Summary
The aftershocks of U.S. President Donald Trump's abandonment of the Kurds in Syria are rumbling through the region, and a string of Lebanese officials told me last week that they fear they're the next to be discarded by America.
Here's a suggestion for a Trump administration that needs to reassert its interests in the Middle East: Double down on Lebanon, a country where the U.S. already provides significant economic and military support.
The U.S. is already providing about $200 million annually in equipment and training for the Lebanese military and security forces, U.S. officials say.
The U.S. should encourage Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other regional powers that oppose Iran to put more money into Lebanon, too.
Down the road, the U.S. should help Lebanon establish a real, smuggler-proof border with Syria.
Bankrupting Lebanon to pressure Iran, as some U.S. officials suggest, would be one more act of folly for a Trump administration that has made far too many mistakes in the Middle East already.
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