Mikati’s mire could solve itself

It is popularly believed that when Najib Mikati’s new government takes office, one of its first priorities will be to separate Lebanon from the United Nations tribunal investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. This, the reasoning goes, is the price Mikati will have to pay in recognition of the support he won for the premiership from Hezbollah and its allies in the former opposition. Such a move would risk a serious confrontation with the UN and Western powers, which would doubtless regard any attempt to cripple the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) as the work of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran, and would act accordingly. However, if Mikati plays his hand carefully, he might succeed in buying some time and possibly even neutralizing the tribunal altogether. Mikati is not looking for a quarrel with the international community, and in return has been given the benefit of the doubt