US, Russia Diplomatic Cold War in Beirut
As the Syrian civil war continues to encroach on life in Lebanon, the US and Russian ambassadors have been playing an intriguing diplomatic game, competing in support for their Lebanese allies and currying favor with politicians, writes Jean Aziz.
While the “hot war” appears to be returning to both sides of the 38th parallel on the Korean Peninsula some 50 years after the end of open hostilities there, the Cold War has returned in full force to Beirut. It needs only a Lebanese Berlin Wall, and some believe that that day is not so far away. If not erected in the heart of the Lebanese capital, then it will rise in the heart of the Middle East, the whole of which stands on the brink of falling to pieces under the strains of this new East-West conflict.
Among seasoned observers of Lebanese affairs, few have forgotten the name Alexander Soldatov, the last Soviet ambassador to Lebanon. Soldatov was, in his day, more than an ambassador, playing any number of roles in the politics of modern Lebanon, including in the realms of intelligence and security and even in the electoral arena. This was especially so during the Lebanese civil war, from 1975 to 1990, some quarter of a century ago. After that, Russian ambassadors came and went, passing through the Lebanese capital, leaving no noteworthy impact on events or the country's conflicts until the current ambassador, Alexander Zasypkin, arrived and soon after the Syrian civil war erupted.
Suddenly “Alexander II” became the effective successor of “Alexander I,” and Moscow’s ambassador became, once again, an influential member of Lebanese daily political life. More important, through clashes and controversies, Zasypkin and his American counterpart, Ambassador Maura Connelly, have returned the specter of the Cold War to the heart of Beirut. The two have the Lebanese enthralled, as is their wont, with a mixture of excitement and bitterness.
The new Cold War between Washington and Moscow began to accelerate following the intensification of the conflict in Syria. American diplomats had for a long time carried on a tradition of shuttling among Lebanese officials, state employees, and party members — one finds the oddest information on these visits in the Wikileaks cables — and now Moscow has instructed its ambassador to follow suit.
