Thursday, February 17, 2005
Rumblings in the Middle East
It's been an intense couple of weeks in the Middle East. When is it not? To make the mood even more sensitive, Rafik Hariri the former PM of Lebanon, was murdered when a car bomb/suicide bomber exploded as his convoy of armored vehicles was moving through the streets of downtown Beirut. This is the biggest thing to happen politically (in Lebanon politics is life) since the end of the civil war in 1990. Again politics is on fire there, the many factions making the murmurings rife and the people more excited and wary. There are about eighteen religions in Lebanon which alone suggests a constant hive of jostling is always present in Lebanon's politics. We were glued to the TV on Tuesday night, Lebanon again in the international spotlight after many years of relative quiet, and Beirut (once "the Paris of the Middle East") nudging itself to deal with more demons. Last year Lebanon was back on top with more than 1 million tourists flocking to the country, the best year since the end of the civil war. Hopefully this does not affect Lebanon's most important tourism industry; it'd be a shame for the country and its people to be dealt another blow to its debt-ridden economy and recovering morale. The funeral of Rafik Hariri brought together many of the aforementioned factions who were brought together by the late former PM. Despite the obvious feeling of fear after such a violent event in Beirut, the mourners were united in protesting Syria's occupation of the country. The finger has also been pointed both domestically in Lebanon as well as internationally towards Damascus (typically in Middle East politics, the finger has been re-pointed by various parties to the U.S, Israel and Iran). Like recent assassinations in Lebanese politics, the perpetrators may never be found. However the international community has been pushing the Lebanese government as well as the Syrians to conduct a full investigation with the U.S even offering the FBI to help. Who knows? But Lebanon has definitely lost a pillar of its economy. A self-made Billionaire who invested more than 10% into the reconstruction of Beirut and its Centre-Ville district, Hariri was a man who demanded respect and despite being a ruthless businessman brought Lebanon back into the functioning world. Out of this destructive event, the powers in Lebanon must forge unity among the factions Hariri has left behind. This is needed so that Lebanon can make up for what it has lost and continue to rebuild itself after the gutting of its land by the civil war.
I feel there will be more posts on this as I brush up on the history and digest it in my mind. The above post is quite brief and only hints at the complicated culture and politics of Lebanon. Speaking to my parents and listening to the more informed voices in Lebanon (Robert Fisk is an Englishman who has lived in Lebanon since the 1970s) has really opened up my interest about the tapestry of my motherland. I hope to visit there soon.
Paix au Liban,
Danko.
Make an entry in the NWE Guestbook
It's been an intense couple of weeks in the Middle East. When is it not? To make the mood even more sensitive, Rafik Hariri the former PM of Lebanon, was murdered when a car bomb/suicide bomber exploded as his convoy of armored vehicles was moving through the streets of downtown Beirut. This is the biggest thing to happen politically (in Lebanon politics is life) since the end of the civil war in 1990. Again politics is on fire there, the many factions making the murmurings rife and the people more excited and wary. There are about eighteen religions in Lebanon which alone suggests a constant hive of jostling is always present in Lebanon's politics. We were glued to the TV on Tuesday night, Lebanon again in the international spotlight after many years of relative quiet, and Beirut (once "the Paris of the Middle East") nudging itself to deal with more demons. Last year Lebanon was back on top with more than 1 million tourists flocking to the country, the best year since the end of the civil war. Hopefully this does not affect Lebanon's most important tourism industry; it'd be a shame for the country and its people to be dealt another blow to its debt-ridden economy and recovering morale. The funeral of Rafik Hariri brought together many of the aforementioned factions who were brought together by the late former PM. Despite the obvious feeling of fear after such a violent event in Beirut, the mourners were united in protesting Syria's occupation of the country. The finger has also been pointed both domestically in Lebanon as well as internationally towards Damascus (typically in Middle East politics, the finger has been re-pointed by various parties to the U.S, Israel and Iran). Like recent assassinations in Lebanese politics, the perpetrators may never be found. However the international community has been pushing the Lebanese government as well as the Syrians to conduct a full investigation with the U.S even offering the FBI to help. Who knows? But Lebanon has definitely lost a pillar of its economy. A self-made Billionaire who invested more than 10% into the reconstruction of Beirut and its Centre-Ville district, Hariri was a man who demanded respect and despite being a ruthless businessman brought Lebanon back into the functioning world. Out of this destructive event, the powers in Lebanon must forge unity among the factions Hariri has left behind. This is needed so that Lebanon can make up for what it has lost and continue to rebuild itself after the gutting of its land by the civil war.
I feel there will be more posts on this as I brush up on the history and digest it in my mind. The above post is quite brief and only hints at the complicated culture and politics of Lebanon. Speaking to my parents and listening to the more informed voices in Lebanon (Robert Fisk is an Englishman who has lived in Lebanon since the 1970s) has really opened up my interest about the tapestry of my motherland. I hope to visit there soon.
Paix au Liban,
Danko.
Make an entry in the NWE Guestbook
