Hezbellah supporters are already engaged in violense against the Lebanese protesters in Beirut.
In any case, tribes and clans do not a nation make. Out of the 22 faailed states across the world, a glaring number are Muslim and or Arab. In my opinion, it is NOT a religious issue, but one of tribes and clan as completely inconsistent with understanding or being ready for democracy.
41
@Chris
"A failed state is a political body that has disintegrated to a point where basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government no longer function properly"
"A predatory and corrupt government is one major reason. Other reasons include civil wars, genocide, and ethnic violence"
Lebanon meets the various definitions. There are lists of failed states depending on where one looks. The majority are Muslim or Arab states. The issue is not American democracy, although a stable democracy does preclude being a failed state.
When various leading entities in a given country ( governmental or otherwise) resort to statements of belligerencies as their modus operandi, the potential of a failed state goes up dramatically or has occurred. A successful civilization..in the end....is founded on....civility after all.
3
@Mark
Lebanon is not a failed state; indeed, it is one of the more stable states in the region, although that it not saying much.
'Failed state' isn't even a defined term, and I have no idea where the number twenty-two came from, but I'd imagine that Muslim states do not actually make up a disproportionate amount of seriously unstable regions. Consider North Korea, much of central Africa, Venezuela, etc. Alternative authority structures certainly don't help with central government legitimacy, but nor does being the playground for neo-colonial superpowers, which is also a recurring theme.
Being 'ready for democracy' is the most glibly patronising truism of American foreign policy. It sounds like an echo of 19th-century race hierarchy politics, and it victim-blames normal people for the face that violently authoritarian governments are either propped up by the US (like Saudi Arabia and Egypt), or supported by the US's adversaries to counter US-supported dictators (Syria, Hezbollah).
Obviously Lebanese people understand democracy, and given that people are protesting in the street for democratic reforms, it seems like they would quite like more of it.
9
@Chris Certain people and cultures are not ready for democracy and have not advanced to such a stage. Iran, my ancestral homeland, is one of those countries. The best that any Middle Eastern country other than Israel can aspire to is having a benevolent dictator like Sisi in Egypt who respects and protects the Copts and other minorities. Islamic democracy results in the election of the Muslim Brotherhood and persecution which adherents to those beliefs follow zealously.
6
When the phrase "Arab Spring", supposedly celebrating the arrival of democracy to the Arab nations, was first expressed, I literally -- not figuratively -- laughed aloud.
These are folk that have lived in tribal cultures, often under religious law, for millennia. The idea that they would suddenly understand the nature and, in particular, the responsibilities of self government, that they would organize en mass and rise up against their oppressors -- most often, also their religious leaders, is -- for want of a better word -- ludicrous.
Kemal Atatürk established modern Turkey as a secular state, with equal rights for all including women, in spite of the population being upwards of 90% Muslim, and was praised for his accomplishment. That achievement was negated in one election, that of Erdogan, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
"Arab Spring" was invented by western columnists. It has not occurred, and will never come to pass.
9
"The deeply troubling story here is the region’s weak support for modern democracy beyond the promise of majority rule and social justice. Only weeks after the overthrow of the dictators, the creative artistic energy, progressive principles and forward-looking cultural ethos that animated young men and women in Tunis, Cairo and Sanaa were already forgotten.
Almost in all countries, the political process culminated in power jockeying among the same political contenders: kings with medieval divine rights, new military-backed strongmen, senior state technocrats and profoundly retrograde Islamist leaders.
In hindsight, the democratic ideals of the Arab Spring never stood a chance. Apart from a narrow circle of activists, demands for civil rights, individual liberties and fundamental freedoms didn’t have a popular base, and none of the major political actors felt compelled to embrace them."
6
Cohen's analysis shares some of the broad strokes of optimism that accompanied 2011. These developments show promise, but on NPR people sounded reasonably afraid of what comes next.
3
To ignore members of the 'Arab Spring' is Europe's mortal sin. Instead of teaming up with those individuals, Europe's leaders choose to continue corrupting the powerful in Near East and North Africa. Cheap day-to-day politics keeps them on that fatal track. However, the course of events will prove them wrong as the current fiasco in Near East showcases. Shame on them!
The consequences of removing secular and Sunni ruled Iraq from the playing board of the Middle East will be felt for generations.
The tooth paste is out of the tube and no one is going to put it back.
