This is Beirut - Middle East

Rediscovering Jean Ducruet: The Man Who Preserved Saint Joseph University

Fady Noun, 22/03 12:40 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

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The chaplaincy of Saint Joseph University (USJ) had the inspired idea this year to honor Father Jean Ducruet (1922–2010), rector of USJ from 1975 to 1995, by dedicating its 8th Jesuit Week (March 10–14) to him. This tribute coincided with the 150th anniversary of the university’s founding in 1875. To rediscover Father Jean Ducruet, one need ...

Peace Hopes Remain Remote as Turkey's Kurds Mark 'Newroz'

This is Beirut, 21/03 17:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Middle East Turkey Kurds New Year

Three weeks after jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan urged his militants to disband, Turkey's Kurds were celebrating their Newroz New Year Friday with peace prospects still remote. The efforts to broker a solution to the decades-long Kurdish conflict have likely been complicated by the widespread unrest provoked by Wednesday's arrest of Istanbul ...

Four US Strikes Against Houthis in Yemen's Al-Kathib Region

This is Beirut, 20/03 19:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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US warplanes carried out four strikes on Thursday evening against Houthi positions in the Al-Kathib region, in the Al-Minaa district of the Yemeni province of Al-Hodeida. These strikes come just hours after the Israeli army announced that it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen early on Thursday morning, against a backdrop of intensifying ...

Pressure from Washington: Lebanon on Edge

Salam El Zaatari, 20/03 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Steve Witkoff Donald Trump Middle East Lebanon

When a US envoy speaks this bluntly, the game has changed. Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, did not hide his frustration with Lebanese officials’ handling of Hezbollah. He went even further, emphasizing that Washington no longer accepts Lebanon’s strategy of maneuvering and political jockeying, arguing that it ...

Making Sense of Trump 2.0 and The Middle East

David Hale , 19/03 17:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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Elections matter. Only a few months ago, the Biden Administration struggled to assert its relevance amidst dramatic events in the Middle East. It had plenty to say, much of it contradictory, as it attempted to deal with the Democratic Party's split personality on Israel and the Palestinians while losing an election. The fragile ceasefires that ...

Centcom, the American Leviathan Watching Over the East

Mario Chartouni, 18/03 18:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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The United States has escalated its military involvement in Yemen by bombing Houthi positions on Saturday, causing dozens of casualties among the fighters of the Iran-backed movement. Behind these strikes is the United States Central Command (Centcom), a crucial component of the American military strategy in the Middle East for ...

March 14: 20 Years Later, Revisiting a Defining Moment

Sana Richa Choucair, 14/03 15:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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On March 14, 2005, a human tidal wave flooded Martyrs' Square. Lebanese people of all faiths gathered around a single cause: rising up against the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, one month after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. It was a first in the history of independent Lebanon. Today, the 20th commemoration has a new ...

The Ben Gurion Canal Project: A Viable Alternative to the Suez Canal?

Paul Guillot, 13/03 10:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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As geopolitical and economic issues in the Middle East continue to dominate global discussions, a concept from the 1960s is resurfacing: the Ben Gurion Canal project. Named after David Ben Gurion, Israel's first prime minister and a key figure in the creation of the Jewish state, this ambitious initiative proposes linking the Gulf of Aqaba at ...

Tashnag Party Elects New Secretary-General

This is Beirut, 12/03 20:05 - Reading : less than a minute

Middle East

The Tashnag party has appointed Albert Balabanian as its new Secretary-General on Wednesday, succeeding Hagop Pakradounian, who has been elected to the party’s newly formed World Committee and assigned the role of Middle East Affairs Officer. Balabanian’s election was confirmed during a meeting held on Tuesday, where he was unanimously chosen ...

A New Era of Peace? The Middle East at a Crossroads

This is Beirut, 12/03 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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For decades, the Middle East has been synonymous with conflict, instability, and geopolitical power struggles. From Lebanon to Iraq, Syria to Palestine, and beyond, the region has suffered the consequences of prolonged wars, economic turmoil, and external interventions. But today, a new chapter may be unfolding—one driven by decisive shifts in ...

Middle East Peace Efforts Gain Momentum Under Trump Administration

This is Beirut, 11/03 18:05 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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WASHINGTON—U.S. efforts to broker lasting peace in the Middle East appear to be gaining traction, with senior officials expressing optimism about the potential for historic agreements in the region. “We are looking forward to peace, and we are aiming for peace, and by the grace of God, this will be achieved, hopefully soon,” ...

Massad Boulos: Peace Is 'Close'

This is Beirut, 09/03 19:59 - Reading : less than a minute

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US President Donald Trump's Middle East advisor, Lebanese-American businessman Massad Boulos, said that peace between Lebanon and Israel was “close,” during a meeting with Israeli politician Yossi Dagan in Washington. “We are looking forward to peace, and we are aiming for peace, and by the grace of God, this will be achieved, hopefully ...