A call for a US-Lebanon defense treaty

Source: nidaa el watan

The launch of the America Lebanon Peace Advancement Council (ALPAC) in Washington last week marks a pivotal moment for the Lebanese American community. Amid escalating regional tensions, the council reflects the determined push by Lebanese Americans, both citizens and Americans of Lebanese descent, toward a comprehensive partnership between the United States and Lebanon, built on security cooperation, institutional reform, and a formal US-Lebanon defense agreement. The council’s ambitious vision, like that of other Lebanese lobbying groups, has resonated with US officials who stress that Lebanon’s fate is closely tied to the broader prospects of peace, stability, and regional pluralism. Council chairman, engineer Fouad Arbid, relayed that President Trump had expressed interest in Lebanon and a desire to “fix the situation there.”

The council’s agenda, like that of most Lebanese American lobbying organizations, centers on highlighting that Lebanon is a vital component of America’s Middle East strategy. But above all, Arbid says, it must be recognized that “Lebanon represents the cornerstone of regional security; without it, speaking of peace and prosperity in the Middle East becomes difficult.”

The launch of this initiative coincides with a renewed US policy focus on Lebanon’s sovereignty, stability, and pluralism. In this context, Jacob Maki, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, stated: “We support a sovereign, stable, democratic Lebanon, free from foreign interference, capable of defending its borders, governed in the interest of all its citizens, and living in peace with its neighbors.” Maki added: “We will continue to push for the diaspora to play a central role in society,” stressing that Washington “supports the right of expatriates to vote in the upcoming elections.”

The council’s launch was accompanied by a sharply worded warning about “the existential threat facing the Christian community in Lebanon,” long considered the cornerstone of the country’s pluralistic identity. Arbid warned that Christians “face demographic and political marginalization,” citing The Washington Post’s coverage of Pope Leo XIV’s visit, which noted that Christians constituted more than half of Lebanon’s population in 1975, whereas today they do not exceed 32%, with some estimates placing them even lower. In this context, Maki said Washington stresses the importance of religious freedom and pluralism as US national interests, adding: “Preserving religious freedom and pluralism in Lebanon, including its Christian communities, is a vital national interest of the United States.”

Senator Lindsey Graham has emerged as one of the most prominent advocates for a US-Lebanon defense treaty. Graham believes Lebanon’s religious and ethnic diversity is both the basis of its resilience and the reason the United States must engage. He has argued that Lebanon’s embodiment of tolerance and pluralism offers “a compelling case for Washington’s involvement in supporting Beirut’s sovereign aspirations.” Graham’s proposal for a strong defense treaty positions itself as a strategic means of reinforcing regional stability. He maintains that Lebanon’s unique spirit of coexistence could serve as a formidable bulwark against extremism, and as a regional model, if the United States steps in as a committed partner.

Accordingly, Arbid stresses the need for a firm American commitment to Lebanon, adding that “America must act decisively to support the Lebanese Army in its efforts to disarm extremists, track their funding sources, and punish corrupt elites, regardless of their positions in government.” Arbid urged Lebanese Americans and Americans of Lebanese descent to build on Senator Graham’s statements in Beirut last August and work to influence Congress “to draft a US-Lebanon defense treaty.”

The American Lebanese Peace Advancement Council aims to unify the goals of Lebanese Americans and friends of Lebanon in the United States to work toward a future of peace and economic prosperity. “We want to be able to return to Lebanon, if we choose to,” Arbid said.

Our message aligns with Pope Leo XIV’s calls for peace, which offer hope to Christians in the Middle East.

While Arbid encourages the establishment of a formal US-Lebanon defense treaty, he stresses that such an agreement “would ensure long-term peace and stability and support the Lebanese Army’s efforts to extend state sovereignty across all of Lebanese territory, in line with Beirut’s aspirations for peace with its neighbors.”

The council’s message is clear, Arbid says: “Without explicit and decisive American involvement, Lebanon risks becoming a permanent flashpoint. With American involvement, Lebanon can be a foundational pillar of regional prosperity.” However, Arbid insists that US assistance must be tied to institutional reforms “including greater transparency, accountability, and judicial independence, to combat corruption and foreign, especially Iranian, influence.”

While Arbid stresses that “Lebanese Christians are not merely a minority,” but rather “the bond that unites the other sects and the moderating force amid extremism, hatred, and anti-Americanism,” the US administration has placed strong emphasis on promoting religious freedom. Secretary of State Rubio has stated plainly that the persecution of Christians in the Middle East constitutes a moral crisis. Vice President J.D. Vance has highlighted that the United States must be a leading voice in defending persecuted Christians, and President Trump recently declared: “We will defend Christianity, that I assure you.” Hence, according to Maki, “Washington supports a pluralistic, sovereign Lebanon as part of a renewed vision for partnership with the United States.”