The Beiruter

Saudi Arabia’s Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance (MMDA) reshapes regional maritime security through collective defense, protecting critical waterways, global trade, and energy supplies.

Saudi Arabia reimagines maritime security

The extraordinary journey of François de Galaup de Chasteuil, a seventeenth-century French scholar who abandoned European life to become a Maronite hermit in Mount Lebanon, where he was transformed from a foreign visitor into a revered spiritual figure of the Qadisha Valley.

The French hermit who chose Mount Lebanon

As the Middle East enters a new era of strategic competition, unresolved wars are evolving into a broader cold war shaped by U.S.-Iran rivalry, shifting Sunni alliances, Israel’s expanding influence, and Lebanon’s potential role as a testing ground for a new regional order.

The age of the new Cold War

By Dr. Ramzi Abou Ismail

Why the repeal of Article 522 remains incomplete

In an interview with The Beiruter, KAFA lawyer Fatima El Hajj examines why Article 522’s repeal, despite being significant, left legal loopholes that allowed some offenders to evade accountability, prompting renewed calls for reform.

Discover the story of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, from her arrival from France to her place as a symbol of faith and belonging, featuring an exclusive interview with Father Fadi El Mir on the sanctuary’s history, mission and meaning for generations of Lebanese.

Under the Morning Star: The story of Our Lady of Lebanon

Through the experiences of animal rescuers in Lebanon, this article reveals the hidden realities behind rescue work, from abuse and emergency veterinary bills to overcrowded shelters, difficult medical decisions and animals that may never find a home.

Inside the fight to save Lebanon’s abused animals

In a market crowded with investors chasing quick returns, MK² argues that technical expertise, ethics and trust remain the true foundations of successful real estate

MK² Construction and Development: The business of building trust

By Grace Massoud

The hidden tax of Lebanon’s electricity crisis

Lebanon’s failing electricity system places an unequal burden on households, as wealthier families use solar and backup power to escape shortages while poorer households consume less electricity and leave more of their basic energy needs unmet.

By Chelsea Al Arif

Why Lebanese are turning to prefabs

As traditional homeownership becomes increasingly unaffordable in Lebanon, prefabricated homes are emerging as a faster, lower-cost alternative that could revive rural economies while also exposing the country’s deeper housing and financial crisis.

As uncertainty accelerates and AI reshapes decision-making, anticipatory leadership and strategic foresight are becoming essential tools for leaders seeking to prepare for and shape the future rather than simply react to it.

Future-ready leadership is no longer optional

By Peter Thommen

Lebanon’s economic ties with Syria gains and risks

Closer economic ties with Syria could reopen Lebanon’s trade routes to the Gulf and unlock reconstruction opportunities, but uneven competition, transit costs and regulatory uncertainty could turn the opportunity into a one-way market.

The legacy and reality of UNSC Resolution 1701

UNSC Resolution 1701 ended the 2006 Lebanon-Israel war, but incomplete implementation has left its ceasefire, security, and sovereignty objectives unfulfilled.

How the war ravaged Lebanon’s olive groves

The war in southern Lebanon devastated thousands of olive groves, destroying century-old trees, disrupting harvests and inflicting long-term damage on one of the country's most important agricultural sectors.

In the first installment of a two-part investigation, The Beiruter traces how a $63.5 million conservatory under construction in Dbayeh represents only the most visible dimension of China’s expanding influence across Lebanon’s cultural and educational institutions.

Secret societies of the Levant

From the ancient mystery cults of Byblos and the Essenes to the medieval Assassins and modern Freemasonry, the Levant has served as a crossroads for secret societies that shaped the region's religious, political and cultural history.

By Tony McMahon

China’s cultural advance in Lebanon

By Katharine Sorensen - Soraya Johnson

The soul of the Lebanese bakery

Lebanon’s traditional bakeries are living repositories of family, memory, craftsmanship and a slower way of life.

In an exclusive interview with The Beiruter, former U.S. ambassador to Lebanon and veteran U.N. diplomat Jeffrey Feltman delivers a sobering analysis of the trilateral diplomatic Framework now shaping Lebanon’s precarious future.

Lebanon’s narrow opening

By Amal Chmouny

When violence is disguised as honour

Women's rights advocates in Lebanon argue that so-called "honour killings" are not crimes of honour but the deadliest form of domestic and gender-based violence, rooted in coercive control, abuse and inequality.

How Morocco's 2020 normalization deal with Israel has deepened Algeria's long-standing rivalry with Morocco, using the Polisario dispute and the 2026 Ceuta migrant crisis as evidence that Algiers now views Rabat's actions through the lens of a threatening Morocco-Israel axis.

Morocco Algeria and Israel: The geopolitics of regional rivalry

By Peter Chouayfati

When the Mountain chose peace

Marking 25 years, the 2001 Mountain Reconciliation remains a defining milestone in healing wartime divisions, restoring coexistence, and inspiring Lebanon’s sovereignty movement.

