Jamil Mroue, Editor in chief of the Daily Star was impressed by Mr. Hariri’s position:
we should be able to clearly recognize this moment as a milestone in his young career as the prime minister of this country; this dramatic burying of the hatchet with Damascus brings into sharp focus his role as leader of the government. Saad Hariri is extricating himself from heavy political shackles, and he has created the opportunity to undertake the construction challenges that have been holding back the maturation of Lebanon’s democracy.
I really want to buy into this point of view but something just doesn’t feel right..
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I've been blogging about Lebanese society, business and politics since February 2005.
The article is completely ridiculous. The author is just sucking up to Hariri. There is no sign that Hariri “extricated himself from heavy political shackles.” I don’t think at all Hezbollah and Aoun will be highly impressed by Hariri’s new position, from which they have nothing to gain, so I don’t think Hariri’s task in Lebanon will be facilitated. I don’t see Hariri political position has improved in any way after this declaration.
Mr. Mroue should have had complete disclosure in the article. There are rumors that Mr. Hariri has bought shares of the Daily Star. Mr. Mroue should have come clean about that
not just rumors, mustapha!
the piece certainly reads like it was written directly ‘on message’ for the hariri camp. i hope it wasn’t, because it’s a rather troubling message despite mroue’s attempt to cast it as upbeat.
am i getting too paranoid from late night commenting, or does the article sound like it’s trying to lay out conceptual groundwork/rationalizations for a return to the pre-2005 status quo? the lebanese govt worries about the economy and day-to-day affairs of the state, while [the syrians/hezbollah/the cylons] take care of foreign affairs and defense… but you know, really, it’s a good thing, because the government is freed of all those pesky distractions!