David Hale, former US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, in Baabda, April 15, 2021. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra file)
American diplomacy seems to be inactive lately with regard to Lebanon, which is not a top priority for Washington's international agenda at the moment.This relative lack of interest is all the more marked since the US administration has, to a large extent, delegated this task to France and Saudi Arabia.Will this situation change as the country once again descends into institutional paralysis?A letter sent by members of the US Senate to President Joe Biden’s administration urging it to put pressure on the Lebanese political class — which continues to be recalcitrant to reform and is blocking the presidential election for political calculations — could, if successful, prompt Washington to act more firmly and explicitly.In the strongly-worded letter dated Dec. 16, Senate Foreign Relations Committee leaders Jim Risch (Republican) and Bob...
American diplomacy seems to be inactive lately with regard to Lebanon, which is not a top priority for Washington's international agenda at the moment.This relative lack of interest is all the more marked since the US administration has, to a large extent, delegated this task to France and Saudi Arabia.Will this situation change as the country once again descends into institutional paralysis?A letter sent by members of the US Senate to President Joe Biden’s administration urging it to put pressure on the Lebanese political class — which continues to be recalcitrant to reform and is blocking the presidential election for political calculations — could, if successful, prompt Washington to act more firmly and explicitly.In the strongly-worded letter dated Dec. 16, Senate Foreign Relations Committee leaders Jim Risch (Republican) and...
