Barely a day passes in Beirut without fierce criticism of US foreign policy by Lebanese parties supporting Syrian opposition groups. Following the settlement reached over Syria’s chemical weapons and the start of serious nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran, some politicians who back former Prime Minister Saad Hariri speak about “America's secret diplomacy with the Iranian regime” since 2010. It is in that year that Washington is accused of concluding a deal to ensure Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's nomination in Baghdad — under the guidance of Iranian influence in a deal that also included the overthrow of Hariri's government in Beirut — in return for securing the safe withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. There are also concerns that the discussions regarding the US withdrawal from Afghanistan next year will lead to similar dealing between Washington and Tehran.

In a country like Lebanon, where freedom of the press can be fickle, and where former Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss famously stated that “in Beirut, there is a lot of freedom and a little democracy,” it may be quite natural to read such statements about Washington's foreign policy. Several remarkable and surprising aspects are worth examining and analyzing in this context.

First, those issuing the criticism are politically affiliated with the camp of Hariri. Some say that these statements genuinely reflect the Sunni Beiruti mood in particular and Saudi orientation as far as Lebanon is concerned in general, which means that the criticism of the United States is from a traditional friend and ally.

Second, such criticism represents a "coup" against the rhetoric that had been used by this same camp for years. This Saudi-Lebanese camp had long talked about its close ties to the West, in particular to Washington. It also expressed its confidence in the strong and sustained animosity between the West and Tehran remaining that way. Even at the local, Lebanese level, this camp has continued to assert over the last three years that the overthrow of the Hariri government in Beirut — on June 13, 2011, shortly after the Hariri had met with President Barack Obama in the White House — was a blow dealt by Iran, Syria and Hezbollah to it and its Saudi and US allies at the regional and international levels. This camp charges that it was carried out by force through a demonstration of the Hezbollah gunmen known as the “black shirts.” At the same time, however, it also alleged that Hariri had been overthrown as a result of a US-Iranian deal.