If the US hadn’t squandered its influence and prestige in the Middle East, we might be able to help Lebanon out more effectively. We should still try and do what we can for this beautiful and valuable country.
51
@RjW - Altho', considering the history of our actions in the ME, one wonders why the Lebanese, or any country, would have any interest in "help" from us.
14
@RjW -- We can't for the reason we never could -- Israel. If we built up a Lebanon, and I don't mean Hezbollah, then it would be able to stand up to Israel, and that is simply not to be allowed.
18
@RjW
Maybe we should mind our own business, especially with a very complicated cultural, religious, and political history and social context. Do you even know about Lebanese history?
It never really was a country. For a very long time that whole region, with all its many religions, was under Ottoman rule, which kept the peace with a sometimes heavy hand.
It’s nice to think America can help other countries solve their problems, but our recent history has been one of a blundering bull who has no idea Of a country’s heavily contingent history.
Lebanon may be having some instability, but considering its recent history, it’s doing pretty well. There is no civil war. The central government is weak, so there is no autocrat that can emerge and impose his bloody will on all the different factions. So what if there are no public services. That’s a small price to pay for relative peace. Compared to the rest of the Middle East, Lebanon is a relative bright spot. Just look east to Lebanon’s neighbor, Syria. Where would you rather live? Perhaps that is a bad question, since you wouldn’t live live long in Syria.
3
We've Seen This Movie Before
Aug 25, 2015 Lebanon government meets to resolve garbage crisis
Feb 24, 2016 Lebanon trash problem not going away
Feb 26, 2016 Lebanon: 'River of trash' threatens to engulf Beirut suburb
Oct 31, 2016 Lebanon and the sectarian garbage crisis
Jan 29, 2017 Lebanon Garbage Crisis: Protesters to be tried in military court
2
Such a wonderful country, such a horrible government. Tragic.
4
Perhaps some of this "democratic spring" will affect the U.S. as well as the other countries Roger mentions.
The entrenched power of the moneyed elites is only going to be broken by a revolution from the streets. Provided those streets lead to a polling place. And the votes from those polling places are counted.
If the billionaire backers of the Democratic Party are nervous about Elizabeth Warren's proposals they had better hope that my ideas don't gain traction. My wealth tax is a lot higher than hers.
I keep hearing that if the government confiscated all the wealth from the 1% it wouldn't pay for what we need.
Maybe not, but since we haven't tried it maybe it is worth trying.
I do believe in capitalism. In fact I think we should try it.
Good luck to the people in Lebanon. We really could use a decent Nation in that part of the World.
4
Revolutions with pitchforks don't work anymore.
The guys with the guns ALWAYS win.
In rare cases enlightened strongmen provide opportunities for positive change like in Tunisia - But a n extremely rare case.
1
If Mr. Cohen doesn't think there are any decent countries in the Middle East, perhaps that is a sign that he shouldn't be covering the Middle East for the New York Times. I can't imagine a journalist taking this tone about other regions of the world and as always, Americans are strong on opinions and weak on substance when it comes to understanding the complex history and context of our region.
6
@malaouna Rest easy, Mr. Cohen takes this tone about many other regions of the world.
Also he does not cover the Middle East.
He has not been a foreign correspondent since 2001.
He is a columnist specializing in international affairs and diplomacy.
2
Nobody questions why Hezbollah, an imperialist army controlled by Iran, is occupying Lebanon. The two countries are nowhere near one another. It’s time for the Lebanese to run Lebanon and send the Iranian imperialists Hezbollah packing.
9
@Michael Controlled by Iran. They are Lebanese mostly. As far as sending them packing, alas, there is a greater chance that they would send the Lebanese Army packing. Hezbollah is a serious military-terrorist power.
2
i always admire and respect mr. cohen's factual sanity and the elegance of his reporting.
the fact that he returns to revolt 36 years after witnessing revolt should tell him something fundamental about the middle east. it is not a problem to be solved; it is not a problem that can be solved. it is a problem from which we need to insulate ourselves as much as possible.
4
Cohen's subheader "The Middle East could use a decent country," is pretty slick coming from America. Decency? First, Lebanon is already decent, let's get that straight and halt the condescension, but the country has been ravaged by factors outside its control. Remember Syria occupied it until 2005, Israel only stopped occupying 10% of Lebanon in 2000, prior to that there was a 15 year civil war. Added to that its government was designed by the French to create an artificial Christian majority in the Middle East, so that Westerners could gaze in wonder at the only Christian country in the Middle East. Yes, Lebanon was about creating a fiction to serve the egos of imperialists and a fanatical Christian minority in Lebanon, the Maronites. Breaking up this system will be violent, period, because it means recognizing that Shiite Muslims are the majority (estimated at 60% of the population). Under the current constitution, only a Christian can be president in Lebanon. So, sectarianism is enshrined in the constitution. That was a gift of the French. Second, the brokenness of this government structure made it so central government could never be effective, instead regional strong men are political actors. Third, the US has been in the business of greenlighting bad actors in the region for a long time, so expect Israel to invade, bomb, slaughter, if Lebanon gets anywhere close to a true democracy, which would automatically mean a stronger Shiite presence in government.
