Lebanon and Syria establish ties
LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree on Tuesday that will pave the way for full diplomatic relations between Syria and Lebanon for the first time since their independence 60 years ago. The two countries will likely exchange ambassadors before the end of the year. The Syrian government has historically perceived Lebanon ...
LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree on Tuesday that will pave the way for full diplomatic relations between
But rather than a sign of their success, some Lebanese commentators view the planned Syrian embassy as a threat. A Syrian embassy “would be an axis point for Syria’s allies in the country, a very useful means of allowing the Assad regime to exert its political influence in Beirut on a day-to-day basis in a way it cannot do so today,” writes Michael Young in Beirut’s Daily Star. While diplomatic recognition is a step in the right direction, it still does not mean that
David Kenner was Middle East editor at Foreign Policy from 2013-2018.
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