Hezbollah

"A project of resistance"?

Hamas' influence may be on the rise, but as yet the movement has failed to assume national leadership. Palestinian political analyst Khaled Hroub examines the factors at play with Michael Young

Israel's endless occupation

Fifty-five years after Israel began occupying Palestinian lands, it is more difficult than ever to imagine a way out. The seeds of the two-state solution that were planted by visionary leaders on both sides have failed to take root. All that remains is a fatalistic acceptance of the conflict’s insolubility. Commentary by Schlomo Ben-Ami

Lebanon and Sri Lanka share economic collapse

Lebanon and Sri Lanka may be a world apart, but they share a history of political turmoil and violence that has led to the collapse of once-prosperous economies bedevilled by corruption, patronage, nepotism and incompetence. By Zeina Karam and David Rising

Despite public anger, Lebanese vote set to entrench status quo

Lebanon's elections on Sunday won't yield a seismic shift, say experts, despite widespread discontent with a corruption-tainted political class blamed for a painful economic crisis and a deadly disaster

Santa closed: in Beirut, crisis snuffs out Christmas spirit

Beirut in December was once a shopping extravaganza, where day-long traffic jams clogged streets decked out with flashing Christmas lights and building-sized billboards advertising champagne and jewellery

Life in Lebanon: no electricity, no petrol

"His work lives on in all of us"

German filmmaker Monika Borgmann, widow of slain Lebanese activist Lokman Slim, is continuing the work they began together in Lebanon. By Lea Bartels

"Lebanon has always rebelled against political repression"

For years the Arab intellectual elite looked to Lebanon, coveting its atmosphere of freedom. Feigning the non-existence of repression, Beirut welcomed intellectuals from across the region, published their works and celebrated them. Yet, even following the murder of Lokman Slim, the powers that be are incapable of controlling everything. An essay by Elias Khoury

Coronavirus lockdown weighs heavy on a country in crisis

Coronavirus, economic crisis and an unresolved explosion: the situation in Lebanon is tense and a new lockdown is only making things worse for a people already suffering trauma and economic devastation. Diana Hodali reports

The Islamic Republic's never-ending labour pains

The Islamic Republic of Iran has been subject to sanctions ever since its creation in 1979. The more the regime has entrenched itself and expanded its power in the region, the more sophisticated the sanctions have become, effectively crippling the country. Will they ever end? Ali Sadrzadeh traces their history

The subsidy quandary

Flour, medicine, fuel … a whole range of essential goods is subsidised in Lebanon. If the subsidies stop, then prices, poverty and the possibility of conflict increases. If they don't, the country runs out of money. Local experts say they have an answer. They just need politicians to act on it. Cathrin Schaer reports from Beirut