Lebanon: President Leaves Without Successor

Image copyright: Reuters [via Al Jazeera]

The Spin


Narrative A

Aoun did his best under highly unfavorable conditions. Lebanon is a divided and corrupt country, and any president would have had a difficult time building consensus and effectively governing. Aoun, with the help of Hezbollah, managed to secure Lebanon's territorial rights — one of the few victories the country has scored in years.


Narrative B

Though Aoun's supporters contend that he valiantly fought corruption and protected Lebanon's Christian community, in reality, he's just as corrupt as any other Lebanese politician. Besides the fact that he changed sides and allied with Hezbollah, he's also guilty of setting up his corrupt son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, as the leader of his political party, the Free Patriotic Movement.


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