How cooling became a source of global power

As extreme heat intensifies worldwide, air conditioning is emerging as critical infrastructure, reshaping energy security, geopolitics, global supply chains, and the balance of international power.

The artists behind Lebanon's illustrated world

Lebanese illustrators Karim Dagher and Yasmina Keyrouz share how illustration has evolved into a powerful form of visual storytelling, blending creativity, identity, and human expression in an increasingly digital world.

The story of Lebanon’s unique cheese

Discover the stories of two Lebanese family-run dairy farms preserving generations-old cheesemaking traditions through resilience, craftsmanship, and an unwavering commitment to quality.

50 years of booza: Abou Hassan brings Lebanon to Sydney

After more than 50 years serving generations in Tripoli, legendary ice cream maker Abou Hassan is bringing Lebanon's centuries-old tradition of authentic booza to Australia, preserving a family craft that began in 1865.

By Adella Beaini

Beyond the apparitions: The Lebanese connection to Medjugorje

Following a recent act of vandalism, Medjugorje's response of prayer and forgiveness has renewed attention on the pilgrimage site's spiritual significance, its deep bond with Lebanese Christians, and the enduring message that continues to draw millions of pilgrims.

Retired Lebanese General Johnny Khalaf assesses whether restoring compulsory military service could strengthen Lebanon or deepen existing political and economic challenges.

Should Lebanon restore conscription?

The man who reinvented the Lebanese language

Explore how poet Said Akl sought to redefine Lebanese identity by creating a unique Lebanese alphabet, sparking a lasting debate over language, culture, and nationhood that continues to resonate today.

Genetic research is uncovering the Levant's population history while revealing both the power and the limits of DNA.

Reading the Levant through DNA

Inside the wildfires scorching three continents

As record-breaking heatwaves and wildfires spread across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, experts warn that Lebanon must invest in prevention and preparedness before climate-driven fires become even more destructive.

Protecting Lebanon's heritage amid the scars of war

UNESCO has placed Lebanon's Ancient City of Tyre and the five Jabal Amel Castles on the List of World Heritage in Danger, recognizing their outstanding cultural value while mobilizing international support to protect and restore sites damaged by recent conflict.

Iran under pressure: The battle beyond the battlefield

As military setbacks, economic turmoil and growing internal unrest converge, Iran's leadership faces mounting pressure that could reshape the future of the Islamic Republic and the broader Middle East.

By Joanne Naoum

The embrace that signaled a Gulf rapprochement

Renewed public signals of cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates suggest a strategic rapprochement driven by shared security threats, regional instability, and the need to protect their long-term economic and geopolitical interests.

Blending the charm of a boutique retreat with the warmth of a guest house, Alyasa Village offers an escape where heritage, heartfelt hospitality and nature come together in the mountains of Jbeil.

Alyasa Village: A mountain getaway with soul

By Grace Massoud

What it really costs to be young in Lebanon

From unaffordable housing and youth unemployment to endless internships and financial uncertainty, Lebanon's younger generation is redefining adulthood as they navigate a future marked more by waiting than stability.

The Lebanese University moves up the global rankings

The Lebanese University has achieved its highest-ever position in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, highlighting how institutional reform, international collaboration, and resilience through years of national crises have strengthened its global standing.

Known as the architect of Greater Lebanon, Patriarch Elias Hoyek is remembered for shaping a nation. But his beatification tells a deeper story, one of faith, charity, and pastoral leadership.

The Shepherd behind the Statesman

In an interview with The Beiruter, Dr. Amine Elias examines Lebanon’s unresolved battle to modernize history education and the need to build a unified national curriculum.

Lebanon’s long struggle for a unified history

The condition quietly shaping the lives of young Lebanese

As more young Lebanese open up about living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), the condition is reshaping daily routines, mental wellbeing, and social life while breaking long-standing taboos around digestive health.

A forgotten nuclear legacy from the Assad era is back in focus: this investigation explores Syria’s Site 99, the undeclared nuclear material discovered by the IAEA, and the regional security concerns surrounding what remains of Damascus’ secret nuclear program.

Politics

Site 99: Syria’s nuclear legacy

Israel and Turkey are competing not only over Hezbollah, but over which model of regional order Washington will trust.

Who wins the next round?

By Dr. Ramzi Abou Ismail

Crossing into Syria is not returning to Syria

Host governments have set return targets measured in the hundreds of thousands. But the return data, the legal data and the conditions inside Syria point to a much less straightforward reality.

By Chelsea Al Arif

After the Media Law, who regulates influencers?

Lebanon is preparing its first law regulating influencers, aiming to promote transparency, protect consumers, and modernize oversight of digital content.

Lebanon’s revised waste fee cuts the number of taxed imports after strong opposition, as the government looks for a new way to finance a costly waste system without putting too much pressure on consumers and businesses.

What changes with Lebanon’s revised waste fee?

Jared Kushner’s latest diplomatic mission sought to revive the Gaza ceasefire agreement by narrowing differences between Israel and Hamas, though key hurdles remain.