It will be interesting to see what the foreign policy of the US will be when Trump is gone. I cannot foresee any specific measures that can overcome tribal and religious divisions that have existed for centuries and the simple fact that Islam is not friendly to the concept of man made laws vs the Koran.
It is going to be up to the people who live in those countries to make the changes. We can and should encourage and support but from the sidelines.
1
I'd wish Lebanese low and middle class citizens good luck, but luck has nothing to do with what they've achieved, want to achieve, and what will come of their sacrifices. That's always about vigilance, labor and self sacrifice and will be forever.
We can learn from history that Democracy is easy to visualize, but difficult to achieve. The central agent in the failure to realize Democracy is the individual. We're susceptible to ideological seduction.
804 years have passed since English Aristocracy forced King John to sign the Magna Carta and ideal Democracy still doesn't exist in Western nations. The U.S. has been at it since 1776 and alternates between Plutocracy and a weak Republic.
We establish Presidencies, Congresses, and Courts that deceive citizens about the nature of the candidates they vote for, but it's invalid ideas that control us, not government. We say government is limited by constitution, and naively and ideally to assert that the people are in charge. But in the U.S. very little sleuthing reveals that powerful entities and individuals control government.
Every Lebanese citizen has that to contend with: our tendency as individuals to fall prey not only to our own faults and self deceptions, but unquestioning deference to those of others.
Without continued self sacrifice it won't be any more difficult for Lebanon to produce a new Hariri than it was to end up with the departing one. They're a dime a dozen as Trump in the U.S. demonstrates.
You nailed it, as usual. I'm one of those Lebanese who, sadly, had little choice but to leave the country and not look back.
People everywhere are fed up with inept and corrupt governments and rulers whose sole aim is to stay in power.
39
As usual, Mr. Cohen has picked up the easy target: Iran. It appears that just mentioning the word Iran obviates the need to go into details regarding other countries' roles in Lebanon.
For heaven's sake, Mr. Cohen, it was just two years ago when Saudi Arabia ordered (sic!) the prime minister of Lebanon to fly to Riyadh, imprisoned him, possibly tortured him, forced him to go on TV and resign (Please see the American Thinker article: "Lebanese sources now say former PM Hariri being 'forcibly detained' in Saudi Arabia," by Rick Moran, Nov. 11, 2017). If that is not the raw power that rules that country, please let us know what it is.
And Mr. Cohen has obviously forgotten Israel's role in Lebanon. Or may be he does not see any need to mention massacre of Palestinians in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, leveling much of Beirut by Israeli artillery and tanks, taking over Lebanon's land by creating "buffer zones" and frequent border encroachments.
The fact is Hezbollah came to existence as a response to Israeli's invasion of Southern Lebanon. If Israelis did not invad Lebanon, there would be no Hezbollah today.
And, of course, the Iranians were eager to train Hezbollah fighters. They wanted to have the option of getting back at Israel, if it decides to attack them. That is what any country does when facing constant threats from another country that is armed to the teeth and happens to possess nuclear weapons. Like Israel, Iran has also the right to defend itself.
4
The Arab Middle East is a product of the chaotic nation states created by the British and French Empires immediately after WWI. These states were created to address the imperial interests of these European powers, and gave no consideration to the history, cultures, religions, and needs of the indigenous peoples. It will take a lot of pain to resolve the mess created by European Imperialism, since there is no tradition of representative democracy to fall back on. Any “Arab Spring” will be a long, painful process. The sooner it begins, and asserts the demand that power rests with the people, and not with dictators or terrorist proxies, the more likely that future generations of Arabs will have the potential for a decent quality of life, which they, themselves, control.
10
@Stu Imperialism and colonialism has become the de facto method of explaining the dysfunction of every non-western country on the face of the planet. It is, in the parlance of our times, weak sauce. It's just not that simple. What's going on in the middle east is so complicated and complex that is difficult to absorb. Thousands upon thousands of years of cultural, ethnic, religious, and tribal forces are at work. To pretend like, but for western colonialism, everything in middle east would be fine is intellectually vapid. Not only is it intellectually vapid, but it's an impediment to a solution. If colonialism/imperialism is the root and sole cause of the problem, there can be no solution because the die has been cast. I don't see many people clamoring to have the borders of their region redrawn. The middle east is grappling with a paralyzing Sunni-Shia rift that threatens to consume it, corruption, and authoritarian rule. Lebanon, in my estimation, is the closest of all the countries in the Arab middle east to getting it figured out. If democracy can work there, it can work anywhere.
