20
February 2015
Past Event
Ten Years After the Assassination of Rafik Hariri: the Fate of Lebanon and the Future of the Middle East

Ten Years After the Assassination of Rafik Hariri: the Fate of Lebanon and the Future of the Middle East

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
February 20, 2015
Default Event Image
20
February 2015
Past Event

1015 15th Street, N.W., 6th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Speakers:
Lee Smith

Former Senior Fellow

michael_doran
Michael Doran

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

Default Expert Image
Tony Badran

Research Fellow, Center for Terrorism Research, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Hussain Abdul Hussain

Washington Bureau Chief, <i>al-Rai</i> (Kuwait)

The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri a decade ago not only cut down one of the region’s moderate Muslim leaders but also became a major catalyst for the broader sectarian war currently engulfing the Middle East.

Hariri’s death initially gave rise to Lebanon’s pro-democracy March 14 movement, one of the region’s most hopeful political trends. Over time, though, the country’s democratic dreams were shattered as the Iranian-backed Hezbollah tightened its grip in Lebanon and the Arab uprisings of 2011, symbolized in the nonviolent opposition that first arose against Syria’s Assad, descended into radicalism and war.

Indeed, in the wake of Hariri’s murder, clear fault lines are now readily seen between Sunni and Shia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, moderate and extremist. The question now facing Lebanon and the rest of the Middle East is which path will the region follow in the years ahead—that of Hariri, the moderate who sought to educate Lebanese students across the sectarian divide to build a bright future for the country, or that violent, anti-democratic ideology of his assassins?

Hudson Institute hosted a panel discussion on Rafik Hariri’s legacy and the future of Lebanon and beyond. Hudson Senior Fellows Lee Smith and Michael Doran joined Tony Badran of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Hussain Abdul Hussain, Washington bureau chief for al-Rai (Kuwait) to discuss how Lebanon’s fate may shape the region for years to come.

Related Events
25
April 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Book Event: Tackling the China Challenge with Strength
Featured Speakers:
Michael Sobolik
Olivia Enos
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the podium at the Great Hall of People in Beijing, China, on October 23, 2022. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
25
April 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Book Event: Tackling the China Challenge with Strength

Join Hudson for a conversation with author Michael Sobolik about Countering China’s Great Game.

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the podium at the Great Hall of People in Beijing, China, on October 23, 2022. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Michael Sobolik
Olivia Enos
26
April 2024
Virtual Event | Online Only
South Africa’s Historic Election: A Conversation with Inkatha Freedom Party National Spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa
Featured Speakers:
Mkhuleko Hlengwa
Joshua Meservey
Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) supporters hold a flag depicting former IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi in Durban, South Africa, on March 10, 2024. (Photo by Rajesh Jantilal/AFP via Getty Images)
26
April 2024
Virtual Event | Online Only
South Africa’s Historic Election: A Conversation with Inkatha Freedom Party National Spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa

Mkhuleko Hlengwa will offer insights into the IFP’s governing philosophy, its perspective on foreign policy, and its assessment of the impending national elections.

Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) supporters hold a flag depicting former IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi in Durban, South Africa, on March 10, 2024. (Photo by Rajesh Jantilal/AFP via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Mkhuleko Hlengwa
Joshua Meservey
30
April 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Northern Europe, NATO, and the War in Ukraine: A Conversation with Lithuanian Minister of Defense Laurynas Kasčiūnas
Featured Speakers:
Laurynas Kasčiūnas
Peter Rough
Tomas Janeliūnas
The NATO and Lithuanian flags fly on July 9, 2023, in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
30
April 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Northern Europe, NATO, and the War in Ukraine: A Conversation with Lithuanian Minister of Defense Laurynas Kasčiūnas

Join Hudson Institute’s Peter Rough as he sits down with Lithuania’s minister of defense, Laurynas Kasčiūnas.

The NATO and Lithuanian flags fly on July 9, 2023, in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Laurynas Kasčiūnas
Peter Rough
Tomas Janeliūnas
09
May 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Keeping the Republic: A Defense of American Constitutionalism
Featured Speakers:
Mark Landy
Dennis Hale
Moderator:
Rachel Mackey
(Getty Images)
09
May 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Keeping the Republic: A Defense of American Constitutionalism

Join Hudson for a discussion on the foundation and future of the United States with Professors Dennis Hale and Marc Landy.

(Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Mark Landy
Dennis Hale
Moderator:
Rachel Mackey