Thursday, September 18, 2008

A slow unraveling of the state...

Despite all the agreement, reconciliation and dialogue day by day the security situation on the ground worsen. A shooting there, a killing here, some bombs in that neighborhood, an assassination over there, and the trends is growing.


The army, since Hezbolah attack on Beirut, has been sitting by, rarely getting involved for fear of clashing with the perpetrators and unraveling into several warring armies divided by sect. (Similar to what happened in the 1976-90 civil war)


People fearing for their lives, have either resorted to buying some weapons for self defense or resorted to the famed Lebanese tradition of nonchalance: we die when we die. Or simply immigrated to a less crazy country.


Meanwhile, everybody is waiting for the big explosion, the next war in the region. Unfortunately no one knows where it will start or between whom: Israel-Hezbollah, US-Iran, Israel-Iran, or any other possible permutations.


The summer is over, and once more we wait. We wait for a solution, a settlement that will never come and fear a crisis that is slow to erupt, living in perpetual limbo, while the state, our country, our lives slowly disintegrated around us...

3 comments :

LetAllKnowtheTruth said...

Please Lebanon, let the people talk about what direction they think your country should take. Put aside your religous fervor and use some common sense. Make it illegal to carry weapons in open without a permit. Take away all military weapons from people not affiliated by the lebanese military. Do not let other people persecute others based on religion,race, sex, ect.. Otherwise, treat others the same way you would want to be treated. Please Lebanon, grow some balls! Use your Police and Military to express your combined views and be vigilante.

Slavic Mike said...

letallknowthetruth,

If you've been following Lebanon since the 06 Israel/Hezbollah conflict you might realize that's a much tougher task than you think.

I would best describe Lebanon as being much like the US in the 50's when the Mafia was at the height of its power.

They too would've been easily shut down if the police and military stood up to them, but watch the "Godfather" and you'd see there's a lot more complications and resistance to removing them from power.

I could also draw a parallel of politics running counter to progress using the US Credit Crisis with two of the people most responsible for the market situation being Democrat Senators Dodd and Frank.

Both these men fought off every attempt at reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by Bush and the Republicans over the past eight years and now they are the very same men who blame Bush and the Republicans for causing this mess.

So Dodd and Frank would be Nasrallah causing a great deal of trouble claiming to being doing the exact opposite, but because he's so politically powerful, it makes it very hard to minimize or remove him and his supporters from Lebanon.

LetAllKnowtheTruth said...

slavic mike

I have been following the Lebanese people since 1983 when I was there. We drove through Beruit in an open truck and saw all the carnage and beiruty(ha,ha) that Lebanon was and still is. I know of the "Green Line" where the two sides fought. I know of the attrocities of the Isrealies and the Lebanese Christian Militia on the Palestinian Camps. And of the towns where the Muslims took revenge.

Your theory on the "Mafia" is lame. For the people got really tired of the shootings and the killings of others. And enforced the law on these criminals. Most of these people were placed in prison or executed.
And the two Dems are just two, not the majority. I believe as a whole we the people must be more vocal to our so called representatives. Speak up and be heard! We have a voice through the internet and our local meetings. Ask the questions that you have. Let us know the truth.