by Hugo Shorter the UK ambassador to Lebanon

Lebanon “commemorates” today the two year anniversary since it last had a President.

Notre Dame University recently marked the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s Utopia.
Erasmus thought More’s genius was “such as England never had and never
again will have.” But beyond his national importance to my country, I
think Thomas More is relevant to modern-day Lebanon.

What
is Lebanon’s utopia? Today’s presidential vacuum is an unwelcome
reminder of the blockages in the sectarian system which can paralyse and
weaken the state. Undoubtedly, Lebanon’s utopia must be based on
co-existence. However the key thing is this: those who want to preserve a
form of co-existence should want a strong state.

Because
a system that does not deliver jobs, public services or the rule of law
is not, in the long run, viable. That means democratic accountability
and legal checks and balances that go beyond the mathematical division
of the state and its spoils on sectarian lines. It means a system that
is not paralysed by sectarian rivalry and works for the interests of the
Lebanese.

Electing a President matters.
Lebanon has stayed stable thanks to the resilience and flexibility of
its people, the outstanding work of some key Lebanese institutions, and
the growing international support it has received. But the vacuum is
eroding the pillars of the state.

It is time for the Lebanese to have a country that reflects
the dynamism and creativity of its people, and that flourishes as a
model of successful co-existence and a unique gateway between the West
and the Middle East

Hugo Shorter

Drifting reforms

It’s harder for
the government to take necessary decisions, especially on security and
economic priorities. As a result, key economic reforms are drifting, and
it is a challenge for Lebanon to seize the major opportunities after
the London conference to develop large-scale infrastructure projects
which can create jobs and boost the economy.

The recent municipal elections
are one welcome opportunity to refresh the democratic process. But they
do not substitute for the election of a President, or for Parliamentary
elections, with the widest possible participation (both of candidates
and voters). It is not for me to say what kind of electoral law, what
kind of institutional reforms are needed. But I sense throughout the
country that the model of “plus ça change, plus c’est la meme chose” is
exhausted.

How to pursue the national
Utopia is often a matter of fierce political debate and difficult
change. Leaders have a responsibility to protect and strengthen the
co-existence that Lebanon represents by coming together, through
compromise, around an agreed way forward.

It
is time for the Lebanese to have a country that reflects the dynamism
and creativity of its people, and that flourishes again as a model of
successful co-existence and a unique gateway between the West and the
Middle East.

It is time for Lebanon to have a President.
_______________________
Hugo Shorter the UK ambassador to Lebanon. He was a previous personal
adviser to the Foreign Secretary on a wide range of Foreign Policy
priorities as Head of External Affairs for Europe Directorate. In that
role, he had accompanied the Foreign Secretary on a monthly basis to the
Foreign Affairs Council of the EU, helping negotiate EU foreign policy
decisions in areas such as crisis management, sanctions and military
operations. He has also co-ordinated the UK’s foreign policy work on
G7/8, including during the UK G8 presidency in 2013 and the G8 Summit at
Lough Erne.