The Beirut Banyan

Cry My Brother with Hassan Merhi (Ep.445) 07.06.2026 1h 26min

On losing one's sense of belonging, meaning of home, childhood friends and a brother to war. With Hassan Merhi - author of Love During Revolution. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram & X @thebeirutbanyan

A Shifting Landscape with Sarah Yassine (Ep.444) 30.05.2026 57min

An episode covering the BIEL displaced encampment, public vs private property disputes, the former Normandy trash dump and Solidere's reconstruction efforts in retrospect. We also discuss missed opportunities and alternatives to Solidere, post-civil war urban landscape beyond the company's zoning, gradual urban decay over the past fifteen years, competing narratives over resistance and the existential security threat Hezbollah's weapons pose to Lebanon. With landscape architect and urbanist Sarah Yassine. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram & X @thebeirutbanyan Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:26 Tent vs govt 1:42 Displacement & choice 4:50 Public vs private property 7:32 A series of mistakes 12:10 Normandy trash dump 14:29 Solidere 17:42 Encountering Hezbollah pre-2019 21:17 Doubting the resistance narrative 27:34 Alternative to Solidere 34:34 Killing Lebanon 36:23 Precedent 43:05 Security threat to the country 44:13 The last fifteen years 53:13 Govt responsibility 56:25 Constant state of war

"It could have been a great story" with George Wardini (Ep.443) 26.05.2026 57min

An episode covering Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon on May 25, 2000, loosened state capture 26 years later despite Hezbollah's continued armament, diplomacy at play on multiple tracks, what a pending regional deal with Iran looks like and containment towards their regime means for Lebanon. With PolyBlog founder George Wardini. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & X: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:45 It could have been a great story 3:38 May 25, 2000 6:48 The way Israel withdrew 9:46 Game over 11:34 BIEL encampment 13:37 “Celebration” & semantics 16:28 Hezbollah needs the state 18:15 Inheriting security 20:53 The army’s role 23:07 Nawaf Salam vs state capture 26:21 Israel’s fight in Lebanon 28:10 The worst end of the stick 31:03 Hezbollah today 34:43 The Iranian regime 37:53 Containment 41:19 Regional deal’s contours 44:43 Taboos are broken 47:17 Lebanese that fled to Israel 52:28 Iran and Hezbollah vs Israel and Hezbollah 54:02 Potential fallout from regional deal

"The cause I came home to" with Stephanie Bechara (Ep.442) 02.05.2026 59min

An episode discussing competing narratives over Lebanon's national interest, an ideological divide over Hezbollah's weapons, covering economics in times of conflict and preconditions before any consideration for peace with Israel. With L'Orient Le-Jour economic journalist Stephanie Bechara. Check out Stephanie's Substack piece "The cause I came home to": https://substack.com/home/post/p-194594679 The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & X: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 3:32 The Lebanese cause 6:21 Lebanon destroyed 9:55 Intentions when defending Hezbollah’s weapons 12:59 Iran in the name of Palestine 15:32 Shyness defending Lebanese interests 18:34 Extremism 19:23 Ideological divide 23:33 Engagement 31:53 Economic coverage everwhelmed by war 36:03 Financial and economic literacy 42:22 Economic consequences due to recurring conflict 45:08 The security component impacting investment 48:41 Prospects for peace with Israel 56:35 Fabric of the country

My Beautiful Garden this Way 13.04.2026 53min

A story about displacement, refuge and love. Reflecting on growing up in a refugee camp, the outbreak of civil war, Israeli invasion, post-war redevelopment, downtown reconstruction, renewed conflict and what was and remains Beirut. With architect Al Hamed. Commemorating the start of the civil war on April 13, 1975. Videography by Alexy Chidiac. Music by Marc Codsi. Translation by Amira Kazoun. Make sure to watch the video version: https://youtu.be/Nm0I7Ir827I A re-release of "The Time Line" with audio corrections, added sections and subtitles in both English and Arabic. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan

Live at Union Marks with Bashshar Haydar & Michael Young (Ep.441) 06.03.2026 1h 42min

