Walid Jumblatt
| Walid Jumblatt | |
|---|---|
 Picture of Walid Jumblatt |
|
| Born | August 7, 1949 |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Home town | Moukhtara |
| Title | Chairman of the Progressive Socialist Party |
| Predecessor | Kamal Jumblatt |
| Political party | Progressive Socialist Party |
| Religion | Druze |
| Spouse | Nora Jumblatt |
| Children | Taymour (b. 1982) Aslan (b. 1983) Dallia (b. 1989) |
| Parents | Kamal Jumblatt May Arslan |
| Relatives | Shakib Arslan (grandfather) |
| Lebanon |
 This article is part of the series: |
|
|
|
Presidency
Government
Legislature
|
|
Other countries · Atlas Politics portal |
Walid Jumblatt (Arabic: وليد جنبلاط) (born August 7, 1949) is a Lebanese politician and the current leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP). He is the most prominent leader of Lebanon's Druze community.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Family
The origin of the Jumblatt family is the Kurdish Janpoulad family coming from Shamel Janpoulad and dating back to Janboulad Ibn Kassem al Kirdi al Kaisari, known as Ibn Arabou (1530–1580), and governor of Aleppo. Walid Jumblatt is the son of Kamal Jumblatt, the founder of the PSP, the party which Walid Jumblatt currently leads. He is the maternal grandson of Prince Shakib Arslan.[2] His first wife was Gervette "Gigi," a Jordanian woman of Circassian origin who is the mother of his child Timour. His current wife is the Syrian Nora Sharabati, the daughter of the former Syrian Minister of Defense Ahmed Al-Sharabati. Walid Jumblatt graduated from the American University of Beirut in Political Science.[3][4]
[edit] Political life
The BBC describes Jumblatt as "the smartest leader of Lebanon's most powerful Druze clan and heir to a leftist political dynasty based around the Progressive Socialist Party".[5]
He was a supporter of Syria after the war but, since the death of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad in 2000, he has campaigned for Damascus to relinquish control. This pitted him against President Émile Lahoud and the Lebanese Shiite party Hezbollah of which he said: "Their fighters have done a good job defying and defeating the Israeli army, OK, but the question we ask is where their allegiance goes: to a Lebanese strong central authority or somewhere else?"[6] Although, on the 21st of January 2011, Jumblatt said he supported Hizbollah and Syria stance.[7]"
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ August 3, 2009 (2009-08-03). "LEBANON: Walid Jumblatt's exit could weaken U.S.-backed coalition - latimes.com". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2009/08/lebanon-departure-of-druze-ally-could-spoil-us-backed-coalitions-majority.html. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
- ^ "Kamal Jumblatt". Nndb.com. http://www.nndb.com/people/605/000101302/. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
- ^ "Lebanon’s new miracle" (in (French)). 1stjordan.net. http://www.1stjordan.net/actuuk/archivesuk/resultat.php?id=852&debut=0. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
- ^ "Jumblatts family history captured in a painting". Lebanonwire.com. 2002-11-30. http://www.lebanonwire.com/0211/02113026DS.asp. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
- ^ "Middle East | Who's who in Lebanon". BBC News. 2005-03-14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4348129.stm. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
- ^ Chicago Tibune interview Aug.11, 2006
- ^ "Nasrallah, Jumblatt talk Lebanon future". PressTV. 2011-01-22. http://www.presstv.com/detail/161331.html. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
[edit] External references
- Rebel with a cause by Massoud A. Derhally, Arabian Business, March 27, 2005
- Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt Accuses Hizbullah, Iran and Syria For Lebanon Crisis, Transcript of interview of Walid Jumblatt, broadcast on Al-Arabiya, July 20, 2006
- We Should Treat the Syrian Regime the Same Way It Treats Us: With Car Bombs, Assassinations and Destruction. Transcript of interview of Walid Jumblatt, broadcast on Al-Arabiya, December 28, 2006
- I Support a Two-State Solution, Not the Liberation of Jerusalem Transcript of interview of Walid Jumblatt, broadcast on Al-Jazeera TV, January 31, 2007
- On Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad: "An Ape Unknown to Nature, a Creature That Is Only Half-Man." Excerpts from an address delivered by Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, aired on Al-Jazeera TV on February 14, 2007.
[edit] External links
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Walid Jumblatt |
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Walid Jumblatt on Charlie Rose
- Walid Jumblatt at the Internet Movie Database
- Walid Jumblatt collected news and commentary at Al Jazeera English
- Walid Jumblatt collected news and commentary at The Jerusalem Post
- Walid Jumblatt at the Notable Names Database
- Walid Jumblatt, by Gary C. Gambill and Daniel Nassif, Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, Vol 3, No 5, May 2001
- "It's strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq" quoted in Beirut's Berlin Wall, by David Ignatius, Washington Post, February 23, 2005
