Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri during a parliamentary session, July 15, 2026. (Credit: Ali Fawaz/Lebanese Parliament)
“Give me a reconstruction plan for southern Lebanon that does not involve an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, and I will follow it,” Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri famously said.According to several people who have spoken to him recently, this provocative argument now appears to underpin his position in the debate. The irony also lies in him having long been one of the main figures in political forces and sectarian business’ alignment that mobilized throughout the crisis to obstruct demanded reforms.Six years earlier, Berri had opposed the departure of former Banque du Liban (BDL) Governor Riad Salameh, who also was at the heart of a powerful network that had long blocked any agreement with the IMF. He had, among other things, pressured then-Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni to withdraw the draft capital controls law, never...
“Give me a reconstruction plan for southern Lebanon that does not involve an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, and I will follow it,” Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri famously said.According to several people who have spoken to him recently, this provocative argument now appears to underpin his position in the debate. The irony also lies in him having long been one of the main figures in political forces and sectarian business’ alignment that mobilized throughout the crisis to obstruct demanded reforms.Six years earlier, Berri had opposed the departure of former Banque du Liban (BDL) Governor Riad Salameh, who also was at the heart of a powerful network that had long blocked any agreement with the IMF. He had, among other things, pressured then-Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni to withdraw the draft capital controls law,...