Karim Barakat

Comment: It is not surprising that public appetite for protests is weak, given the emphasis on sectarian narratives that have reduced communal welfare to insignificance, says Karim Barakat

Comment: To bomb or not to bomb? Military interventions rarely work out as planned, writes Karim Barakat.

Comment: The financial difficulties that Lebanese newspapers are facing today are the direct outcome of regional political transformations and the latest episode in the Lebanese political deadlock, argues Karim Barakat.

Comment: The declaration of a federal state in northern Syria seeks to present federalism as a viable solution, when it seems it will only extend the war, argues Karim Barakat.

Comment: The sectarian nature of Lebanese politics has been exploited to stir up fears and entrench communities against each other, writes Karim Barakat.

Comment: Taking part in Syria's peace negotiations would have won major international recognition for the Kurds, writes Karim Barakat.

Comment: Tunisia is struggling with corruption and unemployment, and the challenge for Ennahdha lies between favouring the values of modernity and working towards political stability, writes Karim Barakat.

Comment: Several anti-IS military coalitions are being accompanied by political attempts. But the success of diplomacy, however, remains questionable due to a complex web of political dynamics, argues Karim Barakat.

Comment: The deal to end the Lebanese civil war has not helped the country's leaders to build a viable state, writes Karim Barakat.

Comment: Though the attacks in France appear to have united international efforts to target the Islamic State group, conditions for any political resolution in Syria remain absent, writes Karim Barakat.