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Wednesday, May 16, 2012 20:24 GMT

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Recovering From the Spring, at a Price
By Mona Alami
AMMAN - The Arab Spring sent scores of sick and injured Libyans, fleeing their war- torn country, straight to Jordan, where the influx of patients is putting a lot of pressure on Jordanian hospitals and disrupting the lives of Libyan and Jordanian patients alike.
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Fragmented Protests Rise in Jordan
By Mona Alami
AMMAN - On a warm Friday afternoon, police cars blocked the roads around the Al Husseini mosque, where hundreds of men were kneeling for the noon prayers. At the end of the service, the crowds rose and marched in a compact protest behind a car bearing a banner for the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
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Syrian Strife Hits Lebanese Villages
By Mona Alami
QAA, Lebanon - A few kilometres separate the two Lebanese villages of Ersal and Qaa from the Syrian border, both of which have been unwillingly drawn into the violence of the Syrian uprising. Unrest has been brewing in the region for weeks and recently it was on the receiving end of intermittent gunfire from the Syrian army. The situation remains tense despite the fragile new ceasefire.
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Could the Druze Minority Tip the Scales of Syria’s Revolution?
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - The Druze stronghold of Sweida, Syria, witnessed several pro-democracy protests last week. While the movement remains marginal, it is charged with symbolism: the Druze have long been considered the "spiritual cousins" of the Alawites, the religious group to which the Assad family belongs.
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Syrian Crisis Spills Over Into Lebanon
By Mona Alami
TRIPOLI, Lebanon - Chants erupt from the second floor of a decrepit building in Tripoli in the Sunni stronghold of Bab el-Tebbaneh. Young voices loudly sing "Yalla Erhal Ya Bashar," or "Come on, leave, Bashar," directed at the Syrian president, Bashar al- Assad. It has become the anthem of the Syrian revolution.
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Could a New Civil Law Unify a Divided Society?
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - Odette Klysinska, a Catholic French native, sits in her living room in an affluent neighbourhood in Beirut, clutching her will in one hand, shocked to learn that it is no longer legally valid in the country she now calls home.
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Cracks Widen in Syrian Economy
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - As the Syrian uprising enters its tenth month, the country’s economy is suffering. Since last March, the Syrian government has been cracking down on pro-democracy protests, and the once peaceful uprising has morphed into a full-blown armed rebellion in areas such as Homs, Hama and Jabal al-Zawiya.
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Syrian Political Refugees Hounded in Lebanon
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - Syrian refugees fleeing the brutal crackdown on citizens calling for an end to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime have encountered a sinister reception in neighbouring Lebanon.
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Driving Into a Divided Land
By Mona Alami
DAMASCUS - Scores of buses carrying Syrians out of the country are waiting in uneven lines on the Lebanese-Syrian border for their paperwork to be processed. There are no Arab or Western tourists eager to cross to the other side, usually seen in hordes this time of year.
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Syrian Opposition Members Disappearing in Lebanon
By Mona Alami
BEIRUT - A wave of mysterious disappearances is befalling members of the Syrian opposition in Lebanon, where Syria’s military and intelligence apparatus had a strong presence during its occupation of the country from 1976 until 2005.
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War Makes for Strange Bedfellows
By Mona Alami
WADI KHALED, Lebanon - A soldier and an Islamist - both fleeing the crackdown on Syrian pro-democracy protesters and seeking refuge in neighbouring Lebanon - have discovered that they share similar views on the ongoing uprising.
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Syria’s Once Profoundly Secular Society Shaken Up
By Mona Alami
DAMASCUS - Since pro-democracy protests began last March, Syria’s once profoundly secular society has been shaken up, with deep divides splitting up communities along sectarian lines.
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Ongoing Unrest Threatening Economy
By Mona Alami
DAMASCUS - As protests persist in Syria, the economy is becoming an increasing concern for many, who wonder if it will eventually falter in light of the recent unrest.
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Mona Alami brings IPS exclusive and incisive reports on the challenges that armed conflict poses for the Lebanese people's daily lives. Mona took to reporting after a law degree and an MBA. Her reporting spreads across the canvas from the pressing news of the day to a close look at broader issues that others have mostly forgotten.