Opinion analysis by Tala Karkanawi Staff Writer and Jonathan Lahdo, Contributor

Governmental systems all over the world differ between country to country. Lebanon, a country bordered by Syria, Palestine, israel, and other troubled regions, is known to be the only true democracy in the Middle East. However if we truly dig in, we’d realise it is nowhere close to being a democratic country. Lebanon is a republic that defines itself as a parliamentary democratic system, but to what extent is it truly?

Opinion Policy Analysis by Sara Ghanem, Contributor

While most of the public’s concern has been focused on improving conditions within male prisons in Lebanon, the more tragic reality experienced by incarcerated women in the country has been left unattended too. The following article provides a precise and detailed account of what life is like for women inside Lebanon’s four female prisons located in Baabda, Beirut, Tripoli, and Zahleh; and explores how gendered societal norms as well as issues of representation have influenced and continue to influence the creation and implementation of prison policies in Lebanon.

Opinion Policy Analysis Tala Majzoub, Staff Writer

On May 6th, 2018, nearly half of the Lebanese voting population cast their ballots to elect a new parliament for the first time in nearly a decade. Lebanon’s parliamentary elections in 2018 witnessed a total of 82,965 registered voters abroad, with no more than 46,799 Lebanese expatriates actually voting. Comparing these figures to roughly 4 – 13 million people of Lebanese descent worldwide, there exists a considerable political power within the Lebanese diaspora.

Opinion piece, Aya Takidin, Contributor

In the span of 7 months, a newborn baby begins eating solid foods and obtains the ability to respond to their name. A person can also become entirely fluent in a foreign language. New friendships and relationships can be formed. 7 months is enough time to complete a full semester at university. Some could start up a new business or get promoted in a current company. Life moves forward in 7 months, and any type of progress is almost inevitable. But most of all, 7 months should be enough time to conduct and complete proper investigations.

Analysis by Francesco Pitzalis, Staff Writer

The Syrian refugee crisis has welcomed its 10th year and continues to exert a severe and deleterious effect on refugee mental health. This can be pinned not only on war-related trauma but on post-migratory psychological stress in host countries. As the conflict has extended, post-migratory stress has dominated the sphere of mental health. This is predictive of worsened mental health amongst female refugees. Thus, a closer look is required to inspect the disruptive, traumatic influence of post-migratory stress on female refugees. The following article considers this question for the case of Syrian female refugees in Lebanon.

Opinion piece by Myriam Akiki, Staff Writer

While the Lebanese scenario doesn’t involve a literal fight to the death -yet- it surely bears resemblance, on many levels, to Collins’ story, especially in regards to dividing the population by districts, or in the Lebanese case, by sects. Sectarianism being a highly discussed topic these days, we take a look at its roots and try to find the right way to move on.

Opinion Analysis by Maria, Wehbe, Staff Writer

Youth unemployment is very common in the MENA region and is the highest in the world. There is a staggering 29.4% of unemployment in Northern Africa and 24.7% in the Arab States. These numbers are extremely high, but they are incomparable to Lebanon. 34% of the youth in Lebanon are left unemployed as of 2020. That is more than a third of the youth population of the country – young individuals that are seeking work in order to be able to live a decent life. Why is this the case? Why is it this common in Lebanon, more so than anywhere else?

Opinion Analysis by Cibelle Korban, Staff Writer

The relationship between Lebanon and the IMF has baffled economists of the world that are interested in Lebanon’s surreal and perplexed economic situation. This article aims to understand why Lebanon’s ongoing negotiations have been stalling parallel to the rapid deterioration in Lebanon’s economy.

Opinion Policy Analysis by Gaia Bchara, Contributor and Omar Badr, Contributor

The 2018 Lebanese parliamentary elections results were very different than expected, instead of a rise in voter turnout, a 5% drop was seen, with around 49% of the Lebanese population choosing to vote on May 6, 2018. What about the remaining 51% ? Abstention can be explained by, among other things, the “Voting Paradox”. However, since 2018, Lebanon has witnessed several changes, which make for reasonable ground to believe that the next election has the potential to produce a higher voter turnout. The question becomes how? What are efficient ways to reach out to our family, friends, and small or large community and incite them to vote?

Opinion Analysis by Tala Karkanawi, Staff Writer

The judiciary system in Lebanon is in need of various reforms, starting with allowing Hijabi women to fulfil their dreams and become judges. The reason behind banning them is controversial, with multiple issues and disputes that labelled the Hijab as provocative because of the political, social, and economic issues that Lebanon is currently facing.

