Former Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib passed away at the age of 84 following a heart attack on Wednesday evening. He was rushed to the hospital but died shortly after his admission.
A seasoned diplomat, trained economist, professor, and author, Bou Habib left a lasting mark on Lebanese public life through his intellectual rigor and discretion. He notably served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from September 2021 to February 2025 in the government of former Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Holding a PhD in economics from Vanderbilt University in the United States, he began his career at the World Bank in 1976 as an economist and steadily rose through its ranks. He served as Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington from 1983 to 1990, during a pivotal phase of the Lebanese civil war. He earned a reputation as a refined and measured diplomat.
In 1992, Bou Habib returned to the World Bank as an adviser to the vice president for the Middle East and North Africa region. He later returned to Lebanon, where he joined the academic world, teaching economics and international relations at La Sagesse University. He remained active in intellectual and political circles, notably within the Maronite League.
He was also the author of several publications, including Yellow Light: U.S. Policy Towards Lebanon, published in Arabic in 1991, which remains a key reference in the study of post-war US-Lebanese relations.
The former minister and diplomat is survived by his wife, Julia Cole, and their three children. He will be laid to rest in his hometown of Roumieh, in the Metn mountains.
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