The Tehran Times’s 1400 Man of the Year is Seyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah. This year’s choice may seem a little bit unusual considering the relatively calm situation of Lebanon over the last 12 months. But beneath this apparent serenity lies the important leadership style Nasrallah exhibited in steering the resistance movement and Lebanon in general through multi-faceted crises.Over the last 12 months, a new government was successfully formed in Lebanon with the active participation of the resistance factions. Perhaps, government formation was the biggest political event in Lebanon in 1400. It broke a year-long deadlock that was about to end up in chaos and disorder in the Mediterranean country. But with the leadership of Nasrallah, Lebanese factions successfully managed to agree on another consensual government at a time when the country was facing dire maladies on every level.Nasrallah quietly and constructively engaged in the political process to help find solutions to many challenges without allowing the foreigners to make decisions for the Lebanese.He positively contributed to solving hurdles getting in the way of government formation, and he is now laying the grounds for the victory of resistance factions and their allies in the upcoming elections slated for May. Just as what happened during government formation, the foreign countries would use the next election to undermine Hezbollah and its allies.But Nasrallah is aware and vigilant. He recently said, “Our battle in the next election is the battle of our allies, and just as we strive for the victory of our candidates, we will strive for the success of our allied candidates.”
Lebanon's economy is in shambles, largely because of Nasrallah and Hezbollah. But he is Man of the Year because he is leading the country into even more despair - in the name of "resistance" to Israel.
