I had to jump on here and share some insights about the cabinet formation, as many of you seem to be buying into the widespread campaigns from nearly every side against Nawaf Salam—the easiest target for the mafia and militia omertà in power.

What’s Happening Behind the Scenes

Negotiations. That’s how politics work when it’s not just one man forcing everyone else to fall in line, like before. I’m going to say something many of you won’t like, but you’re adults—you can handle it. The Finance Ministry was never going to someone anti-Hezbollah. Not even remotely. And everyone involved in forming the cabinet knew this from the start—whether it was the Lebanese Forces, the banking clans, or any of the other sectarian and corrupt leaders.

Why was that ministry always going to stay within Hezbollah’s acceptable sphere? Simple: because the other players wanted to secure their own interests. Notice how they all tied the Finance Ministry to whichever ministry they wanted in return. Never once did they accept the idea that if Finance was off the table, so was everything else for everyone else.

Now, imagine being the gruesome twosome—after losing almost everything, including a PM and President they vetoed but still couldn’t stop—do you think they’d hand that ministry to someone the LF favors? It was the hill they were ready to die (or rather, kill) on.

As for the rest of the parties involved, they all agreed on the Finance Ministry’s fate. Yet publicly, their smears conveniently single out Nawaf Salam, as if the decision was his alone—not the result of their own collusion. They postured, raising the bar, pretending Finance was off the table for Hezbollah, but only until the LF secured Foreign Affairs, Energy, and two other ministries. Initially, they were getting less—and without the FM position. Same story with the other parties. The PSP walked away with Public Works and Agriculture. The FPM? Unclear if they’ll even join, but they’re maneuvering for better odds in exchange for agreeing to a finance minister like Yassin Jaber—so long as they get something in return.

Why Is Nawaf Salam Putting Up With This?

Because, like it or not, the MPs who will grant confidence to the new government are the same ones negotiating for their portfolios. In an ideal world, his cabinet would be filled with his and Joseph Aoun’s picks—free from career politicians and future parliamentary candidates. But that’s not the reality. I don’t envy him. He has a tough job, not just building a functional government but ensuring no one can derail it as easily as they did before.

The Key Ministries: Interior, Defense, and Justice

Now, here’s where things get interesting. The Interior, Defense, and Justice ministries are going to people from the new President and Prime Minister’s trusted circle—the three ministries most critical for jumpstarting reforms and ensuring free and fair elections. That could have never been possible before. Four other ministries too, are as far away as possible from the sectarian political parties’ circles. Most of the ministers are going to be great, and even the not-so-great ones, are exponentially better than anything we would have gotten with Najib Mikati.

Did Everyone Get What They Wanted?

No. But most walked away with more than they had right after Salam was appointed. Is it ideal? Of course not. But does it allow Nawaf and Joseph to hit the ground running without more wasted time? Yes.

What frustrates me is how obvious the political maneuvering was—brinkmanship at its finest. The second they got their cut, they agreed to let go of the Finance Ministry and then flipped on Salam, dumping the weight of their own compromises onto him.

What frustrates me even more is how many people fell for it. Instead of recognizing the game, they were quick to turn on Salam, eager to find any excuse to give up—when the real question should be: how do we make sure that in the next parliamentary elections, we have the biggest bloc, so we don’t have to go through this exhausting cycle just to get moving while everything else around us keeps changing?

It’s time to stop treating every battle like the final one. This is going to take a lot of work, with ups and downs along the way. What matters is that we keep pushing forward, knowing there will be obstacles to overcome. If you want to give up, that’s your right—and it’s completely understandable.

But if you have nothing constructive to add, don’t lend your voice to the obvious smear campaigns designed to strengthen someone else’s negotiating position. You should know better. And if you’re angry about Yassin Jaber, direct that anger at those who approved him in exchange for their own gains—not at the wrong person.

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The Backroom Deals Behind Lebanon’s Cabinet Formation

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