RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Tarik Yousef and Jad Chaaban, November 13, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Tarik Yousef and the Middle East Youth Initiative speak with Jad Chaaban about recent economic and political developments in Lebanon, where Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri ended months of negotiations by announcing a new unity cabinet earlier this week. With impressive overall growth projected for 2009, Lebanon’s economy may emerge stronger from the global crisis if the new government can agree on needed reforms. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, November 09, 2009
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
On November 9, the Brookings Doha Center hosted a policy discussion with H.E. Mohamad Chatah, the Lebanese minister of finance, H.E. Ghassan Khatib, director of the Palestinian Government Media Center, and H.E. Ayad Al Samarrai, speaker of the Iraqi Parliament on the project of inclusive national dialogue and state-building in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, and Iraq. The speakers examined past and current nationally-driven conflict resolution efforts. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris, July 02, 2009, International Association for the Study of Forced Migration Annual Conference, Nicosia, Cyprus
Recently discussion has turned to the prospects for the large-scale return of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to Iraq. More than 4 million Iraqis have been displaced, either internally or externally. And while the Iraqi and US governments, policymakers in the region, and humanitarian actors assume that most will return to Iraq in the near future, Elizabeth Ferris points out that experience with other displacement crises indicates that return will be neither automatic nor straightforward. Read More
PAST EVENT
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
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On June 23, the Brookings Doha Center hosted a policy discussion to examine the elections in Lebanon, to shed some light on the technical aspects of the elections and the monitoring process, and to explore potential reforms to the Lebanese electoral law and its underlying sectarian political system. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Hady Amr, June 13, 2009, Gulf News
Lebanon’s electoral system, like Iran’s, should be confined to the dustbin of history, says Hady Amr. It’s disturbing. And worse, it actively reinforces the divisions which spark civil and sectarian strife. A new system can emerge if Lebanese civil society calls for it, and the international community supports these calls. The outcome would ultimately be a truly democratic Lebanon with less sectarianism, less violence, and more unity. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Hady Amr, June 12, 2009, Gulf News
Hady Amr discusses the good and bad news related to Lebanon's recent elections in which a pro-American coalition won. Amr notes that while there are many positives, the electoral system, in which parliament is seated on sectarian lines needs to go. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, June 11, 2009
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
On June 10, Tamara Wittes, senior fellow and director of the Middle East Democracy and Development Project at the Saban Center at Brookings, and Daniel Brumberg, acting director of the Muslim World Initiative at USIP and director of Democracy and Governance Studies at Georgetown University analyzed the significance of the June 7, 2009 parliamentary elections in Lebanon and their impact on U.S. policy in that country and the region. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Shibley Telhami, June 05, 2009, The Brookings Institution
In this Saban Center Middle East Memo, Shibley Telhami presents data from his March-May public opinion poll in Lebanon. Telhami examines the attitudes of the Lebanese public on core foreign and domestic issues that will be critical to the type of government that could emerge following the June 7 parliamentary elections. Many of the issues addressed in the poll are of great interest to the United States as it implements its policy in the region. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Navtej Dhillon and Jad Chaaban, May 04, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Navtej Dhillon speaks with Jad Chaaban, author of “The Costs of Youth Exclusion in the Middle East,” about the resilience of Lebanon’s economy during the global recession. With elections approaching, policymakers must protect recent fiscal gains, avoid debt increases, and ensure diverse jobs are available for Lebanon’s youthful electorate. An edited transcript follows. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bilal Y. Saab, February 19, 2009, Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst
Salafism has become part of Lebanon’s social makeup and is an officially recognised movement. Bilal Saab looks at how it gained popularity in the country and how Salafis have increased their influence through mainly non-violent initiatives. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Richard Haass and Martin S. Indyk, December 17, 2008, Financial Times
President Barack Obama will face a series of challenges in the Middle East demanding urgent attention: an Iraq that could still unravel, an Iran approaching the nuclear threshold, a faltering Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and weak governments in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Martin Indyk and Richard Haass outline what the initial goals of the Obama administration should be in the region. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Richard N. Haass and Martin S. Indyk, December 11, 2008, Foreign Affairs
Martin Indyk and Richard Haass argue to be successful in the Middle East, the Obama administration will need to move beyond Iraq, find ways to deal constructively with Iran, and forge a final-status Israeli-Palestinian agreement. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Richard N. Haass and Martin S. Indyk, December 02, 2008, Brookings Institution Press
Martin Indyk and Richard Haass note that President-elect Obama will face a series of critical, complex, and interrelated challenges in the Middle East that will demand his immediate attention: an Iran apparently intent on approaching or crossing the nuclear threshold as quickly as possible; a fragile situation in Iraq that is straining the U.S. military; weak governments in Lebanon and Palestine under challenge from stronger Hezbollah and Hamas militant organizations; a faltering Israeli-Palestinian peace process; and American influence diluted by a severely damaged reputation. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bilal Y. Saab, November 20, 2008, CTC Sentinel
Bilal Saab examines the Salafi-jihadi movement in Lebanon which he believes has no operational ties to the tribal areas of Pakistan-Afghanistan. He writes that the movement in Lebanon is neither fictional nor a creation of Syrian intelligence services, and instead has a Lebanese constituency not entirely made up of Palestinians. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bilal Y. Saab, September 12, 2008, Middle East Policy Council Journal
Bilal Saab provides an examination of the true nature of Hezbollah, which he argues is an essential pre-requisite for sound policy making toward the organization. He recommends a rethinking of the issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament through a proper assessment of the challenge it poses and a thorough understanding of its organic connection with Iran. Read More