Youssef Osman

When President Trump signed his Executive Orders targeting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices in January 2025, organizations across the country began reassessing their diversity initiatives in anticipation of an aggressive enforcement posture. Early signals suggested that the administration might identify and publicly target “egregious” DEI practitioners, but such lists never materialized.

It seemed like any other typical Tuesday this summer. I had come home for a lunch break from my internship in Cleveland, turned on the Lebanese Al-Manar channel and sat down with my mother to talk about my morning meetings. Suddenly, as the news broadcasters began jokingly discussing how Lebanon’s painful political and economic woes can only be saved by a direct intervention from God, the entire television set shook.

For over three months, the Lebanese people protested against a government that failed to meet their basic needs and demands. Even though newly elected Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s Hezbollah-backed government was formed Jan. 21, Diab’s cabinet has many political and social issues it must address. Although Lebanon must provide for its citizens first and foremost, the country must address the fact that it has the highest refugee per capita population in the world.