Word: chieftain
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...hereditary chieftain of Lebanon's Druze Muslim minority, Jumblatt earned the nickname "the Weather Vane" for being able to steer his followers through the ever changing winds of Middle Eastern politics. A former vassal to the Syrian regime, he switched his loyalties to the Bush Administration after the invasion of Iraq, when it briefly seemed as if American military power would transform the region. Now he seems ready to turn again. Sitting in his garden terrace with a few family members and loyal retainers, Jumblatt said that he has spoken with the U.S. embassy to deliver his grim assessment...
...hereditary chieftain of Lebanon's Druze Muslim minority, Jumblatt earned the nickname 'the weather vane" for being able to steer his followers through the ever changing winds of Middle East politics. A former princely vassal to the Syrian Assad regime, he switched his loyalties to the Bush administration after the invasion of Iraq, when it briefly seemed like American military power would transform the region. Yet, despite the fact that Hizballah is perhaps the world's most fearsome guerrilla organization, somehow Jumblatt misjudged the ease with which Hizballah could pull Lebanon back into the Syrian and Iranian orbit. "I must...
...after fighting between the Iraqi government and Shi'ite militias escalated alarmingly, anti-American militia chieftain Moqtada al-Sadr extended an olive branch. On Sunday Sadr told members of his militia to stop appearing in the streets with weapons and to halt their attacks on government institutions...
...Irglova ran the backstage gauntlet of photographers and press after their Oscar win, Hansard revealed how he knew times were changing: "Getting a text from Bono is the biggest thing that can happen to an Irishman," he said. "It was one of those moments, getting praise from the high chieftain of our culture...
...skirl o' the bagpipes, even more dramatic by virtue of being played indoors, accompanies the "great chieftain o' the puddin-race" born aloft to the table by a chef. Then, a wild-eyed Scotsman recites Robert Burns' poem Address To a Haggis, and upon reaching the line, "An' cut ye up wi' ready sleight," he plunges a dagger into the taut sheep's stomach amid cheers from the diners. In a ritual repeated by Scots across the globe on Burns Night, January 25, the birthday in 1759 of their most cherished poet, the attack on the main course continues...