Growing Legitimacy?

If I was one of resigned Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh's allies, I would ask him how he justifies going back to work for an "illegitimate" government. Because that is exactly what he did this week, returning briefly to his old Ministry in order to overturn some of acting Foreign Minister Tarek Mitri's policies.

Salloukh is an interesting figure. If memory serves, he's an opposition-aligned Shia, but is neither Hezbollah or Amal. Rather, he's nominally independent. In 2005, Hezbollah had wanted one of their people to control the Foreign Ministry, but this idea was nixed because the United States and other Western countries were leery of dealing directly with a Hezbollah member. Salloukh was the compromise.

There is always the chance that Salloukh's return is the first step in him returning to the government. However, I doubt it. More likely, his brief return is just an acknowledgment of reality: whatever March 8 may say about the government's legitimacy, it continues to function and has an impact on the lives of Lebanese. Salloukh is a career diplomat -- he wants to see the institution run the way he thinks is best. And, especially after the FPM's participation in the Metn by-election, there's no use pretending that the government no longer exists. That ship has sailed.