event
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Transformations in the Regional Druze Leadership

Thu. May 15th, 2025
Virtual

In the wake of the fall of Syria’s Assad regime late last year, talk has grown of a rivalry for region-wide leadership of the Druze minority, pitting the community’s leader in Israel, Muwaffaq Tarif, against Lebanese Druze chief Walid Jumblatt, who has presented himself as a possible ally to new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Recent armed clashes between al-Sharaa’s forces and militias in Druze areas of Syria has only made the rift between the two leaders more apparent, with Jumblatt repeatedly warning that Tarif’s influence was extending into Lebanon.

What are the roots and drivers of this internecine rivalry, and what are its implications for the situation in Lebanon?

To address these and related issues, the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center will hold an online panel discussion on Thursday, May 15, at 4:00 PM EEST (Beirut time) / 9:00 AM Washington, D.C time.

The speakers will be Fares Halabi, a policy expert specializing in good governance, security, local governance, democratic processes, and electoral systems, with a particular focus on the Levant; Farah Youssef, a researcher and political activist with a BA in Political Science and International Relations from Ebla University in Syria and a MA in Sociology from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in France; and Said Abou Zaki, is a historian and lecturer at the Lebanese American University, where he has taught in the Humanities Department since 2014.

This session is the third in a series of discussions that aim to explore Lebanon’s future trajectory at this critical juncture in its history, with a new leadership assuming power amidst multiple crises and escalating challenges that will continue to shape the country and its future.

The discussion, held in Arabic, will be moderated by Kheder Khaddour, a nonresident scholar at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Viewers can direct their questions to the speakers using the chat feature during the live broadcast on Facebook and YouTube.

For inquiries, please contact Najwa Yassin via email: najwa.yassine@carnegie-mec.org.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Kheder Khaddour

Nonresident Scholar, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Kheder Khaddour is a nonresident scholar at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. His research centers on civil military relations and local identities in the Levant, with a focus on Syria.

Farah Youssef

Researcher and political activist.

Farah Youssef is a researcher and political activist.


Said Abou Zaki

Historian and lecturer at the Lebanese American University, where he has taught in the Humanities Department since 2014.

Said Abou Zaki is a historian and lecturer at the Lebanese American University, where he has taught in the Humanities Department since 2014.

Fares Al Halabi

Policy expert specializing in good governance, security, local governance, democratic processes, and electoral systems, with a particular focus on the Levant.