What minefields await Lebanon's new president?
Michel Aoun was sworn in just a week ago, and he already faces a full agenda of crucial issues as Lebanon's president.
BEIRUT — The moment Michel Aoun, Lebanon’s new president, stepped into the presidential palace Oct. 31, he knew his calm days — if there had been any — were over. His ability to secure the support of two opposing groups in the Cabinet and parliament, Hezbollah and the Future Movement, got him into office; now he must manage the relationship.
Aoun is considered an ally of Shiite movement Hezbollah and Iran, yet he leads the largest Christian bloc in parliament. He also managed to win the support of new Prime Minister Saad Hariri, leader of the Sunni Future Movement and a Saudi ally.
The president is entering a term of volatile challenges. The war in neighboring Syria is most pressing for now. The refugee crisis is one of the implications of this war, and the Saudi-Iranian struggle is affected by it. The same applies to Hezbollah’s regional role, from Syria to Iraq and Yemen. A less-immediate but important challenge is security on Lebanon's southern border with Israel. There is a de facto truce dominating that front, despite occasional skirmishes that have been mostly contained for now.
Aoun tried to address some of these issues when he was sworn in. While noting that the flames raging around the region have not reached Lebanon so far, he stressed that preventing sparks remains a top priority. He added, “It is therefore necessary to dissociate Lebanon from external conflicts, while remaining committed to the charter of the League of Arab States.”
