Dollars & Sense collective member Mary Jirmanus recounts her stay in Beirut during the war in July.

How are things over "there?" I read an e-mail on July 15 from a friend while sitting in my cousin's apartment in Rabieh, a Beirut suburb. It reads, "I can't imagine what it's like there— here things seem to be moving so slowly." There: the physical, geographical reality of "the region" and "the conflict" on which my friend expects me to offer some insight as to whether Syria will get involved, whether this is the United States' proxy war with Iran, whether World War III has started. There: also my internal connection to the space and the constantly changing political scenario, where Al-Jazeera is our constant sound track, where each village mentioned in the news strikes a particular chord of concern, and where we (more...)

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