Better Late Than Never

The Beirut Daily Star, which a couple of months ago expressed dismay that the U.S. had not appointed a successor for the outgoing ambassador, David Hale, reported relevant good news on October 8.  Since I also was disturbed by the apparent apathy toward Lebanon at this highly critical period of time, I must report the […]

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Good News from Lebanon

This may be news or rumor.  I have heard it but cannot verify. The U.S. is going to send a new ambassador to Lebanon, and it is a woman. She, whoever she is, is awaiting confirmation. Meanwhile, because of the tense and drastic situation in the Middle East, Ambassador David Hale is being left in […]

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Paying for War, Losing Peace

International Peace Day caused me to discover something very interesting that I will share with you in this article. I tried more than usual  that day to think about the things that create peace.  I am not the only one who struggles with this issue, of course.  There are some wonderful people and organizations making […]

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Why We Must Have an Ambassador in Lebanon

  David Hale, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, will reach the end of his term of service within a few days and has been confirmed as ambassador to Pakistan.  The State Department has appointed no one to take his place in Lebanon. On August 22 the Beirut Daily Star suggested that the failure to appoint […]

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Peacemaking for Amateurs

Today, I am told is International Peace Day.  My daughter, Jan Fuller, senior chaplain at Elon University, has raised this question: “What can I do today to promote peace?”  So I am thinking. The reason we never make peace, I think, is that we wait until violence breaks out and then we think about it, […]

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A Meditation for Hurting People

Another September 11.  What to do with it? Already 10:15 in the morning and I realize that this should be a day of introspection. A day of deliberately ignoring those who have hurt us and looking in at ourselves. This thing happened 14 years ago today, and it changed us. We know we will not be […]

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What’s the Plan, Mr. President?

In The News . . . Frances Fuller, Author Of Book About Lebanon, ‘In Borrowed Houses’, Issues Open Letter To Barack Obama About Middle East Refugees Frances Fuller’s award-winning memoir, ‘In Borrowed Houses’, gives readers a penetrating glimpse of the Middle East from the inside. She puts a face on the Middle East many Americans […]

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The Disappeared, a Story

  It must have been October, in maybe 1981.  It was a stunning day, having rained and washed all the summer grime out the air, leaving every pine needle glistening.  From my office window I could see Beirut gleaming down there on its broad shelf, surrounded by the blue sea. I had an urgent print […]

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An Open Letter to Jimmy Carter

  Dear Mr. President, Thank you for your years of work in the cause of peace and justice in the Middle East, especially for your book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. Many people (and I am one) admire you for your courage, your Christian attitudes and your willingness to speak the truth. I know that you have […]

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