Kushner’s bid to rescue Gaza peace plan

Will the collapse of the U.S.-Iran truce push Lebanon toward renewed conflict, or preserve the fragile status quo amid mounting regional tensions?

What awaits Lebanon beyond the U.S.-Iran 60-day truce

Lebanon and Egypt’s enduring bond

In an interview with The Beiruter, Dr. Saeed Sadek examines Lebanese-Egyptian ties, highlighting historic bonds, strategic cooperation, and future opportunities.

As regional rivalries increasingly overlap, this analysis examines how Türkiye is navigating a changing Middle East where Syria, Iran, Israel, Greece and Cyprus are becoming interconnected security challenges, pushing Ankara to balance deterrence with diplomacy.

Türkiye’s converging security fronts

How Syria and Russia are reshaping their partnership

Syria and Russia’s new agreement restructures military cooperation while expanding economic ties, marking a significant shift in their post-Assad bilateral partnership.

Gaza’s elusive peace deal

Netanyahu’s rejection of the U.S.-backed Gaza roadmap underscores persistent obstacles to peace, despite ongoing diplomacy, phased security proposals, and international mediation efforts.

The reality behind Lebanon’s power concerns

In an interview with The Beiruter, energy expert examines Lebanon’s electricity challenges, energy reforms, and structural sector weaknesses.

From his father’s persecution to the Soviet collapse, Xi’s political education informed his consolidation of party control and the political imperatives that continue to drive his rule.

The making of Xi Jinping

President Joseph Aoun’s meeting with General Joseph Clearfield signals a shift from ceasefire diplomacy toward implementation, as U.S. pressure grows for Lebanon to translate its commitments in the South into concrete security measures.

The clock is ticking for Lebanon’s southern deal

By Christiane Gemayel

Lebanon makes history with death penalty abolition

Lebanon’s Parliament has voted to abolish the death penalty after 22 years without executions, marking a historic human-rights reform while reigniting debate over justice, life imprisonment and the proposed general amnesty law.

The controversy surrounding Lebanon’s new media law

Lebanon’s new Media Law modernizes media regulation but has sparked sharp debate over press freedoms, judicial safeguards, and implementation challenges.

By Anthony Chamoun

Pakistan’s power triangle

An in-depth look at Pakistan’s three most powerful leaders and how their careers continue to shape the country’s governance and security.

Beachfront resorts, Gulf investment, and Hollywood blockbusters are transforming the Western Sahara. But Morocco is pursuing more than economic growth: it is wielding development to strengthen its hold over contested territory.

Can resorts redraw borders?

Lebanon’s averted fuel crisis

In an interview with The Beiruter, energy expert Christina Abi Haidar explains Lebanon’s averted fuel crisis, market vulnerabilities, and regulatory challenges.

Unpacking the Mecca joint defense pact

Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, establishing collective deterrence, expanded defense cooperation, and a new regional security framework.

Lebanon’s proposed general amnesty law reignites debate over prison overcrowding, prolonged detention, sectarian bargaining and whether reform can deliver justice without erasing accountability.

Lebanon’s Amnesty debate

The Zahle paradox: The electricity model Lebanon ignored for 40 years

Zahlé has delivered uninterrupted electricity since 1985, offering a compelling case study that suggests Lebanon's power crisis is driven less by technical limitations than by governance, institutional management, and political will.

By Michel Tawk

The evolution of women in Lebanon's parliament

From Mirna Boustany's historic election in 1963 to a record eight women serving in Parliament today, the story of women in Lebanese politics reflects six decades of gradual but significant progress toward greater representation.

In the investigation’s second installment, The Beiruter examines China’s decade-long expansion across Lebanon’s transportation, agriculture, and telecommunications sectors, revealing the economic scaffolding Beijing has built in anticipation of Lebanon’s recovery and Syria’s reconstruction.

China’s economic prepositioning in Lebanon

By Katharine Sorensen - Soraya Johnson

The challenge of securing Lebanon’s border with Syria

Retired Lebanese General Georges Nader tells The Beiruter why effective Lebanese-Syrian border security requires surveillance, cooperation, demarcation, and political commitment.

As Lebanon advances key reforms required for an IMF program, unresolved disputes over the financial gap, banking sector restructuring, and the treatment of deposits continue to shape the negotiations. Former Deputy Prime Minister, MP Ghassan Hasbani, IMF's remarks, and economist Walid Sleiman explain to The Beiruter why the next phase may prove more difficult than passing the laws themselves.

The politics of financial recovery

By Joanne Naoum

Stark warning of Christian state underrepresentation in Lebanon

Reports by the Labora Foundation allege declining Christian representation in Lebanon’s public sector through disputed appointments, recruitment practices, and administrative decisions.

By Nakhle Odaime

Iraq-Lebanon relations in a changing Middle East

In an interview with The Beiruter, Dr. Ghalib Al-Daami examined evolving Iraq-Lebanon relations, highlighting energy cooperation, institutional ties, economic challenges, and regional transformations.