LIVE at Union Marks with Bashshar Haydar & Michael Young. Taped live on Saturday, 28 February - hours before learning of Ali Khamenei's fate. A discussion covering security arrangements with Israel, questions surrounding normalization efforts and potential fallout from a forced peace deal. The episode also covers Iranian leverage towards ceasefire efforts between Lebanon and Israel, and the future of Hezbollah as the Iranian regime fights for its survival. Part of the REMAINING photo exhibition discussion series for the Lokman Slim Foundation at the Abroyan Factory / Union Marks in Burj Hammoud The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:35 A forced peace with Israel? 5:41 Normalization process & consequences 10:45 Polling on recognition of Israel 13:40 Zones of influence & destabilization 16:02 What does Israel want from Lebanon? 19:38 Giving the Israelis security arrangements 22:42 Assurances for Israeli withdrawal 24:42 The Israeli ‘dream’ today 27:28 Respecting agreements 30:39 The risk of not pushing for peace 34:32 Beirut Arab Summit 2002 37:01 Palestinian statehood 40:11 American pressure 42:29 Consequences of regional war with Iran 49:05 Disarmament of Hezbollah on the horizon? 51:05 Ceasefire & Lebanese side of the border 54:19 Threats only getting worse

Live at Union Marks with Ammar Abd Rabbo, George Azar & Patrick Baz (Ep.440) 04.03.2026 2h 4min

LIVE at Union Marks with Ammar Abd Rabbo, George Azar & Patrick Baz. Part of the REMAINING photo exhibition discussion series for the Lokman Slim Foundation at the Abroyan Factory / Union Marks in Burj Hammoud The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 7:54 Tribute to Selma Merchak Slim 14:36 Ammar Abd Rabbo - Slim family 39:07 George Azar - Civil war checkpoint 44:22 George Azar - Corniche El Mazraa 45:37 Patrick Baz - Refugees vs villagers 48:10 Patrick Baz - Afghanistan 52:11 Patrick Baz - Irag wedding 55:15 Ammar Abd Rabbo - Hama 59:43 Ammar Abd Rabbo - Damascus 1:02:43 George Azar - Port blast 1:08:45 George Azar - 'The Smurfs' 1:13:33 Ammar Abd Rabbo - Port blast protest 1:15:21 Ammar Abd Rabbo - October 17 protest 1:17:38 Ammar Abd Rabbo - Macron 1:19:11 George Azar - Intifada and women 1:21:52 George Azar - Gaza 1:25:32 Patrick Baz - Intifada and Israeli army

Brighter Days Ahead with Saeedeh Marvi (Ep.439) 03.03.2026 22min

A conversation on events unfolding in Iran and Lebanon with Saeedeh Marvi. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan

Live at Union Marks with Cyril Aris, Mounia Akl, Hasan Akil, Nadyn Chalhoub & Tino Karam (Ep.438) 24.02.2026 58min

LIVE at Union Marks with the director and cast of A Sad and Beautiful World Part of the REMAINING photo exhibition discussion series for the Lokman Slim Foundation at the Abroyan Factory / Union Marks in Burj Hammoud The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 2:16 Cyril Aris - director 14:16 Mounia Akl - Yasmina 23:05 Hasan Akil - Nino 33:18 Nadyn Chalhoub - Leila 37:00 Tino Karam 53:07 Audience Q&A

LIVE at Union Marks with Katia Jarjoura, Monika Borgmann & Marwan Hamadeh (Ep.437) 18.02.2026 1h 29min

LIVE at Union Marks with Marwan Hamadeh, Katia Jarjoura and Monika Borgmann Part of the REMAINING photo exhibition discussion series for the Lokman Slim Foundation at the Abroyan Factory / Union Marks in Burj Hammoud - on display until March 3, 2026 Marwan Hamadeh is a former minister and member of parliament, and himself a survivor of an attempted assassination on October 1, 2004. Katia Jarjoura is the REMAINING photo exhibition curator. And Monika Borgmann is the president of the Lokman Slim Foundation and cofounder of UMAM Documentation & Research. The discussion centers around the political, social and psychological consequences of assassinations, and the attempt to bridge art with impunity through the REMAINING photo exhibition. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 3:33 How the project started 10:55 Lokman Slim in the narrative 18:03 Marwan Hamadeh, survival & defiance 29:06 ‘Survivor syndrome’ 36:07 Permanent consequence 40:03 Assassinating the Taif Agreement 51:34 Expectation from investigations 56:58 What can be done further 59:02 Hesitation from victims 1:07:58 The future of the exhibition 1:11:32 Q&A 1:11:59 Najat Aoun Saliba intervention 1:13:21 Claire Hawi shares words 1:21:17 Youth & collective memory

