Council of Councils
Think Global Health
Online Store
Middle East and North Africa
Lebanon
-
A Conversation With Foreign Minister Abdallah BouHabib of LebanonForeign Minister Abdallah BouHabib discusses the relationship between Lebanon and the West, especially in light of Russia’s war in Ukraine, global humanitarian issues including refugees and food insecurity, and the future of Lebanon’s economy.
-
What Is Hezbollah?Military experience gained from fighting in Syria’s civil war and decades of clashes with Israel have made the Iran-backed group stronger than ever, but the biggest threat it faces may be upheaval in its own backyard.
-
What Lebanon’s Election Results Mean for Ending Its CrisisHezbollah and its allies suffered serious losses in May’s parliamentary elections, and a divided Parliament will likely struggle to agree on a path out of Lebanon’s current crisis.
-
Finland and Sweden Talk NATO, Biden Hosts ASEAN Leaders, and MoreFinland and Sweden intensify the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership process, U.S. President Joe Biden hosts Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders for a special summit in Washington, DC, and Lebanon holds parliamentary elections.
-
CFR Term Member Spotlight Series: Hagar Hajjar ChemaliOur new series spotlights individuals within the Stephen M. Kellen Term Member Program. Drawing on the enormous amount of talent and expertise within the Council’s Term Member Program, this series features a term member in conversation with a fellow term member discussing their career path, how they got to where they are, the challenges they have faced along the way, and the current work they are doing. We hope this regular series will provide an opportunity for Council term members to better engage and learn from one another, draw upon shared experiences within the group, and connect across geographies. Our second installment in this series features fifth-year term member Hagar Chemali, CEO and founder of Greenwich Media Strategies, in conversation with second-year term member Brit McCandless Farmer, digital producer at 60 Minutes. For those of you who do not know her yet, Hagar's impressive career includes serving twelve years in the U.S. government as director for Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council, spokesperson for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and director of communications and spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Following her time in government, Hagar has gone on to found a communications strategy firm and to be a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Economic Sanctions Initiative. She also hosts, writes, and produces a weekly world news show on YouTube called Oh My World! that covers the top news stories in a fun, accessible, and humorous way.
-
Nonstate Warfare
![]()
Stephen Biddle explains how nonstate military strategies overturn traditional perspectives on warfare.
-
The Hard Edge of the Pope’s Moral PowerThe pontiff’s Middle Eastern diplomacy may seem superficial, but it could make a huge practical impact.
-
Iran’s Regional Armed NetworkIran’s web of armed partners such as Hezbollah serves to strengthen its influence in the Middle East and could pose a significant threat to the United States and its allies in the region.
-
Is Lebanon a Failed State? Here’s What the Numbers Say.The August explosions in Beirut were the latest in a series of man-made disasters that have led some experts to say Lebanon is becoming a failed state.
-
Macron Wants to Be a Middle Eastern SuperpowerThe French president is making a bid to shape the region—but does his reach exceed his grasp?
-
Lebanon’s Frustrating Day of JudgmentFifteen years after the killing of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri roiled Lebanese society, the international tribunal’s ruling has left wide open the question of who at high levels was responsible.
-
Pompeo’s European Tour, Democrats’ Virtual National Convention, and MoreU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wraps up his trip to Central Europe with a visit to Poland, the Democratic National Convention is set to take place virtually, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is due to give its verdict on the killing of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
-
Lebanon as We Know It Is DyingThe only political system the country has ever known is collapsing, and it’s never coming back.
-
What’s Driving Lebanon’s Midpandemic Protests?An unprecedented financial and political crisis has sparked mass protests in Lebanon, but a nonresponsive government and the coronavirus pandemic could stand in the way of demonstrators’ demands.
-
Lebanon’s Imminent Financial CrisisLebanon is in a deep financial hole, with no obvious way out.