Igor Delanoë on Syria: “Moscow and Tehran move towards a cooperative competition”
ByTheEast: Let’s start by the Syrian issue. How could Russian diplomacy "benefit" from the disengagement of Westerners? Which political solution can Russians adapt to emerge from the war?
Asmahan Zein on labour market: “Women lack representation at many levels”
ByTheEast: A recent survey (‘Working Women in the Middle East and North Africa’, by Bayt.com and YouGov.com) ranked Lebanon as #1, vis-a-vis women and men working together in the same workplace. Are...
Fouad Zmokhol on reforming Lebanon: “It’s time to act”
ByTheEast: A few weeks ago, Beirut hosted the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit which turned out to be a fiasco. Economic commentators pointed to the humiliation faced by Lebanon because...
Tom Butler on mining sector: “We are expected to do good not just do well”
ByTheEast: ICMM focuses on mining companies’ values, such as sustainable development and CSR (Corporate social responsibility). How can you help them to improve their policy?
Tom Butler: ICMM...
Jacques Sarraf on Lebanon-Russia: “We need to establish strategic relations”
ByTheEast: How old are the bounds between Lebanon and Russia?
Jacques Sarraf: The first contact between Russia and the Lebanese population dates back to the reign of Tsar Ivan IV, who decided to support the...
Guilherme Casarões on Brazil: “Trade relationships with the Middle East are not easy”
ByTheEast: Brazil was a net importer of agricultural products in the 1970s. It now ranks among the world’s five largest agricultural producers and exporters. Can it overtake the others?
Guilherme Casarões: Brazil has come a...
Tatiana Weber on Egypt: “Education is the top priority”
ByTheEast: According to a report published by the World Economic Forum, Egypt’s economy ranks 11th in the Middle East. How can you explain this bad ranking?
Weber: In the 2017-2018 Global Competitiveness Index published by...
Ignacio De La Torre on microfinance: “It is profitable and sustainable”
ByTheEast: As the founder of Financieros sin Fronteras, you have a wide angle about how foreign countries run their monetary system, about microfinance. How would you compare Spain with other Mediterranean countries?
De la Torre:...
Roland Riachi on water resources: “2018 is definitely a year of crisis”
ByTheEast: What’s so specific about water in Lebanon?
Riachi: What’s really fascinating about water is that water is everywhere. In every fields in our societies: agriculture, electricity, industries, public health… Water is really everywhere and...