Opinion analysis by Sandro Joseph Azzam, Staff Writer

I know, the title seems way too good to be true! Let me make it even better. What if I told you that all you needed to do to make 400 million dollars was sit on your couch and do nothing for 30 years? Are you in? Disclaimer: this article is based on purely fictional characters. Any similarities in this article between actual people and events is purely coincidental.

Analysis by Albert Geokgeuzian, Staff Writer

Lebanese universities are nowhere near where we need them to be. There are certain changes that are required for universities to function, not just properly, but exquisitely. It would also be helpful to learn from nature when it comes to how we set up our universities, for there are decades of research showcasing the best way to set up an education system is. It’s time to learn from history and to do right for the students of Lebanon.

Opinion Analysis by Fadi Salahedin, Contributor

Lebanon has a rich history of war, conflict, and civil uprisings. From a civil war that traumatized the country, to continuous conflict within the components of the country itself, the war with israel, the economic exhaustion, the vacuum of power, and finally utter mismanagement and corruption embodied in the Beirut blast on the 4 th of August. All this had a significant effect on the psyche of the people leaving them with a phenomenon known as learned helplessness manifesting in the hopelessness of political and social change and exponential brain drain.

Opinion Analysis by Cibelle Korban, Staff Writer

The tale of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves unfolds, repeats and retells itself in the middle east, specifically in the port of Lebanon. Decades of corruption, unaccountability, theft and incompetency loom around Beirut’s port and parliament leading up to the demise and destruction of an entire city. This reality is retold in a different setting with characters from the Lebanese government taking on the roles of the thieves in an untold tale – the tale of Ali Baba’s cave and a thousand of political party thieves.

Opinion Analysis by Mounia El Khawand, Staff Writer

Among the many points of contention between hostile neighbors Lebanon and israel, a hitherto silent yet longstanding issue is steadily gaining traction across the Middle Eastern political scene. Although it caused some ruckus during the early 2010s, the question of the Lebanese- israeli Southern Maritime Border Dispute has since faded into the background in favor of more pressing regional challenges. Nevertheless, the question reemerged in 2019, when Lebanon charged a consortium of Eni, Total, and Novatek – Italian, French, and Russian companies respectively – with conducting its first offshore energy exploration expedition in two maritime areas, Blocks 4 and 9, the latter of which contains disputed waters with israel. After almost three years of the US’ ‘shuttle diplomacy,’ a process through which a third party assumes the role of intermediary between the belligerents, Lebanon and israel have finally agreed to engage in talks to settle their claims on waters in the Mediterranean.

Analysis by Maria Wehbe, Staff Writer

Lebanese universities have been holding up a reputation for quite a while. They are well- renowned in the MENA region and attract a lot of students from that area to come pursue their university studies in their establishments. Yet, over the past couple of years and in light of the recent events that have been occurring in Lebanon, universities have been facing major difficulties, especially in trying to keep their students and faculty within their premises.

Op-Ed by Maysaa Ajjan, Contributor

For 13-year-old Abdullah Adham, 2020 was not a good year. He had to first switch schools after performing poorly academically, before deciding to leave school altogether because of his family’s precarious financial situation. “I left school at first because the lessons were so hard, I didn’t understand what the teachers were saying,” Abdullah, who is Syrian, said in dismay while sitting in his house on Salim Slem. “But then my father needed help in paying for my younger siblings’ tuition, so he took me out of school to help him at work.”

Opinion Analysis by Yousef Khalil, Contributor

Recent allegations that Mr. Salameh funneled about USD 350 million out of BDL’s accounts through his brother Raja’s company have prompted Swiss authorities to open a new investigation. Last Thursday, the Swiss attorney general requested legal assistance from Lebanon’s prosecutor general, Judge Ghassan Oueidat, to question Salameh about the money laundering and embezzlement claims. This investigation could prove vital for the recovery of Lebanese depositors’ hard-earned savings, and for holding Mr. Salameh and his cronies accountable. The question is: will the Swiss come good? Past examples do not show promising signs. 

Analysis by Albert Geokgeuzian, Staff Writer and Maria Wehbe, Staff Writer

The issues discussed regarding public schools are extensive; they need to be handled and this has to be done by tackling each issue, one at a time. Looking at the work of other countries and taking aspiration is one way to go at it. Lebanon has so much potential and improving the education sector, and in particular the schools, would help this country start resolving its problems, one after the other. It is important to start with the educational sector as it is a time-sensitive issue and the more it is prolonged, the more detrimental the effects would be.