by a crucial and main concern which is gender. It is an approach to philosophy from a feminist perspective and an adoption of philosophical methods regarding feminist matters and inquiries. It is targeted towards understanding, challenging, and criticizing the oppression and subordination of women. Philosophy of feminism is thus unified by shedding light on issues of concern to feminists. In addition to its commitment to justice for women, philosophy of feminism examines issues that are socially constructed traditionally in political philosophy, epistemology, practical ethics, and metaphysics. In fact, one of its primary functions isinvestigating sexism and whether it’s socially constructed or not. In the below, I will explore how sexism is the result of socially constructed gender roles leading to sexism itself being socially constructed." continue reading here

Philosophy of feminism is a widely diverse field covering various topics, yet united by a crucial and main concern which is gender. It is an approach to philosophy from a feminist perspective and an adoption of philosophical methods regarding feminist matters and inquiries. It is targeted towards un

07/02/2022

"This paper examines the effects of gender discriminatory laws in the MENA region and how these laws hinder the chances of any change from happening when it comes to progress in society and social development. It discusses the inequality found in the MENA region when it comes to the political aspect of society. It includes laws such as the domestic laws implemented in the Arab world as well as the laws that prevent women from becoming judges. It also goes over how Arab politicians use women’s rights to get votes in elections but never fulfill their promises to implement change. It does acknowledge that some Arab countries have implemented some change when it comes to the laws implemented, but emphasizes on the need of the collective to come together and try and solve this prominent issue in the MENA region." continue reading here

This paper examines the effects of gender discriminatory laws in the MENA region and how these laws hinder the chances of any change from happening when it comes to progress in society and social development. It discusses the inequality found in the MENA region when it comes to the political aspect

30/01/2022

"Who would have thought that we would experience a revival of the East-West conflict to such a big extent? If you follow any news channels, there is one topic that you can’t miss: Ukraine at “war” with Russia. A lot of so-called pseudo-analytics say that this could be the beginning of the third world war. I am going to explain the conflict and the interests of the actors to better highlight the real narrative behind it." continue reading here

Who would have thought that we would experience a revival of the East-West conflict to such a big extent? If you follow any news channels, there is one topic that you can’t miss: Ukraine at “war” with Russia. A lot of so-called pseudo-analytics say that this could be the beginning of the third...

27/01/2022

"The partition of the Indian Subcontinent in August 1947 and how it transpired created many fault lines of conflict between the new neighboring states. A complete lack of caution and wisdom in drawing the boundaries coupled with a lack of interest in the
ex*****on of the partition plans – both on the part of the British – ensured that conflict and hostility would prevail amongst the new neighbor states in and around many vulnerable territories. Fast-forward to 2022 and many of these territories have still not
found lasting peace. Of course, after partition, the freedom movements that occurred in many of these regions also owe their existence to the discriminatory, anti-secular and
usually tyrannical nature of the Indian government. This would especially be true for the current BJP government, which is perhaps the most radical Hindu-nationalist and Hindu-supremacist government in India’s history." continue reading here

The partition of the Indian Subcontinent in August 1947 and how it transpired created many fault lines of conflict between the new neighboring states. A complete lack of caution and wisdom in drawing the boundaries coupled with a lack of interest in the ex*****on of the partition plans – both on t...

26/01/2022

"Mr. Secretary General,
Your visit at this sensitive time in Lebanon's history has a major importance, as state institutions have begun to collapse, amid a sovereign, social, economic, financial and monetary crisis, making the Lebanese people on the verge of starvation. According to the ESCWA study titled " Multidimensional poverty in Lebanon (2019-2021): Painful reality and uncertain prospects", poverty affects more than three quarters of the population in Lebanon, while it mounts up to 82% of the population living in a
multidimensional poverty, if other factors are taken into consideration other than income, such as education, access to health, and public services." continue reading here

Mr. Secretary General, Your visit at this sensitive time in Lebanon's history has a major importance, as state institutions have begun to collapse, amid a sovereign, social, economic, financial and monetary crisis, making the Lebanese people on the verge of starvation. According to the ESCWA study t

