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    "Top blog/Renato Obeid's World/Today's pick: This rambling weblog is worth reading not so much for its satirical posts but more for its insight into the minutiae of life in Lebanon, including the etiquette of road accidents and how to hire a taxi.” -Jane Perrone, The Guardian

    renatoobeidsworld
     
    Friday, January 13, 2006  
    MARCHING TO THEIR TUNE
    Although the March 14th 2005 mass rally was a great showcase for Lebanese freedom, the so called Cedar Revolution was arguably the first ‘’revolution’’ waged on behalf of the Establishment.
    Beware the day before the Ides of March.
    People took to the streets for the house of Hariri, Joumblat and other chieftains – an indication that they’re quite happy with their feudal systems (borne out by the subsequent elections which saw those feudal lords actually gaining seats in parliament) but wanted an ‘’independent’’ feudal system without Syrian oversight.
    Since then, the ‘’new’’ old order has paid lip service to the March 14’ers, constantly invoking their name while they lick their lips in anticipation of distributing the spoils of the post-Syrian Lebanon.
    The other ‘’Marchists’’, the equally feudal but pro-Syrian marchers who took to the streets on March 8th, are also clamouring for their share of the spoils.
    Despite some disagreement between the two factions over how to fill the vacuum left by the Syrian withdrawal, they will eventually revert to the unity that characterizes any Establishment.
    Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri (March 8th is circled in red on his calendar) recently called for middle ground between the March 8th and March 14th movements (how about midday March 11th?)
    What Lebanon needs is evolution not revolution and that looks like it’s still a long way off.
    Evolution negates the need for revolution, evolution is revolution.

    All the Hariri gang took from that famous day is its name – paying no heed to the hopes and aspirations of so many well-meaning people whom they duped and exploited for political gain.
    As Lebanese politicians previously divided us for their own purposes, they are now bringing us (at least Maronites, Sunnis and Druze) together for their own purposes.
    Hopefully in the future we can come together for the right reasons and without the political middlemen in between.
    It looks like Lebanese sectarianism has been reduced from its previous dangerous lynch mob state to a more benign chauvinism more akin to peaceful nationalism.
    After all Lebanese sects are nations unto themselves who still live among their own, prefer their own and are still apprehensive of the other by mere force of habit and history but are too smart and have seen too much to turn against each other violently when incidents that are calculated to do just that occur.
    It’s reassuring to see Lebanese practice this new ‘’white’’ sectarianism rather than just caring for themselves - the individualistic Punic Faith of their ancestors.
    Hopefully one day this can be extended to the actual wider nation itself.
    Although Lebanese are more polarized now than they ever have been, the silver lining in the cloud is that it’s good that they are differing on something other than religion now – I suppose that differing on ideology is a step up for us.
    2:30 pm

     
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