Global Risk Insights quotes Rafik Hariri Center Resident Fellow Faysal Itani on the coalition holding Lebanon together as the war in Syria drags on:
I think [March 8th’s] goals are negative, not positive. Hezbollah can live with there being no president: the security forces are on the balance not hostile, and that is Hezbollah’s priority. Meanwhile, since Hezbollah has no appetite for governing Lebanon, the performance of its formal institutions is not a priority. Meanwhile, Hezbollah benefits from pushing Michel Aoun as their only candidate, as that preserves the Aoun-Hezbollah relationship and keeps March 14 in check. It’s a win-win situation for Hezbollah.