Lebanon

blog

The Evidence on Kids and COVID-19, China's Use of Big Data, Telemedicine: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on what we know (and what we don't) about kids and COVID-19, how China is using big data, the future of telemedicine, and more.

commentary

Addressing Lebanon's Ailments, Acute and Chronic

The recent explosion in Beirut has again led to calls for political and economic reforms in Lebanon. The country has an economy in crisis, corruption, few job opportunities, and an influx of 1.5 million Syrian refugees. Sustained global investment is needed if Lebanon is to recover over the long run.

Krishna B. Kumar, Louay Constant

commentary

The Arab Spring in the Upside-Down

Where the original Arab Spring protests removed authoritarian leaders, the current demonstrators in Iraq and Lebanon are trying to topple popularly elected governments. This could have dramatic implications for the future of representative democracy in the Middle East.

Jordan R. Reimer

commentary

Jobs Can Improve the Lives of Syrian Refugees and Their Host Communities—and Support Stability in the Middle East

Host governments, international development agencies, and donor countries like the United States could take several steps to improve Syrian refugee employment. This would increase self-reliance among Syrian refugees and ease pressures on host communities.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Krishna B. Kumar

commentary

As Refugees, Syrian Women Find Liberation in Working

Syrian refugee women in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan want opportunities to work. But there are multiple barriers and challenges that limit them. Improving the chances of safe and dignified work opportunities for Syrian women in these countries could yield broad positive social benefits for both the refugee and host communities.

Louay Constant, Shanthi Nataraj, et al.

commentary

Syrian Skills: A Missed Opportunity

Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon are finding ways to get by. But many refugees are not able to fully use their skills, and that is a lost opportunity both for the Syrians and the host countries.

Shanthi Nataraj, Louay Constant

commentary

Helping Lebanon Succeed Is More Than About Countering Iran

As tensions increase on the Israeli-Lebanese border the possibility is growing that a confrontation with Iran may move from Syria to Lebanon. For the United States, turning its back on this small but strategically critical country and conflating U.S. interests in Lebanon solely with countering Iran could be short-sighted, and a missed opportunity at a time when the region has few.

Dalia Dassa Kaye

commentary

Tackling Gender-Based Violence Among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

Increased poverty and major shifts in traditional gender roles for Syrian refugees have worsened interpersonal tensions, increased the risk of domestic violence, and caused challenges for aid workers.

Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik

commentary

Saudi Arabia and Iran May Be Headed Toward War

America should encourage Tehran and Riyadh to settle their differences, not facilitate aggressive Saudi action. Otherwise, the region will be plunged into an even bigger crisis—without an end in sight.

Alireza Nader

commentary

A Glass Half Empty? Taking Stock of Hezbollah's Losses in Syria

Hezbollah has gained valuable combat experience in Syria, but the cost of that experience may not outweigh the losses in troops, the damage to its image and the need to cede some of its autonomy to Iran and the Assad regime. The longer the war drags on, the more apparent these losses will become.

Colin P. Clarke

commentary

Hezbollah Is Winning the War in Syria

Most parties have been on the losing side of the war in Syria. Meanwhile, Lebanese terrorist militia Hezbollah has cemented its status as a regional power player. The group has gained fighting experience and benefited from a growing alliance with the Assad regime, Iran, and Russia.

Colin P. Clarke, Chad C. Serena

commentary

The Precarious State of Syrian Refugee Women, Children in Lebanon

The gendered impact of political conflict on women and children has been well documented in other conflicts. But much less is known about the effect of the Syrian civil war on displaced women and children.

Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik

commentary

Why Syria's War May Be About to Get Even Worse

Whether or not Jabhat Fateh al-Sham's new name means a genuine break from its parent organization al Qaeda, the mere rebranding could prolong Syria's civil war. The worst-case scenario is that the group could embed itself within the rebel opposition in Syria the way Hezbollah did in Lebanon.

Colin P. Clarke, Chad C. Serena

commentary

A Different Kind of Refugee Crisis

In Jordan and Lebanon, middle-income countries with robust public sectors where a significant Syrian population may be present for years to come, solutions should be more about supporting the expansion of existing national public services, rather than creating new, internationally run parallel services.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson

commentary

Battered by War, Syrian Refugee Kids Need to Be Taught

More than 700,000 Syrian refugee children are not receiving formal education. Host countries are struggling to create enough spaces to accommodate them in schools, and there are no formal programs to teach children who have missed years of instruction.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Louay Constant

commentary

Syrian Refugees: A Blessing in Disguise?

To avoid further resentment and restrictions on Syrians desperate to escape their war-torn country, as well as the instability such attitudes generate, the international community must work with host governments to increase and highlight the benefits refugee populations can bring to neighboring states.

Dalia Dassa Kaye

commentary

Syria's Simmering Crisis

At least half of Syrian refugee children aren't in school. Those who are face risks to the quality of education they receive, a risk they share with host-country children. But by making long-term investments, the international community can help ensure education isn't another casualty of the war.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson

commentary

The Health Needs of Syrian Women in and Around the Za'atari Refugee Camp

The Syrian conflict, now in its fourth year, has been the main contributor to the largest refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide—and the problem can be expected to get worse as the fighting continues.

Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik

commentary

To Fight ISIS, Make Peace with Syria's Assad

To disrupt al-Baghdadi's advance, the United States and its allies should start by addressing the source of the problem -- the conflict in Syria. They can begin by negotiating a truce with President Bashar Assad to stop the fighting in Syria.

William Young

blog

Al Qaeda, Hezbollah on the Verge of Sectarian War in Lebanon

Tensions between rival militant groups al Qaeda and Hezbollah have reached a fever pitch following bombings at two mosques in Lebanon, making a bloody sectarian conflict an increasingly real possibility.

commentary

Leave Hezbollah Alone!

If Hezbollah's participation in the Syrian civil war begins to clearly tip the balance in favor of the Assad regime, the U.S. could face pressure to adjust its position and support efforts to minimize Hezbollah's position in Lebanon.

Julie E. Taylor

commentary

Lebanon Vote Tilts to the West

The result of Sunday's parliamentary elections in Lebanon is a boon for the United States, but it also presents a challenge. The U.S. would be well-advised to play for the long term in Lebanon with a pragmatic policy that deals with the reality of Hezbollah's political power while continuing to strengthen moderate forces and national institutions, write Aram Nerguizian and Ghassan Schbley.

Aram Nerguizian, Ghassan Schbley

commentary

Living with the Outcome: Elections in Lebanon

Lebanon is scheduled to hold elections Sunday [June 7], and the pro-Western political alliance favored by the United States may lose. If it does, the Obama Administration should not consider the result a triumph for Hezbollah, but a challenge, write Aram Nerguizian and Ghassan Schbley.

Aram Nerguizian, Ghassan Schbley

commentary

Hezbollah's Armory Up for Debate

Hezbollah's recent flexing of its muscles in Lebanon may well lead to an unintended effect -- the long-overdue disarming of the militant group, write Theodore Karasik and Ghassan Schbley.

Theodore W. Karasik, Ghassan Schbley

commentary

A Chance in Lebanon; No Place for Tyrants

Hezbollah's recent flexing of its muscles in Lebanon may well lead to an unintended effect: the long-overdue disarming of the militant group, write Theodore W. Karasik and Ghassan Schbley.

Theodore W. Karasik, Ghassan Schbley