THE NEW LEBANON: DEMOCRATIC REFORM AND STATE SPONSORSHIP
By Matthew Levitt
The appointment of a Hizballah member as a minister in the new cabinet raises anew the question of Lebanon's actions regarding terrorism. Lebanese voters can now elect anyone they wish, and the government can fill its cabinet as it sees fit -- but these decisions have consequences. Electing or appointing individuals tied to terrorism, guerrilla warfare, or other forms of political violence is beyond the pale of acceptable Western democratic norms, and the West should react accordingly.
Resolution 1559 underscored the international consensus behind the centrality of disarming militias as part of the process of democratization. Nevertheless, the Lebanese domestic debate over disarming Hizballah is unlikely to conclude soon, given the diversity of the newly formed cabinet. (Two-thirds of its members are from the former opposition coalition headed by Saad Hariri and Druze leader Walid Jumblat, with the remainder consisting of allies of Emile Lahoud and members of the Shiite bloc.) The international community must continue to push Lebanon to disarm Hizballah in accordance with the UN resolution. As European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana recently stated regarding Hamas's foray into the political sphere, terrorist groups must transform themselves into political parties in order to be removed from international blacklists, and disarming is the first step in this process. Solana added, "A political party cannot bear arms; this exists in no democracy."
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