Beirut to contain Washington at UNSC?

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The pending non-permanent appointment of Lebanon to the U.N. Security Council could wreak havoc on U.S. efforts to sanction its enemies, a scholar said.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman led the effort to gain a non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, set to take effect in January.

U.S. officials had pushed for a Saudi seat on the Security Council, though Suleiman emerged victorious in his bid to return Lebanon to the international community following a slow recovery from decades of civil conflict.

David Schenker, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, says at best, Lebanon would abstain from any U.S.-backed measures against Iran, Syria or Hezbollah. At worst, he writes, Lebanon would counter U.S. ambitions in the international body.

Lebanon has managed to stage a modest recovery from a Hezbollah-led war with Israel, political assassinations and years of conflict. Regional analysts, as well as the Lebanese president, see the Security Council seat as a benefit.

Schenker, however, notes the risks are greater than the potential gains.

"While Lebanon's international profile might be raised," he writes, "it's hard to see how the benefits to Beirut outweigh the downsides."