At a moment of heightened tension, Lebanon finds itself navigating overlapping crises—security risks at its borders, political stagnation at home, and continued economic hardship. As violence intensifies, lives are lost and communities are increasingly displaced, deepening the human toll and compounding an already fragile national landscape. The discussion will take a step back to assess what is unfolding, why it matters, and how these dynamics connect to broader regional trends. Lebanon analysts will explore potential scenarios ahead and reflect on where space for stability, dialogue, and recovery may still exist.
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is Co-founder and President of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building (RCCP), a Lebanese NGO focused on Track II diplomacy. She is the author of several books, including The Syrian Crisis: Effects on Regional and International Relations (2020), The Arab Lobby: Factors for Success and Failure (2016), and The Arab Gulf States and the West: Perceptions and Realities—Opportunities and Perils (2019). Her most recent book, Regional Competition and Conflicts in MENA: From the Arab Spring to the Gaza War, was published in 2025, and she is a weekly columnist for Arab News.
Firas Maksad is Managing Director for the MENA region practice at Eurasia Group, where he oversees analysis of regional geopolitics, macroeconomics, and US foreign policy. He is an expert on Lebanon, Syria, the Gulf states, and broader Middle East dynamics. He previously served as a senior director at the Middle East Institute and has taught at George Washington University. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Foreign Policy, and he is a frequent commentator on international media, including CNN, BBC, and Bloomberg. He holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service and a certificate in international business from Georgetown University, and a bachelor’s degree in political studies from the American University of Beirut.
Dr. Makram Rabah is an assistant professor of history at the American University of Beirut. He holds a PhD in history from Georgetown University and a law degree from the Lebanese University. His research focuses on the modern Middle East, particularly Lebanon, including the Lebanese Civil War and the role of memory in processes of reconciliation. He is the author of A Campus at War: Student Politics at the American University of Beirut, 1967–1975 (2009) and Conflict on Mount Lebanon: The Druze, the Maronites, and Collective Memory (2020).
Moderated by Dr. H.A. Hellyer, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. He has previously held positions at the Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, as well as at the University of Cambridge and Harvard University, and has served with the UK Government, including as deputy convenor of its Taskforce on Radicalisation, and with the UK Foreign Office. He is the author of ten books and is regularly consulted by international media on geopolitics and national security.
