Help Lebanon, Help Democracy

Despite the political deadlock, uncertainty, and violence that have plagued Lebanon since 2005, the governing March 14 coalition managed to preserve its parliamentary majority in the June 7 elections. Though the coalition's slim majority will not facilitate wholesale change, the elections nonetheless breathed new life into the Cedar Revolution. Washington's efforts to stabilize the Middle East and improve its relations with the region also stand to benefit from the March 14 victory.

Irrespective of the ambiguities of politics in the Levant, the United States should move to bolster the "precarious republic" that is Lebanon by increasing economic, development and security assistance. This will allow the Lebanese state to more swiftly consolidate the fragile gains it has made since the withdrawal of Syrian troops four years ago.

Lebanon faces several challenges that have broader regional implications. For example, the danger of a Sunni-Shiite confrontation lingers. Hizbullah will continue to receive funds and weaponry from Iran (with Syria's logistical support). This will keep the Arab states and Lebanon's Sunni community in a perpetual state of anxiety, and it will continue to complicate regional efforts to make peace.

In the long term, strengthening the Lebanese Army and the Internal Security Forces (ISF) can eventually help pave the way for incorporating Lebanese Shiites into the political system. One of the most significant divisions in Lebanese society is over whether the army can, or should, be the sole guarantor of security with respect to Israel. Increasing the operational capacity of the army and the ISF will go a long way toward ameliorating that fissure in Lebanon's political system.