25/01/2022

"Women have been subjected to sexual violations for far too long, shifting the minds of men from a fixed to a growth mindset is the right step in the right direction, and it needs to be initiated by leaders these me look up to. Men of India need to create spaces for
themselves to go to in times of chaos in their lives, speak up regarding challenges they have and offer advice on how to deal or manage anger, the addiction to control and power. No amount of apologies can dismiss the impact being violated sexually has on
the victims. It is a scar they have to carry for the rest of their lives. It destroys their self-esteem, confidence, and enthusiasm for life. It’s time!" Continue reading here

Women have been subjected to sexual violations for far too long, shifting the minds of men from a fixed to a growth mindset is the right step in the right direction, and it needs to be initiated by leaders these me look up to. Men of India need to create spaces for themselves to go to in times of ch

24/01/2022

"We’ve all heard the saying “this is history in the making”, but it seems not many of us understand the reality of what this statement means. Having been born and raised in the current era, we lack the perception of how significant the occurrences taking place today are. Every year more and more gets added to history books; from Russia and Ukraine to United States and Iran, history is being shaped as we speak. But most people, due to living the events, sometimes forget the significance of them. This year has been a major one for the history of the Middle East, alliances lost and forged, rulers exposed, regimes and states showed their cracks, and others showed their muscles. Some might go as far and describe it as an end to neo-colonial rule in the region, but what did the Middle East look like in early 2021 and what does it look like now?" continue reading here

We’ve all heard the saying “this is history in the making”, but it seems not many of us understand the reality of what this statement means. Having been born and raised in the current era, we lack the perception of how significant the occurrences taking place today are. Every year more and mor...

21/01/2022

"As COVID cases rise in Lebanon in wake of the spread of the newest Omicron variant, the country is facing an alarming possible threat that has been present ever since the start of the pandemic, one that is dormant and rapidly emerging: a young, expanding, and unvaccinated population of refugees. Even though these occupants are not a new addition to the Lebanese population, the government seemed to have forgotten about the responsibility they have towards them when it comes to the COVID-19 Pandemic. In fact, only 4% of Syrian refugees have received at least one shot of the vaccine as of October of 2021 in Lebanon, mainly due to discrimination and lack of management. However, throughout the pandemic, the fact that this community is a young one helped it battle the virus’s spread and exhibition; yet, will their immunity resist the newest Omicron variant?" continue reading here

As COVID cases rise in Lebanon in wake of the spread of the newest Omicron variant, the country is facing an alarming possible threat that has been present ever since the start of the pandemic, one that is dormant and rapidly emerging: a young, expanding, and unvaccinated population of refugees. Eve

18/01/2022

"Over the last decade, a lot of effort has been made to promote gender equality. Many theories were introduced and studied in order to evaluate and eventually implement gender equality. One of the major ideologies introduced was gender blindness. Gender blindness, as defined by the Global Gender Statistics Program by the United Nations Statistics Division, is “the failure to recognize that the roles and responsibilities of women/girls and men/boys are ascribed to, or imposed upon, them in specific social, cultural, economic and political contexts” (UN ESCWA, 2020). In a simpler definition, gender blindness is when a person chooses not to see differences between genders." continue reading here

Over the last decade, a lot of effort has been made to promote gender equality. Many theories were introduced and studied in order to evaluate and eventually implement gender equality. One of the major ideologies introduced was gender blindness. Gender blindness, as defined by the Global Gender Stat