9
“This is the first time in our history that Christians, Druze, Sunni and Shia and everyone get together like this.” That only matters if you four groups can figure out how you’d govern together, if/when you (peaceably? do I dream?) replace the “thieves” who are in office now. If past performance predicts future performance, violence and arms will divide you four groups, as member demagogues, in each group, vie for control and dominance for “their own.”
3
> What else is new? A leaderless popular movement
All "leaderless popular movements" are in countries of interest to Putin and driven by social media, where 5% of the people/accounts make 80% of the noise.
Lebanon is next after Syria. Israel and Saudi Arabia see this, and both are courting Russia. Netanyahu campaigned on a picture with Putin, not Trump.
Let's not be blind. And let's let someone with deep experience in Lebanon speak about Lebanon.
1
Lebanon has, indeed, a number of seemingly intractable problems that have frustrated its becoming a democratically unified functioning country ("decent country" in your words).
As we tick off the specific impediments, let us not forget that a crucially important one is what many of us call the indecent neighbor to its south, Israel.
Whatever the internal irrationalities and deadly antagonisms, Israel's grossly disproportionate attacks on the country exacerbate the already ghastly internal conflict.
In 1982, Israel attacked Lebanon in a quest to destroy the PLO. The war killed as many as 10,000 civilians. Or 20,000.
In one of the most shameful atrocities since WWII, the IDF sponsored an attack by the PLO's bloodthirsty enemies, the Phalange, on the Beirut PLO camps Sabra and Shatila.
The IDF supported the assault with aid and equipment. At least 1000 residents were killed, nearly all women, children, and elderly men. Many of them were mutilated, fiendishly so.
26 years later, using the excuse that two soldiers had been killed by Hezbollah troops, Israel attacked again, bombing civilian Beirut mercilessly, killing at least 1000 Lebanese.
While taking breathers between stints of being a biased broker between Israel and its opponents, the US has supported nearly all aspects of these murderous assaults.
In understanding why the Middle East, including Israel, doesn't work, one must know as much about Israeli atrocities as one knows about the other side's.
14
@alyosha
1982 -- The PLO in southern Lebanon - too strong to be removed by the Lebanese government - used Southern Lebanon as a launching base for attacks against Israel. After the PLOs' attempt to assassinate an Israeli ambassador, Israel then and only then invaded, supporting Lebanese allies - who were Christian.
The camp atrocities you mention, not conducted by the IDF, were horrible. Because Israel supported the Free Lebanon State and Maronite forces, they got the blame and it is a black eye for the IDF.
The PLO was surrounded and the world, frankly, would have been better off with a final defeat of the PLO, but they, led by Yassir Arafat, were allowed safe passge to Tunisia, their new base of terrorism.
The 2006 Lebanon war cut Lebanese GDP by 26% the following year.
The Lebanese should do everything they can to rein in Hezbellah to avoid a devastating result to their country.
If Hezbellah had not assassinated Lebanese President Gamayel , there would have been a peace treaty between Israel and Lebanon.
Since Israel ceased involvement in Lebanon, the country has been on a down ward path to what we see today.
Terrorists running a country doesn't lead to much hope or economic growth. Israel is basically irrelevant at this point as far as Lebanon, unless Hezbellah does something stupid.
5
We can always hope, but there is no reason to be optimistic.
3
I left Lebanon 40 years ago and I watched it staying the same for 40 years. Today's Lebanon is still the same ol Lebanon; sectarian and corrupted to the bone.
You can take anyone, just about anyone from the crowd you see on the street demonstrating, put him/her in position of power, and watch him/her go corrupt.
My view has always been that Lebanon needs to be reborn, with a new constitution, new government, new army, new police and unfortunately ... new people. People who believe that being Lebanese comes first and last. There is no Christian, Muslim, Druze ... and so on. You are either a Lebanese or you are not a Lebanese .. nothing in-between.
People who believe that bribery is not a second income ... it is a crime.
Leaders who believe that serving in a public office is a public service ... and after a term or two, they must step aside and give someone else the opportunity to serve ... and I say someone else ... not his/her relative.
People who believe that fixing Lebanon is a 'People' problem, not a government problem. They believe that with the lack of much natural resources, they can develop scientists and business with unmatched innovations to help the country carve a spot in the international community.
Today ... Lebanese still can't orderly stand in-line to board a bus. Watch them stampede on each other to grab a seat.
When you master respect of law, order, individual civic duty, and innovative problem solving ... then let talk reform.
20
A thoughtful piece. So nice when we can get these from the NYT
3
Hezbollah, the current military dictatorship, will never let it happen. In fact the name "Lebabon" is an anachronism, if the Lebanese aren't already all co-opted radicals, it's because they're distracted with all the booty spread around by Hezbollah.
3
Actually, the Middle East does have a “decent country”. It is called Israel !
12
@HS
On the contrary. Israel is at the root of so many of Lebanon's problems. Which of Israel's neighbors has Israel not occupied?
8
I guess Israel is not in the Middle East?
4
your hostility to hezbollah underlines your lack of understanding of lebanon...you should get together with robert fisk and sort things out!
2
Lebanon!, Iraq!, Algeria!, Chile!, Hong Kong!, America!
Throw off your chains of corruption! All people unite for self-rule and democracy!
Do not let the vested interests and elites steal everything not nailed down.