18
@Spiral Architect The Middle East has no history of sovereign nation states, only of repressive empires, the most recent of which was the Ottomans from the 16th century until WWI. Even under Ottoman rule, what we now call the Middle East was just a conglomeration of independent tribes who paid bounty and pledged allegiance to their Ottoman masters. The Europeans simply further muddied the waters, for their own benefit, and made an archaic society more divisive by randomly throwing together tribes, religious sects, and ethnicities that hated each other. The Middle East is presently what France and Britain created. That will have to be the starting point for modern, representative governments to be created, perhaps with further chaos like the Balkans experienced most recently.
7
@Spiral Architect
Of course your central point is a valid one. Colonisation has been an important influence but as you indicate, it is a mistake to see it as 'the root and sole cause'. The turmoil in the Middle East has many roots spreading out into all of the surrounding countries and complicated by the fact that it has become the battleground for competing regional powers using various proxy armies.
5
I doubt the toppling of the government in Lebanon will lead to another true Arab String, particularly with ruthless and heavily Hezbollah very much in the picture. Unfortunately, the resignation of Prime Minister Hariri likely will end up just being another Arab Fall.
13
What another "true Arab spring"? While some pockets of cosmopolitan, intellectual life exist in some Arab countries, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find springtime.
When at various times Muslims murdered, harassed, and expelled their Christian and Jewish compatriots, their lost any chance they ever had for a fair, educated democracy.
20
Mr. Cohen is correct, there is a movement for freedom among the young people of the Middle East. Lebanon is but one example where a combination of an oppressive and corrupt present coupled with a hopeless future have led the masses to say "enough is enough."
Will the United States respond to this drive for freedom by helping to build democratic institutions? Will we support this movement with aid for education, cultural exchanges and a condemnation of Lebanon's corrupt neighbors?
The answer is a resounding 'no'. The US likes elections because they can always be manipulated. But historically we abhor popular democratic movements precisely because they cannot be controlled.
When the Arab spring erupted we watched in trepidation as it drove the thoroughly corrupt Hasni Mubarak out of office. We bided our time until an equally corrupt General Sissi took over and returned Egypt to its status quo as subordinate player to US interests.
This is a tragedy not only for the region but for the American people as well. We do not support dictators. We do not want more military bases when we could be building schools and hospitals.
We see in the Arab spring and the Palestinian resistance the same quest for freedom that we sought for ourselves. Unfortunately that is not the vision of our political class.
The people of Lebanon are not the only ones who have corrupt leaders who refuse to listen to the needs of their people. That trait is alive and well right her at home.
23
@Raz The US changed its support for popular democratic movements in the early 1950s when John Foster Dulles and Wall Street took over foreign policy and unleashed his brother Allen's dirty tricks on the world. American policy changed from supporting democracy to supporting corporate neo-imperialism.
"The United States doesn't have friends. It has interests." - John Foster Dulles (Of course, the old Sullivan&Cromwell partner and Rockefeller chum meant plutocratic interests.)
7
@Drspock Trump is a corrupt leader. No argument there, but he is not responsible for what ails the Arab world. One reason for impeaching Trump and removing him for office will be for liberals to forgo their blaming of all the world's problems on Trump.
4
@Drspock
We helped rebuild two of our greatest foes, Japan and Germany, into powerful democracies.
We don't "abhor popular democratic movements", we help create them...they don't all work.
14
Cohen mentions corruption. It fails in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, but not in Saudi Arabia or Qatar?
He writes about Lebanese wanting to be a nation, but singles out Hezbollah because of its ties with Iran. Hezbollah is made up of Lebanese Shiites. Its very existence came in part because the Lebanese Shiites were left out of economic and political power by the old guard. Suppressing Hezbollah would be seen as the continuation of Shiite marginalization.
And as for Iraq, who championed the Iraqi Shiites to rise up against Saddam? Wasn’t the argument that since the Shiites were a majority of Iraqis, democracy of one man one vote would result in a Shiite government?
Who exploited the loss of Sunni power in Iraq? What resulted from this discontentment?
And if democracy is our standard, what about Saudi Arabia’s help to Bahrain to suppress the majority Shiite population? Or even Saudi’s suppression of majority Shiite populace along its own Gulf coast?
