Raghida Dergham

Raghida Dergham

Columnist
Raghida Dergham is the founder and executive chairwoman of the Beirut Institute and a columnist for The National. She served as columnist, senior diplomatic correspondent, and New York bureau chief for the London-based Al-Hayat for 28 years. She has contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Arab News, Al Arabiya English and Newsweek. She served as political analyst for NBC, MSNBC, LBC, Al Arabiya, CNN, BBC and MTV, as well as a contributing editor for Global Viewpoint produced for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. Raghida was named one of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women in 2011 and in 2016, and in 2017 she was named 'Arab Woman of the Year' for her achievements in journalism. In 2018, she was named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in the Arab World.
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Donald Trump and Kamala Harris differ on almost every single foreign policy issue. AP
Harris needs a foreign policy win in the Middle East

Fortunately for the US Vice President, her boss Biden can still secure much-needed peace

September 15, 2024, 2:00 PM
Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have a one-off presidential debate on Tuesday. AP
World leaders are taking Harris seriously. Trump should too

He would be wrong to underestimate his opponent in Tuesday's presidential debate

September 08, 2024, 2:00 PM
A health worker administers the polio vaccine to a Palestinian child in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday. AFP
From Gaza to Ukraine to Sudan, why conflicts will be in limbo until 2025

Stakeholders around the world are waiting to see who will be the next US president

September 01, 2024, 2:00 PM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets US Vice President Kamala Harris in July. Bloomberg
The world is wary of Donald Trump but knows so little about Kamala Harris

Leaders elsewhere are likely to scratch their heads figuring out US policy under the next president

August 25, 2024, 2:00 PM
Destruction in Deir El Balah in the central Gaza Strip this month. AFP
Even with a deal, an all-out Middle East war can't be ruled out
August 18, 2024, 2:00 PM
A man reacts inside a school used as a temporary shelter for displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, after it was hit by an Israeli strike on August 10, which killed more than 90 people. AFP
A Gaza ceasefire is as plausible as a full-scale war

There are tensions in the region as the US is hedging its bets

August 11, 2024, 2:00 PM
Houthi supporters hold placards with pictures of late Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah senior commander Fouad Shukr during a protest, in Sanaa, Yemen, on August 2. EPA
In the Iran-Israel calculus, strategic patience could pay off
August 04, 2024, 2:00 PM
Donald Trump could find debating with Kamala Harris challenging. AFP
Trump should have expected Biden to make way for Harris
July 28, 2024, 2:50 PM
A 2019 meeting in New York between then US president Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. AFP
Will Trump 2.0 dismantle Nato or dump Ukraine? Think again

If he wins the presidency again, he might actually build on Biden's signature foreign policy achievement

July 21, 2024, 2:00 PM
A flag displaying Donald Trump hangs over a highway overpass in Lafayette, California, on Sunday. Can Trump unite a divided America? AP
Trump should seize the opportunity to rebrand himself

America has been shaken by an attempt on the former president's life. It now needs a calm, visionary leader

July 15, 2024, 3:00 PM
People take part in a US presidential election campaign event in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday. While the American public will focus on domestic bread-and-butter issues, foreign policy has already inserted itself into the dynamics of the contest. Bloomberg
Nuclear fears demand that Democrats make a decision

The US is a superpower in an increasingly unstable world. It needs stable leadership

July 07, 2024, 2:00 PM
The debate between US President Joe Biden and Republican candidate Donald Trump exposed Biden's weaknesses. AFP
Biden's debate disaster will compound his global challenges

A look at the foreign policy themes that could dominate the election campaign

June 30, 2024, 2:00 PM
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivers a speech in a suburb outside Beirut in Lebanon earlier in the week. EPA
Nasrallah must show strategic wisdom and avert a war

The hope is that he backs down and ensures that his popular base is saved from destruction

June 23, 2024, 2:05 PM
Mourners gather in Beirut's southern suburbs last week for the funeral of a senior Hezbollah field commander who was killed in an Israel strike. AFP
Hezbollah captains Iran's fleet as it expands sea presence

Amid the raging Gaza war, the preservation of Tehran's Lebanese proxy has become an increasing priority

June 16, 2024, 2:40 PM
US President Joe Biden announced that Israel has offered a "roadmap" to a full ceasefire in the Middle East ally's military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, including a troop withdrawal and release of hostages. AFP
Panic more than policy has guided Biden's Middle East strategy

The US administration should be criticised not for lack of trying, for dithering

June 09, 2024, 2:00 PM