Illustration- Leadership’s highest act is not holding on to power—it is preparing the next generation to lead.
Leadership is measured not only by how long one leads, but by knowing when it is time to pass the torch.
By: The Editorial Board, Opinion
Nabih Berri has served as Lebanon’s Speaker of Parliament since 1992 and has led the Amal Movement since 1980. Few political figures in the Arab world have remained in positions of power for so long. His longevity reflects remarkable political skill, resilience, and an ability to navigate Lebanon’s turbulent political landscape.
But even the most accomplished political careers eventually reach a moment when leadership is best demonstrated not by holding on to power, but by preparing the next generation to lead.
Berri’s political survival has rested on more than personal influence. It has depended on the enduring alliance between Amal and Hezbollah, which together dominate Shiite political representation in Lebanon. That partnership has made him the indispensable Speaker of Parliament and the principal political intermediary between Hezbollah, other Lebanese factions, and international diplomats.
For decades, this arrangement provided stability within Lebanon’s fractured political system. Today, however, Lebanon faces a different challenge. The country desperately needs political renewal.
For the first time in decades, Lebanon has a president and a prime minister who appear genuinely committed to rebuilding the country rather than serving competing regional agendas. They deserve the support of every Lebanese leader—including Nabih Berri. His own constituency, like most Lebanese, wants economic recovery, functioning state institutions, and an end to endless political paralysis.
No Lebanese community has paid a higher price for perpetual conflict than the Shiite community. Thousands of its sons have been killed in wars, entire villages have been devastated, and generations have grown up under constant uncertainty. They deserve a future defined by opportunity rather than conflict.
By voluntarily stepping aside and allowing a younger generation to assume leadership of Amal and eventually the position of Speaker, Berri could secure a legacy that few politicians ever achieve. Rather than being remembered simply as Lebanon’s longest-serving Speaker, he could be remembered as the statesman who understood when the country needed renewal more than continuity.
Leadership is ultimately measured not only by victories won or years served, but by whether institutions become stronger than the individuals who lead them. Political parties that fail to renew themselves eventually lose touch with the people they claim to represent.
Across the world, successful democracies continuously renew their leadership. Fresh ideas, new perspectives, and younger generations strengthen institutions rather than weaken them. Lebanon cannot expect different results while relying on the same political leadership decade after decade.
Time to Pass the Torch
By passing the torch to the younger generation, Nabih Berri would do more than renew Shiite leadership. He would set an example for every political movement in Lebanon. Across the country, too many parties remain dominated by the same leaders who have shaped Lebanon’s politics for decades. No community—Sunni, Shiite, Christian, or Druze—can build a better future without giving a new generation the opportunity to lead. Lebanon needs political renewal as much as it needs economic recovery.
History often remembers leaders not simply for how long they governed, but for the wisdom they showed when they chose to step aside. Nabih Berri still has the opportunity to write the final chapter of his remarkable political career as the leader who demonstrated that serving Lebanon sometimes means knowing when it is time to let others lead.
