Prime minister designate Najib Mikati has been called on before to navigate difficult transitions. In his first posting as prime minister between April and July of 2005, he presided over the transition from the Syrian-dominated era to the elections of 2005 that brought in a Western-backed anti-Syrian March 14 majority; today he is presiding over a reverse transition back to a pro-Syrian March 8majority. Before, he presided over the aftermath of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri’s assassination; today he is asked to manage the repercussions of its international investigation. Earlier, he stepped in to ease explosive Lebanese-Syrian tensions; now he is being asked to defuse Sunni-Shia hostility. Indeed, the challenges facing Mikati are daunting, but in the few days since his nomination he has renewed hopes that perhaps a stable and peaceful way forward is possible. The key variable in his success or failure is the stance of Saudi Arabia. Riyadh
Paul Salem is the former President and current Vice President for International Engagement of the Middle East Institute, and the founding director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut
