❊ Politics Asides, Sanctions on Syria Can Seriously Hurt Lebanon

In this delicate moment in facing down the tyrannical regime in Syria, it is important to differentiate between political rhetoric and sensible, rational thinking.

While there is no doubt that the Mikati government is beholden in many ways to the Syrian regime, resisting sanctions against Syria does not automatically make you a pro-Syrian-regime traitor, as some political rhetoric might want you to believe.

The truth is, there are many good reasons why the sanctions will hurt the average Lebanese. It is actually sensible policy for the Lebanese government to push back against blanket Arab sanctions on grounds of “special circumstances”. Even more, we should demand some sort of waiver in the implementation of those sanctions for Lebanon.

This is one of the few situations where I support PM Mikati’s centrism. My gripe is that he’s doing a terrible job communicating why this is important and allowing himself to be painted as a stooge of the Assad regime.

He should be honest with the Lebanese. He should tell us: Listen, my hands are tied and some of my government parters are allies of the Syrian regime. That said, I want you to know that resisting sanctions against Syria really is in the best interest of the Lebanese people.