July 2012
“Confessional and Electoral Reform in Lebanon” by Dr. Arda Arsenian Ekmekji comes as the country is nearing its next legislative elections, slated for June 2013.
The Lebanese electoral system is based on confessional representation whereby a set number of parliamentary seats are allocated to each recognized sect. The vote is divided between electoral districts, each electing a specific number of seats. As a result, electoral districting has always been subject to gerrymandering.
This paper presents three plausible options for districting in the upcoming legislative elections and their predicted consequences, arguing that for a modern, democratic Lebanon to be sustained as a viable state, the 2006 Boutros Commission Draft must be implemented.

August 2011
The "Lebanon-Syria Borders" Report was jointly commissioned by LRF and the New Opinion Workshop (a Lebanese NGO) in 2009 and revised in 2011. It was prepared by surveyors and researchers following field visits and became a reference in its field.
Six years following Syrian troops withdrawal from Lebanon and two years after the exchange of diplomatic representation between Beirut and Damascus, the need for demarcating the Syrian-Lebanese borders remains as urgent a task as ever. The Lebanon-Syria Borders Report offers a comprehensive perspective on both the legal and illegal point of entries between Lebanon and Syria. It reveals the risks posed by illegal entry points on the sovereignty of both countries and concludes by a set of recommendations on how to address the shortcomings at hand.

December 2010
“Hezbollah and the Shiite community: From political confessionalization to confessional specialization” by Ziad Majed analyzes the evolution of the Shiite political elites within the Lebanese confessional and consociational political system. It also explores the circumstances that gave rise to Hezbollah and established it as the most popular and powerful force in the Shiite community. The paper explains recent political developments in Lebanon, particularly the mounting Sunni-Shiite tensions, and offers recommendations to address the ongoing Lebanese political crisis. These recommendations have been formulated in relation to the domestic Lebanese and Middle Eastern regional political contexts.

October 2010
“A Staircase in Nahr El Bared: The Future of Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon” by Nadim Shehadi is a paper on one of the most sensitive issues in Lebanon that was put at the forefront of parliamentary and public debates on June 15, 2010, when a series of legislative proposals were presented to re-examine the refugees’ legal status and to resolve the issues surrounding their civil rights. The paper addresses challenges that are part of a complex regional dynamic involving both local and regional factors, in addition to the international community that can play a constructive role in resolving these issues.

December 2008
“Lebanon: The Swing State of a New Levant” by The Aspen Institute and Lebanon Renaissance Foundation is a report on the policy discussions of a 2008 conference on US-Lebanese relations and the ways to enhance them. It addresses the challenges that must be met if US goals are to be reached in the Middle East. The report is divided into five sections, addressing the issues of: Lebanon and the region, Lebanese politics and elections, Hezbollah, Sunni fundamentalism and democracy.

December 2008
“Lebanese Democracy: Battered, Flawed and Unmatched in the Arab World” by William Harris is a report on Lebanon’s pluralistic politics and representative institutions which, he says, however battered and flawed, have a historical pedigree unmatched anywhere in the Middle East. Harris lays out a timeline of Lebanon’s political system from the 1860s, when the Foundation of confessional democracy was laid in the country, until the 21st century. He highlights people and events that have shaped what he calls Lebanon’s “hybrid of democratic and authoritarian elements,” stressing the 2005 Cedar Revolution, which led to Syrian troops leaving Lebanese soil after a 29-year presence.

February 2008
“Towards a More Secure and Stable Lebanon: Prospects for Security Sector Reform" published by The Henry L. Stimson Center and written by Emile El-Hokayem & Elena McGovern. The paper looked at Lebanon’s potential national security strategies, security and defense needs, security actors, defense reform including defense planning policy and oversights. The paper was part of a research project, supported by LRF, inclusive of a seminar conducted under Chatham House rules that was held in Washington, D.C. in December 2007, and which brought together Lebanese, US, European and UN Government and non-governmental policymakers and experts with direct expertise and involvement in Lebanese affairs.