Renewed border violence in southern Lebanon overshadowed the second round of Rome negotiations, despite progress on border issues, ceasefire implementation, and verification mechanisms.

Border escalation tests Rome negotiations

Dr. Jamil Habib explains to The Beiruter the long-awaited file of granting full-time appointments to contract professors at the Lebanese University (LU), delving into its implications and the need to being resolved.

Lebanese University’s long-delayed appointments

By Anthony Chamoun

Kuwait strike puts Iran-China alliance to test

An Iranian strike damaging Chinese-owned property in Kuwait exposes tensions within the China-Iran partnership, challenging Beijing’s regional balancing strategy and strategic interests.

UNHCR Lebanon tells The Beiruter why Syrian refugee returns are increasing and what continues to hinder lasting reintegration.

Why more Syrian refugees are returning home

From a forced opening by American warships in the 19th century to one of Washington’s most important alliances today, the U.S.-Japan relationship has evolved through conflict, reconciliation and strategic necessity into a partnership shaping the future of the Pacific.

UK and Europe get tougher with Jihadi terror suspects

The Berlin attack by Abdul Ballout has reignited debate across Europe over whether civil society-led deradicalisation programs can effectively prevent terrorism or whether tougher punitive approaches are needed.

By Tony McMahon

From gunboats to a shared Pacific order

Oman and Iran propose competing frameworks for managing the Strait of Hormuz, exposing tensions over sovereignty, security, shipping fees, and navigation.

Competing Iranian-Omani visions for the Strait of Hormuz

The Damietta Port attack highlights emerging security threats, unresolved responsibility, and fears that Egypt could become another regional conflict front.

Unraveling the Damietta drone attack

From Tehran to Ankara

President Joseph Aoun's back-to-back visits to Washington and Ankara reveal a shifting regional landscape in which the United States, Turkey, Israel, Syria, and Hezbollah are redefining the balance of power—and Lebanon's place within it.

By Dr. Ramzi Abou Ismail

Who has the right to fly drones in Lebanon?

Lebanon’s strict drone regulations seek to balance national security with the growing economic and civilian importance of unmanned aerial technology.

A battlefield without maneuver

The war in Ukraine is reshaping modern warfare, revealing how drones, persistent surveillance, and precision strikes are challenging the traditional principles of maneuver warfare and forcing armies toward dispersed, attritional combat.

As Washington and Riyadh deepen nuclear cooperation, the agreement could reshape regional security, energy policies, and the Gulf's geopolitical landscape.

Could the U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal reshape the Middle East?

Parliament legalized cannabis cultivation in 2020. Six years later, Lebanon has not issued a single cultivation license. The regulatory framework is reportedly close to completion, but the sector remains blocked by an implementation failure that has left farmers outside the law and the promised industry on paper.

Economy

The crop Lebanon legalized but never built

By Michel Tawk

The productivity gap dividing advanced economies

Productivity growth has slowed sharply across advanced economies, but widening gaps among countries show that investment, technology adoption and the ability to put capital and workers to productive use can determine how much growth is ultimately lost.

As wealthy economies compete for skilled workers, new research highlights what countries such as Lebanon stand to lose when their most educated workers take their labor, productivity and expertise abroad.

What countries lose when talent leaves

Europe is spending hundreds of billions on defense, but reliance on American weapons and procurement systems dominated by established national contractors are complicating its push for greater military autonomy.

Europe’s American arsenal

Lebanon and Syria are reviewing more than 40 legacy agreements as they seek to revive bilateral trade, streamline cross-border transit and build a modern framework for investment and economic cooperation.

Lebanon–Syria: 40 agreements under review

Lebanon's remittance lifeline begins to weaken

Lebanon's remittance inflows fell by 13.4% in 2024, exposing the country's heavy dependence on diaspora support and raising concerns over consumer spending, liquidity and long-term economic recovery.

"De-risking", the movement toward "economic resilience", is at the forefront of policy agendas around the globe as global crises reveal the fragility of our deeply intertwined economic system. Is this a productive shift toward stability, or will it divide our world into rival trade blocs, mitigating the benefits of globalization and free trade that our world has progressed toward?

De-risking's double edge

Lebanon bets on higher taxes despite a fiscal turnaround

As Lebanon's government revenues surge and public finances return to surplus, economists question why new taxes continue to be introduced instead of prioritizing tax evasion, spending reforms and greater fiscal efficiency.

SOLIDERE after 2029, a second extension?

As the government considers whether to extend SOLIDERE's mandate until 2069, new research into the company's legal, financial and planning history examines what SOLIDERE has delivered, what public value remains to be recovered and what should happen after 2029.

Cryptocurrency's promise of decentralized, private transactions simultaneously strengthens authoritarian regimes seeking to circumvent sanctions and emboldens the democratic movements resisting them. This underscores the need for targeted, precise regulation that undermines regimes without harming the people they repress.

