Yesterday’s election not only filled a two-year and three-month-long presidential vacancy, but it also marks the start of a new phase for Lebanon, following a series of successive crises and a terrible war whose wounds have not yet healed. Above all, it marks a new international and regional involvement in Lebanon, after a relative disengagement that led to Lebanon’s isolation. But this new beginning for the country could not unfold in a simple scenario. It had to be a bit suspenseful, full of coded messages to underline the importance of the challenges and allow the players, in particular the Amal and Hezbollah tandem, to “mark their territory,” after the heavy blow it was dealt in recent months. It therefore wanted to show that it is still in a position to influence the internal scene. But how can such a message be conveyed to General...
Yesterday’s election not only filled a two-year and three-month-long presidential vacancy, but it also marks the start of a new phase for Lebanon, following a series of successive crises and a terrible war whose wounds have not yet healed. Above all, it marks a new international and regional involvement in Lebanon, after a relative disengagement that led to Lebanon’s isolation. But this new beginning for the country could not unfold in a simple scenario. It had to be a bit suspenseful, full of coded messages to underline the importance of the challenges and allow the players, in particular the Amal and Hezbollah tandem, to “mark their territory,” after the heavy blow it was dealt in recent months. It therefore wanted to show that it is still in a position to influence the internal scene. But how can such a message be conveyed to...
