The killing of a Maronite priest in southern Lebanon highlights a broader reality: across the Middle East, religious minorities are increasingly caught between state collapse, militant power, and regional conflict—with grave consequences for both their survival and U.S. interests.

On August 4, 2020, the world watched in horror as videos from the Port of Beirut blast flooded the internet. For one year, we’ve also watched politicians evade responsibility for the illegal storage of ammonium nitrate. The reality that most people, especially the Lebanese, have come to accept is that justice is extremely unlikely.

Christians in Nigeria and Ethiopia face nothing short of genocide. Religious and ethnic carnage have become an all-too-familiar reality in both countries, with no end in sight.

On July 1, 2021, Pope Francis met with an ecumenical group of Christian leaders from Lebanon to discuss and pray for the rapidly declining state of the Mediterranean country.

As the United States continues its political transition, many in the human rights advocacy community anxiously await tangible signs, beyond rhetoric, that the cause of international religious freedom will remain a policy priority for the Biden administration.