14/01/2022

"In September 2015, the General Assembly in the United Nations adopted a new perspective known as the “2030 perspective” which ensures sustainable development by protecting the planet, ending poverty, and ensuring prosperity for all. This process was done by setting new goals to achieve in the next 15 years which were known as the “Sustainable Development Goals” or the SDGs. (Sustainable Development Goals, 2021). For each one of these goals, a set of specific targets must be achieved to be able to fulfill the main point behind each goal, and it is important for everyone on this planet to do their part starting with the governments and reaching every citizen. (United Nations, 2021). Most of these goals deal with their major issues and might indirectly impact health and gender positively. One of these 17 SDGs (SDG 8) is concerned with ensuring inclusive decent work as well as sustainable economic growth. (United Nations, 2021). The process of fulfilling the SDG number 8 can impose improvements in both health and gender issues, on which it can enhance physical, mental/psychological as well as environmental health alongside reducing the gap that exist between men and women on all sides including civil rights as well as health." continue reading here

In September 2015, the General Assembly in the United Nations adopted a new perspective known as the “2030 perspective” which ensures sustainable development by protecting the planet, ending poverty, and ensuring prosperity for all. This process was done by setting new goals to achieve in the ne...

02/01/2022

"Between Friday, December 10th and Saturday, December 11th, 2021, several tornadoes hit different parts of the central and southern United States, claiming many lives, destroying buildings and turning them to debris, and ripping families apart. The tornadoes led to the collapse of an Amazon Warehouse in Western Illinois, a nursing home in Arkansas and a candle factory in Kentucky, which were among the buildings that were most destroyed. So far, at least 92 people have been confirmed deceased across the multiple states that have been affected, and in Kentucky alone, state emergency management officials and the state health department estimate the toll at 75 so far. It is said that more than 250 miles from Arkansas all the way to Kentucky might have been hit by one violent, long-track twister, according to CNN meteorologists: it reached speeds as high as 150 miles per hour. This was one of the largest tornado outbreaks in the United States’ history, and a lot of the damage is beyond repair." continue reading here

Between Friday, December 10th and Saturday, December 11th, 2021, several tornadoes hit different parts of the central and southern United States, claiming many lives, destroying buildings and turning them to debris, and ripping families apart. The tornadoes led to the collapse of an Amazon Warehouse

27/12/2021

"On Saturday, December 4th, 2021, the Mount Semeru Volcano located in Indonesia’s East Java Province erupted. It was sudden and unexpected, as this eruption left 48 people dead, and more than 5200 houses and buildings were damaged as a result. As well, more than 5000 people have been affected, where more than 2000 people took refuge at 19 different evacuation points. It is worth mentioning that the deadly emission was triggered by heavy rains: in fact, according to the Head of the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Eko Budi Lelono, the thunderstorm and persistent rain that took place that day eroded part of the volcano’s lava dome, which is a “plug” of solidified lava at the summit. This caused the dome to collapse, thus triggering the eruption. On Thursday, December 16th, 2021, the volcano erupted twice following the eruption that had happened earlier that month again." continue reading here

On Saturday, December 4th, 2021, the Mount Semeru Volcano located in Indonesia’s East Java Province erupted. It was sudden and unexpected, as this eruption left 48 people dead, and more than 5200 houses and buildings were damaged as a result. As well, more than 5000 people have been affected, wher...

21/12/2021

"The UN 2030 agenda consists of seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs) that were agreed upon by the 193 UN member states in 2015. SDGs are much more interconnected to one another where the achievement of a certain goal is correlated to the attainment of another. First, let us see what the common definition of the SDG is: SDG addresses the needs of the present generation and try to fulfill those needs at a condition that it will not hold future generations to achieve and sustain their own needs. It is important to ensure when achieving any of the 17 SDGs that it is not on the expense of next generation. Fundamentally, achieving any of SDGs will certainly perpetuate among generation if done correctly so that it can be sustained and wouldn’t be temporarily targeted. Roseboom, T. J. (2020). According to the United Nations, the 2030 UN agenda focuses on what is called the 5Ps that constitute the basis of the 17 SDGs: 1) The welfare of people, 2) Prosperity that means sustained developments and growth, 3) Acquiring peace, 4) Acquiring international collaboration throughout the partnership, 5) Protection of the environment ecosystem, keeping the planet safe. My article will focus on the first aspect encompassing SDG5 which is gender equality. I will argue that achieving gender equality will lead to improved health at various levels by exposing the negative health outcomes of gender inequality. My thesis would be validated by exposing how gender inequality is manifested through violence, food and education and their direct impact on health." continue reading here

