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AI image generation - AI energy consumption - AI water use - Data centre sustainability - Lebanon water crisis

Lebanon lacks power, but your portrait looks great

As AI-generated images become increasingly popular, their hidden energy and water costs raise important questions about the environmental impact of AI and the challenges facing Lebanon as it seeks to expand its digital economy amid resource shortages and unreliable electricity.

By Chelsea Al Arif
Lebanon - Housing Crisis - Rent Law - Property Rights - Affordable Housing - Urban Policy

How state absence shaped Lebanon’s housing crisis

Lebanon’s housing crisis reflects years of weak policies and state absence, transforming rent disputes into a deeper struggle over property rights, rent regulations, and affordable housing needs.

By Anthony Chamoun
Lebanon agriculture - René Mouawad Foundation - Fair Trade Lebanon - Lebanese rural women - Economic independence

Lebanon's rural women are working. Can they make a living?

Across Lebanon's agricultural communities, women are sustaining family businesses, preserving traditional food production and pursuing new markets, even as economic hardship threatens their livelihoods.

By Katharine Sorensen
Migratory birds - Bird migration - Rift Valley/Red Sea flyway - Wildlife conservation - Biodiversity - Bird species

The highway above us: Why millions of migratory birds pass through Lebanon

Every spring and autumn, Lebanon becomes part of a vast route linking Europe and Asia with Africa. More than 400 bird species have been recorded in the country, while millions of birds may cross its mountains, valleys and wetlands during migration. But reaching Lebanon is only part of the journey. The birds must also find food, shelter and a safe place to rest.

By Michella Rizk
Tyre District - Lebanese Red Cross - Tyre - South Lebanon - Disaster Risk Reduction - Emergency preparedness

Inside the Red Cross’s Disaster Risk Reduction unit in Tyre

From emergency training in the southern village of Toura to displacement tracking in Tyre, The Beiruter reports from inside the Lebanese Red Cross’s Disaster Risk Reduction unit as South Lebanon struggles to recover amid persistent conflict.

By Katharine Sorensen
Iraq - Shiite Militias - Popular Mobilization Forces - State Sovereignty - Non-State Armed Groups - State Monopoly of Arms

Iraq’s militia paradox and the battle for state sovereignty

Iraq’s militia paradox traces years of conflict, from Saddam Hussein’s era to ISIS, as Baghdad struggles to restore state sovereignty under PM al-Zaidi.

By Anthony Chamoun
Ministry of Public Health - Ministry of Social Affairs - Economic Crisis - Elderly care - Ageing population - Nursing homes - Social protection - Dar Al-Ajaza Al-Islamia - Dar Al-Inaya - Holmona

One million seniors: Who will care for Lebanon’s ageing population?

As Lebanon’s population ages and care systems struggle to keep pace, The Beiruter investigates the growing pressure on elderly-care homes, the financial challenges threatening institutions, and the question of who will care for Lebanon’s elderly in the years ahead.

By Michella Rizk
Non-Violence - Mahatma Gandhi - Peaceful Resistance - Civil Rights Movements - Conflict Resolution - Peacebuilding

Non-violence: The power to change history

From Gandhi to global movements, non-violence has emerged as a powerful force capable of defeating injustice and reshaping societies as well as history itself.

By Anthony Chamoun
International Translation Day - Lebanese Sign Language - Lebanon’s Deaf community - Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Lebanon’s neglected fourth language

On International Translation Day, The Beiruter explores the world of Lebanese Sign Language through the experiences of two interpreters, examining the communication barriers facing Lebanon’s Deaf community and the struggle for accessibility and professional recognition.

By Michella Rizk
Middle East - Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone - Nuclear Weapons - Nuclear Non-Proliferation - NPT - Nuclear Disarmament - Israel Nuclear Program - Iran Nuclear Program

Can the Middle East finally become a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone?

On the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, can the Middle East overcome persistent rivalries and mistrust to finally transform the long-standing ambition of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone into reality?

By Anthony Chamoun
Maritime trade routes - Maritime intelligence - Pole Star Global - Strait of Hormuz - Maritime chokepoints - Strait of Malacca

Maritime trade and the limits of shortcuts

New maritime traffic data and maps reveal where global trade converges, who controls the passages it depends on, and the distances ships must travel when the shortest routes are no longer available.

By Katharine Sorensen
Strategic chokepoints - Rare-earth export controls - Strait of Hormuz - Dollar dominance - Economic coercion

Every chokepoint has a half-life

A chokepoint is most powerful before it is used. Each denial exposes the dependence and gives its targets another reason to escape it.

By Dr. Joseph Sokhon
Oil reserves - Oil markets - Global economy - Energy security - World Bank - $100 oil - Energy Institute

Why $100 oil no longer breaks the world economy

Oil prices above $100 once threatened economic crisis, but decades of declining oil intensity, diversified energy supplies and strategic reserves have made the global economy more resilient to petroleum shocks.

By Katharine Sorensen
Lebanon demographics - Lebanese diaspora - Overseas voters - Christian voters - Muslim voters

Lebanon’s electorate: Who is Lebanon counting?

Christians make up roughly one-third of Lebanon’s 2026 electorate, but 53 per cent of Lebanese on the preliminary overseas voting lists. In 1932, the contrast was even greater: Christians represented about half of the resident population counted by the census but 84.7 per cent of the emigrants it recorded. Almost a century later, Lebanon can still measure the sectarian balance of its voters more easily than that of the millions of Lebanese and Lebanese descendants living outside the country.