Rather than manufacturing a Lebanese narrative that is palatable to us, we should keep our hands off trying to influence outcomes. If this Beirut centered transformation succeeds in encompassing the nation, it will be more meaningful without the taint of our interference.
25
@doughboy
Saudi Arabia has traditionaly functioned as a ruling family working with local tribes and clans successfully. Only recently has that changed. But that formula does work, and better a family than a single person ( Marshall Tito/ and Quaddafi for instance).
Qatar is a very unusual country. In many ways, I would describe them as "progressive" but cautious and traditional at the same time.
1
@doughboy
You have hit the nail on the head. But one more point: Hizb Allah emerged in response to the brutal aggression and invasion of Lebanon in 1982 - by our great "strategic asset" and with US arms.
1
@doughboy How about the USA?
Amazing that Lebanon is still a country. That being said, Hezbollah is a cancer that must be removed for Lebanon to have a chance to move ahead.
2
Use every opportunity to demonize Iran. Demonize any organization and any person that resists or criticises the immoral and illegal policies and actions of Israel.
This is classic Cohen.
2
There’s no objective evidence that Iran is involved In Lebanon? They’re good actors respecting embassies? Imagine Cohen’s nerve to call Iran on their claimed desire to destroy Israel? That’s no big deal. Classified, non?
1
Hariri is a spoiled rotten "kid" who, along with others, pay millions for beautiful models to cavort with them in expensive resorts across the world, paid for by Lebanese taxpayers. Of course the young are disgusted. And the stranglehold by Hezbollah, which will only lead to utter ruins.
1
“Aish, Horreya, Adala Egtema’eya” (“Bread, Freedom, Social Justice”)
2
Good riddance. Watched Said in Paris during Chirac funeral looking vulnerable. But if you can buy a woman for USD 16 million, but can't pay the sanitation workers to clean Beirut's trash you deserve to go. As my friend Mona El Thahawi said, it's time for Arab spring 2.0 with women at the vanguard!
2
The drum of Hezbollah has a boring beat, the writer should find another rhythm; one with a little relevance. The U.S. bombs and fights as it wills in Syria. Israel bombs at will wherever it wills. And steals land. Russia steals and kills. Turkey steals and kills. Now tell us what Hezbollah has actually done. Hezbollah is a distraction from the real action and Mr Cohen is the slight of hand artist distracting our eyes from the real dangers. Stop with the crocodile tears for Lebanon and stop with the shill for Israel.
3
Young people of Lebanon and Hong Kong take heed!
Look how the "Arab Spring" in Damascus instigated civil wars that have destroyed Syria! Look how the "Arab Spring" in Cairo provoked military suppression in Egypt!
Disorder in the streets presages authoritarian crack-down and prolonged oppression, not freedom and democracy. Freedom is built from the bottom up, not dispensed from the top down by governments and mobs! People who will not associate freely in day-to-day life cannot aspire to just and responsive government.
Work to break down social divisions by freely associating with young people inside and outside your own clan! Use the commonality in religious practices to unify, rather than allow the differences to divide! Recognize, reject, and ridicule the petty religious prejudices that arose from meaningless theological disputes of hundreds of years ago.
Day to day demonstrations of tolerance and respect, not protests and riots in the streets, will create the conditions for national unity and a just government. Be patient! Let progress, not provocation, be your goal!
2
Roger Cohen seems to suggest that the popular uprising in Lebanon is a uniquely Arab phenomenon. He writes:
- “A millennial generation is sick of nepotism, frozen political systems and waste.”
- “[People] … want to elect a decent government that respects them.”
- “[People] … want to free themselves, establish accountable governments, secure the rule of law, live with dignity and enjoy economic opportunity.”
Are not these the kind of issues that drive the majority of the electorate here in America?
People are revolting against an economic system, in the form of corporate capitalism, that intensifies inequality, limits opportunities, sustains corruption, and threatens democracy.
There is little difference in motivation, aspiration, or even tactics among the demonstrators in Beirut, the gilets jaunes in Paris and the masses on the streets in Santiago.
1
Mr. Cohen jumps from Lebanese demonstrations to the Arab Spring to Iranian overreach to Sunni-Shiite conflict to the US invasion of Iraq to anti-government demonstrations in Iraq to his meeting with a Druze big shot to the Lebanese civil war and so on and so forth. He had me at hello.
