Arz el Jabal

To Lebanon or Bust?

2008-05-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

Money is tight, politics are always on my mind and the minds of Lebanon's masses, but I miss having mezze. I really want to head over to Lebanon this summer, but I feel that between work, finishing school assignments, and writing quasi academic pieces for X journals might be a tough feat to pull off. Should I go? It would mean escaping for a week sometime (when airfare is expensive), then I would have to hit up one of my Lebanese friends for a place to stay...Might get complicated. Then add the "mother factor" into the equation. The, "Phillip, it's not safe over there" clause to my proverbial son contract always stares at me in the face, no matter how factually lacking that statement is. Top that off with the fact that I am but a lowly poor student surviving on scraps.

Woe is me...

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An Infected Band Aid Over A Festering Wound

2008-05-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

"Thank God for this agreement" was an oft repeated phrase I heard out of many Lebanese I know. Thank God for what? Was a war REALLY averted, or is it as many suspect, just a temporary fix for a wide ranging problem? The common Lebanese citizen doesn't want war, they want the tourism that summer often brings them, peace and some stability. However, Lebanon's rejoicing civilians are only looking through a small peep hole and missing the much larger picture.

For starters the (unconstitutionally elected) president of Lebanon will now be General Sleiman. This was the same man appointed by the Syrian regime and intelligence apparatus to be, first the commander of the Lebanese Mukhabarat and then leader of the Lebanese Army. This is the same guy who used to drag anyone protesting the Syrian occupation into a nice dank cell and introduce them to one of his agent's fists. I'm sure many grassroots FPM'ers or LF'ers could attest to that in the mid 90's.

I have heard the argument made that this is the return to Chehabian style rule in Lebanon. I feel that nothing could be further from that. While Chehab may have been the compromise candidate following the '58 War and Camille Chamoun's exercise in trying to take more power, he still was no Sleiman. Chehab's rule was characterized by his use of the secret services to essentially safeguard the Lebanese nation from external (often those "external parties" were living inside Lebanon) threats. For starters, Chehab increased the Lebanese Army(LA)/mukhabarat apparatus to control the Palestinian fedayeen. He did quite a good job with that. Nevertheless, his intelligence apparatus still couldn't stop fighting between the LA and PLO in the 1960's completely.

This brings me to Gen. Sleiman (who may I add was appointed by SYRIA to do his job, NOT Lebanon), the armed presence that is a threat to the country is no longer the Palestinains, now it is the Islamist Hizbollah, and instead of having the government watch over this group, the group now is not only part of the government but has many of its supporters in the LA (quite a role reversal if I do say so). Hizbollah will keep its arms and essentially have free range to do whatever it pleases. Sleiman has essentially de-facto agreed to this arrangement, and did little during the Hizbollah 2008 Coup to do anything to avert the fighting.

While the Doha agreement was worked out by Lebanese parties under the auspices of Qatari guidance, it is pretty obvious the Saudis, Syrians, Iranians, and other Gulf states were pushing the March 14th alliance into a humiliating retreat. On the moralistic side it was great that March 14th didn't establish (strong) militias to counter Hizbollah, but, on the realist side it would have been the only way to avert the coup, or at least resist Nasrallah's onslaught. Of course, many will say, "This proved Hizbollah would use their weapons on fellow Lebanese" ...But when was this really in doubt? Hizbollah, the great "resistance force" used its arms on fellow Shia in al Dahiya in the mid-late 1980s, against Christian parties (in 1992 Nasrallah accused Kataeb of being Israeli proxy), and even had some battles with the Druze. Maybe they have been discredited, but where does that get the pro-democracy/Western groups? The quick answer is: Nowhere.

Back to the main piece, this agreement is as the title states, "an infected band aid over a festering wound". The Lebanese system is moribund, the West did nothing (merely proving to the already doubtful Lebanese that Western help is a joke), and again the Syrians, in their own way, regained control of Beirut. Of course just sticking some "compromise" candidate sounds great, hurray for peace and stability, but that very stability wrests not on bedrock but on quicksand. This Pax Temporarius, is just that. Hizbollah has its head in the sky, and as with all Lebanese groups it will only demand more power. They may even go into war against Israel (again), when will it stop? Who will stop them? The Lebanese citizenry WILL get sick of seeing their country get destroyed by Hizbollah, the question is when, and how will they and the world react?

For right now, the Lebanese only care enough about normal life. Tourists need to come for the summer, Casino Liban needs to be open for blackjack and if sacrificing life and liberty is the cost...So be it. After X amount of wars, the Lebanese need a respite, but the long term costs WILL be staggering. Maybe Robert Kaplan was right in his book, Eastward to Tartary: Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucasus, that the Lebanese wouldn't care about whether they lived under the Syrian yoke as long as they could have the newest cellphones or Mercedes Benz. Lebanon has proven again the effectiveness of using terrorism, the Syrian campaign of assassinating anti-Syrian leaders whittled away at journalists and politicians. Then the terror cum militia cum political group finished the job. The world stood by, said nothing, and the Lebanese ship took on more water then it could hold. No tribunals, no justice, just the same lack of rule of law.

This way of living is truly unsustainable. Lebanon has brief periods of "stability " with mini-crises in them, then there is a melt down when all hell breaks lose, and once and for all the winner controls the country. We all thought that all hell broke lose during the coup, but that was merely another crisis. The hell that will encompass Lebanon is coming, and it will be decided by Nasrallah and his circle of those who believe in the Wilayat Faqih (term describing the Islamic state run by jurists). Sleiman will be a Lahoud-light, a strongman who does Hizbollah's bidding, and when the next war breaks out (whether between Lebanese or with Israel) he will sit in Baabda pondering which award bestowed upon him by the rulers of Damascus best matches his suit.

