The United States’s Policy Toward Lebanon in Light of domestic and Regional Instability: 2005-2025

Abstract

Since 2005, Lebanon has faced ongoing political instability, economic collapse, and weakening state institutions. Despite these challenges, the United States (U.S.) has maintained, and in some areas expanded, its political, financial, and military engagement, particularly through long-term support for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). This thesis explores why the U.S. continues to invest in Lebanon despite repeated setbacks and limited possibilities for structural reform. It argues that U.S. policy toward Lebanon between 2005 and 2025, reflects a largely consistent strategic approach shaped by broader regional priorities rather than short-term crisis responses. Drawing on realism, security sector reform theory, and foreign policy analysis, the thesis identifies four core objectives guiding U.S. engagement: limiting Iranian influence and Hezbollah’s regional role, safeguarding Israel’s security, managing instability in the Eastern Mediterranean, and strengthening state institutions aligned with U.S. interests, especially the LAF. Through historical and policy analysis of key developments, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, the 2011 Syrian conflict, Lebanon’s 2019 financial collapse, the regional escalation following the October 7 events, and the fall of al-Assad regime in 2024, this paper shows that while U.S. policy tools have adapted to changing conditions, the underlying goals have remained relatively stable. The thesis concludes that Lebanon holds a specific place in U.S. Middle East policy, where continued engagement is viewed as a necessary means of managing regional risks and preserving stability, even in a highly fragile context.