Lebanon

One important theme of the pontificate of Pope Francis has been a message of hope to Christians in the Middle East and Africa that they are not forgotten.

A healthy majority of people in Lebanon continue to reject the sectarian, clannish, and quasi-tribal order of Lebanese politics, and the US should use Global Magnitsky sanctions against the country’s corrupt rulers.

Joe Biden is eager to roll back Trump-era policies, but he’d be wise to continue championing the Arab-Israeli peace movement that swept the region in 2020. If he plays his cards right, he could add new Arab states to the list and maybe even get Palestinians to the party as well.

The story of Kurdish Christians and all other religious minorities in the Middle East is one of great suffering, but it is also a story of survival and great resilience. Fortunately, there is time to save northeast Syria as a refuge for these communities, but only if the international community offers immediate support.

The majority of Lebanese would welcome a peaceful settlement of pending border issues with Israel. But many understandably fear how the negotiations are unfolding.

Once more, Lebanon’s imposed hostage status to Iran comes to light with the latest normalizations between Israel and both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

If the West remains interested in promoting pluralism in the Middle East and preserving one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, it must turn its eyes to Lebanon and provide suitable alternatives to Chinese intervention. Failure to do so could be a crucial and catastrophic mistake.

Washington and the West need to stop neglecting Lebanon, primarily for the sake of their own strategic and regional interests.

Jocelyne Khoueiry (1955–2020), who died on July 31, was a resistance fighter in the Lebanese Civil War but later created charitable organizations.