Rise up! One person, one vote!
Prosperity for all!
Healthcare for all!
Liberty for all!
Take back your country! And do not stop until it’s completed!
4
In that photo of Aoun and Salameh they seem to be contemplating something, anything, that will somehow seem positive but is only window dressing at best.
1
Cohen is peddling, once again, his miracle of democracy nonsense. One example of his idealistic, voice of the people, fairy tale concluding with a happy ending would be illustrative. I’ll be waiting. Best regards to to the Merrill Lynch executives who think their fingers are on the pulse of society rather than in its pockets.
3
Lebanon would have the best shot at decent and progressive governance compared to other countries in the neighborhood since there's still a substantial portion of their population that doesn't worship a warlord. But the trick, as ever, is that there are more than enough Lebanese who do.
18
@Muhammad Abdul Irhab -- That is an odd statement. They all worship warlords. They have many. They fought their civil war that way, and when they stopped fighting they stayed each with their own warlord. It was never settled, just paused.
1
My Lebanese friend is talking of the corruption, the billions of $s siphoned out of the country. In this respect Lebanon is not unique. Globalization of capital flows, tax havens and enforced austerity, which most nations on earth no longer have the power to counteract whether they are democratic or not, are the real problem here. Lebanon's issues are set against the Middle Eastern backdrop of rolling wars of attrition, the plague of religious dogmatism, oil politics, and the constant vying for geopolitical advantage by the superpowers, faction v faction, the rifts are exploited.
1 million people on the streets, discouraging all signs of allegiance to anything but unity are there as representatives of a new generation demanding a new way. This is not an Arab spring, far from it. It is the spring of a new youth movement demanding an end to the base and brazen corruption of the ruling classes. Lebanon has its unique issues, but these demonstrations are not distinct from the Extinction movement. They are part of the messy transition from the religious to the secular, and from the second to third industrial age.
25
An uncle of mine whose long ago career was spent in the Middle East, used to tell us what a paradise Lebanon was, with its beaches and nightlife and sophistication.
That time is gone. Why?
The “why” is Israel and the European/American endorsed Israeli destruction of Palestinian society and the associated flood of refugees into Lebanon, ending Lebanon’s role as the lubricant of business across the region.
Before mounting the lecture podium to hector the Lebanese and groups that have sprung up there to protect their people as we sat by and accepted the obliteration of their people (e.g., Hezbollah), let us examine our own role in creating the mayhem in Lebanon and destroying a society that had achieved a balance acceptable to all parties on a religious and ethnic basis.
Our own blame for the problems in so many parts of the world is so great, sometimes it seems all we should do going forward is to keep our mouth shut.
32
@AJ
Oh sure--Israel is the reason why Lebanon is a mess. A terrorist organization like hezbellah that has more military power than the governmental army is a disaster that can never be undone in this instance. Lebanon's future is more akin to Gaza 2 albeit at a slower pace. That's what happens when local governance answers to a non-Arab leadership ( Iran in both cases), that doesn't care one bit about it's policies impact on the local population.
Palestinains are desparetely trying to escape both Lebanon and Gaza, but not Israel, where Arabs actually have a real voice and Sunni and Shia live together in peace.
Yes the truth is inconvenient at times.
18
@AJ
"The “why” is Israel and the European/American endorsed Israeli destruction of Palestinian society and the associated flood of refugees into Lebanon,.."
You mean the refugees from the wars started by the Arabs to destroy Israel? And please describe for us Palestinian society before 1967. Who were its leaders? Its newspapers? Its political parties?
6
At one time in the past, Lebanon was the one true democracy in the Middle East.
The U.S. and Israel made short work of that situation.
4
We recently had the pleasure of meeting a Lebanese waiter at a Mediterranean restaurant in Geneva who encouraged to visit Beirut despite all of the negative publicity surrounding it and its
glorious past as the Paris of the Middle East. We want to believe
him and his enthusiasm for his homeland and hope that Roger Cohen's article is both realistic and optimistic.
We probably won't be going next year, yet perhaps, just perhaps, soon after that.
4
Wrong. The protests have little or nothing to do with Hezbollah. They are a response to extreme inequality in Lebanon that favors a corrupt political elite (mostly not Hezbollah) and is promoted by the IMF, and by extension Washington. The masses are tired of the daily struggles they face, while the wealthy party off their labor. The Lebanese prime minister, like our president, is a grubby hereditary billionaire who has alienated his people.
As for Hezbollah, they are freedom fighters that have saved Lebanon from foreign occupation and destruction.
11
@Basant Tyagi
Hexbellah lost their legitamacy as freedom fighters when they went into Syria and did away with thousands of Syrians and Muslims, and the Lebanese got their sons back in body bags. So much for freedom.
1
When the last Christian Crusader kingdom in the Middle East was replaced by the Ottoman Empire, Lebanon, than a part of greater Syria, was governed under the Milet System under which each religious group was allowed to rule itself under its own laws. The US' great gift to the world is the concept of the separation of church and state. Alas and alack, unversal acceptance of this doctrine has still not been universally realized as such states as a "Muslim" Pakistan and a "Jewish" Israel give evidence. I see the present street demonstrations in Lebanon as being a recognition of the very practical and common-sense acceptance of the value of permitting freedom of religion to individuals but not permitting individuals to force their personal beliefs on others. It is indeed time to render unto God what belongs to God and unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar. This can best be done, or so I believe, by the separation of church and state when it comes to the affairs of men.
