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- ViewpointLebanonIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
Lebanon’s Elections Provide No Serious Change
May 10, 2018Imad K. HarbLebanon has just finished a feverish election campaign for its 128-seat Chamber of Deputies. This round followed a nine-year period in which this basic democra…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Lebanon’s Elections to Rearrange the Country’s Political Landscape
May 3, 2018Joe MacaronFor the first time since 2009, Lebanese will elect a new parliament on May 6, a decisive election that will redraw the representation of powers of the ruling c…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Where Is Syria Headed?
Apr 3, 2018Radwan ZiadehThe scenarios for Syria’s future after the fall of Eastern Ghouta now look very different from those drawn in 2012 or 2013, which depicted a peaceful political…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonEnergy and Economics
A Saudi Comeback to Lebanese Politics?
Mar 14, 2018Joe MacaronNearly 100 days after his mysterious “captivity” in the Saudi capital, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri visited Riyadh again on February 28. The timing c…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Like Quicksand, Many Issues Threaten to Engulf Lebanon
Feb 13, 2018Imad K. HarbAs it approaches the highly anticipated round of legislative elections on May 6, Lebanon finds itself bereft of a cohesive political center that can withstand …
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
US Curbs Saudi Arabia’s Surge in Lebanon
Nov 14, 2017Joe MacaronClear statements from the White House and the Department of State appear to have curbed the Saudi surge in Beirut and toned down Riyadh’s rhetoric against the …
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Will US, Saudi Pressure Deter Hezbollah in Lebanon?
Oct 12, 2017Joe MacaronGiven the current status quo in Lebanon, the best American and Saudi pressure can do is to make the country’s political environment unbearable for Hezbollah.
- Policy AnalysisLebanonConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Stretched over Two Borders, Hezbollah is Making Israel Anxious
Aug 8, 2017Joe MacaronIn the long run, the risks of confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah may largely depend on how the US-Russia deal will unfold in southern Syria.
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Hariri Comes to Washington in the Shadow of Hezbollah’s Wars
Jul 25, 2017Joe MacaronThe measure of success for Hariri’s visit to Washington is his ability to convince US officials that the status quo is the best Lebanon can do considering the …
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Once Again, Lebanon Faces the Ghost of a Political Vacuum
May 17, 2017Joe MacaronLebanon’s sectarian consensus rule raises questions about the functionality of the country’s political system. An agreement on its new electoral law is needed …
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Lebanon’s Oligarchy Consolidates Control over the Security Establishment
Mar 22, 2017Joe MacaronAfter an impasse of nearly four years, on March 8 the Lebanese government announced a sectarian quota deal to fill the security establishment's leadership posi…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonUS Foreign Policy
The Trump Administration’s Hezbollah Problem
Mar 2, 2017Imad K. HarbAs paramilitary organizations go, Lebanon’s Hezbollah has achieved resounding success since its establishment by the revolutionary Iranian regime, which was ne…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Aoun in Riyadh: A Test for Lebanon’s Foreign Policy
Jan 25, 2017Joe MacaronIn November 2014, General Michel Aoun told the Lebanese daily newspaper, As-Safir, that the late Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal was behind a veto to ele…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
The Misplaced Hope of Lebanon’s Presidential Election
Dec 1, 2016Imad K. HarbDevelopments in Lebanon during November 2016 made it increasingly evident that the election as president of Michel Aoun, former general and leader of the Refor…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
End of Stalemate: A Loose Power-Sharing Agreement in Lebanon
Oct 28, 2016Joe MacaronAfter a 30-month impasse that paralyzed the country’s governing institutions and questioned the legitimacy of the confessional system, the Lebanese Parliament …
- Policy AnalysisIranConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Hezbollah, Iran, and the Politics of Obstructionism
Sep 23, 2016Imad K. HarbOn September 7, Lebanon’s Parliament failed for the forty-third time to convene a session to elect a president. Since the expiration of former president Michel…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
New Rules of Engagement for US-Hezbollah Arm Wrestling in Lebanon
Jul 6, 2016Joe MacaronLebanon is the only country in the Middle East where US policy is actively seeking to deter Iran’s regional influence. Washington is directly targeting Hezboll…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
What Municipal Elections Mean for Lebanon
May 17, 2016Joe MacaronLebanon is holding this month municipal elections across the country, the first electoral test since the start of the Syrian war. The ruling traditional partie…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
Saudi Arabia Goes on the Offensive against Hezbollah
Mar 8, 2016Joe MacaronSaudi Arabia’s explicit identification of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah as a strategic threat is a tipping point in the underlying tensions between both sides. …