 Assadour Basmajian
In Lebanon today, accessing healthcare can feel as uncertain as the security situation itself. Since late 2024, renewed conflict between Lebanon and Israel has placed immense pressure on an already fragile health system (MSF, 2026). Even before the escalation, official figures indicated that out-of-pocket payments accounted for around one-third of total health expenditure (World Bank, 2023). Yet, this masks a harsher reality. Following the 2019 economic collapse and the sharp devaluation of the Lebanese lira, the financial burden on households increased dramatically.
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 Dany Salman
On September 9, 2023, at the G20 summit in New Delhi, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) was announced as a transformative project for regional connectivity in the Middle East and a trade link between India and Europe. Members of this project in the Middle East included the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel. The project was a U.S. initiative to counter China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), aimed at linking the region through a series of rail lines, shipping lanes, and digital cables. Notably, IMEC opted to utilize Israel’s Haifa port as the final Middle Eastern destination before Europe, giving it a considerable position as a logistics transit hub in the project.  Mouhamad Kobeissi
Today, Lebanon’s main obstacle to recovery is not competitiveness or infrastructure, but the collapse of aggregate demand. While the country is trying to restore the credibility of its governance by reforming the banking system, protecting depositors, and reintegrating into the international financial system, these measures alone cannot halt the economy’s short-term decline. Reform initiatives will find it difficult to translate into real economic stabilization unless purchasing power and employment are restored, and available productive capacity is properly used. Yehya Iskandarani and Selina Riachi
AUBMUNC, known initially as BEYMUN, has continually evolved and is now in its most influential and transformative form yet. This evolution stands as a testament to the growth of this small university-led initiative, recognized for its academic impact and prestigious reputation. Over more than a decade, successful editions have brought together dedicated thinkers from various disciplines to achieve significant milestones, culminating in the 2025 edition, which drew over 650 delegates.  Gulnar Kajan
In early September 2025, Israel attacked Hamas’ negotiation team in a densely populated area of Doha, including civilian and diplomatic infrastructure. Chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya’s son was killed alongside his office director, 3 Palestinian bodyguards, and a Qatari security officer.  Sam Chaaban
Peace negotiations are usually headline events: the handshake, the camera flash, and the possibility of a brighter future. However, beneath these promises of reconciliation lies a harsher reality. Nearly 40%of peace agreements made since 1975 fail within five years. Behind these failures is a blind spot that policymakers and mediators can no longer afford to ignore: the enduring impact of trauma and the persistent exclusion of women from peace processes.  ضحى عيسى
.بعد مضيِّ عامٍ على ما أطلق عليه عدوّ لبنان "الهدنة"، لا يزال الجنوب يصارع في حربٍ غير معلنةٍ، ولا يد امتدّت له  Sara Azzi
Lebanon is one of the most politically saturated countries in the region, where public life is shaped by sectarian arrangements, geopolitical pressures, and the consequences of state collapse. Yet surveys show that a striking majority of young Lebanese have turned away from formal politics. A recent study finds that nearly 70% of Lebanese youth express little to no interest in politics, while 90% report dissatisfaction with Lebanon’s governance system. [1] For a generation that mobilized in the hundreds of thousands during the 2019 Thawra, this detachment demands explanation  Natalie Dergham
In a country marked by significant political instability, the United States is erecting one of its largest embassies, an almost billion-dollar fortress overlooking the hills of Awkar. The irony is striking: at a time when financial instituions have failed, the government is facing economic and political challenges, Washington’s financial commitment is expanding, not contracting. What is the rationale behind this? What does the U.S. genuinely desire in Lebanon? Why does it continue to pour resources into a country that seems to be perpetually on the edge of failure?  Lama Chatila
In a world full of wars between distinct cultures and perspectives, different religions and sects, one third party plays an important role in writing the narrative of the war or conflict to the public and in being a link between the conflicting sides; this party is the translator. The role of a translator in a political conflict is not just converting a source text in one language to a target text in another. A translator has an impact on the public narrative of a war, facing political, cultural, emotional, and ethical challenges in reporting a conflict objectively, without bias or falsification. |
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The views expressed on this blog are solely those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy & International Affairs.