Lebanon finally has a new government—on Hezbollah’s terms

Lebanon’s unity government convened for the first time Tuesday, one day after the majority U.S.-backed political bloc and its rivals in the Syria- and Iran-backed minority coalition finally agreed on a new power-sharing cabinet. Lebanon had been without a government since the June parliamentary elections.

Hezbollah was given key positions in the new government, voa News reports, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Time further reports:

Although it accepted defeat in its effort to win control of the government at the ballot box, Hezbollah has since maneuvered behind the scenes to rig the composition of the cabinet in its favor.

In fact, this had been Hezbollah’s intent all along. As Joel Hilliker wrote in a column just after the election, Hezbollah actually had no intention of taking over the government of Lebanon. It was confident it could get what it wanted without having the responsibility of governing the country. The behavior of Hezbollah since the election corroborates that fact.

Time continues:

First it demanded veto power over all decisions, but eventually it accepted a compromise formula that left the ruling coalition without a large enough majority to make big decisions on its own. Still not content with that, the opposition pushed for control of Lebanon’s telecommunications system, which would give Hezbollah added operational security from Israeli intelligence—but could also help it hamper the activities of the UN tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. …Saad Hariri, son of the murdered former prime minister and leader of the ruling coalition, initially balked at Hezbollah’s terms, but eventually had no choice but to give in. Lebanon’s longstanding deadly rivalries and the ever present threat of violence have made Lebanese politicians wary of acting unilaterally, which is why Hariri invited Hezbollah and its allies into the cabinet in the first place. And Hariri is increasingly isolated, with none of his allies being prepared to confront Hezbollah head-on given the experience of the May 2008 mini–civil war.

In other words, fearing Hezbollah would take matters into its own hands, Hariri set out to appease the group, giving it the guarantees it wanted.

Time goes on to point out that the Obama administration has been far less supportive of the pro-U.S. government in Lebanon than the Bush administration. Largely as a result, that pro-U.S. alliance is breaking apart. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has flipped from being hostile toward Syria to being pro-Syrian—clearly he senses momentum swinging toward Iran, Syria and Hezbollah as America’s influence wanes.

Time concludes:

But the government’s caving in to Hezbollah and Syria will have its consequences: Most importantly it’s a message to those in Lebanon—and the wider Middle East—who put their trust in the U.S. and political reform that guns are still more powerful than votes.

For more on the dangerous results of America’s current foreign policy, see our article “Ditching Friends, Courting Enemies.”