By Jean AbiNader

In 2019, a Ponzi scheme, operated for years by Lebanon’s Central Bank, commercial banks, and politicians, triggered economic collapse. Since then, Lebanon has grappled with a profound recession. More than half of the population is below the povertyline. The state is not equipped to assist the poor, and most go without aid. Essential services like electricity and education are deteriorating. In 2020, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored improperly in a warehouse in the capital, Beirut, exploded, killing over 200 people. The blast literally rocked the entire country, but the authorities have still not identified those responsible.

Citizens are angry, and in response, the state has cracked down on free expression, using criminal defamation laws to punish those who complain. Meanwhile, the government is in a state of paralysis. Twelve sessions of voting in parliament have failed to elect a new president since Michel Aoun’s mandate expired in 2022.

To make matters worse, war is brewing to the south. Ever since the Israel–Hamas war started in October 2023, hostilities along the border between Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have mounted.

To make a long matter short, Lebanon is in crisis, and something must be done.

Everyone, of course, is full of ideas on how to solve the crisis. Few realize how many contradictions their recommendations involve. “Sovereignty and stability” are the watchwords.

Nearly everyone agrees there must be détente between the various, sometimes warring, political factions in Lebanon in order to elect a new president and make the accompanying government changes. They further agree on the United Nations’ 1989 Taif Accords and the UN’s 2006 Security Council Resolution 1701. These two diplomatic documents aim to promote order in Lebanon by........

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