Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Foreign Policy

Beirut and the Birth of the Fortress Embassy
The new US embassy under construction in Awkar with a view of Beirut in the distance. Photo courtesy of the US Embassy in Beirut’s X feed, May 5, 2023.US embassy officials meeting with Lebanese President Camille Chamoun (in a dark suit with cigarette) at his residence in Jiyyeh, 1959. Photo courtesy of Hanna Farha.The new US embassy complex under construction in Awkar. Photo courtesy of the US Embassy in Beirut’s X feed, May 5, 2023.
Current Analysis

Beirut and the Birth of the Fortress Embassy

A deep dive into the local, regional and global politics behind the sprawling new US embassy complex in Beirut.
Habib Battah • 16 min read
Revisiting MERIP Coverage 30 Years After the First Gulf War
A US soldier standing guard as oil wells burn in the distance in Kuwait on the last night of the Gulf War, February 26, 1991. Andy Clark/Reuters
Current Analysis

Revisiting MERIP Coverage 30 Years After the First Gulf War

MERIP’s coverage of the First Gulf War sought to understand the crisis beyond the battlefield kinetics: from Iraq’s August 1990 invasion of Kuwait to the US-led Desert Storm military operation liberating Kuwait and looking beyond to the regional aftermath. Our authors and editors offered historicall
The Editors • 6 min read