Whatever the outcome of the Syrian uprising, the regime of Bashar al-Assad will not have the same grip over Lebanon’s politics as before. While the government in Damascus fights against the rebels, Beirut’s political landscape is also at a crossroads, as the two main Lebanese political blocs, March 8 and March 14, still base much of their platforms on being either pro- or anti-Syria.

Analysts say that the Hezbollah-led, pro-Syria March 8 alliance is facing a foreign support crisis and many of its parties’ existences are threatened by the crumbling of the regime that supported them for decades.

“Syria’s most important role in Lebanon was security,” Imad Salamey, professor of Political Science and International Relations at the Lebanese American University, told NOW. He noted that politicians who chose to represent Syria’s interests in Lebanon used that security threat to deter their domestic political rivals and gain power and influence.

 

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