Friend or foe? Crypto regulation's challenge

The diamond divide: Lebanon’s new luxury battle

Lebanon's diamond market is being reshaped by the rise of lab-grown diamonds, forcing consumers to choose between long-term resale value and affordable luxury.

A Lebanese League for Women in Business initiative is helping women in North Lebanon, Chouf and the Bekaa develop sustainable businesses, highlighting how entrepreneurship can expand economic opportunity beyond Beirut.

Empowering women entrepreneurs beyond Beirut

Despite economic collapse, war, and supply chain disruptions, Lebanon's wine industry continues to thrive through resilient producers, indigenous grape varieties, and a growing global reputation as one of the country's leading cultural and agricultural ambassadors.

A small vineyard with a distinctive global identity

Final steps before banking reform approval

Lebanon's Finance and Budget Committee is nearing completion of amendments to the banking reform law, with only a handful of issues still under discussion. The proposed changes are key to advancing reforms sought by the IMF and reshaping the country's banking sector.

Lebanon’s rental market is facing a growing crisis as rising property prices, limited housing supply, the absence of housing finance, and increasing construction costs push rents higher, leaving thousands of tenants under mounting pressure.

Why are rental prices increasing?

Record defense budgets are financing far more than weapons, directing trillions of dollars toward the factories, technologies and supply chains that underpin modern military power.

The rise of the defense economy

The global economy has shown greater resilience than expected despite the fallout from the war in the Middle East. Technology, artificial intelligence, and sound central bank policies are helping offset economic pressures and support growth.

Central banks role in weathering the war

Lebanon’s tourism sector, once expected to drive economic recovery, is facing mounting losses as war, security uncertainty, and cancelled events undermine visitor flows, employment, and foreign currency revenues.

The price of a silent summer

CNSS benefits in freefall

Lebanon’s economic collapse has slashed the real value of CNSS end-of-service benefits, leaving thousands of private-sector workers facing severe financial losses after decades of contributions.

Economic expert Patrick Mardini discusses Lebanon’s banking restructuring law, institutional reforms, and the broader economic measures required to restore confidence.

Lebanon advances toward banking sector restructuring

Through the lens of the Belgium Business Council's "From Crisis to Continuity: Safeguarding Lebanon's Economy" conference, business leaders and policymakers argue that Lebanon's greatest economic assets cannot overcome a deficit of confidence in its financial institutions.

Lebanon’s human capital is no longer enough

Why Lebanese exports are struggling to return to the Saudi market despite the lifting of the import ban, highlighting logistical, regulatory, and institutional challenges facing exporters.

Lebanon’s Saudi exports on hold

Lebanon’s Electricity Regulatory Authority marks a historic step toward reforming the power sector, ending monopolies and enabling private-sector investment.

Lebanon’s Regulatory Authority advances electricity reform

Economic analyst Jassem Ajaka discusses Lebanon’s IMF prospects, highlighting reform obstacles, banking challenges, and the path toward economic recovery.

Lebanon and the hope of an IMF breakthrough

Lebanon’s private sector demonstrates resilience through innovation and exports, but lasting recovery ultimately depends on security, stability, and economic reforms.

Lebanon’s private sector against the odds

A new IMF-backed report highlights how Lebanon’s economic future hinges on the implementation of the U.S.-Israel framework agreement, domestic reforms, and the resolution of frozen deposits, with recovery scenarios ranging from fragile growth to robust stabilization by 2030.

Recovery scenarios: How Lebanon could rebuild by 2030

By Rana Saarti

The financialization of the space economy

SpaceX's IPO marked a turning point in the commercialization of space, bringing an industry once financed primarily by venture capital and institutional investors into the portfolios of millions of ordinary investors.

As private wealth becomes more globally mobile, governments are competing to attract the entrepreneurs and investors behind it through tax incentives and residency policies, transforming the competition for investment into a competition for people.

The global competition for the world's wealthiest residents

The cost of living “normally” in Lebanon has become a luxury

As Lebanon's economic crisis deepens, maintaining a middle-class lifestyle now requires thousands of dollars each month, with housing, education, healthcare, food, and transportation placing unprecedented pressure on family budgets.

At the conclusion of the EU-funded Lebanon Innovate program, Lebanese ministers and European officials outlined plans to strengthen research commercialization, entrepreneurship and technology as part of a broader strategy to build a knowledge-based economy.

The EU's bet on Lebanese innovation

Early bookings are beginning to return to Lebanon's tourism sector, but industry leaders say the fate of the summer season will depend on whether the current ceasefire and security stability endure.

Can Lebanon still save its summer tourism season?

Lebanon inflation extends upward trend

Lebanon's annual inflation remained elevated at 19.04% in May, continuing to erode household purchasing power despite a slight slowdown in price growth.

Lebanon’s Eurobonds face a narrow window for reform

Lebanon faces a narrowing window to negotiate with Eurobond holders before a key 2028 deadline could trigger renewed legal and financial pressure.

