If there is one country that has suffered at the intersection of the Middle East’s multiple conflicts over the years and even decades, it is Lebanon. But now, with the region in the midst of a historic shift in its balance of power, Lebanon is trying to capitalize on the changes, hoping to emerge from what has often seemed like an endless downward spiral of despair.
The opportunity is palpable, but the road ahead remains perilous, and the chances that disaster could strike again hang over Lebanon’s exhausted population.
To avert such a disaster, President Joseph Aoun has been making the rounds since taking office in January in an effort to drum up regional support. This week he was in Cairo, where he pleaded for material aid for Lebanon’s threadbare army, but also sounded a note of resolve, even boldness: At a press conference on Monday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Aoun declared that peace in Lebanon must begin with the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.