5
@Cristino Xirau
"Alas and alack, unversal acceptance of this doctrine has still not been universally realized as such states as a "Muslim" Pakistan and a "Jewish" Israel give evidence."
Alas and alack, many people can't (or choose not to) acknowledge that while Israel is determined to remain a homeland for the Jews, its legal system is secular. Conversely, Pakistan and 50 other Muslim countries are ruled primarily by religious law.
4
Pakistan is a failed terrorist state, do not compare it to the likes of Israel and Lebanon.
1
@Cristino Xirau America's religious right would negate separation of church and state tomorrow if they could. They just don't get it, and they never will.
4
We need a revolution like that in this country. Enough of the Criminal Trump and his greed driven friends carving up our country.
-Tax breaks for Billionaires building in so called economic zones, read the article on Finance-Criminal Milken and his stealing benefits form a program intended to help poor areas. ( this as usual is being used by the rich to AVOID paying taxes)
As for Lebanon, amazing food, talent people , hopelessly corrupt government. What are the odds of success? Probably as much a s a two state is solution involving our mideast ally, SLIM TO NONE.
5
@Donald Poor people do not undertake development. So who will if your so-called evil billionaires (nearly all of who mare self-made and came from poor backgrounds) are not allowed to invest?
What’s missing in this is how did we get here? Years of mismanagement, incompetence, corruption with no accountability, a devastating economic crisis and just inner fighting between the same so called leaders!
In April 2018, 48 countries and international organisation met in Paris to support Lebanon with $11 billion in loans. In return they asked for structural reforms especially in the sectors of electricity and infrastructure.
Since then (over a year) the government which represents all the political factions was unable to pass any meaningful reforms because of the corruption and inability to agree on almost anything. They know very well that by the end of the year they will be facing an economic disaster and still that wasn’t an enough incentive to move on reforms.
My question is where is the international community by which I mean the donor countries like the USA and the Europeans? After10 days of massive protests, they have a stake in this! Do they want to continue to finance and enable corruption?
Yesterday Hizbollah thugs were cracking down on peaceful and non violent demonstrators. Not a peep from the USA and European countries.
The Lebanese need to do this revolution on their own but the worlds democracies should be on their side by not enabling their corrupt government.
11
If Mr. Cohen knew how to solve the middle-eastern problem, he would have done it many decades ago.
Roger, why don't you give me a call?
I could quickly explain to you how to accomplish that objective...
1
Mr. Cohen's disingenuous description of Lebanon as "most sectarian" of course omits the cause. French colonialism in connivance with their British colonial competitors artificially carved Lebanon out of Syria, to keep it easily under control by naval bombardment. They carefully gerrymandered it to maximize religious divisions, even writing the apartheid post-colonial 'constitution' to divvy up the government posts by religious affiliation. All to guarantee maximum conflict as the pigs fought over the trough in the name of their alleged constituencies. Naturally they placed Christian Maronites atop the hierarchy, in control of the military and best land, and then the Shia at the bottom, creating a time bomb that exploded in the Civil Wars of the 1970s and 1980's. Periodic post-colonial invasions by the US (1958), and the French and Israelis all sought to bolster this useful tool of divide and rule. The idea that this is some 'eternal tribal infighting' inherent to Arabs or the Middle East is so dishonest and so racist it is reprehensible. The great horror of the West has always been that a non-sectarian struggle might unleash a democratic anti-capitalist revolution to smash this apartheid system in Lebanon and throughout the former colonies born deformed by the hand of the British and French, etc. Hopefully this struggle can help produce new leadership and movements capable of advancing this overdue historic task.
19
@AR
There is real truth in much of your post. But at what point do the Lebanese people have responsibilty for their current fate and state? How many more decades until the victimization narrative is no longer is valid?
3
No one ever "asked" the people of Lebanon. Every attempt to oppose it was drowned in blood by local capitalist politicians, or when they couldn't keep it under control, then by the US itself, France, or by proxy through Israel. To blame the "people" for the rotten system that imprisons them is inaccurate and unhelpful. The best thing we can do is to demand hands off Lebanon, no foreign troops, to give them maximum space. Unfortunately have no doubt that those who have profited off this horror are actively planning moves to re-establish their domination, and just as the people can unite, so can their enemies, at least until the threat passes. New leadership must be built.
1
@AR If there's an outside force ruling Lebanon, it's Iran. Colonial history is ugly, but Lebanon is long past colonial rule.
1
It seems we are being prepared for another covert (or overt?) western intervention in an unstable country in Southwest Asia. After eight years of Western and Gulf Arab sponsorship of the Islamist insurgency against Assad's government, does the author think that Syria is better off? Does he think that Lebanon should be used as a pawn in the supposedly inevitable conflict between Israel and Iran? Look at Syria for an indicator...Whatever Assad's sins, I suspect even Israel would prefer him to a Syria ruled by ISIS or al-Qaeda. Viewed from this perspective, and the fact that Assad and the Russians will protect the Druze and Christian minorities in Syria, why should we think that matters will improve with a "democratic" revolution in Lebanon, supported by western actors? Saying it is heresy, but I suspect most people in the Levant would prefer an a secular, autocratic government in Syria to the anarchy, civil war and mass migrations of the last decade. As for Lebanon, it was a creation of the French Mandate of the early twentieth century, and has rarely been a viable state.
