Lebanon’s Revolution Remains without Leadership

Demonstrators say they will continue anti-government protests in Lebanon. Aziz Taher/Reuters
Demonstrators say they will continue anti-government protests in Lebanon. Aziz Taher/Reuters
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Lebanon’s Revolution Remains without Leadership

Demonstrators say they will continue anti-government protests in Lebanon. Aziz Taher/Reuters
Demonstrators say they will continue anti-government protests in Lebanon. Aziz Taher/Reuters

Lebanon’s protesters, who have been demanding an overhaul of the government, remained without a leadership on the 10th day of demonstrations that have rocked the country.

“Setting now a political leadership for the revolution would work as a double-edge sword,” Dr. Fadi Ahmar, a political researcher and a member of the movement, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday.

He said it was now time to demand the government’s resignation, adding that the protesters would then start forming a leadership.

Despite the protests being unorganized, some protesters have held talks with a number of independent political figures to plan what should come next.

Former Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that he has met with some members of the protest movement.

“What is happening is greater than a revolution. It is a major shift in the history of Lebanon,” Charbel said.

However, he explained that the resignation of the government means there would be a winning team (protesters) and a losing team (state), and therefore there must be an exit that pleases both sides while protecting Lebanon from chaos.

Charbel proposed to the movement a three-way plan: First, to accept reform measures suggested by Prime Minister Saad Hariri and give him an end-of-year deadline to implement them.

Second, the government resigns after implementing the reforms. Then a cabinet of technocrats, excluding any political party, would be formed on the basis of putting the right person in the right position.

Third, the new ministers should pledge not to run in the next parliamentary elections.

“We should not ignore the initiative of President Michel Aoun who agreed there’s a need to review the current government,” Charbel said.



Syria’s Finance Minister Says Foreign Investors Welcome after US Sanctions Move

A girl holds a Syrian flag, as people celebrate after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria, in Damascus, Syria May 13 , 2025. (Reuters)
A girl holds a Syrian flag, as people celebrate after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria, in Damascus, Syria May 13 , 2025. (Reuters)
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Syria’s Finance Minister Says Foreign Investors Welcome after US Sanctions Move

A girl holds a Syrian flag, as people celebrate after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria, in Damascus, Syria May 13 , 2025. (Reuters)
A girl holds a Syrian flag, as people celebrate after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria, in Damascus, Syria May 13 , 2025. (Reuters)

Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh made a call to global investors on Wednesday to come do business with Syria after US President Donald Trump's surprise announcement that he would lift all of Washington's sanctions on the country.

"Syria today is a land of opportunities, with immense potential across every sector—from agriculture to oil, tourism, infrastructure, and transportation,” Barnieh said in an interview with Reuters at the Finance Ministry in Damascus.

"We envision a central role for the private sector in the new Syrian economy. The finance ministry's role is not to spend indiscriminately or act as a regulatory enforcer over businesses, but rather to enable and support growth."

A wall outside his office still bore the discolored outline of one of the many posters of former strongman Bashar al-Assad that used to hang in Syria's public buildings before his ousting by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) last year.

Changes in Syria have been swift since Assad fled to Russia in December of last year.

HTS commander Ahmed Sharaa was appointed president, formed a government and had quick success garnering Gulf Arab support and getting most European sanctions lifted.

The stunning turn of events was capped by a meeting between Sharaa and Trump in Riyadh on Wednesday after Trump's pledge to cease US sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad-family rule, measures widely seen as the biggest external obstacles to the country's economic recovery.

Trump has not set out a timeline for removal.

"One of the most critical outcomes of lifting sanctions would be Syria's reintegration into the global financial system," Barnieh said.

"This would allow us to restore financial flows and attract investments, which are urgently needed across all sectors,” he said, adding that Syrian authorities have already seen strong interest from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and several EU countries, among others.

He noted that the government is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of public financial management, including reforms to the tax system, customs, and banking -- part of a broader effort to modernize an economy long burdened by an oversized public sector.

He also struck a cautioning tone, saying that the removal of sanctions would be just the first step in a years-long recovery for a country ruined by 14 years of war.

"The lifting of sanctions is not the final chapter," he said.

"We cannot afford to become complacent. We are entering a new phase that demands real results and visible progress on the ground."