Hezbollah supporters at the collective funerals on Feb. 28 in southern Lebanon for several fighters. (Credit: Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)
It's the same story at the start of every presidential term. Since the 1990s, the idea of establishing a “national defense strategy” has always resurfaced after the election of a president. The “fresh start” that successive presidents promise the Lebanese must naturally include a resolution to the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons, which remain outside state control and strain Beirut's relations with its key Arab and Western donors.In this context, the ‘defense strategy’ — a vague concept requiring a difficult consensus — has long allowed authorities to signal good intentions to both the Lebanese people and the international community without antagonizing Hezbollah. The group plays along each time the issue is (re)opened, simply to buy time.Almost two months after Joseph Aoun’s election to the presidency, the ‘defense strategy’ is...
It's the same story at the start of every presidential term. Since the 1990s, the idea of establishing a “national defense strategy” has always resurfaced after the election of a president. The “fresh start” that successive presidents promise the Lebanese must naturally include a resolution to the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons, which remain outside state control and strain Beirut's relations with its key Arab and Western donors.In this context, the ‘defense strategy’ — a vague concept requiring a difficult consensus — has long allowed authorities to signal good intentions to both the Lebanese people and the international community without antagonizing Hezbollah. The group plays along each time the issue is (re)opened, simply to buy time.Almost two months after Joseph Aoun’s election to the presidency, the...