4
@Walid
"Jordan is 93% Sunni Muslim, not fractured along sectarian lines like Lebanon, which is roughly 30% each of Shia, Sunni, and Christian. This division is the cause of many of Lebanon's problems, for one tiny example, it took 9 months for a budget to be passed."
Here's another perspective: As part of our tour we had an hour-long meeting with the Maronite bishop at his residence outside of Beirut. He views the divided government as a strength that has kept the country relatively stable.
I'd rather have a democracy, with its attendant problems (Brexit, Trump) than the alternative (China, Russia).
4
We're remembering the mid-80s and constant news of bloody civil war in Lebanon, before the Gen Y's and Millennials were born. Today, young Lebanese people of all suasions, Maronite, Druse, Sunni, Shia, are joining their elders and demanding surcease from the corruption that has almost strangled their country, "The Paris of the Middle East", to death.
Lebanese people, a leaderless popular movement, are now uniting in Beirut to throw out their corrupt government -- a beautiful and welcome sight to the rest of the world entangled in the bloody tribal fighting against each other in their home countries (like the US, like the UK). We need to throw out the nationalistic and corrupt governments of our world in favor on e pluribus unum. We are all disparate and dis-united today as change of all kinds is afoot in our individual countries. Generational fights are under way in all first and second world countries. Time for Lebanon to reclaim her legacy in the Middle East.
3
@Nan Socolow "reclaim her legacy"! what legacy? lebanon was a rib created from the side of greater syria in the 20th century by the great powers.
lebanon, (which i love) is a mirage and nothing more...
1
I pray that Lebanon’s popular uprising can produce a single enlightened Arab country that elevates the interests of the people over hate and corruption. Unfortunately, it’s a long shot. As long as a terror organization remains in charge—even with the sham of it as a quasi-political entity—aspirations of freedom and economic growth are doomed. The mentality (shared in many comments) that it’s all because of the US further aligns forces with tired excuses for abusive Arab and Iranian governments. Ironically, it’s the governments and entities closest to Israel but corrupted by terror groups that most hold their people back.
3
In September I was on a flight into Beirut, sitting next to a tri-lingual 20 year old male who had just graduated from university. He's from the Beqaa valley. His hope is to get a graduate degree and to work for an NGO. He said that he was recently approached to be a drug mule. He said his father sent him on vacation abroad to get away, saying that if he did this he would bring dishonor on his whole family. He was on his way back home, wondering what his future would be with no job prospects, no way of starting a family, no path forward. These protestors are trying to do the right thing for their themselves, for their families and for their collective future, for survival. They have no choices. Enough is enough! No more corruption, cronyism and sectarianism. Godspeed. Thank you for the insightful coverage.
12
The correct and only possible answer to the inspired young people demonstrating against corruption in the streets of Beirut may be to use a device which failed in Europe because of Russian intransigence.
At the end of World War II, the Italian city-state of Trieste became a “free city” to be jointly administered by the four victorious nations: The U.S., the U.K., France and the U.S.S.R. Marshal Tito soon inserted himself into the mix, but a seemingly workable arrangement was ratified in 1954. It fell apart three years later with return of sovereignty over the northwestern portion to Italy.
Just because a concept failed in the past, does not mean it would necessarily fail again. With proper support by nations having only democracy as an agenda, a new Lebanon could arise.
The Arab Spring failed for lack of effective western support, but Lebanon and its capital, once called the Paris of the Middle East (though it came to resemble the Paris of 1940), could be saved.
The alternative of continued domination by Damascus or Hezbollah or some other group or nation is not acceptable.
2
Did Lebanon ever recover from the devastating fifteen years of civil war that transformed it from a relatively prosperous country to a poverty stricken ruin?
If it did then the Syrian war pulled it back down and it lost itself again in tribal and religious divisions, and corruption and political infighting.
Perhaps this uprising and this unexpected unity of disparate groups in a determination to throw off all the outside interference and the corrupt politicians will succeed. I hope so because Lebanon has beautiful soul and it's people deserve to be set free at long last.
2
I FIND THE IDEA That the only thing that's recycled in Lebanon is electricity is both enlightening and shocking. The country has three leaders, One Maronite Christian, one Sunni Muslim and the other Shia Muslim. The structure of one part of the economic crisis is attributable to the 1% being able to ship loads of money to be funneled into secret, untraceable, bank accounts. The unity movement is not to be trifled with. It is the product of social media and the Internet. Alas, that is no match for the armed military who are imposing order with what is, at times, lethal aggression. The situation looks like what the late MidEast historian, Bernard Lewis, described as a democracy without any of its institutions. My hope is that some elements of fairness can come out of the current popular uprising. And my concen is that Trump is fast pushing the US into a democracy in name only, with none of its institutions functioning.
5
It is little reported here just how completely Lebanon (and Jordan) have been shattered by the Syria War.
