Lebanon Watch
The oil-rich lands of the Middle East sit at the crossroads of civilization, abutting Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Ongoing challenges, including Iran’s nuclear program; Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation; rapid population growth; conflict and upheaval in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan; and a changing climate are shaking geopolitics far beyond the region’s sun-scorched lands.
In this space, we will chronicle and assess the events that are shaping the region as well as discuss what role America and its allies should play in the twenty-first century.
Is Washington Serious About Leaving Iraq?
So much has been reported on what the United States aims to do in the recent collision of interests between itself and Iraq. Washington’s approval in the region is at...
Stories from Lebanon Watch
Is Lebanon the Next Battlefront?
While the fighting between Israel and Hamas is expected to slow down, developments on the southern border of Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel suggest that cross-border clashes between the parties...
Is Lebanon’s UN Resolution 1701 still applicable today?
The loss of Lebanese sovereignty has put ordinary Lebanese citizens in danger of war. Hezbollah and Israel’s duel on the border is vanquishing any hope for long-term stability in Lebanon,...
Risk Everything or Lose Face? Hezbollah’s Dilemma
In Lebanon, people are trying to go about their everyday lives despite a perpetual state of fear as the situation in the southern border region worsens. The fighting waged between...
France is Fueling the Flames of Conflict in the Middle East
Why is France supplying armored personnel carriers to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)? After the announcement early this month, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said it was “vital” to strengthen...
Hezbollah’s Nasrallah: “All Options are on the Table” Against Israel
All eyes were on Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in anticipation of his first speech since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war on October 7. To the surprise of...
Are Lebanese Banks Today’s BCCI?
Half a century ago, Pakistani financier Agha Hasan Abedi started the Bank of Commerce and Credit International (BCCI), building it into the seventh-largest private bank in the world. In just...
No Escape: Palestinian Civilians are Trapped Inside the Hamas-Israel War
In the last few days, the conflict between Hamas and Israel has reached a new level of escalation that has killed thousands of people, and the risk of more lives...
Will the War in Gaza Spread to Lebanon?
It has been over forty-eight hours since the large-scale Hamas offensive into southern Israel started on October 7, in what the organization calls Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Israeli cities and military...
Israeli Public’s Commitment to Democracy Shines as the Country Turns 75
Israel turns seventy-five this week. Most Israelis certainly didn’t anticipate this kind of commemoration as the country is engulfed in its biggest domestic crisis since its inception. Yet this crisis...
The Fallacy of Lebanese Sovereignty
One could be excused for assuming all states operate as true equals in the international system and under international law. A brief observation of Lebanon quickly dispels such a conception,...
Lebanon Is Becoming Increasingly Tough for Journalists
Once hailed as a model for free thinking and expression, Lebanon is becoming increasingly authoritarian toward dissenting voices and the rights of journalists to be critical of government action and...
Will Lebanon Normalize Ties with Syria?
In a fascinating turn of events for the region in 2023, diplomacy appears to be leading the way in the Middle East. In this regard, Jordanian foreign minister and deputy...