The protests may not lead to political change, but they have already transcended Lebanon’s traditional social divides.


Lina Khatib is the Head of the Middle East/North Africa programme at Chatham House. Previously, she was the co-founding head of the Program on Arab Re... form and Democracy at Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.
The protests may not lead to political change, but they have already transcended Lebanon’s traditional social divides.

Following the long-awaited election, the same old political elites continue to dominate Lebanon’s political scene.

The assassination of a Hezbollah operative in Syria last week has to do with strategic regional rivalries.

Lebanese citizens feel helpless in a society in which corruption becomes the only means of survival.

When it comes to Saudi foreign policy, the forthcoming succession is not the most crucial – the one to follow is.
![Little change can be expected from the Saudi Arabian foreign policy, regardless of who the king is [Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/201412961757621580_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
It is time for the US to take responsibility for the failures of its Middle East policies.
![Iraqis loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr vow to fight ISIL in a show of strength in a military parade [Getty]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/201462665059958734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
Limiting support for the Syrian regime might be the least costly compromise Iran is likely to make.
![The coming elections is likely to be Bashar al-Assad's last, writes Khatib [EPA]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2014521113049732734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
Bashar al-Assad’s support for armed groups might lead to his regime’s demise.
![The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has cooperated with Bashar al-Assad's regime, writes the author [AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/201432910421291734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
The real deal is being sealed behind the scenes at Geneva II.
![The conference has been the first platform to bring together the regime, the opposition, and their respective international backers [EPA]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/20141266825258734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
Lebanon is, once again, the battlefield of a proxy war to redefine new power relations in the region.
![The latest bombing in Beirut killed a moderate politician, a rare commodity in Lebanese politics [EPA]](/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/20131227131631826580_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)