We hear about Hezbollah fighting for Assad. We don't much hear about the other Lebanese fighting under CIA direction, using Saudi money. But that is why the Saudis could summon the Prime Minister of Lebanon to Saudi Arabia and fire him when he got there.
We almost never hear about the eyewatering number of refugees from all sides who swamp Lebanon (and Jordan). There are about 1.5 million Syrian refugees in a country with only 6 million people. For the US, the equivalent would be 80 million refugees here. In addition, there are another half million Palestinian refugees from Israel.
Now we are told with delight that the one group in Lebanon most hated by Israel is among those criticized. Well, everybody is a wrecked and swamped country is being criticized, and for good reason. The place has been over run by the Syria War.
Who did that? As to Lebanon's hit from Syria, it was quite directly done by Saudi Arabia and the US.
It is one of the ring of bases around Syria from which a terrorist war is run, the way one was run in Afghanistan against the Soviets. That was at the start a very deliberate comparison we made and were proud of -- going back to what won for us. Some win.
The ring of bases is Turkey and Lebanon bases run by the CIA with Saudi money, Israel pretending to do nothing, Jordan bases run by the US military, and Iraq split DoD/CIA.
38
@Mark Thomason
Saudi pulled out of Lebanon long ago, as far as any financial interests. Hezbellah "won" and Saudi saw no benefit to continue to put money in Lebanon. The US still does. Hezbellah brings in about 200 million per month from drug trafficking and human trafficking in South America. And that's the economy in a nutshell.
BTW - The 500,000 "Palestinian refugees" you refer to were almost all born in Lebanon, and are denied citizenship, force kept in camps by Lebanon, and are not permitted to own land or even allowed a taxi driver license. Those type of governmental policies never work out in the end.
Opportunity knocks for Lebanon but I doubt anyone can really see it. Those 500,000 " Palestinains" and the Lebanese army need to throw Hezbellah out; only then will there be hope in Lebanon.
9
@Mark -- There is no reason that Lebanon should take in people as part of its country which Israel has driven out from the country Israel took. They are refugees, and Israel must one day take them back.
Putting that off can make it worse for everyone, but there is no special exception for Israel in the laws governing refugees. They go home.
8
@Mark Thomason Israel "must" take them "back"? They're not refugees, despite the UNRWA redefinition of the term which actually does make "a special exception for Israel." Even though the UN recognizes no other group of multi-generational refugees, they are the grandchildren of refugees. They have no "right of return." Israel will grant citizenship to the descendants of refugees only if it determines this to be in its national interest, the way any other nation decides to deal with the descendants of refugees.
5
Again we read of the American Israeli obsession with Hezbollah when the real problem and threat to Lebanon’s security and stability has always been American foreign policy and support for Israel’s expulsion of Palestinians - something that has been a huge destabilising force. The Syrians were always a blight too.. but ironically they also acted as a stabilising force.. until the US foreign policy to aid the rebels and look on as Syria disintegrated. In its support for Assad, Hezbollah has actually acted as a potential stabilising force ... but one which runs against Israel’s interests. And so, back to my first point.
48
You are the second person in recent weeks to comment here about Hezbollah as a “stabilizing force.” I monitor the comments about the Middle East region closely, and I am detecting the emergence of a pattern in the aftermath of Iran’s recent aggression against Saudi oil fields and foreign owned oil tankers.
6
@Jacques
There is no expulsion of Palestinians from Israel. They got crushed in Syria ( Yarmouk Camp), the EU asked Abbas to take them in, and Abbas reply was this; " The right of return only applies to Israel, not the West Bank."
A people that doesn't care for its own has little hope.
11
Mr. Cohen article although informative, don’t consider it encompassing of the real issues. Lebanon has always been a fragile state with unfortunately too many foreign powers exerting influence and driving a wedge across the religious tapestry of the country. I had my fair share of witnessing the civil war when it broke out in 1975 until I left the country in 1985 to pursue higher education. I salute the Lebanese people as they unite under a common purpose to bring about a change of the current state of affairs. However, I fear that the longer the standoff lasts, the more volatile the situation may become. If anything is to be learned from the wars that plagued Lebanon, uniting around a common goal, a national agenda that is blind to religious sects, allegiance to foreign powers, and tribal lordship is the only way to bring about a lasting change. I pray for the Lebanese people keep that in mind and don’t revert to the old ways, otherwise all is lost. Keeping my finger crossed but I’m not naive either.
23
I went to school in Lebanon in the 70's, best years of my life. We had to depart quickly when the civil war broke out. Every man woman and child had a gun. Score settling happened every day. Lebanon, sadly is a failed state, for many reasons. Born at Last? Lebanon was still born by the allies!
4
In the end, I am not very knowledable about Lebanon and its true history and interwoven cultures. I know only a few things -- it is true that trash collection is a problem in its capital city.
And I do know that it has been largely abandoned by the international community due to the controlling presence of Hezbellah.
I don't see much hope here for now.
8
@Mark -- As to the international community, there are two Lebanons. The West in quite actively involved in northern Lebanon. The US equips its Army, and the Saudis subsidize it.
Iran is quite actively involved in southern Lebanon, supporting Hezbollah.
The dividing line runs through the capital city, at about the line of the very long Israeli occupation of Lebanon (22 years total) that is entirely forgotten here but very much remembered there.
