To save his presidency, Aoun is going all in

Joseph Aoun was losing momentum when Hezbollah fired six missiles at Israel, dragging Lebanon into the regional war. Fourteen months after his inaugural speech, in which he had promised a long-awaited break, the President appeared to be losing momentum within the system. He was accused of complacency toward Hezbollah — which he had pledged to disarm, — of having missed the diplomatic train of the “new Middle East,” and of not doing enough to advance economic reforms in a country mired in crisis for seven years. The “support front” for Iran opened by Hezbollah could therefore have permanently derailed his momentum.But Aoun’s diplomatic initiative, which broke the taboo of direct negotiations with Israel and helped achieve de-escalation, is now his chance to save both the country and his mandate.At the same time, he has raised his tone...