Mabrook Lebanon! Hurray for Stability! Hurray for Pulling Off the Same Garbage For 50 years!

In memory of Gibran Tueni, Rafiq Hariri, Pierre Amine Gemayel, George Hawi, Samir Kassir etc. because your murderers will NEVER be brought to justice.

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Playlist: Ode to the Political Leaders

2008-05-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

In one of my usual semi-humorous rants with a friend I realized that every leader in Lebanon essentially has an 80's song dedicated to them in regards to this conflict. As a result I have compiled a playlist for everyone's favorite Lebanese politicians!

The whole conflict can be summed up by "red skies at night" by the fixx

The Government, summed up by "She's A Man Eater" by Hall & Oats:

Al Mustaqbal's Faoud Sanoria and Saad Hariri: "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
The PSP's Walid Jumblatt is: "You spin me right round baby right round" by Dead or Alive
The Lebanese Force's Samir Geagea is "Let it Whip" by the Dazz Band
Kataeb's Amine Gemayel is "One Thing Leads to Another" by the Fixx

Reason's behind selection:
Government: Describes how Hizbollah is trying to "chew them up"

Mustaqbal: first line of the song, "relax don't do it...when you wanna come." Describes the militia, and the lack of prowess Saad and Sanoria have so-far shown.

Jumblatt: Come on! that should be self explanatory, even the name of the band describes the

Druze position in the Chouf.

LF: Hizbollah is scared out of it's mind of the LF and the Christian fighters, while Geagea isn't advocating that his groups go out and attack the enemy, he's waiting for them to try something.

Amine: He's waiting on the lines with many of the Kataeb supporters, still trying to push the Gvt. Line..."you'll run for cover...Why don't they say what they are...Do what they mean...One thing leads to another."

The "Opposition" (citrus colors included); If they were Riverdance we would call them "Lords of the Coup"

Amal's Nabbieh Berri: Love Is A Battlefield by Pat Benatar
The SSNP's 3ali 2anso: "Turn Me Loose" by Loverboy
Hizbollah's Hasan Nasrallah: "Burning Down the House" by Talking Heads
the FPM's Michel Aoun: "Out of Touch" by Hall & Oats
al Marada's Suleiman Franjieh Jr.: "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles

Reasons Surrounding Selection:

Mr. Berri: Has always demonstrated his loyalty to his Damascene masters! Love like that usually results in fighting with your sugar daddy's enemies!

The SSNP: I hate to bestow a good song on such a group of fools. 1. come on their whole ideology is a Levantine version of the Nazi Party, but better yet, the song represents their main goal as a "party" to just be turned loose on democratic organizations or ...Hm...NEW STATIONS AND NEWSPAPERS!

Good ole' Hasan: Song is self explanitory, need I remind anyone of the Sayyed's pledge to, "not use his arms on Lebanese"?

General Aoun: Mr. Nationalist is still siding with the coup currently in place and he actually believes that he is the only one keeping the peace in the Christian areas. Quick summation: Psycho!

Mr. Franjieh: My favorite song to select, because he likes to say he is a new face of Lebanese leadership, meanwhile he is just the same version of a morribund system involving zuama with their village based patronage system. Reasons I selected the song: It's an 80s classic about how VHS and technology were taking over from the "old school" radio stars. Nonetheless in retrospect (from 2008) people still giggle because VHS tapes have been obscelete since the mid 1990s...Essentially it's the not so modern replacing the already ancient, but casting itself as something BRAND NEW!

The "Neutral Army"

"Big Time" by Peter Gabriel describes the Army

Gen Suleiman: "So Caught Up In You" by .38 special

Army Selection:

The Army can now finally find it's place in the neutral sun, disarming and disobeying the govt. while forming a closer connection with their buddies in Hizbollah---They are BIG TIME now!

The OTHER (other then Aoun) General is so caught up in Hizbollah and letting them keep their arms (hence the .38 special band name---didn't that fit perfectly?!) that he will probably be their post-military coup selection.

Other Notable Personalities:

Wafiq Shaqir: "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell

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Hizbollah: You Won the Battle but Lost the War

2008-05-10T01:01:00.000-07:00

It is easy for the losing side to often mutter the line, "you [the victor] won the battle, but lost the war", however after the 3 day bloodletting which resulted in 18 killed, al Mustaqbal TV/Newspaper offices being burnt to the ground, and most of West Beirut coming under the control of Amal and Hizbollah forces this adage is becoming increasingly true.

Finally, following their coup attempt, Hizbollah can be declared a full fledged militia. All of the commentators who would always try to insert a, "of all things Hizbollah wants to prevent a Sunni-Shia war" have now been proven wrong, and then some. Hizbollah has backed itself into a wall, either a real shooting war will start or one side will have to back down. The Sunnis under Hariri and Druze under Walid Jumblatt played an interesting yet realistic card. Their small less developed militias engaged in what could be termed a moribund defense of West Beirut, they knew they would lose. Hizbollah used its special units and masses of supporters to open it's way to occupy the Western part of the city, this in turn will help the March 14th coalition maintain a position in the moral high ground.

Politically this move can have many upsides. For starters, March 14th was by all accounts on the defense vs. stronger more well equipped forces: In essence the legitimately elected government fighting pro-Syrian militias who refused to negotiate an end to the political deadlock. Of course, West Beirut still smolders and has now entered into a new era (who knows how long this will last?) of Hizbollah occupation. Nonetheless in the PR battle, March 14th won out, they stood by their democratic credentials and instead of relying on party militias they looked to the army to be their defenders. Of course the army didn't step in (they fear a sectarian split up like what happened in '76, '84, and again in '89), I will fault the army for this, they are a govt. institution and essentially sat around as West Beirut 2008 turned into West Beirut 1985. As my friend has as his MSN nickname, "Neutrality is not watching a crime silently."

