Offshore Gas Key to UK Interest In Lebanon
In a bid to increase its political sway in the country, as well as take advantage of offshore gas reserves in Lebanese waters, the UK has sent its foreign secretary to meet with Lebanon’s prime minister, writes Nasser Chararah.
Historically, the Lebanese have been more inclined toward francophone rather than anglophone culture. France colonized Lebanon in the early 1890s, and oversaw the planning of its big entity by appending its four districts to Mount Lebanon, which was called small Lebanon. This led to deep interaction among the new Phoenician generations living on the ancient bank of the Mediterranean Sea, which extends to its new bank — Europe, at the heart of which is Paris.
Beirut does not have an intimate relationship with London, as it does with Paris. But in the last few decades, the flowers of francophone culture began to wither in Lebanon. Anglophone culture established a rapidly growing presence at the expense of francophone culture. The reason is the rise of the US model of culture and lifestyle (not politics) in the Levant, rather than the British model.
The land of fog, and an isolated and conservative island, does not appeal to the Lebanese, who are passionate about interacting with open territories and peoples who can easily be communicated with. They also have an inherent desire to respond to globalization, commercially, culturally, and in terms of lifestyle.
This week, British Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived in Lebanon. The visit was pre-scheduled, which means that it was not a special mission necessitated by events, but aimed at strengthen the relationship between the two countries.
