RLS@Beirut

Rosa Luxemburg Beirut office

RLS has been working in Lebanon since 2017. The Beirut office currently works within Lebanon and Iraq as its main countries of cooperation, in close coordination with local partner institutions, groups, and individuals. RLS also cooperates with Syrian communities in exile and analyzes developments in Iran. The office’s programs focus on Migration and Forced Migration, Conflict and Post Conflict, Political Economy and Social Rights, Food Sovereignty and Feminist politics.

Who is Rosa Luxemburg?

Rosa Luxemburg was arguably one of the most iconic figures of the German and international workers' movement of the last centuries. She still inspires us today with her steadfastness for peace, her eloquent critical intellect, and her lifelong commitment to democratic socialism from below.Rosa Luxemburg was arguably one of the most iconic figures of the German and international workers' movement of the last centuries. She still inspires us today with her steadfastness for peace, her eloquent critical intellect, and her lifelong commitment to democratic socialism from below.

Programs

Program

Conflict and post conflict

The Beirut office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation works, among others, on the countries of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Wars, conflicts and violence have affected all of these countries for decades and continue to do so today. In our program we deal with different forms of structural violence and resistance against it. How do post-civil war countries deal with their past and what can we deduce from this for the current situation? What forms of social resistance and socio-cultural engagement can there be in the midst of wars, how can we support them? These are some of the questions we are addressing in our program.

Program

Migration and Forced Migration

Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq have been countries with diverse migration movements for decades. One of our thematic programs is therefore a broad engagement with the topic of migration. We mainly focus on the access of migrants, refugees, and stateless people to social and human rights, as well as the challenges faced by these groups due to their denial of these rights. We also look at the self-organization of migrants and refugees in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq and support different forms of grass root activism.

Program

Political Economy and Food Sovereignty

With our program, we aim to break down the complex economic and political relations that have caused the economic collapse in our countries while also discussing just policies and alternative economies. A main area of relevance is supporting measures of food sovereignty, to promote social justice and a fairer distribution of wealth and resources.

Program

Intersectional Feminisim

Feminist and queer movements in Lebanon & the larger SWANA region have historically been one of the main drivers towards social change and intersectional equality. The lives behind these movements have committed themselves to addressing and politicizing so-called “social” issues including domestic violence, women’s right to pass on nationality, and queer rights in the face of discriminatory civil laws and policies governing the existence of women and marginalized identities by the Lebanese sectarian system. Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung aims to support grassroots and community-led alternative groups, collectives and initiatives that work towards an intersectional and inclusive reorganization of society.

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Publications

September 11, 2021 - Erbil, Iraq. Iraqi Kurdistan Region

Selling Fuel In The Streets Of Damascus Fuel vendors from Lebanon are increasingly appearing on the streets of Damascus, attracted by the lower price of Lebanese fuel compared to Syrian fuel.

Everyone today is faced with new choices.
Some want administrative; others want political decentralization, and others want a federal system. Some want a civil state, others a central Sunni state with Sharia law as the main basis. In order to get out of the bottleneck situation, we need the caretaker government to call in the national conference with all political players, and the self-administration is part of this. All Syrian factions need to be represented.

"now might be the time to (re-)formulate politics that represent and address the hopes and demands of the majority of Lebanon’s population"

December 18, 2024, Damascus, Syria: The Syrian Military Intelligence Branch 215 was a jail for political prisoners during a brutal regime where countless men disappeared amid accounts of torture in Damascus Syria on December 18, 2024. A rebel offensive led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates more than 100,000 people died in Syrian prisons and now desperate family members search for their disappeared loved ones. Damasc

The fall of the Assad regime in 2024 raises pressing questions about reconstruction,
reconciliation, and governance, underscoring the importance of understanding Syria’s past to
envision its future. While this article provides a broad overview, readers are encouraged to
consult the listed resources for deeper insights into the complex history of Assad’s fifty-year rule
and its enduring legacy.

Syrians Celebrate Assads Ouster A man carrying a child walks among the crowd during celebrations in Idlib, Syria, on January 31, 2025. Syrians have taken to the streets in celebration following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. Idlib Idlib Syria Copyright: xBilalxAlhammoudx

On December 8, Syria experienced a political turning point of historic significance: after 54 years, the Al-Assad regime fell—unexpectedly and with minimal resistance or bloodshed. This has not only reshaped the power dynamics within Syria but has also fundamentally altered the geopolitical landscape of the region. The new administration under Haiʾat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which played a key role in toppling Bashar al-Assad militarily, now faces the challenge of transforming Syria.

Tanks and abandoned military vehicles, while spread opposition fighters spread

Syrien, Milizenführer al-Dscholani in Damaskus Abu Mohammed al-Jolani Leader Of Syrian Insurgents...

Rebel leader, Syria’s new strongman, leader of the Islamists, ex-terrorist, or jihadist? These are just some of the labels that Ahmed al-Shara aka al-Jolani has had pinned on him over the past few days and weeks when, totally unexpectedly, he and his rebel group Hai’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, or the Committee for the Liberation of Syria) managed to topple the Assad regime.

Tracing the Journey of the Oral History Project with RLS in Kurdistan

SDF Withdraws Under Opposition Agreement Under An Agreement With The Opposition, The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Withdrew From The Neighborhoods Of Tal Rifaat And Several Nearby Villages, Along With Their Families And Thousands Of Civilians, Heading Toward The Raqqa Countryside. The Agreement Included Tal Rifaat, Menagh, Sheikh Issa, And Umm Al-Qura. On December 2, 2024.

After the fall of Assad, the war in northern Syria continues unabated

Atmosphere in Syria a week after Assad is Gone - Damascus Syrians celebrate a week after Bashar El Assad left the country, and his regime collapsed, as seen in Damascus, Syria, on December 14, 2024

Hezbollah’s headquarters, which Israel bombed on 27 September 2024

With a fragile ceasefire in place, Lebanon finds itself at a crossroads between a power vacuum and rebuilding the state
What possible scenarios might the future hold?

The world is facing a worsening climate crisis, the impacts of which are visible season after season in Iraq, the Kurdistan region and their neighboring Kurdish regions. There are recurrent extreme rise in temperatures, water scarcity, wildfires and flooding in each of these regions.

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