Joseph Bahout is a nonresident scholar in Carnegie’s Middle East Program. He is also the incoming director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut (AUB), where he is also an associate professor of political science. Until 2019, Bahout taught Middle Eastern politics at Sciences-Po in Paris, where he was an associate professor. He worked as a permanent consultant for the policy panning unit of the French Foreign Ministry from 2008 until 2014, and again from 2018 until 2020. There, he was in charge of the Levant as well as U.S. policy toward the Middle East. Bahout was also a consultant on the Middle East in the presidential campaign of Emmanuel Macron. Diwan interviewed Bahout in late August to discuss French policy toward the Levant and the Mediterranean, particularly following Macron’s visit to Lebanon in the aftermath of the devastating explosion in Beirut Port on August 4.
A More Forceful France?
In an interview, Joseph Bahout discusses French policy toward the Levant and Mediterranean, and what we should watch for.
More work from Diwan
Decoding LebanonLebanon is facing a series of simultaneous financial, economic, and political shocks. The country stands at a critical juncture, as hundreds of thousands of Lebanese have fallen under the poverty line in recent months. The protest movement that began in October 2019, following the previous government’s decision to raise taxes, is regaining momentum in spite of the lockdown from the coronavirus pandemic. The Carnegie Middle East Center will offer analyses of the multiple crises afflicting Lebanon, explaining their causes, characteristics, consequences, and potential solutions.
Minority Retort in SyriaThe country’s Druze community, divided and vulnerable, finds itself in the midst of a regional maelstrom.
Syria’s Misunderstood Minority QuestionIn an interview, Peter Harling discusses the fate of religious communities in the Syrian transformation.
Arms and the StateIn an interview, Marwan Muasher discusses why Arab governments should have a monopoly over weapons.
Washington’s Reckless AbandonmentRecent history illustrates why Lebanese officials are so wary of the United States.