There is a complete downside to this: All out war. What then? I have spoken to my Lebanese friends almost constantly since the events started to get out of hand. The Christians think they need to re-arm. Personally, I can't blame them, but even they don't have the training, battle readiness or a good supply of ammunition as Hizbollah does. As I stated above, March 14th won the major PR and fact based victory, aka Hizbollah is a militia, it has no respect for the authority of Lebanese government, and pro-Syrian factions will do anything (save actually working with the government) to regain power. This was a coup! However, a realist could look at this and say, "Hizbollah has the boots on the ground, they have all the power." If they drive into E. Beirut and take out what could shape up to be a Christian/March 14th Muslim resistance, Syria will return to the country in full force---Goodbye Cedar Revolution!

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Muqawma, A Synonym for Coup De'ta?

2008-05-09T00:13:00.000-07:00

I needed to let out some emotion; Most of my pieces are cut and dry travel logs/analysis/political articles, but I needed to release.

Another protest, because of what? Oh, they just sacked the Beirut Airport security head because he was spying for Hizbollah? ... There is something new, oh, and they are shutting down Hizbollah's communications systems, ok. It all looked like normal posturing and an interesting move by the government to undertake, Nasrallah will probably just launch into a tirade and set a few tires on fire. Only this time he did, but went further, much further.

The "conflict" between March 14th and the "Opposition" (aka the Christian FPM, Shia Muslim Amal and Hizbollah, with help from the SSNP and Marada) had been brewing for the past few months considering no president has been elected. March 14th has tried time and time again to push a "compromise candidate" such as General Suleiman, but to no avail. Hizbollah and her allies keep pushing for the power of veto (that sounds like something you would hear on the show Survivor; Hm...Survivor Beirut? Irony), however this would kill any president the majority would want to elect, not to mention essentially be a defacto veto coup for Hizbollah. So the elections never happened, March 14th couldn't muster the courage to elect a good person for the presidency, and Hizbollah kept up its militant attitude, launching a protest every now and then.

Fast forward to three days ago. Everything in my first paragraph happened. Hizbollah and Amal rioted, Shia speaker of parliament and head of the Amal party called for "talks" (that's opposition slang for we are going to burn things unless you do as we demand) and the road to Beirut International Airport was closed...It had happened before, no one in the foreign media really paid attention, I did, but I monitored events sporadically.

Then the fun started today. Nasrallah addressed his adoring masses and accused the government of "declaring war against the Lebanese resistance (aka Hizbollah)" through the government closure of the communications lines. In "celebration" Amal and Hizbollah broke out the RPGs, Kalashnikovs and M16s to "celebrate", only this time instead of firing into the air, they fired into Sunni neighborhoods in Beirut. They clashed with Saad Hariri's al Mustaqbal (the Furture Movement) militia. They fired their RPG's into buildings. Special Hizbollah forces made it as far as Rue Hamra, seizing a number of buildings. Amal is storming up the coastal axis towards the Rouche. The airport remains closed, and the Sunni-Shia version of April 13, 1976 is now upon Beirut.

Beirut is being seized, taken by Nasrallah, a prize for his friends who sit upon their Persian throwns. I think back to my time in Beirut, if I was there now, with what is going on, I would literally be in the heart of the battle. Tonight I had lunch with a Lebanese friend, I figured the Lebanese disturbances may have just been a larger version of what happened in Dec, 2006, those had fizzled out. I took the train home, happy and content to have had a great conversation with my new friend. I came home to look at the news: Hizbollah is running rampant in Beirut. The battle is where I was. I went to school for the summer at LAU, its environs are now filled with Mustaqbal, Amal and Hizbollah combatants.

The positions keep changing, the Rouche, Beirut's two huge stones that rise from the Mediterranean like spines off a stegosaurus now form the backdrop to Amal's putsch up the Corniche. On my third day in Beirut, my first walk that I engaged in alone was to the Rouche, it's also the day I learned people often would end their own existence by jumping from the rocks. On the famous, swanky Rue Hamra I would swing by Nandos restaurant with my friend Mohammed and walk to the Radio Shack up from the restaurant. The only fighting was between myself and Mohammed over who would take the check (a common Lebanese past time), now Hizbollah special forces control some buildings in the area. Last summer I had a mediocre meal of what seemed to be canned corn, once packaged French fries and some form of a frozen burger at Roadsters, it baffled me how Lebanese, so obsessed with their appearance and class image could be suckered in to spend $13 (American prices +) for so-so food. Now Roadsters has become a point of semi-demarcation between Hizbollah fighters and Mustaqbal defenders.

After fighting over differences in opinion (political arguments: another Lebanese past time [sometimes executed using firearms, other times minus them]) regarding Barack Obama. My friend, a Lebanese who worked in Hamra, she, a Christian, couldn't get to work. From her comments this morning I should have known Lebanon was in store for something else, I ignored it, I ignored the warnings I knew were there, war was on Lebanon's horizon. My friend, in this calm and sweet disposition she usually presents in any conversation, set a rain check for when we could have a meal at Nandos, I hope the place is still standing if I get to go back.

I am up at this ungodly hour because I am upset, I feel like my mind went through a deep frier, and I am not even in Beirut, I can't see the black smoke rising from these places that I had so many memories in...It still hurts though.

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First Post In Three Months!

