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Hrair Balian, JD, PhD (honoris causa), is an independent writer currently focusing on a book project about responsibilities for the Syrian catastrophe. From 2008 through 2021, he served as the Director of The Carter Center’s Conflict Resolution Program. Balian also has served as Adjunct Professor at the Emory University Law School (2008-2018). Since 1990, Balian has worked in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, the independent states emerging from the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and Africa, serving in intergovernmental organizations (the UN and the OSCE) and nongovernmental organizations (International Crisis Group and others). He has worked on elections, human rights, and conflict resolution. Balian received a Juris Doctor degree in 1985, and Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, in 2009 for his “lifetime commitment to the dignity, respect, and self-determination of all peoples” and for his “uncompromising effort to resolve international conflicts.”
In two months, Lebanon is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in the midst of a continuing economic meltdown and total failure of governance. The outcome of the vote is likely to be disappointing for anyone expecting to elect new leaders capable of reforming Lebanon.