The UN 2030 agenda consists of seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs) that were agreed upon by the 193 UN member states in 2015. SDGs are much more interconnected to one another where the achievement of a certain goal is correlated to the attainment of another. First, let us see what the com

18/12/2021

"مساهمة النساء والفتيات في إنشاء شبكة العلاقات التشجيعية بين الأفراد اللاجئين وتطويرها بطريقة مباشرة أو غير مباشرة، أساسية. كما أنّ لهنّ حصّة من الاستفادة من شبكة الأمان والتحفيز هذه، لا سيّما أنهنّ يعانين من عوائق ومحدّدات يفرضها عليهنّ المجتمع إزاء هذه التحديات الهائلة، وينجح العديد منهن ببناء شبكات دعم غالباً ما تتشكّل على هيئة مبادرات يشاركن فيها أو يقمن بتأسيسها لدعم بعضهنّ للبعض الآخر ولمساعدة بعضهن على تخطي الصعاب والتقدّم وبلوغ المبتغى من طموحاتهن وأحلامهن." أكمل القراءة هنا

مساهمة النساء والفتيات في إنشاء شبكة العلاقات التشجيعية بين الأفراد اللاجئين وتطويرها بطريقة مباشرة أو غير مباشرة، أساسية. كما أنّ لهنّ حصّة من الاستفادة من شبكة ا....

04/12/2021

"على مرّ التاريخ، كان يتمّ تجاهل المرأة دائمًا عند تعلّق الأمر بالسياسة أو حتّى بمكان العمل. لم تحصل المرأة على حقّها في التصويت حتّى عام 1952 في لبنان، وما زالت حتّى يومنا هذا، غير ممثّلة بقدر تمثيل الرجل في البرلمان والحكومة." أكمل القراءة هنا..

على مرّ التاريخ، كان يتمّ تجاهل المرأة دائمًا عند تعلّق الأمر بالسياسة أو حتّى بمكان العمل. لم تحصل المرأة على حقّها في التصويت حتّى عام 1952 في لبنان، وما زالت حتّى يو...

30/11/2021

"On November 10th, 2021, the Lebanese Minister of Education and Higher Education Abbas El Halabi along with UNESCO’s education officials held a meeting at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris with high-level representatives from the UNESCO Member States, in margin of the 41st Session of the General Conference. It is worth mentioning that Mr. El Halabi is a former judge, vice-chairman of the Board of Directors, and Legal Counsel of the Bank of Beirut and the Arabic Countries (BBAC), as well as a former professor at the Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ). The main goal behind said meeting was to mobilize international partnerships and resources as well as institutional and technical support towards the enhancement of the Five-Year General Education Plan for Lebanon (5YP) and reinforcement of support towards the Li Beirut Initiative." continue reading here

On November 10th, 2021, the Lebanese Minister of Education and Higher Education Abbas El Halabi along with UNESCO’s education officials held a meeting at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris with high-level representatives from the UNESCO Member States, in margin of the 41st Session of the General Con...

27/11/2021

"انعقد مؤتمر الأمم المتحدة للتغيّر المناخي 2021 (كوب 26 / COP26) بين 31 تشرين الأول و 12 تشرين الثاني 2021، ونظّمته المملكة المتحدة بالشراكة مع إيطاليا في مدينة غلاسكو الاسكتلاندية. وقد عبّر "ألوك شارما"، رئيس المؤتمر ووزير الدولة البريطاني للشؤون التجاريّة والطاقة والإستراتيجيّة الصناعيّة، عن توقّعاته للمؤتمر في مقر الأونيسكو في باريس بتاريخ 12 تشرين الأول 2021: "باريس وعدت. غلاسكو يجب أن تسلّم." هكذا أكّد شارما على ضرورة وأهمّية قمّة المناخ." أكمل القراءة هنا

انعقد مؤتمر الأمم المتحدة للتغيّر المناخي 2021 (كوب 26 / COP26) بين 31 تشرين الأول و 12 تشرين الثاني 2021، ونظّمته المملكة المتحدة بالشراكة مع إيطاليا في مدينة غلاسكو الاسكتلا....