2008-04-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

How does one keep up with Lebanon news?! There were loads of things I could have stuck up here. I'll need to apologize yet again for my gross negligence of Arz el Jabal, but like the phoenix this page will rise again (did everyone get the allusion I made there?)! I guess I will give a quick run through of some interesting Lebanese related things that have happened to me:

I met Samir Geagea (in NYC) and asked him a few questions.
Have a few new reviews (see below) for academically based Lebanon books (many that don't receive enough attention and usually cost $50 on Amazon).
Learned to make labbneh in a one room studio apartment using Dannon yoghurt and some cheese cloth.
I am writing feverishly (when I don't have class or the subsequent papers that come along with it) on the whole fun topic of Lebanon (and its politics).
I plan on making another trek back to "Liban" this summer (who knows when), as they say, "n'challah" it works out!

Book Reviews:
For every book I will write a short review and give a rating with stars (5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest)

The Emergence of the South Lebanon Security Belt: Major Saad Haddad and the Ties with Israel, 1975-1978 by Beate Hamizrachi

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)

Essentially the title of Beate Hamizrachi's book says it all. The 186 page book covers Christian militia connections with Israel not just in the south of Lebanon but interestingly touches on early connections made by 'northern' groups (mostly located in the Kesrowan/Mt. Lebanon area). Hamizrachi doesn't take a particularly sympathetic look at Saad Haddad or his leadership in the south. Instead she tries to give a very unbiased play by play look at his service in the Lebanese Army, the plight southern villages were under due to the PLO/Leftist forces and eventually why Haddad decided to side with the State of Israel. Hamizrachi gives incredibly detailed accounts of battles that occurred in the south, going so far as to describe the weapons used, the number of troops deployed, and the socio-political realities surrounding it--She really doesn't mince words. Especially riveting was her use of personal interviews with Haddad. In Israel Haddad was a sort of celebrity so many Israeli interviews exist with him, however, from her writing you can tell Hamizrachi devoted much time and effort to the interviews and received great first hand accounts. Obviously if you are going to study the SLA, "Free Lebanon", or the Israeli Security Zone this book is a must have, additionally the book adds to the knowledge base on north-south (Christian) relations during the war and on the contributions by the Shia to the zone.

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Syria’s Assassination Goal: Target March 14th Christians To Divide & Conquer: Article Published

2008-01-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I had another article published, this time by the Counterterrorism Blog. It was the first one posted for 2008. Enjoy:

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/01/syrias_assassination_goal_targ.php

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The Sexuality of Jihad

2007-12-28T13:52:00.000-08:00

"You see, you are an American, you can go home anytime and have sex with your girlfriend, this my friend is Lebanon, not Boston," said a member of Hezbollah who I was discussing Lebanon with. I tried to offer a retort saying that many religious Christians take a vow of chastity in the United States and most of them don't blow things up. "Our cultures are different, you can have what you want, we wait," he answered. I pushed the conversation to the back of my mind for months since I've come back from Lebanon, but does sex offer a valid excuse for why many Muslim males go off and feel the need to fight?
At a 2002 Harvard "Conference on Religion and Terrorism" Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies Mark Juergensmeyer and Terrorism lecturer Jessica Stern noted by Bruce Fudge in the Boston Globe:

The overwhelming majority of terrorists, they noted, are young, single males. A recurrent theme in interviews with these men is one of personal humiliation and feelings of victimization. According to Stern, Ayman al-Zawahiri, deputy to Osama bin Laden, has himself stated that "violence is a way out of humiliation." This humiliation may be fueled by sexual or marital frustration, commented Stern. She cited the example of Mir Aimal Kasi, the Pakistani national who was recently executed in Virginia for the murder of two CIA employees, and who told Stern that if his mother had been alive, he might not have killed anyone - because, she explained, "she would have made sure he was married." Another extremist interviewed by Stern referred to himself as "vaginally defeated." Juergensmeyer bluntly summed up: "Can't get married, can't have sex, so they blow things up."

Not every speaker found this line of argument persuasive. If the United States bombs Iraq, asked Ivan Eland, director of defense policy studies at the Cato Institute, "will bin Laden and al-Zawahiri be sitting in a cave somewhere, wondering if Cheney and Wolfowitz are getting enough sex?"

So, is sex the answer? It must play some part to the logic of a young man plotting to blow himself up among a group of whom he considers an "infidel." Remember, when this young person goes off to paradise, he is to get some 72 virgins; not a bad deal for a sex deprived teenager or twenty something. Still, for those who claim that it is ALL about sexuality is the reason why so many decide to kill, there is much proof to refute that. In Israel a number of Palestinian women have been recruited to carry out suicide bombings, including some who have had children. Others like the Chechnyan "Black Widows" threatened to blow themselves up as well, their reasoning was because their husbands were killed by Russians. That reason has less to do with sex, and more to do with revenge.

The religious character of many of these bombers is also ignored. The Quran itself has 111 violent passages and glorifies martyrdom and jihad. Couldn't that be used to explain the violence generated by young suicide bombers? When the Iran-Iraq War is mentioned in most academic circles the notion of a "Shi'ite's yearning for martyrdom" is often brought up. In Iran today there are numerous martyr monuments and even a cemetery with a "blood" (red water) fountain. One of the main stories that essentially led to the real establishment of Shi'ism was the martyrdom of Ali, and subsequent murders of early Shi'ites by the Sunnis. Martyrdom is at the HEART of Shi'ism, so, how can it be about sex? Iran may be one of the most repressive theocratic states this side of the Ganges, but rrecently there was 60 Minutes program showing how many young Iranians are having wild parties (wild by Iranian standards, its not like I'm referring to some insane fiesta down in Alston [a popular area for Boston University parties]) complete with sexual interaction and liquor. I'm betting the mullahs don't like that, but still, if these parties are going on, albeit in secret, many Iranians still have that jihadist drive.

