Hezbollah, a Shia political, military and social welfare organization that wields considerable power in Lebanon, is slowly extending its tentacles on every sector of Lebanese government and society and is now intent on taking full control of the critical branches that make up the Lebanese government writes Michael D. Barbero in a New Atlanticist blog. The New Atlanticist blog showcases expert analysis from the Atlantic Council community on the most important global issues. Barbero, a retired US Army Lt. Gen. who served three combat tours in Iraq, and is the former commander of the NATO Training Mission-Iraq. Begins his blog with a swipe at the international community for having stood by and watched over the past two decades as Hezbollah expanded its control into every sector of Lebanese government and society. Barbero writes, Hezbollah, with its current alignment with the largest political bloc in the governing coalition, The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), is now intent on taking full control of the critical branches that make up the Lebanese government. Taking advantage of the FPM's current position and the unrest caused by the economic crisis, Hezbollah and its allies in the FPM have turned their sights to Lebanon's banking sector and Lebanon's judiciary. With assaults on the free economy and judicial system, Hezbollah is on a path to completing its hegemony in Lebanon, the blog continues. Barbero writes, "Hezbollah's campaign to take over the Lebanese banking and economic sector is well documented, as the group has exploited the country's poor economic and living conditions through the ‘October 17 Uprising' to attack and weaken the independence of the banking sector. "Hezbollah has proven masterful in taking advantage of instability to weaken legitimate institutions and strengthen its stranglehold. In its ongoing campaign against the banking sector, Hezbollah has succeeded in turning public opinion against the banks and is using Lebanon's financial crisis to bend the banking sector towards its purposes. "Equally troubling, Hezbollah and its FPM allies have subverted the rule of law in Lebanon by completely politicizing the Lebanese judiciary, which under FPM is characterized by systematic corruption and political cronyism. Hezbollah and FPM-controlled judges have selectively targeted political opponents and legitimate businesses, such as Huda Salloum, ZR Energy, and Hadi Hobeich, with sham ‘investigations,' taking judicial corruption to another level." Barbero continues, "While underreported, this assault on the rule of law did not go unnoticed. Last month, the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Mohammad Fahmi, tweeted: ‘Innocent until proven guilty' is a basic rule in legislation and laws. The issue is that the Lebanese have, unfortunately, lost faith in all institutions, powers, and devices, including the judiciary, which ought to be the first to initiate work on restoring this lost trust." Barbero then asserts, "And in a recent sermon, the very influential Maronite patriarch of Lebanon, Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Raei noted: How painful we are to lose our human face in Lebanon. I would like to mention in particular the practice of some judges who, from a political, retaliatory, or malicious point of view, are serving without regard for the dignity, will, prestige, and future of persons. "How can it be justified to accuse and arrest at the same time without hearing the accused? Or to fabricate files to justify an arrest warrant? Has our system been transformed from a democracy that secures the civil and legal rights of all citizen into a police regime, a dictatorship that overthrows the first principle in the life of every nation." The blog also highlights world body's views, "In addition to these influential Lebanese leaders, impartial international organizations have taken notice of Lebanon's judicial crisis. Every year the World Justice Project (WJP) publishes the Rule of Law Index, considered the world's leading source for original, independent data on the rule of law, which ranks countries according to their rule of law performance. "Countries with strong, independent judiciaries receive high scores; conversely, those countries with corrupt judiciaries score lower. Lebanon's rankings in the recently published 2020 Index are disgraceful: Out of 128 countries, Lebanon is 96th for rule of law; 92nd for regulatory enforcement; 76th for constraints on government powers; 101st for absence of corruption, and 100th for impartial criminal justice." The writer states, "Just last week, the US ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, in an interview on Lebanese television accurately said ‘Hezbollah is destabilizing the country and jeopardizing Lebanon's economic recovery.'" Hezbollah immediately condemned her statement and compelled the judiciary to take action. A Lebanese Judge Mohammed Mazeh from the Hezbollah controlled area of southern Lebanon, banned all local and foreign media from reporting the comments made by the US ambassador with threats of shutting-down offending media outlets. This weaponization of the judiciary by Hezbollah to censor criticism, attack an American ambassador and intimidate free and open media proves Ambassador Shea's point: Hezbollah is the destabilizing force in Lebanon. Barbero rounds off his blog by saying, "Lebanon is a nation in crisis. Just as Hezbollah is the main cause of the current economic crisis, Hezbollah, through its FPM allies, is also the impetus for the assault on the rule of law. The Hezbollahization of Lebanon must be reversed. Reforming one broken sector in Lebanon without restoring the rule of law—the most foundational pillar of Lebanese society — will play into Hezbollah's hands, continue the misery of the Lebanese people, and ensure Lebanon's inevitable failure."
