If US sanctions on Lebanon are about corruption, Saad Hariri should be top of list
Marco Carnelos- If the US was truly concerned about corruption in Lebanon, it should have targeted the discredited prime minister
If the US was truly concerned about corruption in Lebanon, it should have targeted the discredited prime minister
The US Treasury recently sanctioned Gebran Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement party and member of parliament, for his role in corruption in Lebanon, using the Magnitsky Act. This provision is deployed when human rights abuses and corruption reach such scope and gravity that they threaten the stability of international political and economic system.
Unfortunately, as frequently occurs with the US government’s decisions, even the application of this provision is not immune to double standards. In the case of Lebanon, for Washington, corruption is not a problem – provided that you are aligned with US policies.
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