Bottom Line: The Lebanese Government DID NOT Pay For the STL

One of the aspects that grated me most about the story that Lebanese private banks payed for the STL is the fact that the government did not end up paying. It was Lebanese private businesses who footed the bill, and it is still not clear if their shareholders got anything in return, save for perhaps “protection” from extortion.

On a symbolic level, this is bad. Remember those pesky Aounists who claimed that Hariri should pay this from his own pocket because he’s rich? Remember how we always answered that this is not about Hariri or other individuals, that this is about a commitment made by the Lebanese government to the international community on an institutional level?

This has all gone up in the wind. This is now a crude case of the merchant being extorted by the gunman. Lebanese institutions are more of a joke today than they ever were.

Update: Apparently Mr. Hariri doesn’t mind..