Trump and Lebanon: A Must-Not-Miss Opportunity
Lebanon today stands at a decisive historical crossroads. It has a rare and golden opportunity to rid itself, once and for all, of its most dangerous foe: Hezbollah—the Iranian-backed military organization that has dominated the country’s internal political life for over forty years.
Under the false pretext of safeguarding Lebanon’s security and defending it against Israel, Hezbollah has instead brought havoc, destruction, economic collapse, and misery. Its track record clearly demonstrates total incompetence and impotence: it has failed to defend even a single inch of Lebanese territory or to inflict any serious strategic damage on Israel. Yet, despite its flagrant defeat and discomfiture, the organization continues to refuse compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Until now, President Trump’s ideas and diplomatic initiatives aimed at resolving this issue have been met with Hezbollah’s denial and categorical refusal to fully relinquish its military arsenal north of the Litani River. However, this puppet of the Iranian mullah regime now finds itself trapped between a rock and a hard place. Unable to detach itself from its patron, it is equally incapable of justifying to the Shiite community—which it falsely claims to represent—that the dice have been cast, that the winds of change are irreversible, and that the time for peace with Israel has arrived.
Decades of unnecessary violence and ideological struggle have yielded nothing but stagnation and regression for Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Arab Gulf states are experiencing unprecedented economic growth, social development, and a brighter future for their younger generations. The hollow pipe dreams of pan-Arab nationalism have been swept aside, replaced by realism, pragmatism, and plain common sense.
Undoubtedly, the advent of President Trump represents a major turning point in the Middle Eastern political landscape—and a unique opportunity for Lebanon to finally extricate itself from the vicious grip of the Iranian mullahs and their local proxies. Never before has an American president offered Lebanon, on a silver platter, such a clear chance to turn the page and inaugurate a new and promising chapter for all its citizens. Contrary to the complacency and endless tergiversations of previous Democratic administrations, the current U.S. leadership is determined—even by force if necessary—to impose peace and stability in the region.
With the exception of a few rogue states and entities such as Iran, Hezbollah, Yemen, and to a lesser extent Iraq, the prevailing regional mood is shifting away from arrogance toward pragmatism. Correcting and dismantling the disastrous and deliberately misguided foreign policies of the Obama administration—policies that emboldened the Iranian regime while alienating the Gulf states—is no easy task. Yet President Trump is undeniably moving in that direction.
Parallel to these developments, Lebanon itself has a fundamental role to play if it genuinely wishes to seize this historic opportunity and avoid missing the train set in motion by President Trump.
Lebanese authorities—the President and the government—must immediately enforce the disarmament of Hezbollah throughout the country. Doing so would unlock the implementation of other long-overdue and essential reforms. The repeated invocation of a potential civil war is nothing more than a scarecrow, cynically used to mask political weakness and inaction.
Failure to act should then compel the population to wake up, take the initiative, and react. We must clean up our own backyard if Lebanon is ever to be taken seriously by the international community. With at least 75% of the population in favor of Hezbollah’s disarmament, a well-organized and highly publicized campaign should be launched without delay. Anti-Hezbollah political parties must be pressured by their own constituents to support—not obstruct—such efforts. For once, the pressure must rise from the grassroots upward, not the other way around.
This campaign can take multiple forms and should not be limited to a single course of action:
conferences, editorials, podcasts
international media outreach
meetings with foreign embassies
marches and protests under the protection of the Lebanese Army
Lebanon is rich in independent talent willing to contribute to such an effort. However, this will require funding, coordination, and sustained commitment over the long term.
Should all of the above fail, civil disobedience must become the people’s credo: refusal to pay taxes, boycotts of public administrations, work stoppages, and sustained pressure on the political establishment. Our collective will must prevail if Lebanon is ever to see the light again.
Finally, a fundamental question remains unanswered: will Iran relinquish its megalomaniacal ambitions and order Hezbollah to step aside once and for all—or will it, together with its proxy, suffer yet another historic defeat at the hands of Israel and the US ? The aftermath of the last Trump–Netanyahu meeting will undoubtedly shed light on the course of events to come.