How public maritime property became one of Lebanon's biggest governance, environmental and economic controversies.

The endless battle over public maritime property

As oil prices retreat following the U.S.-Iran peace agreement, attention is turning to how quickly lower fuel and shipping costs will translate into lower prices across Lebanon.

Tracking Lebanon’s price relief

Lebanon opens a Golden door to investors

Lebanon is considering a Golden Residency program that would grant residency rights to investors who commit at least $500,000 to the country as part of efforts to attract capital, create jobs, and support economic recovery.

Why the poor often pay more than the rich

How Lebanon’s heavy reliance on VAT, fuel taxes, customs duties and import charges places a disproportionate burden on lower and middle-income households.

Amendments to Lebanon’s banking reform law spark debate over IMF demands, governance independence, accountability, and systemic financial crisis implications ongoing.

Amendments to the banking sector reform law

As inflation continues to outpace wages, public sector employees are warning that temporary fixes are no longer sufficient and are calling for a broader plan to restore purchasing power and safeguard the functioning of state institutions.

Public employees reach a breaking point

As Iran relies on an expanding shadow fleet to sustain oil exports despite Western sanctions, the network may represent not only a sanctions-enforcement challenge but also a growing environmental risk, as aging tankers operate through some of the world's most economically and ecologically important waterways.

The ecological risks of Iran's shadow fleet

How photography transformed the way we see the world, through the lens of Lebanese photographer Rami Rizk.

Special report

Beneath Lebanon: The underground state Hezbollah built

Beneath Lebanon lies a hidden military world: Hezbollah’s vast tunnel network reveals the scale of an underground infrastructure built beyond the state’s reach.

By Joanne Naoum

The B

How photography changed our perception of the world

Three Lebanese women share how the pressure to marry before 30 shapes their relationships, choices and fears, and why love should never have an expiration date.

The pressure to marry before 30

Why some university students misuse prescription stimulants as “study drugs,” and how academic pressure, burnout, perfectionism and fear of failure can fuel psychological dependence.

Study Drugs and the pressure to perform

Infidelity may be the same betrayal, but in Lebanon, men and women can face radically different social consequences.

One affair, two verdicts: How men and women are judged differently

As summer temperatures rise, staying hydrated becomes essential to protecting the body from dehydration; this guide explains how to recognize warning signs, replace lost fluids and electrolytes, and build simple habits to stay safe during heat waves.

How to survive summer heat

Lebanon’s youth need a reason to stay

Lebanon’s youth are facing mounting economic, educational and psychological pressures, yet UNICEF data shows many would still choose to stay if given a reason to build a future at home.

Lebanon’s growing pole dancing community is challenging assumptions about strength, sexuality and respectability, creating a space where athleticism, sensuality and self-expression can exist together.

Pole, power and stigma

A new class of drugs targeting the brain’s orexin system is beginning with narcolepsy, but its potential across attention, mood and neurological disease has prompted comparisons with the extraordinary expansion of GLP-1 medicines.

Could the next GLP-1 target the brain?

How the balance between warmth and structure in authoritative and permissive parenting can shape a child’s emotional regulation, resilience, and relationships well into adulthood.

The long-term cost of children without boundaries

When healthy eating becomes driven by fear, guilt, rigid rules, or food obsession, it can shift from supporting health to undermining physical, psychological, and social wellbeing.

The toxic culture hiding inside "healthy eating"

Why do we reach for food when we are stressed, sad or bored? Emotional eating can turn into a cycle of cravings, guilt and restriction. Here’s what happens and how we can build a healthier relationship with food.

When stress sits at the table

The secret life of dating apps in Lebanon

Dating apps in Lebanon have become a discreet response to shrinking social circles, loneliness, and the difficulty of finding love, despite the stigma many still feel about admitting they use them.

Dreams have long been interpreted as messages, from Freud and Jung to cultural superstition, but modern psychology suggests their recurring themes may reflect universal anxieties, emotions, and experiences rather than fixed meanings.

What our dreams are trying to tell us

Gen Z is moving beyond the traditional nine-to-five, embracing freelancing, entrepreneurship, content creation and emerging careers in AI. But as flexibility becomes a priority, can these new paths offer the stability needed for a long-term career?

The great escape from nine-to-five

Through conversations with young Lebanese men and women, this article explores the evolving meanings of femininity, examining how identity, appearance, relationships, family, culture and personal choice shape the way women understand and define what it means to be feminine.

Can femininity ever be defined?

Lebanese kaak is a diverse baking tradition, with regional versions ranging from Beirut’s sesame rings and Tripoli’s flatbreads to South Lebanon’s spiced Kaak el Abbass.

Lebanese kaak, a taste of home across regions

Why do we care so much about what other people think? Dr. Christina Riachi explains how fear of judgment, social expectations, low self-esteem and social media can influence our choices and why learning whose opinion truly matters may be the first step toward finding our own voice.