The first step for all Arab societies to begin healing themselves is to stop blaming Israel for their own failures. Israel encompasses less than 1% of the land in the middle east, the rest is ruled by corrupt Arab regimes. Time to move on and accept the fact that 'only' 99+% of the land will be Arab ruled. Next they need to get their religious leaders under control and send them back to the mosque. Next they need to treat their women equally. Only societies who treat their women with respect can progress. With their embrace of honor killing and the burqua, Arab societies will never progress. Start there and the Arab world can become advanced societies. Otherwise the Syrian model is what will happen to all of them.
4
Since the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, has the Middle East ever been able to solidify into workable countries, or even nations, or nation-states. Colonized by Europe, now by tribes and new political factions from Hezbollah to ISIS to the forever Sunni/Shia split, turmoil reigns. Oh, and then there's Israel. We've won no allies recently, meaning since the Iraq war, the intrusion into Afghanistan (not the ME, but still)and Cohen leaves his column with the question "why not?"
An additional fact that is not mentioned:
Hezbollah has over 100,000 missiles and rockets aimed at Israel.
Re-read the sentence above a few times.
Recall, Hezbollah is a non-state militia allied with Iran. It’s missiles are intended as a deterrent to prevent Israeli action against Iran, as well as bolstering Hezbollah’s power within Lebanon. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization.
As the article implies, all roads lead to Iran.
Continued economic and defensive pressure on Iran is critical to counter their aggression across the Middle East. The ultimate goal is an Iran that acts like a normal country.
9
The one 'Arab Spring' uprising that did succeed in bringing about change to some extent, in Tunisia does not bode well for the people of Lebanon and Iraq who so fervently wish to throw off the old corrupt systems that have dominated their lives for generations.
Not much has really changed in Tunisia. As in a theater the scenery has changed for a new act but it is the same actors on stage in different costumes. In Algeria the people demand a complete sweep out of the old regime and all who are associated with it. Maybe they have the right idea.
3
How quick we are to label forces, although strange that Iran is consistently the "bad" guy and Saudi Arabia the "good" guy. It appears too easy but the reality in the Middle East is too many are being left behind. That said, how is that different the trump's America?
4
Yes, Lebanon seems to be having another outbreak of Arab Spring, and the government fell.
No, that is not "against Iran's role." Just the opposite.
The government that fell is the Western backed government of Northern Lebanon that has been fighting Iran in Syria and serving Saudi interests. The PM even went to Saudi Arabia when called, and resigned while there when the Saudis told him to do so. He found a way to crawl back, but the overwhelming Saudi power over his faction was clear.
Iran is in Southern Lebanon. There is no uprising against it. There is some criticism, and that has been addressed without violence. The largest issue is that Iran has cut back payments to Hezbollah now that the fighting in Syria is tapering off, and so Hezbollah has less money, creating some tensions. That is not an uprising against Iran, but tension among those it is pulling back from funding.
There is a strong Israeli interest in conflating Lebanon with Hezbollah, and Hezbollah with Iran. That is not true, and never has been. The NYT often runs stories pushing that narrative, and it is just incorrect.
14
So Hezbollah is not in Lebanon and not tied to Iran and what precisely is Israel’s interest in encouraging the conflict? Are you saying that Iran is not a threat to Israel? Just asking.
4
@Mark Thomason
I was with you all the way until your final paragraph where you indirectly state that there is no linkage between Iran and Hezbollah.
It is universally accepted that Hezbollah is an Iranian ally at minimum, and quite likely a proxy. After all, it has been confirmed that Hezbollah’s weaponry is of Iranian provenance, Hezbollah’s stated purpose, like Iran’s, is to destroy Israel, and there are confirmed Iranian Revolutionary Guardsmen “advisors” helping Hezbollah in Lebanon.
4
@Mark Thomason
At long last someone who knows what he is talking about. Thank you.
1
There is a disparaging joke about the Middle East that goes like this:
Question: Who's side are you on?
Answer: How much are you going to pay me?
This is the kind of corruption the young aren't going to put up with. The older folks have lived with it and just accept it as just being the way things are.
The corruption has long since been cloaked with religion, sectarianism, and with nationalism. But it's still corruption.
We are seeing this playout here in the US, although to a lesser extent. The difference is we still have our institutions of government to protect us. Lebanon does not.
But our institutions are what are under attack by the Trump regime. Just as in Lebanon, they are being attacked under the guise of religion, sectarianism (or race) and nationalism.
