Michael Young

In this article for my @SubstackInc, I argue that while the focus today is on Israel's threat to Hezbollah, the party has to be concerned its contested position at home may, potentially, represent a greater challenge to its power. Do subscribe, it's free: beirutcalling.substack.com/p/hezbollahs-m…

Lebanon and Syria must improve their relations. This means addressing their mutual resentments with an open mind, within a context of respect for the sovereignty of the other. Opinion | Michael Young @BeirutCalling thenationalnews.com//opinion/comme…

Iran's nuclear program has survived "obliteration" by the Trump administration, says @RKelanic in a sobering interview with Diwan. "The Iranian nuclear complex is sprawling and includes many additional sites beyond Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan that were not hit by airstrikes," she…

Airstrikes didn’t destroy Iran’s nuclear program because there is no viable military solution to preventing Iranian weaponization. This was a regime change attempt by Israel under thin nuclear disguise — and the U.S. must not get pulled in.

Lebanon-Syria normalization should be a priority in both Beirut and Damascus, but resentments and mutual mistrust still dominate the relationship, while Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam appear to be on different wavelengths in the matter. Mine for @NationalComment:…

Will Israel take another bite at the apple and strike Iran again? And what will the POTUS do then? meanwhile, where does Iran stand today in nuclear terms? > Here, @RKelanic of @defpriorities talks to @BeirutCalling via the Diwan blog at @CarnegieMEC : carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/di…

This is beyond horrible, by "the most moral army in the world": democracynow.org/2025/7/21/isra…

"So, let me say that I’ve been working on this field of famine, food crisis and humanitarian action for more than 40 years, and there is no case, over those four decades, of such minutely engineered, closely monitored, precisely designed mass starvation of a population as is…

The recent fighting in Suwayda was deeply perilous not only because of its military repercussions but because of the permanent social fragility it has created, writes @KhederKhaddour in his latest article for Diwan, warning that "[t]urning Suwayda into a permanent zone of…

A clear hardening in the U.S. position toward Lebanon is evident in @USAMBTurkiye Tom Barrack’s current visit to Beirut. Many eyes will be on whether Nabih Berri’s alleged proposal for a 15-day halt to Israeli actions has legs. It calls for such a halt to allow a serious dialogue…

Tom Barrack is nothing if not blunt, telling AP that “Strong nation states are a threat—especially Arab states are viewed as a threat to Israel.” That's why he indicated that Israel would prefer to see Syria fragmented and divided rather than a strong central state in control of…

Here, @Arazbedros and @KarniKeush27420 argue that Lebanon's Armenian community plays a valuable role on behalf of Armenia, but that it needs more assistance from the Armenian state, while it also needs internal reforms to be more relevant to the youth, at Diwan:…

Despite good intentions, Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam need a plan to progress on Hezbollah's disarmament, and for the moment don't seem to have one. In the aftermath of the Barrack visit to Beirut, the Lebanese must develop fresh ideas. I offer some at Diwan:…

In addressing Hezbollah’s disarmament, the Lebanese state must start by increasing its own leverage. @BeirutCalling discusses. carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/di…

1) Many of the Genocide Scholars he cites like Yehuda Bauer and Benny Morris have ideological limitations that prevent them from concluding that Israel can commit genocide at all.

Some are pointing to Salo’s list in response to this post (cant RT cuz Im blocked). There is of course disagreement in both genocide studies and int’l law about this but there’s 3 things you should know about his list…