Barely a day passes in Beirut without fierce criticism of US foreign policy by Lebanese parties supporting Syrian opposition groups. Following the settlement reached over Syria’s chemical weapons and the start of serious nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran, some politicians who back former Prime Minister Saad Hariri speak about “America's secret diplomacy with the Iranian regime” since 2010. It is in that year that Washington is accused of concluding a deal to ensure Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's nomination in Baghdad — under the guidance of Iranian influence in a deal that also included the overthrow of Hariri's government in Beirut — in return for securing the safe withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. There are also concerns that the discussions regarding the US withdrawal from Afghanistan next year will lead to similar dealing between Washington and Tehran.
In a country like Lebanon, where freedom of the press can be fickle, and where former Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss famously stated that “in Beirut, there is a lot of freedom and a little democracy,” it may be quite natural to read such statements about Washington's foreign policy. Several remarkable and surprising aspects are worth examining and analyzing in this context.