AUB’s Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs have recently published a Policy Brief “Lebanon’s Foreign Policy: Challenges and Recommendations,” by Lebanon’s former Foreign Minister, Senior Advisor to the Institute’s Regional and International Affairs Cluster, and Associate Fellow Amb. Nassif Hitti, Institute Director Joseph Bahout, and Regional and International Affairs Cluster Coordinator Yeghia Tashjian, explore the historical trajectory and challenges of Lebanon’s foreign policy.
The paper traces the evolution of Lebanon’s foreign policy positions, highlighting how domestic divisions and regional entanglements have shaped its external stances. The authors argue for a state-centric foreign policy rooted in “positive neutrality” and “pro-active diplomacy,” to increase Lebanon’s immunity against foreign interventions and safeguard its sovereignty. At the same time, and in view of profound geopolitical shifts, the authors recommend a series of reforms to Lebanon’s diplomatic apparatus aimed at repositioning the country as a credible actor on the regional and international stage.
