NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 25: President of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon, Nawaf Salam takes the stage during the 81st session of the United Nations (U.N.) (Photo by RYAN MURPHY / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Mr. Prime Minister.
Turn this crisis around. Stop trying to manage it. And mark its resolution as your legacy.
Leadership does not require making everyone happy. Insistence on state procedure is impossible under these circumstances.
The President and Speaker are buying time. The army commander will not take confrontational orders. If you have any role today it is to overcome their obstacles.
And take a stand.
Demand a summit with one goal in mind: getting Iran out of Lebanon. Through international protection and guarantees for a full restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty and neutrality.
The Israelis will leave when Iran’s proxy can no longer fight them. But their occupation is irrelevant to Hezbollah fighting us. And Hezbollah’s survival depends on a Lebanese government that coordinates – and when needed – protects them.
Your tenure may be limited. In this closing window of opportunity do not compromise with a group that plunged Lebanon to hell. Do not accept their red lines as they transport explosives to kill more of their opponents.
This is not a political struggle, but a security war. And our security agencies are compromised.
Remember your allies assassinated by the same group. They took greater risk under far worse conditions. They did more than say the right thing then retreat out of precaution.
They set the foundation for a better future, only to have it destroyed by a militia you cannot control. And a generation of Lebanese that abandoned this country will not return despite your best intentions.
Academic credentials, constitutional expertise and judicial experience do not matter here. Accept your limitations. You are the prime minister of a country that is ungovernable and paralyzed.
Demand help. Use every instrument you have. And do not fade to failure.
Ronnie Chatah is a political analyst, Saint Joseph University lecturer and host of The Beirut Banyan podcast.
The views in this story reflect those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of NOW.
