January 14, 2020
1. Background For a few years, various protest movements have shaken Iraq in separate waves. The traditional force to spark the political mobilization among the urban […]
January 13, 2020
‘No nation was ever ruined by trade’, as argued by Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century.[1] From that time, a gradual shift started to a one-world […]
December 24, 2019
Deteriorating Economic Situation Lebanon is experiencing its worst economic and financial crisis in decades. The Central Bank managed to pay in November the maturing Eurobonds of […]
November 1, 2019
In a surprising yet not unexpected turn of events, hundreds of thousands, if not over a million, Lebanese people protested in the streets on a daily […]
October 31, 2019
Lebanon in Revolt Following the reported imposition of a “WhatsApp Tax” by the cabinet on October 17, a small protest in Beirut escalated in an unprecedented […]
October 7, 2019
Introduction Since its official founding in 1985 at the height of the Lebanese civil war and in the aftermath of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, […]
October 1, 2019
Economy and 2020 Budget A few days after international ratings agency Fitch downgraded Lebanon’s rating, heads of Lebanese parties met in Baabda and called for “sacrifices” […]
October 1, 2019
Introduction Despite its centenary history, the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians is still far from being solved and continues to be a major source […]
September 20, 2019
The six countries within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are all currently working towards the fulfilment of largely similar economic “visions”. These economic plans promise decreased […]
September 4, 2019
Budget and Economic Situation 7 months into 2019, the parliament finally adopted the 2019 budget after 2 months of debate within the Finance and Budget Parliamentary […]
August 30, 2019
The story of the United Arab Emirates is one imbued with wealth, status, and pomp. Its world-record holding buildings, architecture, infrastructure, museums, and art account for […]
August 26, 2019
In conjunction with the surge of right-wing populism in Europe and the US, Lebanon appears to be witnessing a similar phenomenon. Even though nationalist and sectarian […]
July 31, 2019
With the facilitation of global communication and travels, foreign fighter involvement in conflicts has been steadily rising, notably with the conflicts in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, Iraq, […]
July 22, 2019
تشكل ليبيا بالنسبة لتركيا أرضاً استثنائية وخصبة لمد النفوذ شمال القارة الأفريقية. الاستثناء الليبي يعود لإنغلاق كافة البلاد الممتدة من مصر إلى المغرب أمام الطموحات الإقليمية […]
July 5, 2019
The Trump administration’s 2018 decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and the subsequent economic sanctions that the U.S has imposed on Iran has had […]
July 4, 2019
Administrative Appointments Political tensions reached levels not seen for quite some time between Hariri’s Future Movement and Bassil’s Free Patriotic Movement. Observers have linked the war […]
June 20, 2019
On March 21st 2019, after 52 years, President Trump tweeted the fully recognition of Israel over the Golan Heights and considered this decision important for the […]
June 19, 2019
2010 was the starting point of what the Western media called the Arab Spring. Whilst the governments of Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya were overthrown, other […]
June 11, 2019
Budget Adoption amid Popular Unrest Similar to the statements made prior to the passage of the 2018 budget, Prime Minster Hariri again has called for reforms […]
June 10, 2019
يُصادف العام 2023 الذكرى المئوية الأولى لتأسيس الجمهورية التركية. يعوّل الأتراك ورئيسهم رجب طيب أردوغان، على أن يكون هذا العام فاتحة لتتخطى بلادهم حجم ودور اللاعب […]
June 7, 2019
As the Syrian war enters its 8th year, the Assad regime, backed by Russia and Iran, has regained control of the vital areas of Syria. The […]
May 27, 2019
بعد انتظار دام أسابيع، أعلنت “اللجنة العليا للانتخابات” قرارها بإعادة انتخابات بلدية مدينة إسطنبول، معتبرة أن شوائب عديدة قد رافقت العملية الانتخابية وفرز الأصوات. وكان رئيس […]
April 15, 2019
On February 15, 2011, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, Ambassador of the Taliban regime in Islamabad and a close aide of Mullah Omar, Tayyab Agha, held two […]
April 15, 2019
يعود تاريخ الصراع بين أرمينيا وجارتها أذربيجان إلى عصور سحيقة تخللتها الكثير من الكراهية المتبادلة والدماء. وحتى قبل قيام الدول بمفهومها الحديث، شهد الشعبين على الكثير […]
April 3, 2019
US Secretary of State in Lebanon Completing a series of visits by US officials such as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale[1], acting […]
March 19, 2019
Introduction ”The resistance support association must significantly energize its activities. It must provide an opportunity for jihad by money. The sanctions are a form of war… […]
March 6, 2019
For the past few years, Hezbollah has accumulated a wide range of power and influence in many regions of the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon, the […]
March 5, 2019
Formation of Cabinet: Implications and Challenges Following a nine-month deadlock, a new government was formed in the end of January 2019. The compromise reached grants representation […]
February 28, 2019
By Benjamin Lutz and Josef Nasr On Wednesday February 13-14, 2019, a consortium of more than 60 countries met in Warsaw, Poland, to discuss a “Ministerial […]
February 18, 2019
In three months, Israelis will head to the polls to pick their representatives in the Knesset. Israel’s electoral process is dictated by its multitudes of political […]
January 17, 2019
من جبال الأمازيغ في المغرب إلى آخر جزر الفليبين، لا يخلو بلد في الشرق من أقلية تناضل لتحصيل الحقوق. ليست كل الأقليات مسالمة وبريئة، إنما بعضها […]
December 28, 2018
More than two months since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and the international pressure on the Saudi crown […]