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Walid Jumblatt: Syria's Reluctant Enemy
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For decades, Walid Jumblatt navigated Lebanon's impossible politics by accommodating Syrian power. After the assassination of Rafik Hariri in 2005 — which he attributed to Syria — he pivoted dramatically, becoming one of the loudest voices for Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon and later for Assad's fall. His zigzag politics made him one of the most complex figures of the Lebanon-Syria relationship.
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From Assad's Ally to Assad's Critic
Walid Jumblatt inherited the leadership of the Progressive Socialist Party and the Druze community in Lebanon from his father Kamal Jumblatt, who was assassinated in 1977 in an attack widely attributed to Syrian intelligence — the same Syrian intelligence that had covertly murdered Lebanese politicians for decades.
Despite this, Walid Jumblatt spent much of the 1980s and 1990s accommodating Syrian hegemony over Lebanon. He was one of the key Lebanese warlords who navigated the Taif era by working within Syrian-controlled political arrangements. He spoke warmly of Hafez al-Assad and coordinated with Damascus on Lebanese affairs.
After Rafik Hariri's assassination on February 14, 2005 — which Jumblatt immediately attributed to Syria — everything changed. He became one of the most vocal and colorful leaders of the March 14 coalition that emerged from the Cedar Revolution: the Lebanese popular uprising against Syrian occupation. He called for Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon, which eventually came in April 2005.
When the Syrian uprising began in 2011, Jumblatt was among the most vocal Arab voices calling on Assad to step down. He visited Syrian refugees in Lebanon. He spoke bluntly about Assad's crimes. In March 2011, he told Al-Jazeera: "The Syrian people deserve their freedom, and Assad must hear the message of change."
His own position in Lebanon's fractious sectarian politics meant he had to calibrate his statements carefully — Lebanon's Hezbollah and Aoun were pro-Assad, and Lebanon was deeply divided on Syria. Jumblatt walked the line of public opposition while managing the impossible reality of his community's position in Lebanon, which was physically sandwiched between Israeli pressure and Syrian-backed Hezbollah.
His evolving positions on Syria, Lebanon, and regional alliances made him one of the most studied and unpredictable figures in Arab politics. He once described his own political path as "floating on water" — moving with currents to survive. His switch against Assad, however, remained consistent throughout the Syrian uprising even as others wavered.
Despite this, Walid Jumblatt spent much of the 1980s and 1990s accommodating Syrian hegemony over Lebanon. He was one of the key Lebanese warlords who navigated the Taif era by working within Syrian-controlled political arrangements. He spoke warmly of Hafez al-Assad and coordinated with Damascus on Lebanese affairs.
After Rafik Hariri's assassination on February 14, 2005 — which Jumblatt immediately attributed to Syria — everything changed. He became one of the most vocal and colorful leaders of the March 14 coalition that emerged from the Cedar Revolution: the Lebanese popular uprising against Syrian occupation. He called for Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon, which eventually came in April 2005.
When the Syrian uprising began in 2011, Jumblatt was among the most vocal Arab voices calling on Assad to step down. He visited Syrian refugees in Lebanon. He spoke bluntly about Assad's crimes. In March 2011, he told Al-Jazeera: "The Syrian people deserve their freedom, and Assad must hear the message of change."
His own position in Lebanon's fractious sectarian politics meant he had to calibrate his statements carefully — Lebanon's Hezbollah and Aoun were pro-Assad, and Lebanon was deeply divided on Syria. Jumblatt walked the line of public opposition while managing the impossible reality of his community's position in Lebanon, which was physically sandwiched between Israeli pressure and Syrian-backed Hezbollah.
His evolving positions on Syria, Lebanon, and regional alliances made him one of the most studied and unpredictable figures in Arab politics. He once described his own political path as "floating on water" — moving with currents to survive. His switch against Assad, however, remained consistent throughout the Syrian uprising even as others wavered.
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