If the humiliating negotiations with the occupation represent an outright squandering of sovereignty, then the issue of the so-called
“military donations”
to the Lebanese Army exposes just how far the ruling political class has sunk into political impotence and exhaustion.
Statements by Shadi Mansour, editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Aks Al-Sir,” citing a security source, shed light on yet another disaster in the performance of the political authorities. The latest Greek
“donation,”
which was promoted with great fanfare—including military vehicles and armored equipment such as M113 armored personnel carriers and old trucks—has reportedly turned out to be nothing more than a heavy burden: scrap metal disguised as military equipment.
Political Embarrassment at the Expense of the Military Institution
The security report claims that the political establishment was too embarrassed to be candid with the Greek side: these vehicles had been out of service for more than two decades and require comprehensive maintenance, tires, batteries, and other repairs whose total cost would exceed the price of purchasing modern, operational equipment.
Instead of taking a sovereign position and rejecting the transformation of the Lebanese Army into a dumping ground for internationally discarded equipment, the political leadership—fearing that it might
“hurt the donors’ feelings”
—reportedly requested that the vehicles be distributed among military barracks and used as stationary storage facilities.
The Degradation of Official Decision-Making and the Destruction of What Remains of the State
This scandal places the country’s political leadership—headed by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam—under direct scrutiny over what amounts to complicity in undermining the prestige of the military institution and whatever remains of the state’s capabilities:
The Absence of Dignity and Sovereignty: When accommodating the “feelings” of foreign countries takes precedence over the dignity of the army and its actual operational needs, the state is reduced to a supplicant entity willing to accept even structural leftovers without the ability to object.
Wasted Resources and Accumulating Burdens: Forcing the army to bear the costs of transporting and storing deteriorating equipment under the banner of “positive intentions” is a direct waste of scarce resources at a time when the institution is facing a severe funding and equipment crisis.
A Show for the Outside, a Sedative for the Inside: While officials travel to Western capitals promoting plans for redeployment and military rearmament, scrap equipment is quietly accepted and then marketed to the public as
“international support.”
The reality, however, is that it amounts to little more than an empty spectacle serving nothing but propaganda.
A state that accepts scrap while being too embarrassed to demand the most basic operational necessities is a state that has lost its compass of national dignity and political responsibility.
What is happening today is nothing more than another step in the systematic dismantling of what remains of the Lebanese state.