Atlantic Council

About the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

The Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East brings North American and European voices together with experts from the Middle East, fostering a policy-relevant dialogue about the future of the region at a historic moment of political transformation. The Hariri Center provides objective analysis and innovative policy recommendations regarding political, economic, and social change in the Arab countries, and creates communities of influence around critical issues. The Center does this in consultation with leading thinkers and experts from the Middle East, Europe, and the United States who come from the private and public sectors, think tanks, universities, and nongovernmental organizations. The Hariri Center advances policy recommendations for the United States and Europe about how to foster closer and more productive relations with the region to promote successful democratic transitions.

The Hariri Center accomplishes this by:

• Focusing specifically on the countries currently undergoing significant transition, particularly Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, and Syria.
• Integrating analysis of economic and security issues with analysis of political environments and transition processes.
• Advancing the need for robust US-EU coordination and transatlantic cooperation in the Middle East region.

About Rafik Hariri

Rafik Hariri was a visionary leader in Lebanon, heading five cabinets during his political career as Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until 2004. Mr. Hariri dominated the country's post-war political and business life and is widely credited with reconstructing Beirut after the 15-year civil war. Mr. Hariri was tragically assassinated on February 14, 2005, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon continues to investigate the circumstances of his death.

Born in the Lebanese port city of Sidon in 1944, Mr. Hariri later studied business at the Beirut Arab University and eventually became the head of Oger International, one of the most successful construction firms in the Middle East. Mr. Hariri leveraged his successful business career to launch several philanthropic initiatives, including the building of new educational facilities in Lebanon and most importantly, funding through the Hariri Foundation, the higher education of 40000 young Lebanese of all sects . Under the auspices of Saudi Leadership, Mr. Hariri played the major role in brokering the Taif accord which brought an end to Lebanon’s devastating civil war and paved the way for national reconciliation. In his tenure as prime minister, Mr. Hariri continued his efforts to rise above sectarianism and promote innovative policies to support economic and political liberalization, sustainable conflict resolution, and greater regional and international integration.

The Story of Rafik Hariri

This short video details the achievements of Rafik Hariri's political career.