12
@Mark Thomason
Saudi pulled its entire support of Lebanon a while back. They saw the futility of supporting Hezbellah. I agree on the dividing line though. But it isn't about Israel --the usual scapegoat. Its about a terrorist organization emeshed in what used to be a national government, and a collapsing economy. As mentioned, trash collection can't even be organized in its capital city, and I have been following that single issue for years. Hezbellah blew it when they marched off to Syria and started eliminating other Muslims in droves and brought back Lebanon's sons in body bags. No validity whatsoever among the Lebanon citizenry anymore. Just an occupier.
3
From the article:
"Hezbollah fought to save Bashar al-Assad in Syria."
No, Mr. Cohen, Hizbollah fought in Syria to keep US funded and armed Salafist terrorists like HTS out of Lebanon where they would not only have attacked the Shia but also various Christian sects, the Druse and non observant Sunnis.
18
@John Taylor
No, Hezbollah fought because Iran told them to.
3
Beirut is not Lebanon. Tripoli is not reflected by Beirut. Neither are Tyre and Sidon.
Cohen presents a simplistic view. The multiple sects and ethnic groups that make up Lebanon is not new—Syria and Iraq have similar compositions. The imperial powers that made the modern Middle East a 100 years ago did so from their perspective and not the locals.
With religious, ethnic, regional and tribal divisions, such states as Lebanon, Iraq and Syria struggled to establish a sense of nationhood. One of the early issues for Lebanon was whether it was an Arabic nation. Compromises were reached to dole out power so as to take into account the major players. Historically, Shiites have felt slighted for lack of economic and political power.
As shown from Beirut to Damascus to Baghdad, this sense of being a country is fragile and easily splintered.
Democracy—one man one vote. Simple? When was the last accurate census of Lebanon? Who will vote? Residents of Lebanon? What of those who have migrated and live elsewhere? If, as some suspect, that the Shiites do have a plurality, would they be acceptable to radicalized Islamists of Tripoli?
Whatever road Lebanon does take, it is imperative that we not act like imperial England or France. Our interventions in Iraq and Syria have not resulted in stability. The vision for Lebanon’s future is in their hands to determine. Manipulation on our part will not chart the difficult terrain that lies ahead.
41
my understanding of Lebanon is it has hundreds of years of being ruled by outsiders seen as oppressor, including maybe the Ottomans and the French – making the locals fractious – plus a multiplicity of religions – apparently time-sharing power in their current presidency arrangements
being the original Phoenician traders, they tend to be great business people meaning they are outspoken about what they want, and will quickly tell you what they don't like
so loud and exciteable - friendly in good times, angry in bad times -
hmmm - think it's time to plan another trip to my favourite Lebanese restaurant for a mixed grill - chicken shish tawouk, charcoal grilled lamb, kibbe, baba ghanouj, fresh tasty flatbread (must be baked this morning or it tastes like cardboard)
as a child I grew up in a small country town - a lady moved in next door - my father was a doctor and treated his neighbour for free - in gratitude she cooked delicious food and handed it over the side fence - we'd never seen anything like it - dolmades (I don't know the lebanese word), kibbe, lady fingers, baclava - amazingly delicious
I didn't know this as a child - only found out on a recent family history trip back to my childhood town - she was the daughter of the last King of Lebanon !
I since googled - post-WWII conflict in Lebanon around 1947 - he was being overthrown - anyhoo she apparently eloped for love - to the other side of the planet - and she turned up next door to me.
13
@Frank Our famous grape leaves are Warek Areesh, Wanna Abbidd. Suhtain..
Re: M Bayes’ comment, practically no land has taken in more refugees than Lebanon. Lebanon has a population somewhat more than half the size of Jordan’s, and Lebanon has taken 1.5 million refugees. For every 4 Lebanese, 1 refugee. Also, Jordan’s maintaining stability cannot be compared to Lebanon; almost the entire population of Jordan is Sunni Muslim. Lebanon’s population is approaching being divided into thirds....between Christian and Sunni and Shi’a.
19
@Bintou -- Turkey took in twice as many refugees, but then again it is vastly bigger.
Jordan took in about as many, 1.4 million on a population of 10 million. They also had more US help on the border, running camps that are also offensive bases for the insurgency.
Lebanon's burden is not unique, even though it is relatively the biggest.
The damage to the whole region is not much realized in the US, which tends to focus on how many refugees leak though Turkey all the way to Europe (a lot less than in any one of these three).
We should not forget Iraq. A large number of Iraqis were refugees in Syria, sheltering under Assad from the craziness of the US War on Terror in Iraq. They've been forced to go back to the maw of that war, and a quarter million of their former Syrian hosts have fled with them back into the Iraq fighting.
7
I was in Lebanon on a tour this past week when the protests burst out. Virtually all roads in the country were blocked by the protesters. The staff at our hotel in the Hamra neighborhood in Beirut said the protesters wanted revolution and weren’t going to quit until there was regime change. The mood was festive. We saw no attempt by the government to interfere with the protests for the first two days. We were told that the government wanted to avoid bloodshed. There was no visible Army presence. We managed to get to Syria on the third day (we were the first American tour group to be admitted to Syria on tourist visas since 2011). On the way to Syria, roadblocks by protesters were almost everywhere. Three days later, on our return to Beirut, we encountered many roadblocks, but this time we saw lots of Army personnel face-to-face with the protesters. The Army was slowly removing the roadblocks and keeping things peaceful. Back in Beirut, our hotel was functioning normally, as were neighborhood restaurants, and we had no problem getting to the airport or flying out.