REMAINING with Monika Borgmann, Katia Jarjoura & Edouard Elias 07.02.2026 21min

Introducing the Remaining Photo Exhibition - a signature project of the Lokman Slim Foundation, with photography by Edouard Elias and curated by Katia Jarjoura. Through Elias’s photographs, the exhibition documents political assassinations since 2005 and resists the erasure of victims and their loved ones, as well as the traces and sites of violence, from collective memory. The exhibition documents political assassinations since 2005 and resists the erasure of victims and their loved ones, as well as the traces and sites of violence, from collective memory. Over months of work, the project team met with the victims’ families and survivors, photographing their portraits and the objects they entrusted to us. They also returned to the crime scenes where the assassinations took place and whose impact still endures. The exhibition also reflects a period when political killings were used to silence dissent and shape Lebanon’s political landscape. These were not isolated crimes, but a method of control sustained by fear and the absence of accountability. Against this backdrop, Edouard Elias’s photographs hold on to what endures—ever so human and fragile—a reminder that what was taken by force will forever remain. With words by Ronnie Chatah, Monika Borgmann, Katia Jarjoura and Edaourd Elias.

The Idle Gentleman with Nadim Shehadi (Ep.436) 29.01.2026 1h 15min

An episode discussing the pending gap law, corruption, army spending, rebuilding trust in the banking sector, prospects for Lebanese-Israeli relations and America's diplomatic role at large. With economist and Arab News columnist Nadim Shehadi. Check out Nadim Shehadi's article 'Lebanon is not resilient, it is traumatized': https://www.arabnews.com/node/2144181 and Michael Young's piece 'A Mechanism of Coercion': https://carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/diwan/2026/01/a-mechanism-of-coercion The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 4:36 Protecting the criminals 7:08 Diversion from the real issues 9:05 Gap Law 14:43 Minimizing the state 20:30 Defending unpopular figures 22:18 Corruption in Lebanon 24:24 Investigations 30:38 Constant battering 33:10 Army spending & budget 38:10 Key element is trust 42:23 Discussion on Israel 44:29 Michael Young 46:29 “A Mechanism of Coercion” 51:12 Normalization - an internal matter 1:00:25 American positioning 1:06:07 “We’ll just go” 1:13:00 Turning 70

Iran, U.S., and how they view Lebanon | George Wardini with Ronnie Chatah 14.01.2026 1h 16min

George Wardini sits down with Ronnie Chatah for a special conversation—one shaped by years of friendship and a shared curiosity about politics, both local and global. With Ronnie Chatah’s grasp of international affairs and his sharp reading of Lebanese politics, the discussion asks: What is next for the region? How does the United States view Lebanon and the Middle East? How does Iran view Lebanon—its people, its politics, and its internal balance? George Wardini — Co-founder and Director of Polyblog. Ronnie Chatah — Host of The Beirut Banyan podcast, writer, and political analyst.

A Year Later with Youmna Gemayel (Ep.435) 08.12.2025 18min

An episode discussing the one year anniversary of the Assad regime's fall, the emotions felt in Sassine Square that day, what closure looks like moving ahead and what remains in Lebanon's control With Youmna Gemayel, daughter of Bachir Gemayel. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:04 Emotions 4:51 Closure 8:23 Spirit of March 14 10:58 A year later 13:23 Out of & in our control 15:55 National unity

No shortcut 06.12.2025 2min

Armistice before peace

Four Questions 05.12.2025 4min

From an interview discussing the negotiations-mechanism with Israel, conditions for economic recovery, Hezbollah's status today and what hope means in 2025 0:00 Mechanism for negotiations 1:53 Conditions for economic recovery 3:10 Hezbollah today 3:57 Meaning of hope

Not-too-distant future 29.11.2025 4min

In light of the Pope's visit and the wider message of peace and hope, these are three scenarios I see playing out in the not-too-distant future for Lebanon.

Our claim to fame 25.11.2025 3min

Political stability & economic prosperity on our terms

Proactive diplomacy 21.11.2025 4min

Celebrations are not enough. On the eve of independence our voice needs to be heard, in every platform, every institution that can apply pressure on Iran.

Army & Recovery with Nadim Shehadi (Ep.434) 19.11.2025 55min

An episode discussing the Lebanese army's role and limitations, prospects of economic recovery alongside an ever-expanding cash economy, and general expectations regarding next year's parliamentary elections. With economist and Arab News columnist Nadim Shehadi. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:52 The Lebanese army 10:57 Political impasse 14:43 1980s & local militias 18:01 US pressure on government 20:15 Chances of disarmament 22:55 Iranian regime’s positioning 24:38 Beirut One conference 28:49 Timing 31:29 Description & solution 35:50 Beirut as a geography 40:40 Cash economy & Qard el Hassan 47:12 Captive wealth 49:47 Election expectation & diaspora 52:57 Seeking solutions abroad