25/11/2021

"A devastating economic crisis, a shortage of basic necessities and medications, a fuel crisis, the third biggest non-nuclear explosion in history, a sky-rocketing elevation in unemployment and so much more: who wouldn’t feel traumatized when living in such harsh and difficult conditions? Today, Lebanon is going through the unimaginable and every single citizen is feeling the devastation in one way or another. However, what is most heartbreaking is seeing young children who are so pure and innocent live in a country that they anticipate leaving starting such a young age because they are made aware of how bad the situation currently is. They’ve had to face what no child should ever have to, and this clearly affects their mental and physical development in a variety of ways. In fact, Childhood Trauma is defined as serious adverse childhood experiences, where the child experiences overwhelming and negative events and emotions. As per this definition, it is clear that most children in Lebanon are suffering from Childhood Trauma, and more so than not, it is almost a guarantee that they will if they grow up here." continue reading here

A devastating economic crisis, a shortage of basic necessities and medications, a fuel crisis, the third biggest non-nuclear explosion in history, a sky-rocketing elevation in unemployment and so much more: who wouldn’t feel traumatized when living in such harsh and difficult conditions? Today, Le...

18/11/2021

"“The main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth”, said none-other than Desiderius Erasmus. It appears that the Lebanese government had fully embraced this saying after the Taif Agreement, the latter having brought a new plan for Education in Lebanon, alongside a seemingly collective agreement to end the Civil War. Proper Citizenship Education that transmits democratic values is a starting point to be able to trigger reform in the country through the increased patrimonial sentiment, rather than the sectarian one, and that would be taught and applied in schools. Thus, a new project saw the light of day: strengthening national unity starting in the younger classes as a core reform, portraying the essentiality of improved citizenship education. However, said-project has yet to be implemented properly in schools after the new curriculum of 1997. " continue reading here

“The main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth”, said none-other than Desiderius Erasmus. It appears that the Lebanese government had fully embraced this saying after the Taif Agreement, the latter having brought a new plan for Education in Lebanon, alongside a seemingly co...

17/11/2021

"من أحد الحركات التي اكتسبت اتباعا في التاريخ المعاصر فكرة أن المحكية اللبنانية لغة بحد ذاتها منفصلة عن العربية. ولنجيب عن هذه الإشكاليّة، لا بد من الغوص في التاريخ وعلوم اللغة (الألسنيّة) لنقدّم لكم كل الحقائق والمفاهيم التي تساعد في الاختيار." أكمل القراءة هنا

من أحد الحركات التي اكتسبت اتباعا في التاريخ المعاصر فكرة أن المحكية اللبنانية لغة بحد ذاتها منفصلة عن العربية. ولنجيب عن هذه الإشكاليّة، لا بد من الغوص في التاريخ و...

15/11/2021

"Adding stories, creating content, sharing everyday life moments, collaborating with international brands, receiving PR packages, modeling, and earning money. This is a brief job description that thousands of children around the world find themselves using nowadays. When children work, we simply categorize that as “Child Labour” without even giving it a second thought. When we usually talk about child labour, we tend to imagine lower-class uneducated families sending their children to work, unaware of the damage that is being done to them. However, the concept is evolving, just like everything else in the world. Today, influencers, who are usually part of the higher-class, educated and sophisticated families are now “sending their kids to work”, from the comfort of their own homes, and turning them into “Kidfluencers”. This new term is a colloquial one used to refer to a child who is an influencer on social media." continue reading here

Adding stories, creating content, sharing everyday life moments, collaborating with international brands, receiving PR packages, modeling, and earning money. This is a brief job description that thousands of children around the world find themselves using nowadays. When children work, we simply cate