In Sri Lanka the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Elan (LTTE) have perfected the "art" of suicide bombing in much the way Hamas has done so in Ramallah. TIME's Alex Perry spent time with the Tigers,

Apart from a burning desire to die before she got old, Eraj Samandi was about as far removed from traditional teenage preoccupations as an 18-year-old could get. She didn't care about clothes, music or parties. She couldn't remember the last time she had to study for a test. And as for boys, she dismissed all the men in Sri Lanka with a fierce frown and sharp shake of the head.

But asked when she hoped to achieve her dream of being a suicide bomber, she grinned, squirmed and buried her face in her arms. "She's already written her application," said her commander, Lt. Col. Dewarsara Banu, smiling at her charge's shyness. "But there's still no reply." "Why hasn't there been a reply?" whined Samandi, looking up with the one eye, her left, that survived a shot to the head and fiddling with the capsule of cyanide powder around her neck. "I want this. I want to be a Black Tiger. I want to blast myself for freedom."

...Almost nothing in Samandi's life was left to personal choice. The only jewelry the Tiger women can wear are three dog tags, around the wrist, neck and waist that ensure identification of even the most dismembered of bodies. The Tigers enforce a hairstyle of two plaits tied in loops across the back of the head to avoid, so they say, hair snagging on bushes during an attack. Music is limited to revolutionary songs. The photos that plastered Samandi's bedroom walls were of dead suicide bombers, not pop stars. And movies in Tiger territory were a strict diet of action flicks, both homemade efforts using real war footage and Hollywood shoot-�em-ups. For unmarried Samandi, sex or even holding hands, like cigarettes and alcohol, was banned. The Tiger leadership also reserved the right to prevent any marriage it deemed unsuitable — that is, outside L.T.T.E ranks — and sometimes arranged unions between guerrillas.

But for dedicated soldiers like Samandi, earthly freedoms did not matter. She had made up her mind to kill and to die, and her disappointment at taking part in just one battle before the cease-fire, and surviving, was palpable. "Five of my friends died in that attack," says Samandi, "I was very sad for them.

As stated, the girl had little interest in boys, she instead said a rhetorical sounding, "I want to blast myself for freedom." Of course the sexual aspect reared its head when it was noted how women were forbidden to have sex or marry outside of who their commanders wanted, but the girl does not cite that as a reason for her yearning to blow herself up. Additionally, many sociologists who claim sex as the leading reason for persuading many into the "suicide bomber line of work" don't seem to acknowledge that many Muslim terrorists, like their Hindu counterparts in the LTTE are also not allowed liquor (wine/liquor is expressly banned in the Quran). Couldn't one technically say that the banning of liquor ALSO drove many to kill themselves? When many are entering puberty (around age 13) both liquor and sex is banned, so far I haven't seen many 13 year olds "die for the sake of Allah."

I am not saying sexuality doesn't play a part in the brain of a would be "shahid," but for one to assert that it is the MAIN reason many run off to die, it really leaves out innumerable other reason.

__________

To Everyone out in Computerland Happy New Year; I hope 2008 is great for everyone!

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Addendum To My Last Post

2007-11-22T21:56:00.000-08:00

Saw this in the Times:

From The Times

November 23, 2007

Rival factions return to arms as Lebanon stares into the abyss

Nicholas Blanford in Beirut

The centre of Beirut will be a sealed-off military zone today as MPs gather to elect a new president in a last-ditch attempt to prevent Lebanon from plunging into chaos and violence.

Émile Lahoud, the pro-Syrian head of state, leaves office at midnight today, but despite intense international mediation, no agreement appears to have been reached on a new president acceptable to the bitterly divided political camps.

The US-backed March 14 block, which holds a slim majority, has said that it will attend today’s session of parliament and threatened to elect a president from their own ranks if a consensus candidate is not found.

But the pro-Syrian Opposition, led by the powerful Shia Hezbollah party, says that it will boycott the election and has hinted it will respond by forming a rival government, a move that many Lebanese fear will lead to violence between heavily armed rival factions and tear the country apart.

That grim outlook appeared to draw closer last night with political sources saying that the continued lack of agreement could lead to the election being postponed, plunging Lebanon into constitutional limbo.

“Last day before zero hour: either a miracle or vacuum,” the An-Nahar daily headline said yesterday.

The foreign ministers of France, Spain and Italy are in Beirut shuttling between political leaders to push for agreement over the choice of president. In a further sign of international concern, President Sarkozy of France spoke by phone on Wednesday to Saad Hariri, head of the antiSyrian block, and Michel Aoun, the opposition candidate for president.

All three European countries contribute to a 13,300-strong United Nations peacekeeping force in south Lebanon and are aware that their soldiers would be at even greater risk if Lebanon fell apart.

Also at risk are MPs belonging to the March 14 block, more than 40 of whom have spent the past two months holed up in an annex of the five-star Phoenicia hotel in central Beirut. Four of their colleagues have been murdered since the June 2005 general election. Visitors pass through metal detectors and are escorted by bodyguards to meeting rooms.

The curtains are kept closed to avoid sniper fire. On the rare occasions MPs travel, they go in small unmarked cars and remove the chips from their mobile phones so that they cannot be tracked.

“The guys are all depressed staying here. It’s like a prison,” said Mosbah Ahdab, an MP from Tripoli, who moved into the hotel on Monday.

In an attempt to break the impasse last week, France persuaded Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, the patriarch of the Maronite church, to submit a list of candidates from which the rival factions could select a president. Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system decrees that the president must be a Maronite. But neither camp is showing any sign of flexibility.

With Lebanon’s political woes inextricably linked to broader tensions in the Middle East, few expect an imminent solution, further complicating international efforts to secure a peace agreement at a summit in Annapolis next week.

The Lebanese Government is supported by the United States, France and Saudi Arabia, which seek to disarm Hezbollah and keep Lebanon within a pro-Western orbit – free from Syrian influence and an obstacle to Iran’s regional ambitions.

