Reformers must be realistic about what the new government can achieve while setting the groundwork for 2026 elections
Commentary
Chained by Aid: Washington’s Tariff on Lebanon’s Pursuit of Justice
The US has long leveraged its super-power status to give Israel impunity from international accountability
Missing the Mark: Delayed Reconstruction Aid Harms Lebanon’s Homeless, not Hezbollah
International actors’ absence from the rebuilding effort leaves IDPs with nowhere to turn but the Party of God
Lebanon’s Path to Accountability and Justice Is Through Joining the ICC
The country must break the cycle of impunity and strengthen its sovereignty by ratifying the Rome Statute
Bye Bye General, Hello Mr. President: Lebanon’s Fait Accompli Head of State
Lebanon’s new president inherits a broken system; his actions will dictate whether he is a reformer or ‘just another general’
Echoes of Assad: Will the New Syria Escape the Authoritarianism of the Old?
The authorities now controlling Damascus have been sending mixed signals about the future direction of Syria
The Hard Truth About Syria: No Clean Hands, No Easy Solutions
The Assad regime and global powers have broken Syria—only a new consensus can repair it
Rebel Roulette: Turkey’s Big Gamble on Syrian Opposition Offensive
Erdoğan turns the tables on Assad after years of frustration
The Forever Victims: How Racist Israeli Hooligans Became Innocent Lambs
Far-right in both Israel and the Netherlands leverage Amsterdam football violence
Lebanon at a Crossroads: How Resolution 1701 and a New Deterrence Could Prevent a Long War
For a ceasefire to happen, Hezbollah, the US and Israel need to return to Resolution 1701
Bubbling Under the Bombs: Left Unchecked, Displacement Fears Risk Reopening Lebanon’s Civil War Wounds
Fear and government inaction are driving a displacement crisis that risks civil strife in Lebanon
Destined for Disaster: How Hubris Invaded South Lebanon
Alternatives to US, Israeli fool’s goal of severing Hezbollah from Lebanon
Israel’s War on Journalism: One Year After Issam Abdallah’s Killing, the Silence Must End
The international community’s indifference to this attack has only emboldens Israel’s campaign on media workers
Conflict Response to Ongoing Israeli Assault: Safeguarding Citizens and State
Amid Israeli onslaught, Lebanese policymakers must unite against worst-case outcomes
Beyond Bombs and Bullets: The Full Tally of Gaza’s Dead
Israel likely to be responsible for 200,000 fatalities once indirect deaths are counted
If the Far Right Comes to Power, France’s Syria Policy Could Be Threatened
Anxiety grows in Syrian circles as the National Rally may attain prime minister post
Power Struggles: Lebanon’s Summer Heat Exposes Energy Divide
The crisis-ridden ownership of energy in Lebanon has created an energy divide of haves and have-nots and a system reliant on imports
EU Aid to Lebanon: Bribes for Bad Behavior
The manner in which Brussels has meted out €1billion to Lebanon smacks of opportunism and a reward for flouting reforms
Lebanon’s Largest Employer, the Army, is Well-Respected but Needs Reform
Calls to defund it will grow louder if the institutional bloat, accusations of graft and political infighting aren’t fixed
Israel’s Campaign Against UNRWA is a Threat to Regional Security
Israel’s bogus claims expose the danger of politicizing aid, potentially implicating donors
Independence Day: Time to End France’s Protection of Lebanon’s Elite
On the 80th anniversary of Lebanon’s independence, Paris must end its foreign policy of cultivating Lebanese political factionalism.
Pity the nation that enters into an unwinnable war
Lebanon cannot afford a war with no end game, and neither can the world.
Sanction elites to stop Lebanon from becoming a failed state
Only coordinated US and EU sanctions may prevent Lebanese leaders from driving the country into the void.
Burnt Bulb: EDL Reforms Being Foiled From the Top
Electricity crisis set to worsen as caretaker energy minister stifles long awaited reforms.
Undermining Democracy: Lebanon’s Cabinet Violates Constitution To Protect Banking Elite
Lebanon’s cabinet violates constitution to protect banking elite.
Sign of the Times: The information That Tripolitans Need To Survive
Electricity timetables, roadcuts and the hourly exchange rate. This is information that Tripolitans – people living in Lebanon’s second-largest city of Tripoli – never thought they would have to rely on so dearly one day. Since the beginning of Lebanon’s financial collapse in 2019, considered by...
‘They’ Have Names
Ending the anonymity surrounding bank ownership and management is the first step towards accountability for Lebanon’s financial crisis.
Broken Bread: Lebanon’s Half-Baked Wheat Subsidy
Recent $150 million World Bank loan another step into the debt abyss without long-term food security strategy.
Trick Not Treat: Lebanon’s banking secrecy law is more appearance than substance
Lebanon amends banking secrecy law to appease the IMF but leaves loopholes to protect politico-banking elite.
Lebanon Bank Holdups, Who Is The Real Criminal?
Lebanon’s bank hold ups are the result of lawlessness created by banks, not desperate depositors.
Lebanon’s water system is collapsing. A vital ally is needed.
The ongoing financial crisis is eroding the capacity for Lebanon’s most essential services to operate, risking new depths in the humanitarian crisis.
Bogus Budget: Lebanon’s 2022 budget punishes the poor to protect the rich
By kicking the can down the road on comprehensive reform, the 2022 budget is just another power grab by the establishment.
Crumbling Hopes For Justice: As Beirut’s silos fall the international community stands still
Accountability For The Beirut Blast Is A Necessary Step Towards Closing Lebanon’s Open Wounds
The First 100 Days: A plan of action for Lebanon’s opposition MP’s first months in office
As a minority, opposition MPs must take a strategic approach to cement their legitimacy and start to make real change in the country.
Battle Lines: Ten economic principles for Lebanon’s progressive opposition
Regardless of the election results, the progressive opposition movement needs to follow a clear set of economic principles to take to the people, and the IMF.
Foreign Legal Pressure Can Corner Lebanon’s Banking Elites
When Lebanon’s financial sector imploded, it was inevitable that the country’s elites would try to shunt those losses onto everyday Lebanese. Over several years, Lebanese bankers had gambled away their customers’ savings, leaving banks unable to meet their debts by October 2019 – if not earlier....
Why Lebanon Needs Renewable Energy Now
‘We really need solutions, because people can no longer pay for their generator bills’
SDRs Only Strengthen Lebanon’s Corrupt Elites
The IMF has allocated Lebanon $1.135 billion in Special Drawing Rights.
Here is Why the EU Should Sanction Lebanon’s Bankers
The banking sector is responsible for the current crisis in Lebanon. Sanctioning its leaders can help effect a solution
No More Bread and Games
Since Roman times, the tried and tested tools used by the ruling classes in order to appease the poorest have always been “panem et circenses,” or bread and circuses. And for the past three decades, Lebanon’s political circus has kept many a politician, pundit and plebeian much amused with a mix...
International Aid Can Help Lebanon Rid Itself of its Ruling Junta
The blast that flattened a large section of Beirut just over two weeks ago ripped apart the lives and property of countless people. It also created a pivotal moment for the international aid system: Donors and agencies can choose to be complicit in a power structure that supports the ruling junta,...
Government Recovery Plan Asks Too Much of Ordinary Lebanese, and Not Enough from Elites
Protect the poorest segments of the population from the dire consequences of the crisis
Lebanon Needs an IMF Bail-Out—Minus the Austerity
We must acknowledge our relative weakness on the international stage as we lower the drawbridge for the IMF