Lebanon First…

Major crises reveal a simple truth: no country can endure when loyalties that transcend it remain stronger than the sense of belonging to it. Nations that overcome adversity are those that make national identity the common ground uniting all their citizens, regardless of their political, religious, or cultural affiliations. The nation does not erase diversity. It provides the framework that protects it.

That lesson has become particularly clear in Iran’s recent evolution, where national and patriotic discourse has gained renewed momentum by embracing groups that, until recently, had been regarded as lying outside the circle of political loyalty. The authorities have come to understand that existential challenges require widening the circle of belonging, for a state’s strength is measured not only by the cohesion of its governing institutions, but also by its ability to embrace society in all its diversity.

Lebanon, meanwhile, continues to grapple with the same fundamental question. Where should allegiance come first: to the sect, the party, the regional axis, or the state? The recent signing of the declaration of intent between Lebanon and Israel under American sponsorship, together with the domestic divisions it has stirred, has served as a reminder that the real problem lies not merely in the substance of any agreement, but in the absence of a unifying national framework within which decisions of such consequence can be debated before they become sources of internal division.

No one is being asked to abandon deeply held convictions or legitimate concerns, nor should choices be imposed by majority rule or by force. What is required is for the principle of “Lebanon First” to become a political and moral foundation around which everyone can rally. That calls for an open and candid national dialogue on the issues that divide the country, from defense strategy to foreign relations, so that decisions are shaped within constitutional institutions rather than in the arenas of regional rivalries or at negotiating tables abroad.

True peace begins at home. Sovereignty begins with unity of decision. Stability cannot be secured through an external agreement as long as the Lebanese remain divided over the very meaning of the state. When Lebanon comes first, differences cease to be a threat and become a source of strength, because everyone remains free to disagree beneath the shelter of one nation, one state, and one shared future.