The 25th of May was a big day in Lebanon.
On the one hand, it was the fifteenth anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from the southern section of the country following a brutal 22-year occupation.
On the other, it was the first anniversary of Lebanon’s lack of a president - a post that shows no signs of being filled any time soon despite repeated parliamentary pseudo-efforts to elect one.
Though the liberation of the south and the current presidential void may seem to have little in common, there is a link of sorts. After all, the Lebanese state’s perennial inability to act as such goes a long way in explaining the circumstances of the Israeli withdrawal, which came about via a concerted campaign by Hezbollah and other non-state actors rather than through any government-sponsored effort.
But 15 years later, just how liberated is Lebanon? READ MORE AT MIDDLE EAST EYE.