LEBANON: Who abhors a vacuum?

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The U.S. diplomat’s message was clear: Stay the course.

But some are wondering whether it’s a path to ultimate defeat.

Days before the Lebanese are set to again vote on a president, U.S. assistant secretary of State for Near East affairs, C. David Welch, arrived in Beirut. He came to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy bombing.

But he also met with Lebanese officials and party leaders, most of them America’s allies in the ongoing stalemate with the opposition, led by Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite militia.

The opposition has prevented parliament from convening to choose a new president until they get guarantees of more power in the next government. Lebanon’s been without a president for five months. Its government has floundered. On the streets, anger rises dangerously.

Welch, reiterating the U.S. line, said the opposition can call for adjustments to the power structure after a new president and a new government are in place. ‘We believe that the election should have already happened,’ he told reporters Thursday. ‘It should proceed without further delay.’

The vote is scheduled for Tuesday, but it’s already been delayed more than 15 times.

Some are wondering whether the U.S. is playing the smartest game by refusing to bend to the opposition’s demands, without at least offering compromises. Ending the power vacuum by giving in to the opposition may be a short-term loss, but some say it will serve the long-term interests of America and its allies in the March 14 movement.

While America and its allies stand on principle and refuse to bend, Hezbollah is rebuilding its arsenal of weaponry and recruiting new members. Meanwhile, the U.S.-backed government just looks bad. The longer the crisis continues, the more educated Lebanese and foreign employers will ditch the country, leaving it to Hezbollah and its allies.

‘It’s the best time for Hezbollah to widen its base, increase its supporters and invest in the economic crisis,’ said Nadim Koteich, a Lebanese analyst who says he supports March 14, but is dismayed by its political tactics. ‘They’re exploiting the crisis to build up their base. This situation as it is now is anti-March 14.’

—Borzou Daragahi in Beirut