The sides are being drafted for what could be humankind’s last great competition. In my talks with contacts and friends from the four corners of our world, a central theme echo. A common fear is surfacing. Are we about to end civilization again? And the focus of all this apprehension is not Ukraine. It’s Israel. The mainstream media across the Western world is leaving out critical truths about Israel’s war of extermination on the Palestinians…

Throughout history, there have been a few indelible transitions of militant groups to politics –this phenomenon can be labeled “politicization.” It is surprising to discern that most militant or insurgent groups do not end because of policing or military action. According to an examination of 648 terrorist organizations that existed between 1968-2006, the primary avenue for a terror group’s demise was found to be via the political process – this was true 43% of the time. Joining the political process is one of the seven key elements identified in the decline and ending of terrorist outfits…

When Michel Aoun left office as president of Lebanon last October, many politicians assumed that finding a successor would be relatively easy, not least because none of the main political parties were interested in blocking the election of a new president. Four months later, however, no compromise solution has been found, and many wonder…

Lebanese legislators have failed for the seventh time to elect a successor to former president Michel Aoun, even as the absence of a president hinders efforts to rescue an economy that has fallen into the abyss.  Parliament is split between supporters of the Hezbollah group and its opponents, and none of them has a clear majority. MP Michel Moawad, who is...

In recent days, many media outlets have rushed to publish “sensational reports” that Lebanon and Israel have reached an agreement on the demarcation of the maritime border. Of course, the US and Israeli media have been particularly active in publishing such information, presenting...

Almost three years of political, economic and social problems and disastrous policies have transformed life in Lebanon, once known as the “Paris of the Middle East”, and this land of hope now looks like a textbook example of how not to run a state. In a cogent analysis, the Lebanese newspaper As-Safir blames the failures on a political system which is focused...

Recently, Saudi Arabia and its satellites Bahrain and Kuwait have decided to expel Lebanese ambassadors amid the rising tensions between Beirut and some countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC). In addition, Riyadh severed economic ties with Lebanon, which looks like a deliberately...

Lebanon’s current problems directly result from the absence of a strong state, as the country has relied on aid instead of building a solid economy. The UN estimates that 78% of the country’s population currently lives in poverty. Where warring factions have empowered and enriched their leaders, the state has consistently refused to provide the essential...

After 13 months of political vacuum, a new government was finally announced in Lebanon, led by Najib Mikati, a 65-year-old Lebanese billionaire who headed the cabinet in 2005 and also in 2011-2013. He ranks 446th in the list of the world's wealthiest people with at least $2.6 billion in capital. Initially, he played the role of a compromise prime minister to lead...

A high-level Lebanese government delegation held talks in Syria in an attempt to solve the severe fuel crisis that has paralyzed the entire country. This is the highest level of official visit since the civil war in Syria started, unleashed by the West and the Gulf monarchies, more than a decade ago. The Lebanese delegation, headed...

At a time when Lebanon is facing a severe economic and political crisis, new border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel are, quite naturally, particularly undesirable for the country. But this week, both Israel and militants of the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah attacked each other across the Israel–Lebanon border.  It is unclear why each side decided...

One year ago, a huge explosion occurred in the port of Beirut, killing 217 people. On the anniversary of the tragedy, thousands of Lebanese took to the streets to commemorate the victims and express their discontent about what is happening. The Lebanese people demand that those responsible for the tragedy be punished. As noted by the American news channel CNBC...