The fear of being judged

Through the experiences of two former smokers and insights from pulmonologist Dr. Salah Zeineddine, this article explores nicotine addiction, different paths to quitting smoking, and how the lungs and body recover after cigarettes are left behind.

What really happens when you quit smoking

Lebanon’s Eid Al Saydeh celebrations blend faith, homecoming, food, and village traditions, bringing communities together around the country’s many Marian shrines.

August 15 a day of faith and tradition

At Fizz in Mar Mikhael, poet Serge Nasr and musician Serge Volant brought ‘Flexible Ending Arrangements’ and ‘Everyday Is All There Is’ into the same room, turning an hour of spoken word, ambient music and field recordings into something intimate and unexpectedly immersive.

A conversation between words and sound

By Rayanne Tawil

Every language is a mutation

The mortality of language opens onto larger questions about living with loss, building from the debris of war and the limits of what words can name, explored through the ideas of Lebanese artist and professor Walid Sadek.

Hrajel blends centuries-old Maronite heritage, mountain traditions, and religious devotion with a major summer festival that brings the village together each August.

Hrajel's unique celebration of Eid el Sayde

In Lebanon, abortion exists in the space between restrictive law and lived reality, leaving women to navigate deeply personal decisions through secrecy, medical advice, family and private networks.

Abortion in Lebanon, between the law and the body

The question of infidelity in Lebanese couples

Three Lebanese women reveal why they stayed after infidelity, choosing faith, motherhood, or financial security over the clean exit society expects.

For Gen Z, full-time work no longer has to mean a lifelong career, as young workers embrace flexible, non-linear paths that combine university, income, experience and evolving ambitions.

Gen Z’s unconventional career path

A silent invasion: The marine species reshaping Lebanon's coast

From lionfish to toxic pufferfish, invasive marine species are rapidly transforming Lebanon's Mediterranean waters, prompting scientists to call for stronger monitoring, public awareness and ecosystem protection.

Lebanon’s strongest woman, Siham El Kassir, is turning strength, self-defense and security training into a movement that challenges stereotypes and empowers women to become their own protectors.

Lebanon’s strongest woman is redefining power

Two Lebanese women challenge the expectation that marriage must lead to motherhood, revealing the personal cost, uncertainty, and complexity behind choosing, or being unable, to have children.

The choice of motherhood

Masculinity in Lebanon is changing, but traditional expectations have not disappeared. Through conversations with young Lebanese men and women, this article explores how ideas of strength, providing, protection and emotional control are being challenged, redefined and, in some cases, carried into a new generation.

The changing face of masculinity in Lebanon

Lebanon’s top Arab-world IQ ranking highlights the country’s multilingual, academically competitive education culture and the enduring value Lebanese families place on education despite decades of crisis.

Why Lebanon ranks first in the Arab World for IQ

Could maternity leave in Lebanon be extended?

Lebanon is considering extending maternity leave to 14 weeks while introducing broader protections for working mothers, including paid breastfeeding hours, childcare support and part-time work options.

At Les Jardins du Mzaar's Summer Festival, 19 Lebanese artists transformed retired ski chairlifts into immersive installations, turning the mountain resort into an open-air gallery where visitors could sit, interact and experience art.

Old chairlifts get a second life at Mzaar Kfardebian

By Rayanne Tawil

Lebanese rap: From roumieh to sold-out shows

From Erheb Records' underground beginnings in 1999 to today's independent artists filling concert venues, Lebanese rap has evolved into a powerful cultural movement rooted in authenticity, social commentary, and local identity.

Lebanon’s emerging gin industry is transforming native juniper, local botanicals and entrepreneurial spirit into a growing homegrown category with international ambitions.

The making of Lebanese gin

The Lebanese traditions time has left behind

As Lebanon changes, many of the customs that once united families and villages are disappearing. Older generations look back on the traditions that defined everyday life and continue to shape the country's cultural identity.

The faces of Lebanese folklore

From Abu Kees to family-made monsters and moral tales, Lebanon's childhood folklore reveals how generations of parents used storytelling to teach values, encourage good behavior and preserve cultural traditions.

Fashion overconsumption is rarely about clothes, it is often an emotional and psychological search for identity, comfort, and fulfillment.

Inside the psychology of wardrobe dissatisfaction

Is Arabic losing its place among Lebanon's youth?

As English and French become increasingly dominant in young people's daily lives, educators explain why many Lebanese students are drifting away from Modern Standard Arabic and what can be done to reconnect them with it.

Ain Ebel: A Christian stronghold in Lebanon’s south

Ain Ebel, one of southern Lebanon's oldest Christian villages, continues to preserve its history, faith and identity as residents choose to remain on their land despite war, displacement and ongoing security restrictions.

Marking the launch of a new LLWB-AUB partnership, former U.S. Special Advisor on International Disability Rights Sara Minkara challenged institutions to move disability beyond accessibility and into leadership, diplomacy, technology and public policy.

