REPORTS

 
 

 

Lebanon Pulls back from the Abyss
By Heiko Wimmen

The political crisis that has dragged on for nearly 18 months escalated dramatically during the second week of May. With the help of the Arab League, a process of dialogue was inaugurated and, on May 20, a temporary compromise was struck. The immediate crisis seems now resolved; however the situation remains volatile and renewed conflict possible, in particular as long as regional tension remains high. Read...

 

No Place Home

- Iraqi Refugees between Precarious Safety and Precipitous Return

By Layla Al-Zubaidi and Heiko Wimmen

Violence and turmoil have caused a massive stream of refugees from Iraq to seek safety in neighboring countries. This report attempts to give an overview of the origin and magnitude of the crisis, probes the likelihood of substantial numbers of refugees returning in the near future, and assesses the responsibility of international actors towards the refugees.  Read...

  

Environmental Impact of the 2006 Lebanon War

Israel’s offensive in Lebanon between July 12 and August 14, 2006 caused almost 1,200 fatalities and the destruction of infrastructure and property to the cost of at least US $ 2.5 billion. In addition to the loss of life and damage, the war caused several environmental problems that will have long-term consequences.  Read...

  

Syria in the Dock
By Kirsten Maas and
Heiko Wimmen

This reports deals with the  United Nations Investigations on the Late Prime Minister assassination effects on the stability of the Syrian regime. Read...

 
 

 

Mixed Messages and Open Friction
The Arab League Summit in Damascus, 2008
By Sami Moubayed

Lebanon’s political crisis loomed large over the latest Arab summit in Damascus, with the Lebanese government and key Arab states accusing host Syria of fueling the festering conflict. Syrian analyst Sami Moubayed evaluates the score of the latest round in a protracted struggle. Read...

 

UNFIL – Peacemakers in the Line of Fire
By Timur Göksel

Since October 2006, a beefed up UN force has been deployed in Southern Lebanon to prevent new hostilities between Hizbollah and Israel. But can the ‘new’ UNIFIL really make a difference once the fragile truth in South Lebanon gets under the pressure of renewed regional tensions? Timur Göksel, spokesperson for UNIFIL for more than 20 years, attempts an assessment. Read...

 

Cedar Revolution Reloaded
Lebanon between Internal Paralysis and Regional Confrontation
By Heiko Wimmen

While essentially over political issues, the current standoff between the Lebanese government and the opposition is assuming an increasingly sectarian character. Tensions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims have prompted violent clashes with several dead and hundreds injured. Read...

 
 

   Reports and briefing in German concerning current and recent events in Lebanon and the region are available from the German website of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

 
 

 MAIN PAGE


 
 
 
 

OTHER VOICES

 Mahmood MamdaniOn Blasphemy, Bigotry and the Politics of Culture Talk

More readings available from the hbf translation project
Other Voices

UPCOMING

Power, Governmentality, Resistance and State of Exception in the Arab World
Beirut, August 29-30, 2008

 

Emerging Powers and the Middle East

Beirut, October 24-25, 2008 

DOSSIER

Iraqi Refugee Crisis

 

Climate Change and the Middle East

 

War in Darfur

NEW PUBLICATIONS

Cities of the South: Citizenship and Exclusion in the 21st Century

Edited volume published in cooperation with the Institute Français du Proche Orient (IFPO) by Saqi Books