|
33 years after the Civil War started, Lebanon is still wasting its time
Lebanon marked 33 years since the start of its 1975-1990 Civil War on Sunday, and some Lebanese took advantage of the occasion to warn the protagonists in the current power struggle that their actions are not helpful to a country still trying to recover from a conflict that killed as many as 250,000 people. Since the signing of the Taif Accord that ended the war, much has happened that has helped keep Lebanon from consolidating its position: Israel continued to occupy a broad swathe of the South until 2000, Syria continued to block the development of democratic institutions until 2005, and the Israelis came back for another round of bloodletting in 2006. Today, though, most of the players preventing this country from taking the long-awaited "next step" are domestic ones. |
|
The effect of this has been to convince many Lebanese that even if their leaders manage to avoid stumbling into another civil war, they will remain too distrustful of one another and too beholden to their respective foreign patrons to let this country achieve anything like its tremendous potential. Instead of showing the world how and why diversity can be a source of great vitality to a people, both the ruling March 14 coalition and the March 8 opposition spend so much time attacking one another that there is little time to look out for the country as a whole. An already ineffectual state has been reduced to near-complete paralysis, a stagnant economy is forcing millions of people to cope with higher prices on lower and less reliable incomes, and flush Gulf investors have taken their oil and gas money to safer markets.
March through Beirut Sunday, 13 April 2008, to Commemorate 33rd Anniversary of the Outbreak of the Lebanon Civil War, 1975—1990
Officially, Lebanon is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in 2009, but many of its citizens are rendering their verdict now. Recently released statistics indicate that hordes of them have been applying for passports or renewing their existing ones, a sure sign that the years-long brain drain is on the verge of turning into yet another fully fledged exodus. Already, companies and societies at large in Africa, the Gulf and the West are reaping the benefits of hosting talented young Lebanese who should be here rebuilding their own country but who are prevented from doing so by a failed political class.
For almost a year and half now, both camps have outdone one another in inventing new (if not very imaginative) ways to avoid resolving the impasse. Each time they do so, a few more Lebanese shake their heads, kick themselves for having believed that their leaders had finally grown up, and decamp for friendlier shores abroad. Apart from the breakthrough made so unlikely by both sides' stubbornness, one thing might convince some of these people to stay: a commitment by all parties that the 2009 polls will allow voters to cast ballot indicating a preference for "none of the above."
--Originally published 14 April 2008 in the Daily Star(Lebanon), www.dailystar.com.lb |
|
Please note: · When we refer to a country we are referring to the government of that country. There will always be a mixture of people in a country: some supporting their government’s positions, some not, some just too overwhelmed by the media to be able to make a sound decision. · We aim to use primary, first-hand information whenever possible; otherwise, we will refer to information consistently reported from reputable sources. Citations are given as needed and we would encourage all readers to view original sources of information. |