Jan 21

Jan 21 Lebanon forms new government with Hezbollah-supported prime minister By Phillip A. Howard

Lebanon has formed a new government after months of protests that saw the former prime minister, Saad Hariri, step down following the proposal of a controversial tax. The outcome was not what protesters expected.

The new government, formed by leaders of the old government, have tapped Hassan Diab as the next prime minister. Diah is a 61-year-old computer engineering professor from American University of Beirut, and former education minister from 2011 to 2014. His nomination is controversial throughout the region.

Diab is currently backed by Hezbollah, a political party and military group supported by Iran. This dynamic could prove difficult for Lebanon in relations with the United States and Saudi Arabia. Both nations have sought for years to curb Hezbollah’s influence.

“Only a government that is capable of undertaking real and tangible reforms will restore investor confidence and unlock future international assistance for Lebanon,” said an official at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut before the announcement.

“There is strong international consensus on this point: There is no route to international assistance other than through concrete reforms take by a credible and capable government.”

Mr. Diab, however, has stated that he intends to mend relationships in the Middle East as Lebanon’s new leader, and will focus on “the Arab region, especially to the Gulf.”

Diab and his new government also promise to arrest and prosecute “infiltrators,” who are giving the peaceful protesters a bad reputation. The actions taken by riot police in the protests have been condemned by both the United Nations. Human Rights Watch contends riot police are “launching tear gas canisters at protesters’ heads, firing rubber bullets in their eyes and attacking people at hospitals and a mosque.”

It remains to be seen how the new Lebanese government will handle the ongoing protests and the legitimacy given to Hezbollah in the new coalition government.

According to Alain Aoun, a lawmaker with the Free Patriotic Movement, “you need to wait and see before judging it,” but the initial perception is that “this government needs to do a lot-if not a miracle-to gain trust and credibility and hence benefit from international support.”

Phillip Howard is a graduate student at Utica College