How homes for the displaced can lay the foundation for a more affordable, equitable, and resilient housing system
Articles tagged "Civil society"
Fields of Ruin: Lebanese Farmers’ Scorched Harvest
How the war impacted Lebanon’s food supply chain and how to fix it
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
A Generation in Limbo: Redefining Refugee Policy in Lebanon
As the tide of war subsides, Lebanon needs a rights-based solution to govern the Syrian refugee crisis
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
No Refuge: Amid War, Scapegoating of Syrians Continues in Lebanon
Lebanese politicians still blame their failures on marginalised refugees
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Lebanon’s War Crimes Case Against Israel
Assessing the Israeli army’s violations of international humanitarian law
Know This Series: The End of Resolution 1701 and Lebanon’s Path Forward
A framework must be found to embed Hezbollah’s force into the Lebanese Army
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
Know This Series: Lebanon’s Twin Threats – A Crisis Within and a War Beyond?
The threat of internal explosion among the Lebanese is increasing day by day
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
Know This Series: A Strategic Plan for Lebanon’s Stability, Not Civil Strife
What Lebanon’s future requires now is strategic thinking, not opportunism
Profit or Protection: The Fallout of Lebanon’s Housing Crisis
Israel’s war has triggered a housing crisis that risks Lebanon’s social stability
Know This Series: Lebanon’s Existential Crisis and Urgent Steps for Survival
Three urgent measures that need to be taken to preserve what remains of Lebanon
Conflict Response to Ongoing Israeli Assault: Safeguarding Citizens and State
Amid Israeli onslaught, Lebanese policymakers must unite against worst-case outcomes
Uncovering the Hidden Toll: Gaza’s True Casualty Numbers Exceed Estimates
Israel likely to be responsible for 200,000 fatalities once indirect deaths are counted
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
Postal Politics: The Battle for Lebanon’s Postal Contract
How the rivalry for LibanPost could decide the country’s financial future
Packaged for Greed: The Hidden Agendas Behind Lebanon’s Postal Sector Power Grab
How the rivalry for LibanPost could decide the country’s financial future
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
Unified Defense: Reforming the Lebanese Army Is the Only Way to Address Military Dualism
Calls to defund it will grow louder if the institutional bloat, accusations of graft and political infighting aren’t fixed
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
Wired for Change: Privatization vs. State Control in Lebanon’s Electricity and Telecoms Sectors
Reform of state-owned enterprises is both possible and necessary, starting with electricity and telecoms
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
A discussion on “Lebanon’s Last Chance for A Progressive Deposit Recovery Plan”
IFI, in collaboration with Badil – The Alternative, hosted a closed discussion for heads of Lebanese syndicates on April 15, 2024. The discussion was centered around a study by Mohamad Farida titled “Lebanon’s Last Chance for A Progressive Deposit Recovery Plan,” published in December 2023. The...
Israel’s Campaign Against UNRWA is a Threat to Regional Security
Israel’s bogus claims expose the danger of politicizing aid, potentially implicating donors
Power to the People: It’s Time for Renewable Energy to Transform Electricity in Lebanon
The persistent failure to meet the country’s energy needs exemplifies state corruption and mismanagement
BRIEFING: REFORM OF THE LEBANESE ARMED FORCES
CONTEXT The United States is the Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) largest international donor, contributing over US$3 billion in financial aid, as well as most of the army’s weaponry, since 2006. For Washington, such historic support for the LAF is strategically aimed at countering the influence of...
Resistance Revived: BDS Movement Gains Momentum Amid Gaza Genocide
Solidarity with Palestine spreads despite attempts to silence activism
Adapt or Trapped: The Urgent Need for Climate Change Adaptation in Lebanon
Climate change could ruin Lebanon; adaptation must be central to any recovery plan.
Why is Lebanon Facing a Food Crisis?
Lebanon’s Last Chance for Deposit Recovery
Fighting Words: An Analysis of Hezbollah’s Narrative since the War on Gaza
How the Party of God’s narrative has evolved, and what it means.
We Made Every Living Thing from Water (2018)
Flatline to Pulse: Prioritising Reform and Recovery in Lebanon’s State-Owned Enterprises
Reforming Lebanon’s state-owned enterprises is key for national recovery.
Running from Disaster: A Roadmap for Rescuing Lebanon’s Telecoms and Electricity Sectors
Reform of state-owned enterprises is both possible and necessary, starting with electricity and telecoms.
Lebanese State-Owned Enterprises: Navigating Reform and Recovery
A roadmap for state-owned enterprises reform in Lebanon, emphasizing transparency, good governance, and rejecting the controversial ‘Sovereign Fund’ to steer towards economic stability.
Redeeming Lifesavings: The Progressive Deposit Recovery Plan
The Progressive Deposit Recovery Plan offers an opportunity for accountability and the redemption of the Lebanese people’s lifesavings.
Lebanon’s New Deposit Recovery Plan
Arab Diplomacy Unmasked: Behind the Veil of Unity on Gaza
Arab states’ public support for Gaza contrasts with their strategic ties with Israel, revealing a gap between rhetoric and realpolitik.
Rescuing What’s Lost: Progressive Deposit Recovery Plan
The Progressive Deposit Recovery Plan offers a lifeline for Lebanese depositors, aiming to recover and restore funds once deemed lost in the country’s financial turmoil.
Don’t Let It Burn: Lebanon’s Last Chance for a Progressive Deposit Recovery Plan
Reckless profiteering and the banking sector’s insolvency demand a bold deposit recovery plan to restore financial integrity in Lebanon.
Exchange Rate Mis-Regulation: A Nation Short-Changed
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.
Exchange Rate Mis-Regulation: A Nation Short-Changed
The Lebanese financial crisis, driven by fiscal mismanagement and central bank interventions, has resulted in market distortions and multiple exchange rates, worsening economic disparities.
Onwards and Upwards? The Lira’s Treacherous Route Ahead
To restore stability and credibility, the government must reform the central bank’s governance, tighten fiscal policy, and ultimately execute a carefully managed float of the lira.
Currency Chaos: Lebanon’s Exchange Rate Policy
Assessing Lebanon’s exchange rate chaos: Sayrafa, monetary governance reforms, and the need for a managed float of the lira.
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.
Crude and Green: Energy Giants Scoop Up Lebanon’s Oil, Wind and Solar
Oversight absent as TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy take over the energy sector.
Houses Without Homes: Beirut’s Affordable Housing Crisis
How decades of real estate ‘financialization’ have built a city few can afford to live in.
Broken Branches: Lebanon’s Disappearing Forests
Rapid urbanisation, illegal logging, and wildfires whittling away at country’s wooded areas.
Burnt Bulb: EDL Reforms Being Foiled From the Top
Electricity crisis set to worsen as caretaker energy minister stifles long awaited reforms.
Sayrafa Explained: How Lebanon’s Central Bank Quells Unrest by Subsidising Elites
“A weak and inefficient monetary tool”
Fanning the Flames: How Misinformation on Social Media Exacerbates Community Tensions
Social media enhances social connections on digital networks but has also facilitated the rapid dissemination of misinformation.