So when government officials lie constantly about everything, attack those that uphold the law, blatantly ignore the law, fill government positions with nepotism and cronyism instead of merit, abuse power for personal gain, the end result is Lebanon. That's where we are headed.
4
1848. Protests and Revolution across Europe.
Problems solved: none.
Problems created: Imperial France, Imperial Germany. Franco-Prussian war and the table laid for WW1.
Yeah, bring it on.
5
The phrase "Arab Spring" should be retired.
It suggests change and renewal. Which will not come.
4
@Maurice Gatien: soon to follow on a TV set near you, the Winter of Arab Discontent. The Middle East has for too long been a pawn to foreign powers, from the armies of the Prophet to the US, Turkey and Russia. The Treaty of Versailles didn’t help either. I hope these poor people eventually find some level of independence and self-determination, but I am afraid we are a long way from it. Sigh ...
Hezbollah is the problem. They demilitarize and there is hope. But there is no hope they will demilitarize.
12
Good luck to the Lebanese. They deserve better.
5
I oppose, as a matter of principle, the Arab Spring. I opposed it under Obama and I oppose it now. It did nothing but destabilize the Middle East and North Africa. It led to the war in Syria and look at the country now. If it wasn't for Assad, a blessed by strength, Syria would not exist at all; he has held what is left of it together. Just I support President Trump, I support Assad. Thank you.
4
I believe you are being ironic, and I love it! If not, it’s just funny.
2
@Southern Boy
"Blessed in strength" translates to self serving and corrupt, just like your beloved Trump. Anyone who opposes the Arab Spring fears freedom.
Any analysis of current political trends anywhere in the world that fails to include the impact of the looming crisis of climate change lacks plausibility. Beyond any differences over religion or culture, the key issue everywhere will center on how to distribute increasingly scarce resources.
Some countries will fare better than others, but not even the richest nations will escape agonizing decisions about how to provide the necessities of life for its population. Devotion to individual freedom rests on a foundation of abundant resources, a luxury that few if any governments will enjoy by the end of the current century. If we fail to abandon our collective folly, the turmoil in the Middle East will serve as a harbinger of the future of humanity.
The aspirations of the people of Lebanon deserve respect, but forces beyond their control will determine if those goals have any hope of fulfillment.
2
@James Lee
You are like a person on a deserted island, lacking water, electricity, and food, and is grumbling that there is no Heinz ketchup.
While climate change is a real issue, it is not going to materially change the lives of the Lebanese within the next, say, 6 months, or maybe a year, or maybe 5 years.
The Lebanese people have more immediate needs, like basic safety of not getting shot, and of getting food on the table on a daily basis.
An all-encompassing focus on climate change as *the* single biggest, and most immediate, threat to everyone in the world is the single biggest reason why it gets dismissed so easily.
7
The phrase "Arab Spring" should be banned from any serious analysis of events in the Middle East . With the exception of Tunisia, where it all began, the so-called Arab Spring resulted only in more mayhem, more human rights abuses, worse dictatorships and more regional dysfunction .
To assume that anything different will emerge from the current events in Lebanon , this unfortunate ersatz country squeezed between Syria and Israel, is the apex of either ignorance - which can be excluded given Mr. Cohen's intelligence and experience - or of abysmal wishful thinking .
The Lebanese throngs are united by what they want (justifiably, perhaps) to remove . But what will they put in its place ? Does anyone think that Christians and Muslims of all stripes, Druzes and other groupuscules will ever coalesce to create anything which could be remotely considered stable ?
9
@pgd Whole-heartedly agree that that phrase should be expunged from discussion of the Middle East.
I think there is a chance that the younger generation is smart enough to realize these religious divides are only keeping the country from reaching its potential. More & more young people, all over the world, are seeing religion for what it has always been...tribalism that creates war.
@pgd
I would be careful about moving to ban a phrase from our Western lexicon that is very much a concept and philosophy to many millions of oppressed Middle Easterners. Remember, many of their friends, family, neighbors have suffered or died as a result of trying to pursue a freer life in their countries. Banning the phrase would only dilute their vision, experiences, and dreams of a better life.
“Arab Spring” is their phrase, and they alone should determine its validity. Westerners have the memory and patience of the ephemera, as evidenced by your view that the Arab Spring is over and without effect. I suspect that to the Middle Easterners, who have lived an entire history under the control of tribal leaders, this bit of democratic oxygen will have a very different temporal value. For them, these past few years may be but bare seconds in their continuum.
