Washington wants a special economic zone in Lebanon, promising development in exchange for security – which it can’t provide The US wants to create a special economic zone in southern Lebanon as an incentive to push the government to disarm Hezbollah. The idea, first floated by US presidential envoy Tom Barrack on a September visit to Beirut, rests on a straightforward bargain: security in exchange for development. In line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the state would gradually