The Lebanese Opposition prefers to keep Lebanon aligned with Iran and Syria, distrusting Washington’s interest in Lebanon, which it believes seeks only to weaken Hezbollah and protect Israel.

“Everyone in Lebanon is waiting for the balance of power in the region to clarify itself,” Paul Salem, director of the Carnegie Endowment’s Middle East Centre in Beirut, said.

The worsening crisis has resulted in a surge in black market arms sales as worried Lebanese protect themselves from an uncertain future. The weapon of choice is the AK47 assault rifle. A year ago the most popular version of this classic weapon, the 1977-vintage “circle 11” (named after the markings stamped into the rifle’s metal work), cost £250. Today it is worth about £450. “People are buying guns more than ever. They are expecting a war,” said Abu Jamil, an arms dealer.

The rise in arms sales has led to an increase in shooting practice in the Lebanese mountains, where the distant crackle of rifle fire is becoming common at weekends. The unrelenting political crisis and speculation that militias are being formed has left many Lebanese aghast at the thought that the country could be sliding into civil war once more.

“How can we even be thinking of war again? Have we learnt nothing?” Hadi Sfeir, 42, a shopkeeper, asked.

A civil rights group called Khalass – Arabic for Enough! - began a series of actions this week to highlight the disgust it feels toward the political class. “We are extremely frustrated. I don’t think the politicians care about what ordinary Lebanese care about like the economy and being able to live in peace with each other,” Carmen Jeha, an activist with Khalass, said.

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History of conflict

1975 Bus attack by Christian gunmen kills 27 and precipitates a civil war among Sunni, Shia and Christian communities

1976-78 Syrian troops enter to restore order; Israel controls south

1982 US, French and Italian peacekeepers arrive, but withdraw after a suicide attack kills 296 of their troops

1988 Beirut splits between Muslim control in west and Christian in east; the latter declares war against Syrian troops

1990 Syrian air strike against Christian government leader, who flees to the French Embassy effectively ending the civil war

2000 Israeli forces withdraw from Southern Lebanon

2005 Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s murder blamed on Syria. Street protests force Syrian withdrawal

2006 Israel attacks Beirut and south Lebanon after Hezbollah forces in Lebanon seize Israeli troops.

January 2007 Hezbollah calls general strike to force Government to resign

Source: Times archive

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My Bit:

Rival governments? Will Lebanon look like it did when President Amine Gemayel left in the late 1980s? Oddly enough it may, especially considering the man Amine left in charge (in the 80s-1990), General Aoun, is a key player in this mess. Only now, Aoun isn't fighting the Syrians, he's in league with them and their Hezbollah proxies.

With rival governments, internal conflict will come. Interestingly, if the pro-US parties of March 14th are put up against the wall, this could look like 1982 all over again. In the Middle East, the enemy (Israel) of my enemy (Hezbollah/Syria) is my friend. This is especially true when your super/large power backers (US and France) aren't offering you even an ounce as much support (militarily, economically, and diplomatically) as Iran and Syria offer to their proxies.

Elections + Militias x Weapons = Problems

2007-11-16T22:31:00.000-08:00

Lebanese elections have been rescheduled for November 21, in Lebanon's recent history, the stakes have never been higher. Many in the media have been postulating there may be another civil war. Lebanese friends both here in the States and who are working the political scene in Beirut have also felt the same. Rumors are flying, a few days ago some thought there were running street battles between Hezbollah controlled Dahiya and Christian Ayn Rummaneh, then that Hezbollah kidnapped a number of Christians in Ayn Rummaneh.
The true story turned out like this:
A number of Hezbollah workers were building Samir Geagea's new house, Geagea is the head of the primarily Christian and anti-Syrian/Hezbollah Lebanese Forces. These workers were taking pictures of the construction site, just what Syria's intelligence apparatus in Lebanon needed! The Hezbollah members were subsequently caught. The men's families believed the Lebanese Forces had kidnapped them, and in return wanted to stir up problems in Ayn Rummaneh.

Some in Lebanon want to write off a genuine rearmament and recreation of many militias in the country. According to Ya Libnan, rifles are now selling for $900, those are American prices if I've ever seen them! In addition they noted the recreation of one militia, "The Mourabitoun, a leading Sunni militia in the early stages of the civil war, has reappeared as a political entity allied to the March 14 block. Mourabitoun gunmen helped reinforce Lebanese troops in May during the opening stage of a three-month battle against Al-Qaeda-inspired militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon."

Hezbollah is now recruiting a reserve force of men in case a civil war breaks out. In addition Hezbollah has been arming, training and recruiting many from inside Michel Aoun's Free-Patriotic Movement (FPM) in the Bekka and the hills of Metn. Already, intra-sectarian violence peaked its head when a number of FPM gunmen shot and killed a Kataeb party supporter.

Here is what the picture is looking like:
Pro-Syrian militias:

The largest and most powerful: Hezbollah, armed with rockets (as we saw in 2006 hitting northern and central Israel). A new reserve force to fight in a civil war, and already has a full time militia of 3000 men.

Small but effective Christian helper: FPM, its now being armed with brand new "Iranian rifles" according the an-Nahar.

Always a pro-Syrian stalwart: The Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), many of their politicians have personal militias.

Palestinian help: PFLP-GC, recently a family conflict took on a more political sound, the fight then turned into one of Fatah vs. the PFLP-GC. Even during the Nahr al Bared conflict the PFLP-GC threw its weight behind Fatah al Islam when fighting the Lebanese Army. Also, the group was implicated in the murder of Kataeb Party member, and Minister of Parliament Pierre Amine Gemayel.

