Should Hariri Participate In The Next Government ?

Michael Young makes the case that he should:

If Hariri’s participation is so vital to the new government, then this gives him latitude to impose conditions. The minimal demand of March 14 must be the blocking third. Much bargaining lies ahead,[…] but negotiations would buy time for confirmation of the tribunal indictment. And if Hariri does not get what he wants, he can always pull out and place the onus of failure on Mikati.

Let’s call this the Seniora school of thought. The problem with this solution is that it shows that Hariri has accepted his new status as a pushover, and that he has signed on to the precedence of installing Mr. Mikati. The other school of thought (let’s call it the Oqab Sakr school) wants to make it clear to everyone that Mikati’s installation has changed the entire game, and that a much more hardline Harirism will be on display.

Update: More on this topic at Qifa Nabki