Tourism had been one of the bright spots in the Lebanese economy. It is dead now, and will be for the foreseeable future. Lebanon has been desperate for foreign investment, and now its prospects in that regard are nil. I see the situation as ultimately, and tragically, devolving into chaos, with precious lives and archeological treasures lost in the process.
13
@ALB -- "this time we saw lots of Army personnel face-to-face with the protesters. The Army was slowly removing the roadblocks and keeping things peaceful."
The Lebanese Army has only one real skill, and that is to defuse a civil war when everything teeters again. They've had a lot of experience doing that.
2
@Mark Thomason
God bless the Lebanese Army. Insofar as the Lebanese Army is "free" of any religious associations perhaps it should take over the government. Separation of church and state seems to be necessary for the common good in any nation. It's always a mistake for God and Caesar to mess in each other's business.
1
@Cristino Xirau -- The Lebanese Army is not "free" of any religious associations. It is the Sunni part of the country, which is why the US arms it and the Saudis pay for it.
However, after years of civil war, much of the major armed forces have learned how to step back.
Hezbollah too is careful, as are the larger Druze militia.
there is a decent country in the middle east - jordan / king abdullah should be given recognition for that / his country has absorbed the influx of 1.4 million Syrian refugees and still maintained its stability / the king promotes interfaith dialogue and a moderate understanding of Islam / he's respected in the region and internationally / they deserve our support and would serve as a good model for other islamic countries to get it together
53
@r bayes Jordan is 93% Sunni Muslim, not fractured along sectarian lines like Lebanon, which is roughly 30% each of Shia, Sunni, and Christian.
This division is the cause of many of Lebanon's problems, for one tiny example, it took 9 months for a budget to be passed.
You can see the start of the effects of a lack of unity in the States. Imagine that division continuing for decades, after a 15 year civil war from which the country has never really healed.
5
Yes and Jordan is led by a king. So is Morocco, another stable, developing kingdom. In Middle Eastern nations with multiple, sharply divided religious minorities and majorities, kings provide leadership to all their subjects, regardless of the subject’s ethnicity or religion. The kings own legitimacy rests on their bloodline not their own religious affiliation. This legitimacy, their moral authority and dignity has acted a glue in holding their societies together.
3
@r bayes Agree with you completely! I worked in Jordan for about one year in 1976. I worked alongside both Lebanese and Palestinian refugees. King Abdullah's father King Hussein set the path for some form of cooperation with Israel while maintaining peaceful relationships with Jordan's far more unsettled neighbors. At the same time, Jordan must somehow deal with radical Islam factions within it's own country, elements that have historically tried to assassinate the king and his family. I believe the Jordanians are making serious, but slow efforts, despite the obstacles. They remain my best hope for some form of democracy in an Arab country.
2
Mr. Cohen’s article suggests that the proponents of this popular revolution are young, that they did not taste the wreckage of the Lebanese civil war which ended in 1991, and that their actions tempt the commencement of a second one. From what I have seen, this is a revolution that cuts straight through generational divides (as well as religious ones, as noted in the article). The life of each person demonstrating, be it on the Lebanese streets or those abroad (as many Lebanese in the diaspora are protesting in solidarity with their compatriots), have been fundamentally shaped by this civil war and to suggest otherwise is silly.
Further, Mr. Cohen suggests that Lebanon’s cultural divisions makes this revolution even more likely to fail than the preceding ones, in other countries, that have already come up short. Yet this ignores other traits the Lebanese posses, extraordinary resilience and a highly educated population at home and abroad, rich in potential new leadership. And one that has seen time and again that divisions amongst the people benefit only foreign powers and the corrupt ruling class they are revolting against.
Mr. Cohen is correct that we do not know the fate of this revolution, but there is no reason to cast doubts on it based on such a narrow understanding.
28
A fictionalized account of how bad Lebanon once was during its epoch of sectarian-deriven civil war can be seen through the French Canadian film "Incendies," directed by Denis Villeneuve. This is not meant to suggest that the current situation is tolerable by comparison, but that things can again get much worse, and will, if the leadership fails to emerge to put the country on a constructive footing.
Sadly, Iran will continue to be a destabilizing force, and the United States has squandered all capacity to help, in Lebanon or in any other global location. It no longer possesses the wit for conflict resolution, nor the trust to broker among quarrelling interests.
13
I’ve noticed an uptick of political regimes becoming caricatures of 1980s Nighttime Soap Operas, i.e. Dallas, Dynasty, etc..
I’ll just save time and blame Trump.
3
@Phyliss Dalmatian -- Don't imagine there was ever a time when those regimes were anything else.
If there is any difference, it is in the way the West used to enjoy that, such as King Farouk in Egypt, and King Idris in Libya, and the Shah of Iran on his gold bejeweled Peacock Throne. There was also Marcos in the Philippines, Chiang Kai-shek in Taiwan, and many more.
2