Michael Young

The Speaker is the only bridge between the state and the militants

The only alternative – to exit the framework agreement with Israel – would be to say that resistance must prevail

Beirut is better off relying on a regional approach than on a US-Israeli scheme designed to disarm the group forcibly

While the US retains considerable heft in the Middle East, it’s time for states in the region to settle their own problems

Disarming the Iran's proxy by force is a terrible option, but time is running out for Beirut to offer a better solution

The President and Speaker cannot afford to have differences on what it is they want from the upcoming negotiations

It's the only way for Beirut to emerge from the Iran-Israel power struggle unharmed

Hezbollah lacks the interest, allies lack the means and Iran has other priorities for the party

Creating unrealistic expectations for the military may cause it to rupture, which would be catastrophic for the Lebanese state, too

The supposed plan to uproot Hezbollah from parts of the country is likely to backfire for a number of reasons

Beirut's decision to declare the group's military activities illegal is a reflection of the country's broad-based antipathy towards it

The group’s intransigence is making a military option more likely

Lebanon should serve as a bridge, not a battleground, for foreign powers

Foreign and sectarian interests have often sought to dismantle these countries, but it rarely seems to work

As long as it continues to be a biased negotiator, it is not going to achieve its aim of disarming Hezbollah