Rethinking disability in the halls of power

The internet exhausted its supply of new IPv4 addresses 15 years ago, but a global market for existing addresses shows how scarcity, compatibility and sunk investments can keep an aging technology valuable long after its successor arrives.

Technology

The strange market keeping the old internet alive

A simple message, a stolen code, and suddenly your trusted contacts become targets; inside Lebanon’s growing WhatsApp hacking networks and the tricks criminals use to steal accounts, money and personal data.

The complete journey of hackers into your accounts

By Fatat Ayad

The question of "singularity" in AI

Sam Altman says humanity has entered the technological singularity, but evidence that AI is beginning to accelerate its own development raises a harder question about what would prove that threshold has actually been crossed and whether AI could ever realistically be switched off.

Meta’s release of Muse Glimmer brings new urgency to the debate over whether advanced AI should remain proprietary or be opened to developers worldwide.

AI’s open model divide

The world may need to remove billions of tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere each year, but today's methods remain far from the scale required.

Can carbon removal help close the climate gap?

Researchers have created viable viruses from AI-generated genetic blueprints, demonstrating a technology that could help combat antibiotic resistance while challenging existing biosecurity safeguards.

AI-designed viruses and the future of medicine

A $110 million Bitcoin theft exposed a flaw in one of cryptocurrency's most trusted hardware wallets, raising new questions about the security of digital assets as they become more integrated into the global financial system.

Crypto security at risk: $110 million Bitcoin theft

The Luddites are often remembered as opponents of technology, but their rebellion reveals why today's debate over artificial intelligence is ultimately about labor, power and who benefits from technological change.

What the Luddites understood about artificial intelligence

As artificial intelligence reshapes the music industry, can it truly replace human creativity? Maestro Harout Fazlian shares his perspective on emotion, originality and the future of composers in the age of AI.

More than notes: The human side of music in the AI era

Court documents made public during the Anthropic copyright lawsuit revealed how the AI company purchased and digitized millions of books, exposing a wider industry shift as developers turn to high-quality human writing to train the next generation of language models.

When books became AI's most valuable resource

China's record-breaking superconducting magnet marks another milestone in global fusion development as countries expand investment in the technologies needed for future reactors.

China's giant magnet and the future of fusion

Cybersecurity and digital transformation expert Roland Abi Najem explains how Lebanon’s 5G rollout could transform the economy, despite infrastructure and electricity challenges.

Lebanon’s 5G leap

Satellite technology is moving beyond emergency messaging and consumer smartphones, laying the foundation for communications networks that governments, militaries and industries are preparing to use.

The space frontier of mobile networks

Artificial intelligence is transforming online search from a system of ranked links into AI-generated answers, forcing businesses, publishers and regulators to rethink digital visibility, traffic and competition.

The rules of online search are changing

Through a new international AI governance body and a call for greater international AI cooperation at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Beijing is positioning itself as an alternative leader in the global governance of artificial intelligence.

China’s bid to lead the global AI order

At 23, Lebanese founder Rayan Dabbagh has already left his software engineering job at Amazon to build an AI startup backed by one of Silicon Valley's most influential venture capital firms. His story provides insight into what AI means for Lebanon's next generation of entrepreneurs.

One Lebanese founder's vision for AI opportunity

Governments are investing billions in national AI infrastructure, but a new index suggests technological independence remains far more elusive than political rhetoric implies.

The race for sovereign AI

Artificial intelligence is giving rise to a new form of economic power, inviting comparisons with the political economy that once defined the world's oil-producing states.

The AI economy's petrostate problem

Through a global AI hackathon, one Lebanese entrepreneur argues that democratizing AI skills could redefine how countries compete in the AI economy.

Building Lebanon's AI advantage

China's successful recovery of its first reusable orbital rocket marks a major technological milestone and intensifies competition in the rapidly expanding global space economy.

China's reusable rocket changes the space race

The AI-blockchain convergence

The rise of autonomous AI is driving renewed interest in blockchain as infrastructure for digital identity, secure transactions and coordination across the next generation of digital systems.

As governments develop new rules for artificial intelligence, experts are debating whether the tobacco industry's history offers a useful framework for regulating today's largest technology companies.

Can big tobacco explain big tech?

The debate over artificial intelligence is often framed as a technological revolution. It may ultimately prove to be a test of liberal democracy.

Can liberal democracy survive the age of AI?

The recruitment of Nobel Prize-winning chemist Omar Yaghi reflects a decades-long strategy to build world-class universities, attract top researchers and strengthen China's position at the forefront of scientific innovation.

China's pursuit of scientific talent

Anthropic's allegations that Alibaba extracted Claude's capabilities have brought new attention to one of artificial intelligence's least settled questions: who owns the knowledge embedded within frontier AI models?

The AI dispute over model ownership

Lebanon's tech sector earns Deloitte recognition

Despite years of economic crisis, Lebanon's startup ecosystem continues to gain international recognition, with Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 highlighting the country's growing strength in fintech, cloud technology, and innovation-driven entrepreneurship.