A frequent diplomatic success in recent years has been persuading armed militias to give up their weapons and focus on peaceful politics. Examples can be found in Northern Ireland, Colombia, the Palestinian territories, and, lately, in Turkey. On Tuesday, Lebanon headed down this road.
For the first time in decades, the country’s highest executive body took up the issue of a timetable to disarm the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s collective identity as a nation, as well as its ability to rebuild after a 13-month war with Israel, depends on Hezbollah acknowledging that the state must have a monopoly over the use of force. Or, as President Joseph Aoun said last month, the Lebanese army “alone reflects the Lebanese people’s desire to see their country free, sovereign and independent.”
Since launching an attack on Israel the day after Hamas did on Oct. 7, 2023, Hezbollah has lost support among Lebanon’s Shiite community. Much of its leadership and arsenal has been destroyed. After a truce this past November, it was forced to hand over some of its weapons and positions to the army in southern Lebanon.
Now comes the hard part: total disarmament and an end to using force to get its way in politics. The United States promises to build up the country’s military and help bring investment to Lebanon if Hezbollah disarms by the end of the year. It also plans to convince Israel to withdraw its forces from five strategic points in its northern neighbor.
Hezbollah has long justified its weapons as Lebanon’s key defense against Israel. With that myth popped, many Lebanese now want a strong army and nonviolent politics. Lately, the group has appeared cooperative.
“If Hezbollah wants to transition into a normal political party, it will need to craft another electoral narrative based around how it can improve the socioeconomic fortunes of its constituents,” David Wood, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, told Arab News.
A country with a rich cultural past yet sharp religious divisions, Lebanon now looks to a future that hangs on creating a state with a single military under elected leaders. The fog of war is perhaps over. The light of peace sustained by trust may be breaking through.
