Kroenig and Ashford discuss fallout from Beirut explosion, Belarus election and reflect on General Brent Scowcroft’s legacy

MENASource Jun 17, 2025

Why Hezbollah is unlikely to engage in the Israel-Iran war—for now

By David Daoud

As wave after wave of Israeli jets continue to strike Iran, Tehran’s proxy on Israel’s northern border remains quiet.
Iran Israel
Kroenig and Ashford discuss fallout from Beirut explosion, Belarus election and reflect on General Brent Scowcroft’s legacy

MENASource Jun 4, 2025

What Lebanon’s municipal election results mean for Hezbollah

By David Daoud

Municipal election results did not demonstrate the militant group’s dominance over Lebanon’s Shiites, but Hezbollah nevertheless retains popularity.
Elections Lebanon
Kroenig and Ashford discuss fallout from Beirut explosion, Belarus election and reflect on General Brent Scowcroft’s legacy

MENASource May 22, 2025

Lebanon’s 1982 war reverberates in Israel’s Syria campaign

By Sinan Hatahet

Israel’s ongoing intervention in Syria appears different from its 1982 invasion of Lebanon—but beneath the surface, parallels are striking.
Israel Lebanon

Content

In the News

Aug 14, 2020

Kroenig and Ashford discuss fallout from Beirut explosion, Belarus election and reflect on General Brent Scowcroft’s legacy

By Atlantic Council

On August 14, Foreign Policy published a biweekly column featuring Scowcroft Center Deputy Director Matthew Kroenig and the Cato Institute’s Emma Ashford discussing the latest news in international affairs. In this column, they discuss the fallout from the explosion in Beirut, potential consequences of protests following Belarus’s presidential election, and the legacy of General Brent Scowcroft.

Belarus Corruption

In the News

Aug 13, 2020

Blanford quoted in Newsweek on Beirut blast
Lebanon Resilience & Society

New Atlanticist

Aug 13, 2020

Macron has the power to change the EU’s Hezbollah policy

By Jeremy Stern

Macron’s belief in France’s special responsibility to Lebanon is evident. If he wants to help the people suffering under Hezbollah there, Macron should follow the German example, and lead a ban of Hezbollah at home.

Conflict France

In the News

Aug 12, 2020

Charai in Newsmax: International coalition needed for change in Lebanon

By Atlantic Council

The deadly explosion in Beirut has left Lebanon reeling, caught between an economic crisis, crumbling public services, and a growing pandemic. In this moment, the international community must come together in standing with the Lebanese majority to enable a truly independent and viable Lebanese state. Read Atlantic Council Board Director Ahmed Charai's latest in Newsmax on how an international coalition is needed to promote change in Lebanon.

Corruption Lebanon

EnergySource

Aug 10, 2020

Beirut’s port explosion reveals underlying problems in energy supply

By Aki Peritz

The cataclysmic explosion at Beirut’s port on August 4th could not have come at a worse time. The nation was already reeling from multiple catastrophes such as a collapsing currency, an environmental disaster on its shores, 1.5 million refugees from Syria, and a healthcare system pushed to the brink by the COVID-19 pandemic. The explosion has only exacerbated one of Lebanon’s core calamities: the lack of stable electricity.

Energy Markets & Governance Lebanon

MENASource

Aug 10, 2020

For Lebanon, the only way out is either revolution or reform

By Nabeel Khoury

The ingredients for Lebanese reform are there. However, it remains a cause that awaits the right champion.

Lebanon Middle East

MENASource

Aug 7, 2020

Ammonium nitrate didn’t belong to Hezbollah, but they knew about its dangers

By David Daoud

Hezbollah is acutely aware of the danger that such chemicals—even if not of a military grade—pose to nearby civilians, perhaps more so than any other entity in Lebanon.

Lebanon Middle East

In the News

Aug 5, 2020

Fontenrose joins Newsy to discuss Beirut explosion
Lebanon Resilience & Society

New Atlanticist

Aug 4, 2020

Scenes from a broken Beirut

By Nicholas Blanford

My apartment was heavily damaged by the explosion. All the windows were gone, the frames blasted out, even on the other side of the building from the explosion. I spoke to friends and colleagues in the area. They all have tales about calamities, material and personal, that have befallen them.

Lebanon Middle East

MENASource

Jul 21, 2020

Lebanon’s fate appears to be irreversibly tied to Syria

By Mona Alami

With hope for any solution dimming every day, and as Lebanon and Syria’s fate becomes increasingly intertwined, the situation in Beirut will grow more desperate.

Lebanon Middle East
Load More

Experts

Fellow

Paul Klimos

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Entrepreneurship G20

Fellow

Nicholas Blanford

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Conflict

Staff

Jonathan Panikoff

Director, Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Economy & Business Financial Regulation

Staff

Joze Pelayo

Associate Director, Strategic Initiatives and Policy, Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Arabic Intelligence

Fellow

Jean-Loup Samaan

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Arabic Defense Policy

Staff

William F. Wechsler

Senior Director, Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

National Security Middle East