What's Going On in Lebanon

My non-Lebanese readers may be wondering. I am not totally clear myself; I read the reports, but God knows who to trust. A demonstration can be reported in seventeen different ways. What is really happening?

The most well-known Lebanese sources in the West tend to side with the "March 14" faction, which supports the current government and is anti-Syria. Meanwhile, it's the March 8 faction that is downtown camped out at the moment. The March 14'ers claim that March 8'ers are all Iranian stooges. Hizbullah is the largest contingent in March 8, but there's also a Christian faction which some people refer to as populist: the partisans of general Michel Aoun, who wear orange. I understand there are also some Syrian Socialist Nationalist types involved. (SSNP) Maybe they are the ones who are populists. The SSNP used to be a party my family sympathized with, but that has not been true for over twenty years. When my village was sacked by "Islamic-Progressive" forces in 1985, and my grandmother killed by a mob, the SSNP leader bellowed all kinds of laudatory poison on the radio. So much for pan-Arab ideals.

My memory of Aoun is that he was one of the militia leaders in the war, and that his forces were responsible for massacres and other mayhem. My memory of the Gemayels' Phalange party is quite similar (and they are associated with the opposing, pro-government faction, March 14 - are you still with me?)

Then there's Hizbullah. I don't have a whole lot of reason to love Hizbullah, but I hear enough about them to understand that they are not simply "thugs and terrorists." Those Lebanese who dismiss them (or worse, call for their extermination - and I hear those voices, if not in public, then in private conversations) are misguided. If you really dislike what Hizbullah stands for, but you love Lebanon, then why don't you embrace the party, let it have its natural place in Lebanon? Lebanese sassiness will smooth all those sharp fundamentalist edges in half a generation.

I am sure I will offend Lebanese readers by these comments of mine. I am not a historian, I'm just trying to summarize what I think I know and where I stand in all of this. The upshot is, I am not in favor of one side or the other in this latest Lebanese conflict. I want to see Lebanon and the Lebanese work out their differences using words, and peaceful demonstrations if necessary. I want to see a country that is just and equitable and not a pseudo-Monaco benefiting a tiny elite. Severe economic disparity does not help build democracy. If you want a vibrant economy and a real democracy, you have to allow a voice to the lower and middle classes, you have to invest in public works for the lower and middle classes, you have to organize your system so that people have a real say in their government and their lives.

I am not very sympathetic to the March 14'ers either. Their blog voices are often stridently prejudiced against Shi'a Lebanese. The commentary on the current demonstration is just nasty. The March 8'ers are downtown dancing debke, smoking narghile, eating ka'ak and corn on the cob, and having a real Lebanese party. The March 14ers make fun of them for not being dressed as well as "Cedar Revolution babes."

Frankly, when in Lebanon I prefer ka'ak and mana'eesh to imported camembert, and I would much rather drink an Arabic coffee flavored with cardamom than a high-rent Starbucks latte any day. In fact, I boycott Starbucks even in the States. Lousy corporate coffee. And debke? God bless the debke. My novel has a debke club in it, a group of South Lebanon teenagers in 1974 who meet to dance debke and put on a show. Swear to God I wrote this stuff before I saw the new movie Busta.

So when it comes to whose media images I prefer, March 14 or March 8, let me tell you I prefer the "circus" and narghile of March 8.

Meanwhile, I sit here in California looking at the pictures and reading the news reports and wondering: what the hell is really going on in Lebanon?

Several Lebanese blogs offer great reporting and stories from the street in Beirut and other cities. This changes from month to month as people lose interest or leave the country. Right now I love: Anecdotes from a Banana Republic, Blogging the Middle East, and Jamal's Propaganda Site. I also love Urshalim, who comments here, but he isn't posting all that regularly. Update: don't miss the photos on Blogging Beirut.

I had been directing readers to the Lebanon blog aggregator, but it is so full of expat computer programmers blogging Kuwaiti pizza parlors and lonelyhearts blogging their romantic fantasies that I can no longer recommend it as a good source for political news. I still read it religiously, however - it is a great way to sample what is out there in blog world, and I'm always finding new voices I love. There's a gay Beiruti blogger whose writing about his sexual escapades is quite good - Lebanon's own Reinaldo Arenas. Warning! Not work safe!

These tireless bloggers should write short stories and publish them.

Meanwhile, my readers inside Lebanon - if you think I'm confused and ambivalent, you are right. I support non-violent action, so as long as the demonstrations go on peacefully, I cannot condemn them. As far as "business" goes - well, I support buying locally and promoting sustainable agriculture and indigenous business, so I have no problem with Buddha Bar losing business while the ka'ak, ice cream and mana'eesh sellers make money. Will camembert prices rise in Beirut? Then eat shankleesh and God bless your health twice (sahtain).

Comments

[rampurple]

Hi there!

In regards to the aggregator, I have considered categorizing so that if you are looking for politically related posts you can only see those, if you are looking for poems then you can see those, etc.
It is not an easy task since so far I only found a way to do so with participating wordpress blogs. Unfortunately most of the Lebanese bloggers are on blogspot.

Until then, Lebanon's Aggregator will simply be an aggregator of all the Lebanese blogs.

[Leila]

Dearest Rampurple - I did not intend to slam the aggregator at all. You are doing a great service, and I really appreciate it. Your aggregator has brought hundreds of new voices to the world.

I just mean that I don't want to point my readers to it for political info. It's dizzying to sort through all the blogs.

Categorizing would be great. Perhaps others who are better at tags and such can help us with suggestions for how to search your aggregator.

Again, thank you Rampurple for your great effort in bringing us the blogs of Lebanese at home and abroad. I think it's great, and while I do get tired of Kuwaiti Lebanese blogging their fast food lunches, I understand that the purpose of the aggregator is to publish all the voices, banal and profound alike. It's our job to sift through them.

[rampurple]

I know it wasn't a slam :)

I was just explaining. I do understand your issue and I have already considered it.

As for the Lebanese bloggers in Kuwait, I know who you are talking about and well... no comment hehehe.

I am glad you are enjoying this service. If anyone does have any suggestions I would be more than happy to receive them.

Thanks!

[janinsanfran]

A Beirut friend who I think might be, very roughly, characterized as a supporter of General Aoun, shared her perspective on the demonstrations.
http://happening-here.blogspot.com/2006/12/opposition-demonstrations-in-beirut.html

Just one more source of input for those of us far away.

[D. Mathews]

Thanks for the information on Lebanese blogs! I am hoping that the citizens of the USA will eventually take their cue from the Lebanese and begin a similar protest against aginst king george! http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/12/9/12355/9093

[Leila]

Dale - glad it helps you, and thanks for dropping by.

Jan - thank you for the link. I am ambivalent about General Aoun, as with most of the players in Lebanese politics.

[Leila]

Also, Mousa Bachir of Ur Shalim tried to post here but the spam catcher doesn't like him - anybody else having that problem? email me at leilasab a t yahoo dot com.

Mousa was ill and then became very busy, so he stopped blogging for a time. Feel better, Mousa!