A Lebanese soldier salutes the departure of Syrian troops from Lebanon, on April 26, 2005, at the Masnaa border crossing. (Credit: Patrick Baz/Archives AFP)
After the fall of the Assad regime on Sunday, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry was quick to issue a statement, "We are committed to maintaining the best possible relations with the new government.”As a new Syria begins to take shape, it remains difficult to predict the future of diplomatic ties between Beirut and Damascus. What is certain, however, is that the fates of the two nations have always been deeply intertwined.That said, relations between Lebanon and Syria weren’t always hierarchical. It was after Hafez al-Assad’s ascent to power in 1970 that Syria — until then a playground for foreign powers — began to assert itself as a dominant player in Lebanon.In the early years of their existence, the two republics dealt with one another as equals, with Lebanon refusing to bow to Syrian authority. One emblematic example is the 1950...
After the fall of the Assad regime on Sunday, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry was quick to issue a statement, "We are committed to maintaining the best possible relations with the new government.”As a new Syria begins to take shape, it remains difficult to predict the future of diplomatic ties between Beirut and Damascus. What is certain, however, is that the fates of the two nations have always been deeply intertwined.That said, relations between Lebanon and Syria weren’t always hierarchical. It was after Hafez al-Assad’s ascent to power in 1970 that Syria — until then a playground for foreign powers — began to assert itself as a dominant player in Lebanon.In the early years of their existence, the two republics dealt with one another as equals, with Lebanon refusing to bow to Syrian authority. One emblematic example is the...
