Dawla Fashla, a failed state. This is how one Lebanese citizen described his country in a recent tweet, a description which actually flatters the remains of Israel’s neighbor to the north. The Tel Aviv municipality’s decision to light up city hall in the colors of the Lebanese flag seems almost amusing in light of how meaningless this flag is today — and not just because of the terrible explosion in Beirut port which has so far claimed the lives of over 175 people.
The August 4 blast has unquestionably exacerbated the country’s crisis, but the rifts, fractures, corruption, and of course Hezbollah, were there long before. This latest tragedy demonstrates the extent to which the State of Lebanon has for all practical purposes ceased to exist.
Lebanon is currently comprised of a medley of organizations, militias, and ethnic groups struggling to survive, while the big yellow flag of Hezbollah flies above all their heads. There is no real government, certainly not the one headed by Hezbollah-affiliated Hassan Diab, which quit this week.
Yet this also held true for the previous government, headed by the Shiite organization’s rival, Saad El-Din Al-Hariri. Both merely provided a façade of government to the country which, in effect, is ruled by a guerrilla army. President Michel Aoun is in office courtesy of Hezbollah. So too are the chief of staff and all other important state officials. The Lebanese army itself is comprised mainly of Shiites, meaning that Hezbollah holds immense sway over it.
The Lebanese understand better than any foreigner that the state has fallen apart before their eyes because of a corrupt Lebanese elite, and chiefly because of Hezbollah.
And yet, the gap between this despair and a real outcry against Hezbollah remains vast. An example of this slightly ironic situation can be seen in many articles in the Lebanese media. One journalist in the (anti-Hezbollah) An-Nahar newspaper outdid himself in an article titled “The Enemy Within,” by repeatedly attacking the ruling political elite while carefully refraining from any mention of Hezbollah.
This, despite it being the organization that rules the country and runs not only its wars but also its emergency health system, the army, and every other significant institution.
No comments:
Post a Comment