I doubt that everyone protesting in Lebanon has Mr. Cohen’s views.
And notice there are large protests going on elsewhere, including in Ecuador, Chile, and Gaza and we only hear about the ones where Western pundits think they are on their side.
7
This is just the beginning...There is nothing for these people to do.
The world is already so grossly overpopulated, and it's going to get worse.
We simply have more people than we will ever need to fill the essential jobs (the rest are just make-work).
With increased automation, we will need even fewer people for work, and there will be even more poor, uneducated people with nothing to occupy their time and interest, but fighting.
12
The Youth have energy, vision, and hope. Can they create the country they want when the old guard and reactionary forces want power, too? It would be awesome if they could make it. But in neighboring Syria, peaceful protests have led to one of worst humanitarian crises ever.
6
As you point out, it is the young who fuel the protests. I think that for the older population the Moslem faith encourages acceptance of whatever evils and shortcomings exist: it is God's will and they can only accept His decrees. For the younger people---exposed to the new technology which is capable of "miraculous" actions without Divine help---religion has a weaker hold. The young find it hard to accept unfairness and corruption and the deprivation which follows. To say that all this is God's Will does not satisfy them as it might one mired in religion. They take matters into their own hands.
6
And just how successful has the Arab Spring been anywhere?
Do you think, Mr. Cohen, that those demonstrating want democracy and efficient government or just their share of the pie?
Do you think Mr. Cohen that the sectarianism that renders Lebanon asunder is lacking in those demonstrators?
But it makes no difference because Hezbollah is stronger than they are. It will always be Shiite vs Sunni, Muslim vs Christian and Druze against them all in Lebanon. Fragile coalitions are fragile.
"But the Lebanese know civil war. They want to avoid it, become one people, fulfill the open promise of beautiful Beirut and start anew."
And you believe that Mr. Cohen? They have known civil war and will know it again and it has nothing to do with their neighbor o the south.
24
Perhaps it’s time for America’s foreign policy to be changed to isolationism.
Except for beneficial trade policies the United States could concentrate on improving our economy and reducing the 22 trillion deficit.
It’s time for Europe to lose foreign aid from the United States and pay their fair share for NATO.
World War II is long over and there is no longer a need for America to spend billions to defend Europe from Russia and Putin. Europe should pay for its own defense.
The same goes for the exorbitant foreign aid to Israel which is mainly used to purchase arms from American defense contractors, thus increasing our national debt.
As an American expatriate all my income taxes goes to the United States.
II want better fiscal policy from my government in return for my retirement tax dollars. I’m unemployed and treasure all my reduced retirement pensions.
6
Interesting that you point out Israel. Look at countries we have huge balance of payments deficit which dwarf Israel. Look at the comparison between Saudi Arabia and Israel since 1973. At least from Israel it creates jobs in US.
2
I cannot tell you the hope that is on the streets. I have been closely collaborating with a woman from Beirut for the past 4 years. I have heard from her through Whatsapp and Facebook (the videos she is taking) of the protests that she is involved in. There is nothing but pride and hope in her consciousness. I cannot help but feel fear for what will happen.
8
Pretty scary if somehow in the chaos of a leaderless revolt Hezbollah takes control.
30
"Very young populations are frustrated by the lack of economic opportunity and by constant insults to their dignity in the form of governmental impunity and waste. A millennial generation is sick of nepotism, frozen political systems and waste. "
Wow! That sounds like the United States to me. Neither party has addressed the waste in our government. So instead of playing the "Pendulum-Blame-Game", meaning blaming either major party for our problems . . . perhaps we need t address the federal bureaucracy itself.
How come only 5% of private-sector employees receive guaranteed retirement pensions (Defined Retirement Benefits) while public-sector employees receive contributions for them to manage?
Is every federal government job so critical and special that their jobs couldn't be performed by the competitive private-sector?
Americans need to stand up and fight . . . in the streets if necessary . . . to level the playing field.
To public-sector employees I say, "WE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR ARE AMERICANS TOO!
3
@Enarco maybe one reason is that unions survived in the public sector but were very efficiently eliminated ,almost, in the private sector
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Will addressing “waste” in the federal government raise the standard of living for those in the private sector? Will it address the systems responsible for low income in the private sector? Or is the hope only to make sure federal employees also have a low income and feel the insecurity the rest feel?