By Chelsea Al Arif
Lebanon water crisis - Water supply - Public water establishments - Water infrastructure - Drinking water - Ministry of Energy and Water

Lebanon’s three water bills

Lebanon’s water paradox is leaving households to pay multiple times for a basic necessity, as aging infrastructure, losses and weak management turn a water-rich country into a place where securing reliable supply has become a costly burden.

By Jessica Habchy
Lebanese healthcare system - Lebanon pharmacies - Pharmacy crisis Lebanon - Order of Pharmacists Lebanon - Medicine prices Lebanon

Lebanon’s pharmacies face losses, pressure and collapse

An exclusive interview with the head of Lebanon’s Order of Pharmacists reveals the numbers behind a deepening sector crisis, from closures and rising operating costs to shrinking revenues, oversupply and the growing risk to pharmacy access.

By Michella Rizk
Lebanon - Democracy - Middle Class - Political Reform - National Consensus - Democratic Resilience - Lee Kuan Yew

What Lee Kuan Yew’s warning reveals about Lebanon’s democracy

On the International Day of Democracy, Lee Kuan Yew’s warning reveals how Lebanon’s shrinking middle class and lack of consensus on fundamental state principles undermine the foundations of democratic resilience.

By Anthony Chamoun
Super soldiers - Military enhancement - Human performance - Biotechnology - DARPA - Vietnam War - Norse berserkers

The long quest to engineer the soldier

From ancient warrior rituals and battlefield stimulants to AI-era biotechnology, this article explores humanity’s centuries-long pursuit of creating soldiers who can overcome fear, fatigue and the limits of the human body.

By Nami El Khazen
Tripoli port - Turkey - Lebanon economy - Syrian reconstruction - Regional trade - Erdoğan - Turkish investment

Turkey’s economic ambitions in northern Lebanon

In Part II of its investigation, The Beiruter examines how Syria’s post-Assad order has revived northern Lebanon’s economic potential and why Turkey will prove critical to restoring long-neglected Tripoli to its historic role as a gateway to Syria.

By Katharine Sorensen - Soraya Johnson
Turkey - TİKA - Northern Lebanon - Lebanese Turkmen - Turkish soft power - Ottoman heritage - Erdoğan - Kouachra

A Turkish revival in northern Lebanon

In Part I of its investigation, The Beiruter traces how Turkey’s local-level engagements addressed gaps left by the Lebanese state and rebuilt a shared affinity rooted in history, religion, and culture.

By Katharine Sorensen - Soraya Johnson
Lebanese pound - IMF - Lebanese economy - Lebanon dollarization - Lebanese pound crisis - Lebanon financial history

Lebanon learned to live in dollars, can it ever go back?

From wartime savings to everyday payments, Lebanon’s relationship with the dollar has lasted for decades. This article reveals how instability, banking crises, and loss of trust turned the US currency from a safety net into a permanent part of Lebanese life.

By Michella Rizk
Darin LaHood - Lebanon sanctions - Hezbollah disarmament - Lebanese sovereignty - Lebanese Armed Forces

U.S. Congressman LaHood pushes Lebanon to break Hezbollah’s grip

U.S. Congressman Darin LaHood told “The Beiruter that he is leading a push for targeted sanctions and robust state support to break Hezbollah’s hold and help Lebanon reclaim its sovereignty.

By Amal Chmouny
Jordan - Lebanese community in Jordan - Maronite Church - Al-Maghtas - Baptism Site - Saint Rafqa Church Jordan - Saint Charbel Church Jordan

Exclusive to The Beiruter: A growing Maronite presence in Jordan

After 17 years of waiting, the Maronite Church of the Baptism of Jesus Christ at Al-Maghtas in Jordan is finally moving from plans to construction. This exclusive report reveals new details about the project and plans to expand the Maronite presence across Jordan.

By Michella Rizk
Lebanon political history - Dahiyeh - Lebanon archives - UMAM D&R - Hezbollah - Dahiyeh Doctrine - IRGC - urban history - Lebanese Civil War

Becoming Dahiyeh: The political symbol

In the second installment of a three-part investigation, The Beiruter traces how political mobilization, Hezbollah’s rise, and decades of war transformed Dahiyeh into one of Lebanon’s most politically charged places.

By Katharine Sorensen

The Beiruter

Specials

Lebanon lacks power, but your portrait looks great

How state absence shaped Lebanon’s housing crisis

Lebanon's rural women are working. Can they make a living?

The highway above us: Why millions of migratory birds pass through Lebanon

Inside the Red Cross’s Disaster Risk Reduction unit in Tyre

Iraq’s militia paradox and the battle for state sovereignty

One million seniors: Who will care for Lebanon’s ageing population?

Non-violence: The power to change history

Lebanon’s neglected fourth language

Can the Middle East finally become a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone?

Maritime trade and the limits of shortcuts

Every chokepoint has a half-life

Why $100 oil no longer breaks the world economy

Lebanon’s electorate: Who is Lebanon counting?

Lebanon’s three water bills

Lebanon’s pharmacies face losses, pressure and collapse

What Lee Kuan Yew’s warning reveals about Lebanon’s democracy

The long quest to engineer the soldier

Turkey’s economic ambitions in northern Lebanon

A Turkish revival in northern Lebanon

Lebanon learned to live in dollars, can it ever go back?

U.S. Congressman LaHood pushes Lebanon to break Hezbollah’s grip

Exclusive to The Beiruter: A growing Maronite presence in Jordan

Becoming Dahiyeh: The political symbol