Meeting with Saad Hariri

Saad Hariri, the former Prime Minister of Lebanon and the leader of the Movement of the Future, discussed the Syrian conflict and its implications on security in Lebanon and the MENA region.

On April 27, 2015, the Woodrow Wilson Center hosted a meeting with Hariri. Jane Harman, Director, President, and CEO of the Wilson Center provided opening remarks and moderated the event.

Hariri began by noting that since his last visit to the Woodrow Wilson Center, the MENA region has undergone a number of revolutions, experienced three ongoing regional wars, and witnessed the assassinations of political figures such as Wissam al-Hassan, a brigadier general in the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF), as well as Mohamad Chatah, a Lebanese diplomat and economist. Hariri also touched on the growing threat of extremists and the rising fear of Iran’s influence in the region since his last visit to the center.  

Hariri stated that the Arab region currently faces two major challenges that thrive off one another. The first challenge is Iran’s expansionist policies, leading Iran to interfere in multiple countries including Bahrain, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, as well as the Palestinian territories. The second challenge is the danger of jihadists who claim to fight in the name of Islam and threaten the existence of societies in the region. Hariri emphasized that Iran has played a role in creating the chaos that now consumes the region. Hariri argued that Iran and its allies—Iraq’s former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad—have  released many al-Qaeda leaders who later established ISIS. He also specified they have made no effort to prevent ISIS from growing, stating that the oil province of ar-Raqqah in Syria was essentially handed to the terrorist organization. Hariri then stated that Maliki and Assad, with the support of Iran, wanted to reinforce the threat of jihadists in order to maintain control. On the other hand, jihadists are counting on widespread Arab anger and frustration at Iran in order to gain support. Hariri emphasized that strategic plans such as “Operation Decisive Storm” in Yemen demonstrate that Arab states must continue to voice that they will no longer tolerate Iran’s expansionism in order to put a stop to organizations such as ISIS.

Hariri then spoke about Israel, the Palestinian territories, and a two-state solution. He argued that a two-state solution would be the only way to maintain peace in the region, and that denying the Palestinians of a homeland is immoral. Additionally, Hariri praised Lebanon’s ability to remain somewhat stable among the chaos of the region, but warned that unless the Syrian war comes to an end this will no longer be the case. He called for a four step solution to the conflict to ensure security for Lebanon and the region. First, the war in Syria must end and a president must be elected to fill the power vacuum both in Syria and Lebanon. Second, all parties must agree to abide by the Baabda Declaration which calls for the neutrality of Lebanon in the Syria conflict. Third, the international community must play a role in bringing a stop to extremism through clear policy. Last, the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon must be addressed by the international community through progressive action to end the conflict in Syria, which he emphasized can only be achieved through the removal of Bashar al-Assad.

In the question and answer portion, Harman asked Hariri to elaborate on his claim that Maliki and Assad are the root causes of ISIS. Hariri responded that instead of supporting the people’s revolution in Syria, Assad’s regime fired at them. Similarly, instead of encouraging a partnership between the Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds, Maliki imprisoned those with whom he did not agree. Assad’s failure to reform and appease the Syrian people and Maliki’s corrupt leadership ultimately led a power vacuum that allowed for the formation of ISIS. Furthermore, he noted that Assad’s regime is collapsing and that it is only because of Iran and Hezbollah that it has been able to withstand the conflict. If the international community were to play a larger role in implementing policy on the ground, Assad could easily be removed.

By: Mirette Wahba, Middle East Program