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Opinion

Lebanon 1984 - February 6 events - Lebanese Civil War - State collapse - Syrian influence

February 6, 1984: The Day the Lebanese state was broken

How militias replaced state authority under Syrian control.

By Dr. Elie Elias
US Iran tensions - Israel Lebanon conflict - Hezbollah - Iran influence - Israel Iran conflict - Israel Hezbollah conflict - Lebanon-Israel talks

Lebanon–Israel talks: A rare and historic window of opportunity

Lebanon stands at a critical crossroads where state inaction, Hezbollah’s arms, and Israel’s containment strategy converge, opening a fragile but historic window for peace.

By Marwan El Amine
Peace Talks - Israel Hezbollah conflict - Israel Hezbollah conflict - Lebanon-Israel talks - US mediation Middle East - Middle East diplomacy - UN Resolution 1701

Lebanon’s diplomatic moment with Israel

To what extent can the current Lebanon-Israel talks move from ceasefire toward potential future arrangements, including possible discussions of peace or normalization, within Lebanon’s legal and political constraints, amid sovereignty considerations, internal division, and shifting regional dynamics?

By Anthony Chamoun
Lebanese Army - Lebanon - Lebanese Civil War - Civil War - Lebanese civil war history - Lebanese Civil War memory - Hezbollah

Lebanon’s unfinished war and the risk of another

Fifty-one years after the spark of Lebanon’s civil war, the country faces a familiar and dangerous reality, where unresolved dual authority and armed actors outside the state continue to threaten a return to conflict.

By Josiane Hajj Moussa
Iran war - US Israel Iran conflict - Hezbollah - Lebanon politics - Middle East geopolitics

Hezbollah’s fate in the shadow of Iran’s war

A widening U.S.–Israeli war with Iran could redefine regional power dynamics, with Hezbollah’s future hinging on whether Tehran’s post-war regime severs its ties to Lebanon.

By Marwan El Amine
Iran sleeper cells Europe - Iran proxy attacks - Terrorism Europe 2026 - Iranian networks Europol warning - MI5 Iran threat

The rise of Iran’s sleeper cells in Europe

A wave of attacks across Europe raises fears of Iranian-linked sleeper networks using proxy actors and covert tactics to expand conflict beyond the Middle East.

By Tony McMahon
China - US-China trade war - Oil exports China - United States - Donald Trump - China–Iran relations - Transactional alliances - Strategic neutrality - Energy politics

All China can do is wait

China is positioning itself to gain from any outcome while refusing to shape the outcome itself.

By Peter Chouayfati
Hezbollah - Iran - IRGC - IRGC influence - Iran influence Lebanon - Iran influence - Nabih Berri - IRGC power

Iran’s dual grip: Military and political power in Lebanon

A closer look at Nabih Berri’s role as Lebanon navigates rising Iranian influence and internal political contradictions.

By Marwan El Amine
Iran war NATO EU - Strait of Hormuz crisis - Western alliance tensions - US Europe relations - UK France military response

Wavering Powers and Hormuz rising risks

As tensions rise in the Iran war, Europe and NATO face a strategic dilemma between distancing themselves or aligning with the US to secure global stability.

By Mohamed Chebaro
Aryan meaning - Adolf Hitler ideology - Iran history - Indo-Iranian identity - Nazi racial theory

The story of “Aryan”, from ancient identity to Nazi ideology

An ancient term, a modern distortion: How a linguistic concept became an ideological tool.

By Christiane Gemayel
Strait of Hormuz - Global oil trade - Energy crisis - Geopolitics - US-Iran tensions

Hormuz and the new global power game

As tensions around the Strait of Hormuz disrupt global oil flows, the crisis is accelerating a strategic shift that could reshape energy markets and weaken dollar dominance.

By Nami El Khazen
Iran war - Middle East geopolitics - Iran vs Israel - Regional power balance - Axis of resistance

Why Iran has already lost the war

Despite ongoing fighting, Iran may have already lost the war where it matters most credibility, deterrence, and regional influence.

By Hicham Bou Nassif
Lebanon politics - Hezbollah weapons - Lebanese government - Joseph Aoun - Nabih Berri

Negotiations' narrow margins

Lebanon’s stalled decision-making and internal divisions undermine its ability to confront Hezbollah’s military role or advance meaningful negotiations amid escalating regional conflict.

