Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Foreign democracy assistance organizations working directly with political parties have come into the line of fire as some Arab governments have pushed back against democratization initiatives over the past two years. In Algeria, Bahrain, and Egypt in particular, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI) have been among the first to feel pressure.
Serious thinking about reforming Lebanon's fragile and inefficient system of governance has been among the casualties of the recent war. Political reform has never topped the agenda of Lebanon's leaders, including the one actor most people believe would benefit most: Hizbollah.
It was an unfamiliar scene. One Friday night in November, in the heart of Hamra, the main thoroughfare in Beirut, a concert entitled “No More Silence” drew a large number of young Lebanese men and women. But this was not just another concert. The gathering was publicizing the Khalass (No More): Together for Lebanon campaign. the latest in a series of moves by civil society forces.
The international community and the Gulf states are not providing sufficient funding or accepting enough Iraqi refugees. The current situation is highly unstable and fragile, and very little progress can be expected without Iran’s and Syria’s involvement. No significant return of refugees can be expected in the next ten years.
Lebanon is not likely to know real stability until the Lebanese state is able to integrate or dominate non-state militias, and until some of the raging confrontations in Lebanon’s immediate environment are calmed.
Following Hizbullah's muscle flexing in Beirut, questions abound as to the relation between Al-Hariri and radical Salafist backers, writes Carnegie's Omayma Abdel-Latif.
The simultaneous announcement of an agreement between government and opposition in Lebanon and of the start of indirect talks between Israel and Syria in Turkey might be the best news to come out of that troubled region for a long time. While the United States favored neither position, these two developments may have a positive influence on the region.
The pro-western government in Lebanon has struck a deal with the opposition, 18 months after the Hezbollah led-leadership resigned from the cabinet. Paul Salem, the director of the Carnegie Endowment's Middle East Center in Beruit, talks with Michele Norris about key parts of the deal.
With recent news of a political agreement for Lebanon and Syrian-Israeli peace talks, Carnegie Middle East experts Marina Ottaway and Paul Salem provide a briefing on the latest developments in the region.
Carnegie Middle East experts provide a briefing on the situation in Lebanon and the Middle East Peace Process.