Disagreements Building over US-Russia Agreements on Syria – Who’s in Charge?
Once again, Lebanon has become an arena for the US-Russia rivalry. It was 70 years ago that US Marines landed on Lebanon’s beaches to be...
Some Cold Water on the Hot Topic of Lebanon’s Gas and Oil Future
A lot has been written in the Lebanese media about the prospects for future oil and gas discoveries both on and off-shore, leading to...
What’s to Become of Syria’s Refugees?
Recent Initiatives Offer Some Possible Answers In the aftermath of the Helsinki Summit and references to moving forward on humanitarian...
What Was Said and What was Meant…Putin and Trump on Syria
While reading through the transcript of the joint press conference of Presidents Trump and Putin in Helsinki, there are many statements...
Lebanon Facing Economic Crunch Time To Free Up Much Needed Funds; With Right Conditions, Lebanon’s S
Finance Minister Khalil warns of negative economic effects of slow government formation. In an article posted on Al Arabiya.net, Finance...
Notes on the Region: New Government Formation Continues Apace with Bumps along the Way; Russia Build
While Lebanese Parties Bicker about Ministries, outside forces continue to press their favorites. Prime Minister Designate Saad Hariri...
World Refugee Day Challenges Our Humanitarian Sensibilities
While we often write about the Syrian, Palestinian, and Iraqi refugees in Lebanon, adding our concerns for Jordan and Palestine is only a...
News Notes on Lebanon and the Region: Southern Border Dispute; Iran’s Role in Syria; US Warns agains
Although there are a few indications that Lebanon and Israel are willing to negotiate their land and maritime borders, it is difficult to...
Post-election Maneuvering Continues to Slow Government Formation, Syrian Refugees Key Policy Issue
The Eid-el-Fitr is upon us and Speaker Berri’s hope that the new government will be announced around this time may not be met. The first...
Deciphering Russia’s Levant Strategy – Can it Herd all the Cats?
Make no mistake about it; Russia is the most influential great power in the Middle East and the Gulf. The US has enabled this role over...
Lebanon post-election update: New government negotiations off to a ???? start; Secretary of State Po
In the Lebanese rendition of hide and seek, no one hides, especially when it comes to publicly declaiming how elections victories mandate...
War again tops political agenda in the Levant as Israel asserts its security privileges
Now that the Lebanese and Iraqi elections are over and the countries’ political parties brace for the implications of whatever internal...
The future of Syrian refugees – a vexing issue affecting government formation in Lebanon
With the election process almost completed, awaiting several challenges lodged with the Electoral Commission, Lebanon’s power brokers are...