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This is not about Hezbollah. All of them means all of them is the slogan, all the corrupt politicians. The protestors aren’t saying get rid of Hezbollah. You can’t get rid of Hezbollah just like you can’t get rid of Sunnis, Maronites, Orthodox and Druze. Just like you can’t get rid of Israel or Iran and the games they play in the region. They are saying give us prosperity. Give us proper representation. Stop polluting our country. Stop lining your own pockets. Give us a government that functions. We are not hostages of Hezbollah. If the the government doesn’t function it is a shared responsibility between the players within the sectarian system. Please stop blaming Hezbollah. It’s complicated, yes, but blaming them misses the point.
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Agree, the protest isn’t just about Hezbollah. Unfortunately, any tiny, possible path to a peaceful, democratic resolution will be destroyed by Hezbollah.
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Hezbollah knows who it’s enemy is and it’s not the protestors. They will be hard pressed to waste resources and political capital fighting peaceful citizens.
Roger,
Please explain the Israeli threat?
Lebanon attacked Israel in 1948, 1967, 1973 and 2006.
Israel would like nothing more than a quite northern border, while Nasrallah is building up a hundred thousand missiles aimed at Israeli cities, waiting for the most opportune time to launch the next attack.
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@Steven Roth
Lebanon played a minor role in the 1948 War, did not participate in the 1967 war, and also did not participate in the Yom Kippur War.
Much of the social instability in Lebanon has been caused by the fact that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were purged from their homes by Israel in the 1948 War fled to Lebanon, which was one factor in the Lebanese Civil War.
Conversely Israel has invaded Lebanon not once, but four times in the last fifty years to attack the PLO/Hezbollah: during Operation Litani in 1978, the Lebanon War in 1982, Operation Grapes of Wrath in 1996, and the 2006 Lebanon War. All of these caused significant civilian casualties: In the 1982 War, Israel laid siege to Beirut, indiscriminately killing 4-5,000 civilians, and Israeli soldiers and officers materially supported the mass murder and rape of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in the Sabra and Shatila camps in Lebanon by Phalangists, which Osama bin Laden cited as one of the main justifications for the 9/11 Attacks.
Moreover, Israel has frequently attacked Lebanese civilian infrastructure in response to Hezbollah rocket attacks even though it's illegal and Hezbollah is a paramilitary organisation and its forces are not under the control of the Lebanese state.
While I'm not excusing Hezbollah's frequent rocket attacks and raid or saying Israel shouldn't defend itself, Lebanon has every reason to view Israel as a dangerous and hostile neighbour.
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Income inequality is at the center of Lebanon’s crisis as are protests in Chile, Ecuador, Paris, Athens and many other places around the world. Boogeyman man excuses may be used to vent anger, but we know that economic constraints are central. We are in a critical point in the world. The largely unfixed causes of the 2008 Great Recession and a “special interests” driven foreign policy in the US continues to send aftershock that is not only impacting workers at home, but in the global economy as well. Essays like this one can attempt to blind the facts, but the proof is in the domestic and international malaise.
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US invasion or Iraq. Trump’s incompetency. Israel the root of all problems in the Middle East. Not to mention the West’s colonization. At some point, the people of the Arab Middle East have to take some responsibility and solve their own problems. Mr. Cohen might be inspired by the Lebanese Arab Spring. Unfortunately, things in that region end badly. The more likely result is a civil war and Hezbollah violently turning on the protestors...because that’s how terrorist organizations function.
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"Israel the root of all problems in the Middle East"? Tell that to General Gordon.
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@Alberto Abrizzi
Israel is the root of all problems in the Middle East?
You may just be the next great novelist.
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The Chinese experienced an enormous increase in real incomes as a consequence of the regime turning against communism and in favor of individual initiative, individual economic incentives, and
mass education designed for economic modernization. Religious fanaticism, mass demonstrations, and hostility toward Israel, did not and will not raise real incomes for the average person in Beirut or anywhere else.
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What a splendid time to have a very stable genius occupying the Oval Office. Also, a major shout out to the Bush/Cheney Regime, for their outstanding contributions to stability in the region. It’s professionals like this that give me hope for the future and confidence that we are safe.
2020- Vote BLUE, no matter Who.
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I hope this all works out but what I see is only happening because of the Syrian Civil War. Assad is very weak and has to focus on surviving. Once he get secure again he will take control of The Lebanon again by the same tactics of divide and conquer his family has used on them for decades.
Thanks to El Trumpo that security for Assad is now all but assured in the very near future.
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