Economics & Policy

Lebanon is not in bad company for a peer group. According to the just published World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report (GCR), we are among those countries that are — and in …

Yet another extension for companies to submit bids in Lebanon’s first offshore oil and gas licensing round was announced in mid-August by Minister of Energy and Water Arthur Nazarian, indefinitely …

Toufic Abillamaa has been making money off of the state’s inability to provide certain services for nearly 40 years. His company, Abillamaa Petroleum, delivers fuel for generators — a necessity …

Afghan opium is contributing to Iran’s drug problem — an issue which Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli is being surprisingly candid about. In recent pronouncements, he said 1.3 million Iranians, …

If the launching of Lebanon’s first offshore licensing round back in early 2013 was the dawn of the industry in the country, then only now is civil society groggily awaking …

While some believe Lebanon houses the city where Jesus turned water into wine, most of the country’s residents today no doubt wish the government could miraculously do the opposite. Precipitation …

It could have happened years ago. In July 2011 — after a nearly seven-month delay — Lebanon ‘lit up’ a submarine fiber optic cable that brought the county much-needed internet capacity. …

When most people think of oil or gas discoveries, money is the first thing to spring to mind. Industry insiders, however, know that newfound resources often come hand-in-hand with ownership …

Halima Zaroubi, a frail 80-something-year-old woman, breaks into tears when describing what’s happened to her home. “Our houses are gone, our lands have dried up,” her voice cracks. “Everything’s gone.” …

An air of frustration hung over last month’s oil and gas conference at the École Supérieure des Affaires. “It is clear that there is no plan,” vented an industry leader …