Rising Women Rising World Launch at the UK Parliament 17Nov, 2014

When you raise a woman, she'll raise her voice
She will call the world, and she will be heard
She will use her power to help every girl and mother
She will teach them to fly 
She will encourage them to touch the sky .
She will add to their dictionary 
The how , the when , the where , and the why

To question ,to answer , to start a fire
To love, to dream, to build a team
To empower the ambitions
To change the conditions
To give birth to a generation of visionaries
To beautify the world, to accomplish her missions.

Dr. leila Nicolas at Oxford University

Dr. Leila Nicolas is going to deliver 2 talks at Oxford University: 1- A seminar :'Current challenges in the Middle East - Views from an activist, woman, analyst' -  (12.11.2014 17.00 h)check the invitation on this link:http://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/index.php/details/35064-cis-conversations-current-challenges-in-the-middle-east-views-from-an-activist-woman-analyst.html

2- A lecture:Transitional Justice: the "doable" Syrian options ( 14.11. 2014 12.00h)check the invitation on this link:http://otjr.crim.ox.ac.uk/index.php/events/seminar/447-transitional-justice-the-doable-syrian-options.html  

Dr. Leila Nicolas app. on iphone and android

Guilt or Shame!

There is a huge difference between guilt and shame.. Never let anyone drive you to the "Blame, Shame" situation... if you are guilty, admit it but never accept to shrink in a destructive shame.

Motivation vs. preaching!

There is a huge difference but a thin line between "motivation", "influencing" and "Preaching"... People need someone to motivate them, influence them to make the change needed in their lives.... But, NEVER a PREACHER who assumes that he/ she owns the whole truth, and he / she is "in the know" and you are ignorant and needed to be advised.

Change your Perspective!

Change your Perspective, deal with what you offer as an "Investment" not a "Sacrifice".

Neighboring Insurgency: How are the Syrian Crisis and International Responses Driving Lebanon to a Fragility Trap?

Paper Presented at the panel "Local Ownership, Global Collective Action, and Addressing Fragile States" in the 2014 Annual Meeting – Global Governance: Engaging New Norms and Emerging Challenge,  June 19- 21, 2014

Introduction

Lebanon and Syria, two neighboring countries in the Middle East, have always been interrelated in all aspects socially, politically, economically and even culturally. The two countries share a 365-kilometer border, as well as extremely close historical, communal and familial ties.

In March 2011, a revolution erupted in Syria, starting a peaceful one then rapidly turned into a violent insurgency, which caused an unstable sphere, that transformed to a "magnet" to radicals and terrorists from all over the world.

2012 and subsequently, the Syrian war leaked out of its borders, causing major risks to Lebanon, which seldom has been immune to the events happening near its borders. Syrian spillover to Lebanon took many forms: military, economic, influx of refugees etc.  From the Syrian crisis’ early days, there was no doubt that Lebanon, traditionally under its neighbor's strong influence, would not remain un-influenced for long as Syria’s regime has a history of direct and indirect interference in Lebanese internal affairs.

Today, signs of Syria’s spillover effects are evident in Lebanon: Border lines between the two countries have been caught in the conflict, with weapon smuggling, as well as militant attacks against Lebanese villages. Political and sectarian tensions plus the huge influx of Syrian refugees to Lebanon not only had humanitarian but also political, economic and security consequences.

Was Lebanon a fragile state before the Syrian crisis? What are the causes of fragility situations in Lebanon? What are the effects of Syrian crisis, international and donors' policies on Lebanon? How can the international community and donors in cooperation with local ownership help Lebanon overcome these consequences and escape fragility?.

In this paper, I assume that the effects of the spillover of the Syrian crisis and the international responses are deeply and negatively affecting the Lebanese State's existence, leading to a strong belief that Lebanon is heading rapidly to a "fragility trap".

This paper is divided into four sections. The first provides a brief sketch of the definitions of  a "Fragile state", including an overview of the Lebanese situations of fragility before the Syrian crisis. Section two presents a summary of the major political, structural, and economic effects of the Syrian spillover on Lebanon. The third section discusses the effects of donors' measures to cope with the refugees' crisis on Lebanon. The final section suggests some solutions and recommendations to help Lebanon escape a fragility trap.