Live from Lebanon
Filed under: Middle East
As of today, Publius Pundit has its own fearless reporter bringing us firsthand information from the Middle East. Our own Manuela Paraipan reports, live from Lebanon in downtown Beirut:
The more you think you know about Lebanon the less you do. If from outside one tends to see the situation in black and white, from inside there are definitely several grey nuances.
Generally speaking the problems are related to: 1) the old guard -- people who have been in power since the 70s and 80s. They have developed a certain working framework, which was not altered by Rafiq Hariri's assassination, Syrian military withdrawal, UN resolutions etc.
Their discourse changed but the practices remain the same. If two years ago some were praising Syria out of interest, conviction or fear, now the very same people are anti-Assad regime. Of course in politics the double standard is not an odd occurrence. It is the norm.
Then there is the issue of FPM (Free Patriotic Movement) and HizbAllah alliance. Many call it here an "understanding" but really we are not playing semantics now. In general terms what has been established through the MoU:
1) Shiias and Christians stay together -- actually its crucial to see Christians and Muslims together in both camps (14 and 8 of March)
2) HizbAllah got a Christian cover -- this is a double edge sword. On one hand Shiias see Christians as their allies. In July war both condemned Israel. Unity is good. But if HizbAllah uses the Christians as a cover to go on with whatever agenda they may have other than the Lebanese one then it's a big issue.
Here lies the tension: The problem is not that General Aoun wants to be President. Very well. Politics is all about games, tactics and strategies. Today's friends are tomorrow's enemies and vice versa. The whole issue about the HizbAllah/FPM alliance is the fear that HizbAllah has an Iranian agenda. This group happens to be not only religious at core (thus respectable for many) but also military well trained, patient and disciplined. That makes it dangerous.
It is the mix of religion and politics that makes it all very confusing. Some claim HizbAllah moderated since the MoU but on the ground it takes some time for the regular followers to accept it. To a certain extent it is true. Yes, masses can be easily maneuvered -- but here we are talking about moderating mentalities and that takes a lot of time and work. Maybe the leaders would step away from Syria and even Iran (that is if their agenda is 100% Lebanese and that is yet debatable) given the chance. But they cannot afford the masses to see them backing down too fast. That in Muslim mind is a sign of weakness. Next thing you know the radicalism increases. This is a case to be socially and psychologically studied.
But going back to the politics. The presidential elections still raise many questions. There are ongoing meetings with foreign emissaries and among the parties. No decision has been taken up to this point. None that has been made public that is. It can go either well or not. Aside from politics Beirut is still a cool place to be in and generally speaking the Lebanese are friendly people. Think of the Lebanese as the Latino (in terms of being self confident, opinionated and party people) of the Arab world. It is definitely good to be in Lebanon.
If you are in Lebanon and would like to contact Manuela, leave your contact details as a comment on this post and she will likely contact you. Click the jump to view photographs taken by Manuela of the local surroundings.
A mosque downtown Beirut - I could not get in because it is Ramadan and there were people praying inside
Corniche Beirut
For those who think that Lebanese use only camels
Downtown Beirut - it is kind of empty because of the Tent City
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