بدايات في العام السادس

Bidayat in Its Sixth Year

Bidayat

In its sixth year, “Bidayat” renews its commitment to expanding critical reflection and deep left-wing intellectual inquiry to confront the challenges of the Arab uprisings, moving beyond quick opinion journalism.

عن حلب واخواتها والدهشة

On Aleppo, Its Sisters, and Astonishment

As-Safir

Robbing us of astonishment is the real crime — before Aleppo, resistance means refusing to get used to the killing.

مقدمة كتاب السفير

Introduction to the Al-Safir Book

As-Safir

Preface: writing in revolutionary time mixes pleasure with confusion — the word becomes an act of change, and the writer must nurture hope.

لكل فصول التغيير

For All the Seasons of Change

Bidayat

Inaugural editorial: Bidayat was born with the Arab revolutions to refound the left project — freedom, equality, and social justice.

Reflections on Culture and Folklore in Lebanon

Folklore is the "matrix of every culture": the dabkeh is a pre-monotheistic fertility rite, proverbs are ruins of old tales—and the Rahbanis and Ziad created modern folklore confronting war and hypocrisy.

Interview on Noam Chomsky

LBC

Fawwaz Traboulsi reviews Noam Chomsky's dual significance as a linguist and critical thinker who exposes mechanisms of power, applying his approach to contemporary Lebanese and Arab issues, warning against the nation's transformation into client states due to the criminal use of oil.

جوزيف سماحة: التوأم!

Joseph Samaha: The Twin!

As-Safir

They call him "Fawwaz" and call me "Joseph" — a twinship. He wrote editorials like dancing dabke: you never know where the blow will land. Who allowed you to take half of me and leave?

نحن نحبّ … الإعلان!

We Love... Advertising!

As-Safir

Advertising bewitches you into desiring mustard instead of the woman — after years of using the woman to sell you mustard. Its growing role tracks the hollowing of politics.

Senile Orientalism

Allah will know his own: Lewis attributed a Catholic Crusader phrase to Islam—and his real argument is that Iran has no right to what Israel already possesses in nuclear warheads.

How to prevent civil war: Remember the last one

The Daily Star

An interview: the simple reason to remember the war is to avoid another—and "constructed amnesia" protects warlords-turned-rulers. The young generation carries a "big black hole."