London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

A government in exile could give hope to the Lebanese

A government in exile could give hope to the Lebanese

On June 18, 1940, Gen. Charles de Gaulle made his famous radio appeal from London after the French Army was defeated at the start of the Second World War.
It was the beginning of the French Resistance against Nazi occupation. He stood against the French Vichy government, which collaborated with the Nazis and became a client state. Today, any government in Lebanon is a “Vichy government” and the politicians have all become collaborators with the Iranian regime and its “high commissioner” in Lebanon: Hezbollah.

As the country is being ravaged by the current occupation by Hezbollah and Iran following decades of Syrian occupation, I cannot help but wonder that shouldn’t it be time for a Lebanese leader to call for true resistance as De Gaulle did? Isn’t it time, as on the ground nothing can change, for a government in exile to be formed and an appeal made for all Lebanese to resist this occupation and its destruction of their country?

It is now clear, with the disappointing failure of the latest French initiative, that Hezbollah will not allow the formation of any government that has the capacity to question its actions — or, more precisely, that it does not completely control.

Lebanon will continue to disintegrate into chaos while Iran gambles on a Joe Biden administration to formalize and legitimize its occupation. On the ground, no influential political voice will be left standing if it acts against Hezbollah’s plan.

Yet, as we always wonder in election years, how will the next US president impact the Middle East? It is also time to understand that the US looks for strong allies. It cannot save Lebanon unless there are voices ready to fight and to resist. It is also important for the Lebanese not to be a tool or an accessory to any foreign influence. As a small country, it cannot be taken hostage as global powers and Middle Eastern powers fight.

Our interests are in our citizens and the prosperity of the country — nothing more and nothing less. In this sense, former French President Jacques Chirac, who loved Lebanon and had pure intentions for the country, misguided Saad Hariri on France’s capacity to impose regional changes and this miscalculation accelerated Hezbollah’s control of the country in 2008. The Lebanese should not make the same mistake twice.

Nevertheless, the Lebanese need to be attached to the strong values of freedom and fraternity that can make the country prosper. People from all minorities need to feel free, protected and with the capacity to achieve whatever they set their mind to — not through emigration, but in their own country.

Today, it is quite amusing and like a tragedy seeing leading politicians discuss the distribution of government ministries while the entire country is on fire and disintegrating before our eyes. It seems like a passenger on the Titanic complaining about the frosting on his cake as the boat sinks, but in fact it is only an act.

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Hassan Nasrallah first got sidetracked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration at the UN that Hezbollah hides its weapons next to a gas company and close to residential areas. This shows that he knows that most Lebanese are at odds with his actions.

His justification on this point will not change their minds, even if they cannot all say it out loud: They all know he is responsible for where Lebanon is today. This is not a real resistance to Israel but a calculated hegemony and invasion of the Middle East.

When the Hezbollah secretary-general went on to discuss the French initiative, it was also amusing and like a tragedy to see him purposely complicate the formation of the government and pretend he has limited influence on it, while at the same time “modestly” insisting on unmovable conditions. It is the same game all the politicians play to work out formulas and complicate the process as a sign of their general unwillingness to allow change and reform.

These endless and pointless discussions are designed to make everyone believe that these are complicated and difficult negotiations, misleading the Lebanese into debating useless details and making them forget the main and important truth: Lebanon is under occupation. Lebanon is no longer a free country.

The Lebanese state is a client state to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the mullahs’ regime. Instead of questioning this, people in the streets are asking: Will they be able to form a government? Who will get more ministries? Well the answer is: All the ministries, the government and the president are Iran’s.

The Iranian support is not the only reason for Hezbollah’s pre-eminence and the chaos we see today. The Lebanese Sunni community’s weakness and lack of consistency is also to blame. Even when they try to make their voices heard, it comes in the form of an elitist vision emanating from former prime ministers and not from the people.

This Sunni weakness in a country where the balance of power between all minorities is what keeps it going has allowed for more greed among the other minorities. This is the fate of any sectarian structure. This means that any change in the balance of power directly impacts the country’s stability.

In the 1970s, the Christian minority was weakening in the face of rising demands from the Muslim, mainly Sunni, voices under the flag of the Palestinian and Arab resistance against Israel. Today, we are witnessing a similar situation, with a weakening Sunni political force and rising demands from the Shiite community under the flag of Iran and Hezbollah’s so-called resistance against Israel.

In the 1970s, this was the start of a decade-long civil war, whose lessons seems to have been forgotten; while for the millennials that have never known this, we see the gamification of violence. The current regime is like a tightrope walker: As soon as the balance of power changes, it falls into violence and chaos. It cannot accept proper reform.

I therefore believe that decentralization can be a unique solution to stop the country building on shifting sands and the rule of clans. Each minority needs to have the same rights and protections. This is the duty of a federal government, without stepping into the details. As for now, one may ask what is next for Lebanon? Will we see a new Lebanon born out of this chaos and rise from this occupation? Will the country be changed forever?

One thing is sure: A new Lebanon cannot come to life under the oppression of Hezbollah. Therefore, we need a new voice to rise from anywhere in the world that gives hope back to the Lebanese. It is maybe even time for a government in exile to be formed and to start paving the road for a better future for all.

The Lebanese need an appeal that says: Even if the battle is lost, the war is not, and that Lebanon has friends in all the capitals of the world that will help them take back control of their country. Oppression, no matter how ruthless and mighty it may seem, cannot last forever.

Today, as President Emmanuel Macron understands very well, it is not only about the fate of Lebanon, but the entire world because this is what a symbol does: It indicates ahead of time how the world will change.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
×