Pro-Western/March 14th militias:

A small group of Lebanese Forces and Kataeb members (mostly ex-Sadem* members at the top) are re-arming and training in the hills. From my own research and knowledge the groups are very small, armed with (at least) 10 year old Kalashnikovs and pump action shotguns. The LF vehemently denies its forming a militia, but Lebanese private security firms can be easily compared to selling some chemicals to Saddam Hussein: They are dual use.

As for the Sunnis, Mourabitoun, or at least some new form of it has been reconstituted in Tripoli and possibly in Beirut. It looks as though the private Hariri security form may also be part of some new Mustaqbal militia.

One of the best militias of the Lebanese War, the Druze PSP, while officially (according to Walid Jumblatt) hasn't been rearming, is thought to be both rearming and training members in the Chouf Mountains. Additionally, I heard from a friend in Beirut that a Hezbollah member was killed by a PSP militiaman near Aley a day ago. So far there haven't been any news stories in regard to it, so it may either be another rumor or it could be just another killing that may lead to an explosion many expect.

University students in the FPM militia. Aoun denied these people were forming his own armed group, and then claimed they were part of his security.

Samir Geagea's security up in Bcharre. (my photo)

* During the Lebanese War, Sadem (meaning: Shock) were the most elite of the Lebanese Forces troops.

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Currently Working On:

2007-10-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

My posts have become much more erratic now that I am back in school and not in Lebanon. Nevertheless, I am writing a 9-10 page piece on the Lebanese Forces and how its grown and changed over the past 30 years. I am planning on getting this one published, when that is accomplished I will put it up here for all to enjoy (or ridicule)!

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My Article Published About Hezbollah

2007-10-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

The headquarters of the International Lebanese Committee for 1559 had their walls decorated with posters reading, “Syria, Shove Your Civil War” and “Life Liberty and Lebanon.” The group works for the disarmament of Lebanese militias in accordance with UN resolution 1559, Hezbollah is of primary concern. I talked with the leader of the Committee, Toni Nissi. Nissi believes Hezbollah is still an armed force because of the weakness of the Lebanese government, military, and its strong support from Syria and Iran, telling me, “the Bush administration tried last year to send 40,000 NATO troops in Lebanon to clean out Hezbollah and the militias. The problem is we never help anyone who tried to help us, all the time the leaders of the Lebanese were loyal to themselves, to Saudi Arabia, or some other country. We need leadership that thinks about the people, less about themselves.” Nissi is a strong supporter of enforcing chapter 7 of 1559, an article calling for foreign troops to dislodge the militias. He believes that only outside intervention could really topple Hezbollah’s military power. Because of his anti-Hezbollah stance Nissi has been characterized by Hasan Nasrallah himself as “the Beirut branch of the Mossad.” Lebanese media that wants to air his views are often violently threatened by Hezbollah. Even his fellow employees have admitted that he was a prime target for Syrian or Hezbollah retaliation, as a result, he and his family live in hiding.

While mostly catering to the Shi’ite population, Hezbollah has permeated every inch of Lebanese society. On television there is al Manar, Hezbollah’s propaganda/news outlet, also including music videos by famous pop-stars such as Julia Boutros glorifying Hezbollah and Nasrallah. Hezbollah has even launched a video game, which is currently on display in their 2006 war museum. During the summer, in Shi’ite southern Beirut, I heard the daily Hezbollah sponsored celebrations for their “divine victory” in 2006. Usually there was just sporadic gunfire in the air, but, in one instance, they reenacted a missile strike they carried out against an Israeli warship, attacked during last summer’s the war. The subsequent shock from the blast shook the windows of my university all the way in central Beirut.

Hezbollah controlled areas extend from southern Beirut, through southern Lebanon bordering, Israel and in the northern portion of the Bekka Valley bordering Syria. Even in the posh downtown of Beirut, Hezbollah protesters, and their pro-Syrian allies have encamped themselves to protest the anti-Syrian majority government. As I drove down the streets of southern Beirut, in the area called Dahiya, the streets were quiet, but Hezbollah was out in full force. Hezbollah is based in the area, posters of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah covered buildings, rubble from Israeli air strikes was piled where apartment blocks once stood, locals and Hezbollah militiamen watched as my car drove through the area. With thousands of armed militiamen, long and short range rockets, direct control over wide swaths of Lebanon, the largest parliamentary bloc in Lebanese parliament, an alliance with Michel Aoun’s Tayyar (a mostly Christian party), and the support of most Shi’ite Muslims in Lebanon, Hezbollah is a force to reckoned with. After last summer’s war, Hezbollah’s power was more than evident.

Weapons still pour across the Lebanese-Syrian border, most of the arms go to and are smuggled by pro-Syrian Palestinian terror groups, such as the PFLP-GC, Fatah al Islam, in addition to getting delivered by and to Hezbollah. When I was waiting at the Lebanese border to cross into Syria it was a common site to see Syrian army personnel inside Lebanese territory. In my talks with Toni Nissi, he told me about a fact finding mission he led to the Bekaa Valley, where the Syrian Army still physically occupies much of eastern Lebanon. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Syria occupies at least 177 square miles of Lebanese soil.” The maps and charts show the Syrian objective. Damascus is systematically occupying the high ground of the Bekaa and Akkar districts. Nissi showed me photographs along with GPS points showing Syrian Army positions, Syrian T-62/T-72 tanks, and even a Syrian surface to air missile site, all within Lebanese territory. On the fact finding mission Nissi was fired upon by the Syrian army. Later he showed me a shell casing, he explained that he, “ran to the Syrian positions to pick up the bullets.” When he attempted to lead other fact finding missions the Lebanese government often wouldn’t allow him to pursue the issue. With a porous border and lack of strong government support, Hezbollah and other terror organizations find the smuggling of arms into Lebanon to be an easy task.

