In The Name Of The Father

A Portrait of Saad Hariri and his father, and of Lebanon's recent history.
In Condé Nast, By Kevin Gray.

But there is also a shrewd political calculation behind Saad’s outbursts. As the power broker for all Sunnis in Lebanon, Saad must make sure Shiites don’t infringe on his base’s interests.So when Hezbollah pinned Siniora behind barbed wire, it was understood as a threat to Sunni power, not just to the government. Saad made sure Sunnis rose up in their strongholds at Sidon and Tripoli, staging massive rallies that were broadcast on his Future TV.

Saad has been willing to play that sectarian card in a way his allies consider risky. He has been accused of funding Al Qaeda-inspired Sunni jihadists in Lebanon. A close adviser told me that doing so was a necessary evil. But less than 24 hours after the adviser’s admission, in early May, one such group attacked the army. Saad’s Western patrons say they’re worried about such ties. “We’re not particularly comfortable with some of his relationships,” a Western official tells me just days before the fighting breaks out. But the U.S. is also playing a similar game in the region, backing Sunni militants as a way to counter Iran. After all, the U.S. may very much like—and need—Saad’s combative friends.

According to the article, Sanyura is a kind of prince consort for March 14th who were, ever since Hariri father died, grooming his son to become the prime minister of Lebanon. If that's true, I forsee a very dark future for Lebanon made of sectarian strife and a latent civil war...Saad will never be a statesman. He will be a good puppet for Saudi Arabia (and by extension presently for the US and France) where he grew up, where he holds a citizenship, and where he nurtures a family and business and political ties.

Read the whole article

Another interesting read
Solidere: Vigilantism under color of law. Or the story of the intimate intricacies between political and business interests of the Hariris and their company, Solidere, meant to 'build' Lebanon after the civil war.