Lobbying 2015: US won't let Syria drag down Lebanon
Lebanon’s central bank and its private financial firms are spending big money to prevent US pressure from unraveling one of the only sectors that still functions in the politically gridlocked nation.
The Obama administration is determined to prevent the conflict in Syria from taking down its tiny neighbor to the south.
At least 1.2 million refugees have poured in over the past four years, accounting for more than a quarter of Lebanon’s population. The politically fractured country, which has been without a president for more than a year, has been left increasingly unable to cope.
The threat of violence also continues to loom on the horizon as Sunni extremists threaten the Shiite militants of Hezbollah with retaliation for their role in propping up President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Partly as a result, the State Department in late May renewed its advisory to avoid “all travel” to the country.
“Sudden outbreaks of violence can occur at any time in Lebanon, and armed clashes have occurred in major cities,” the travel warning states. “The potential for violence between Hezbollah and other extremist groups throughout the country remains a strong possibility.”
