Ghassan Charbel

He rubbed his eyes, as if doubting what he saw. The scene was unbelievable—stunning, unexpected. Luck had never been this generous to him. He asked the guard for a big amount of ice and a bottle worthy of an unprecedented celebration. The guard hesitated—his master was not one to drink. He was an…

A journalist can occasionally be plagued by a certain subject during their career. It seems I have been cursed with the issue of assassinations. I was very close to danger during one assassination and was on the other line of the phone when one figure was assassinated. Add to that that…

The diplomat is familiar with Washington and its hallways where decisions are made. He used to visit at the beginning of presidential terms and return with as many answers and expectations as possible to report to his superiors. This time, however, he found himself confronted with a difficult…

This is America. The world’s most powerful economy. The master of sea and skies. The land of prestigious universities, inventors, innovators and pioneers of the technological and digital revolution. It is capable of striking any target in the global village. It can listen to what you are whispering…

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's choice of Saudi Arabia as the destination of his first foreign visit aimed to deliver blunt messages inside Syria and beyond. This isn’t only about Saudi Arabia being an economic and political heavyweight on the Arab, Islamic and international levels, but…

Lebanon boasts a reputation in the Arab world that its years of deep crises have not erased. An Arab politician and friend telephoned me a few days ago to express his delight with how Lebanon is making its way back to its sons and supporters after long painful years. My friend had in recent years…

This day is unlike any other. It will leave its mark on America and the world. Neither the country nor the man at its center is ordinary. The scene is dramatic, violent, dazzling, and impactful. As America celebrates the inauguration of Donald Trump, the world must remain glued to its screens. No…

I was at the Damascus residence of Iraqi politician and publisher Fakhri Karim. A visitor, who appeared weighed down with disappointment, arrived. I tried to persuade him to return to journalism after a long break. My friends warned me that he was a difficult person to deal with. But I viewed him…

January has painful connotations in Tehran. Iran cannot forget what happened on the third of that month in 2020. A man far away crossed what it considered a red line. Qasem Soleimani was killed near Baghdad Airport. The commander of the Quds Force, the architect of the "proxies strategy" and the…

The powerful leave lasting imprints on the lives of their nations and peoples. These imprints come in various forms—some requiring entire eras to heal the wounds inflicted by their creators. History is not a neutral archive of such legacies. It welcomes those who enter its tunnels but later…