Written by Michael Thervil
Photographer(s) unknown
Lebanon has a new Prime Minister by the name of Nawaf Salam that took office on the 7th of February this month. There's a lot that can be said about Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, but let’s start with the basics. According to sources Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is now serving as the 53rd Prime Minister of Lebanon. Before assuming this role, he was a judge on the International Criminal Court (ICC) for roughly 9 years. He also served in the capacity of ambassador to the United Nations for 10 years prior to being a sitting judge at the ICC. Although these are great accomplishments, these are not what many people of Lebanon and specifically Hezbollah are questioning.
What people are questioning is not only his religious ties to Sunni Islam; but his ties to America and how these ties may possibly play a role in his decision-making process as the new Prime Minister of Lebanon. Lebanon is a split country when it comes to measuring Sunni and Shia Islam practitioners. Education wise Prime Minister Nawaf Salam attended Harvard Law School, Sorbonne, and Sciences Po in Paris where he obtained his Doctorate Degree. That's a lot of western education for a West Asian politician who is coming in to govern a country. Hence, it’s safe to say that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s religious identity coupled with the fact that he has been highly educated by the Americans will play a vital role in his decision-making process.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s political position is one that is centered around only the state of Lebanon and its military having weapons and that Hezbollah should disarm itself. The world knows Hezbollah will not surrender its weapons. Moreover, if the state of Lebanon seeks to disarm Hezbollah, the question becomes under which means will they attempt to do so. Again, the voluntary disarmament of Hezbollah is non-negotiable, so that only leaves the force option, and neither President Joseph Aoun who became President of Lebanon on January 9th, nor Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have the means to execute such an action. Another one of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s political positions is that he is committing himself to fighting ISIS, which is labeled a terrorist organization by the American’s and the Collective West.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s political position also runs under the notions of “progression”, “reform”, “hope” and “change”. Anyone that has been watching the geopolitical chess board for more than a year can easily identify that these kinds of notions are nothing more than political propaganda that are heavily used by western powers anytime they are in control of political outcomes and political figures. What makes the election of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam problematic for the people of Lebanon is that the newly elected President Joseph Aoun, who is Christian, is also backed by the Collective West and Saudi Arabia. There is a high probability that he will show favor to the wishes and will of the Collective West but especially America.
We predict that it will only be a matter of time before American weapons will be brought into play in Lebanon. Everyone knows that when American weapons are brought into any country, that gives the Americans the green light to operate there. Again, this is problematic for Lebanon because it will do nothing but heighten tension with Hezbollah, which is a Shi'ite faith-based organization. The main difference between the Shi'ite’s and Sunni’s, lies in the fact that the Shi'ite’s believe that their leaders should be a direct blood relative of the Prophet Muhammad; while Sunni’s believe that any member of the community can be a leader.
We also predict that the combined election of two pro-western leaders into ruling positions in Lebanon will not only cause further divisions in the country, but it will put Lebanon in a compromising position to be at the mercy of the United States and Israel. If there is peace and stability in Lebanon, it is the position of many that it will last for as long as America and Israel can call the shots. Take notice that neither President Joseph Aoun nor Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has made any ultimatum for the Israel occupiers to leave the annexed land in the Golan heights, which is located in southern Lebanon.
Currently Hezbollah has more weapons and military capabilities than the actual Lebanese Military, and that is done on purpose. It is true that Hezbollah is heavily armed by the Iranian government, but the Lebanese Military has also been crippled by western powers.
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