By Marwan El Amine
Naim Qassem - Hezbollah - Lebanon conflict - Shiite community reaction - Hezbollah narrative

Hezbollah and the crisis of its narrative

Growing anger within Hezbollah’s Shiite support base is exposing contradictions in the party’s narrative as the consequences of opening a front in support of Iran are felt immediately across southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

By Marwan El Amine
Syria Lebanon files - Syria - Syria Lebanon relations - Middle East war analysis - Syria regional tensions Middle East - Middle East geography - Middle East war - Middle East security - Middle East conflict infrastructure - Middle East geopolitics

Syria unwilling to intervene in Lebanon ... for now

As tensions escalate in Lebanon, Syria’s new leadership has adopted a policy of cautious non-intervention while quietly backing efforts to curb Hezbollah’s influence, signaling a major shift from decades of Syrian involvement in Lebanese affairs.

By Tony McMahon
Iran regime stability - Islamic Republic resilience - Iran elite theory - Iran political system - IRGC loyalty

The six pillars keeping Iran’s regime standing

The war between Iran, the United States, and Israel has revived a central question: whether external military pressure and internal unrest could weaken the structural pillars that sustain the Islamic Republic’s ruling elite.

By Nami El Khazen
Operation Epic Fury - US Israel war Iran - Iran conflict escalation - Middle East war analysis - Strait of Hormuz closure

A most unnerving war

Five days into the U.S.–Israel offensive on Iran, the conflict is raising fears of regional escalation, energy disruption, and uncertainty over what comes after the Iranian regime.

By Dr. Ethan Chorin
Lebanon sovereignty crisis - Lebanese state authority - Hezbollah and sovereignty - Monopoly of force Lebanon - Taif Agreement legacy

Empty measures…Too late

Lebanon’s sovereignty crisis exposes the gap between constitutional authority and political reality, as fragmentation, external influence, and weakened state power undermine national autonomy.

By Peter Chouayfati
Iran post-war leadership - Islamic Republic succession - Supreme Leader transition - Iran political future - Assembly of Experts

Iran’s next political order

How does the Iranian system remake itself if the head of power is shaken?

By Omar Harkous
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi - Libya politics - Arab Spring Libya - Libyan reform era - Gaddafi family

The other Saif: The reformist who stayed

A personal remembrance of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi that moves beyond headlines, tracing a friendship shaped by Libya’s reformist moment, the Arab Spring, exile, and a violent, unresolved end.

By Munirah Ahmed
Lebanon economic crisis - Lebanon financial reform - Banking sector Lebanon - Eurobond restructuring - Lebanon deposits crisis

Towards a dynamic economic and financial policy

An economic analysis of Lebanon’s crisis, focusing on recovery, confidence, banking reform, Eurobond restructuring, and the path to a sustainable financial system.

By Ibrahim Hanna El Daher
Iraq political crisis - US–Iran rivalry in Iraq - Nouri al-Maliki controversy - Currency war Iraq - Iraq prime minister nomination

Iraq’s premiership crisis

A contest of wills between Trump’s “veto” and Tehran’s reach.

By Omar Harkous
Lebanon sovereignty crisis - Hezbollah weapons - Israeli strikes - Hezbollah accountability debate - Lebanese state fragility

The state between Hezbollah’s choices and public expectations

Hezbollah shifts the costs of war onto the Lebanese state while retaining control over conflict decisions, exposing a deeper crisis of sovereignty and accountability in Lebanon.

By Marwan El Amine
Lebanon identity - Beirut mythology - Lebanon clichés - Paris of the Middle East - Beirut glamour

The glamour myth

Why Lebanon will never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

By Michael Karam

The Beiruter

Opinion

February 6, 1984: The Day the Lebanese state was broken

Lebanon–Israel talks: A rare and historic window of opportunity

Lebanon’s diplomatic moment with Israel

Lebanon’s unfinished war and the risk of another

Hezbollah’s fate in the shadow of Iran’s war

The rise of Iran’s sleeper cells in Europe

All China can do is wait

Iran’s dual grip: Military and political power in Lebanon

Wavering Powers and Hormuz rising risks

The story of “Aryan”, from ancient identity to Nazi ideology

Hormuz and the new global power game

Why Iran has already lost the war

Negotiations' narrow margins

Hezbollah and the crisis of its narrative

Syria unwilling to intervene in Lebanon ... for now

The six pillars keeping Iran’s regime standing

A most unnerving war

Empty measures…Too late

Iran’s next political order

The other Saif: The reformist who stayed

Towards a dynamic economic and financial policy

Iraq’s premiership crisis

The state between Hezbollah’s choices and public expectations

The glamour myth