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Alexi Touma | Friday, March 29, 2019  Lebanon’s coastline is far from picturesque. Out of the two hundred and twenty kilometers binding us to the Mediterranean Sea, approximately forty kilometers remain accessible for public use. The decline of available public maritime property was most pronounced during the civil war years whereby private investors took advantage of the general lawlessness of the country to convert public maritime property into private resorts and hotels. Many of these resorts are blatantly illegal and are estimated to owe up to USD 1 billion in taxes and fines to the government. The issue of public maritime property, like many other cases, has engaged civil society actors with various degrees of success.
Rana El-Hajj | Friday, March 22, 2019 – World Water Day  The construction of dams as a solution for water supply problems has always been controversial due to the associated impacts and risks, not only on the environment, but also on local communities. With the issuance of the 2010 National Water Strategy (NWSS) by the Ministry of Energy and Water (MOEW) this controversy was brought to the forefront in Lebanon. Now that the government seems to be moving forward with the implementation of a number of the planned dams, in locations some consider as sensitive, the public debate between the Ministry from one side, and environmental groups and advocates from the other, has significantly escalated.
Lory Kantarjian | Friday, March 15, 2019  Globally, the energy sector is one of the least gender-diverse sectors with women’s share of jobs below 25 percent. Lebanon is no exception, as an ongoing study that is being conducted at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) shows that women are under-represented in the Lebanese energy sector, and this under-representation becomes more visible with increased level of seniority in the workplace. In a survey of 15 energy companies and institutions in Lebanon, women in a leadership position were less than 10 percent, across both oil and gas as well as renewable energy companies.
أسيل جمّال | الجمعة ٨ آذار/مارس ٢٠١٩  يوجَد اليوم ما يفوق ١٠ مليون شخص عديمي الجنسيّة في العالم، وتشكّل هذه الظاهرة إحدى أبرز التحدّيات الإنسانيّة على الصعيد الدوليّ في القرن الحادي والعشرين، كما تُعتَبر من أهم الأولويّات لدى الأمم المتحدة، وتحديدًا المفوّضية السامية لشؤون اللّاجئين التي أطلقت عام ٢٠١٤ حملة “#أنا_أنتمي” لِمُكافحة الحرمان من الجنسيّة في العالم. ولِلُبنان حصّته الوافرة من هذه الظاهرة، فهو يحتضن العديد من الأشخاص عديمي الجنسيّة من أصول لبنانيّة وغيرهم من المجتمعات اللّاجئة. فمن هم هؤلاء الناس؟ وما هي السبل الأمثل للحدّ من هذه الظاهِرة؟
طارق متري | الجمعة ١ آذار/مارس ٢٠١٩  يأمر البحث في السياسات العامة ببعض التواضع. فتأثيره على صنّاع القرار، وفي الرأي العام، ليس محقّقًا. لعله يفعل فعله، في كثير من الأحيان، على نحو غير منظور. ذلك أنه في الغالب تراكمي. فهو يقتضي إذًا شيئًا من الصبر واستعدادًا للخيبات، وإن مؤقتة. وكل ذلك يدعو للإحجام عن الإدّعاء، لأن التواضع ميزة العلماء
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