I met Lebanese sociologist Salim Nasr in the mid-1980s. I had read his book (with Claude Dubar) on social classes in Lebanon. It was (and is) one of the best class analysis of pre-war Lebanese society. Helena Cobban, I think, told me that he was coming to DC and we met then in the mid-1980s. He was a progressive Christian in college, and then becamse an independent (or academic) Marxist. I got along with him until 1988. Nasr became influenced by Michel `Awn (of that era) and him and I had a big fight (and some shouting on his part) about the matter. He became very agitated during that argument, I still remember. I also blamed him for an op-ed piece he wrote in the New York Times in which he referred to "Kurdish terrorists". Things changed between us since. I rarely saw him until 4 years ago when I spoke at the UNDP in Beirut, and he was attending. We greeted each other and I felt he was very subdued--presumably due to illness. I read today that Salim Nasr died. He carefuly avoided taking positions in the last few years, although I would assume that he was with March 14th.