Baalbek, famous for its Roman ruins, lies in the heart of the Hezbollah controlled Bekka Valley. On the road to Baalbek, posters of the assassinated anti-Syrian politician Walid Eido, pictured together with his slain son, were coated with excrement, most likely thrown by pro-Syria Hezbollah supporters. Trash cans in the area have American flags or USA painted on them and the Ayatollah Khomeni’s smiling face graces many billboards. Everywhere one turned, there was another Nasrallah poster. Near the Roman ruins, there were gift stores. These weren’t the normal gift stores one might find near a major tourist site, there were no trinkets made of cedar wood, or T-shirts with pictures of the Temple to Baccus on them. Instead, these stores sold Hezbollah’s yellow flags, T-shirts featuring Nasrallah, DVDs showing Hezbollah operations, all the while playing Hezbollah songs on loud speakers.

At my Arabic program for foreigners in Beirut, the chief assistant to the director of the program was the former head of the Hezbollah student union at a university in Jbeil. I speculated, Hezbollah could know the location and most of the movements of a large body of Western students inside Lebanon. If hostilities broke out between the United States and Iran, Hezbollah, or Syria, the group, through its intelligence apparatus, could, in respect to programs catering to Westerners, easily carry out operations against Western students.

Even though the “Party of God” exerts enormous influence, there is a strong opposition to the group in Lebanon. First, there is the March 14th coalition, the leading anti-Syrian grouping that consists of Sunni (Mustaqbal), Christian (Kataeb, Lebanese Forces), and Druze parties (notably Walid Jumblatt’s PSP). One of my friends at a Lebanese university said hostility was so high between Hezbollah and the majority Christian students, that Hezbollah supporters were not allowed in the cafeteria of his school. Recently, violent riots (involving stones and fists) broke out between the two sides (primarily Mustaqbal and Hezbollah), following a Nasrallah speech.

Nevertheless, Hezbollah continues to ship in more arms, receive more money, exert more control over of the Shi’ite and portions of Lebanon. Calling Hezbollah’s control of certain areas as a “state within a state” is now cliche, especially considering how feudal and sectarian Lebanon is. The problem exists with Hezbollah’s possession of heavy weapons, its tendency to execute operations against sovereign states, often against the interests of the Lebanese state, and also its allegiance, and its support of the interests of outside states such as Iran and Syria. In Lebanon many Christians and Sunni Muslims fear that broader Shi’ite influence (under the auspices of

Hezbollah) will result in Lebanon being under a Khomenist-Islamist governance. In the words of one Lebanese Christian friend, “they want to turn us into Iran,” to a Sunni friend, “Hezbollah is crazy, they live in the 1100s.” With much of Hezbollah’s allegiance going to the ideals of Ayatollah Khomeni, it is easy to see why many would feel that way The Shi’ite students I shared the university with, while thoroughly anti-Western, enjoy the benefits of Western life, and may not support the effort at extreme Islamisation. Regardless of that, the hardliners of Hezbollah have foreign backing and are armed to the teeth. In poorer rural areas Hezbollah pays women to wear the chador and for men to grow a beard. With the increased radicalization and feeling of power generated by the 2006 war, Shi’ite relations with other sectarian groups is extremely strained, according to one professor at Lebanese American University, “the Lebanese [sectarian] groups don’t know how to share power, and now Hezbollah wants all the power.” Only time can tell what’s in store for Lebanon.

http://www.cedarsrevolution.net/jtphp/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=632&Itemid=2

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Goodbye Mr. Ghanem

2007-09-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

Today a huge car bomb ripped through Sin-el-Fil (meaning tooth of the elephant in Arabic). The bomb killed anti-Syrian and Kataeb party member Antoine Ghanem. The news has shaken me up quite a bit, I used to shop for T-shirts in that area of Sin-el-Fil. Syria is one by one, knocking off parliamentary opposition.

There are only 4 more members of parliament to be murdered before the anti-Syrian majority becomes a minority...

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Metn Elections: The History & Results

2007-08-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

August 5th was a big day for Lebanon, especially for Metn. Metn's original representative was Pierre Amine Gemayel. Gemayel belonged to the political dynasty of the same name. A strong anti-Syrian and prominent member of the March 14th alliance, he was appointed as Minister of Industry, Pierre Amine was in a position of power. All of this was cut short on November 21, 2006 as bullets were fired into Gemayel's driver's side window where he was sitting. Both he and his body guard were killed. The murder was condemned by the likes of the pope and the UN. America and Canada pointed fingers of responsibility at Syria.

The murder came at a time when Hizbollah, Tayyar (FPM), Amal, and a number of other pro-Syrian parties were to protest the March 14 Alliance led government. Both Hizbollah and Syria condemned the murder, but on the street, and in the government, most people blamed Syria. Circumstantial and later actual evidence; such as the fact that the car used in the assassination was stolen by a Syrian proxy group, the PFLP-GC. Gemayel was the one of many anti-Syrian politicians murdered since 2004. Gemayel's funeral drew about 800,000 mourners. The tension following Pierre Amine's assassination spilled over in December when Hizbollah and its allies held an anti-government rally. As a result the protests grew more violent, pro-government gunmen fired at the crowd. One supporter of Amal was killed, tension in Lebanon was so high that even General Michel Suleiman, commander of Lebanon's army, said the army couldn't contain the spread of violence.

According to some politicos I know within Tayyar (FPM), Kataeb, and the LF, there were many who believed that only violence would result from the election. I, too, was one of those people, I saw the fist fights, heightened aggression, and posturing done by both sides in the run up to the election. I felt as though sporadic shooting would break out between supporters of Michel Aoun and March 14th supporters. Thankfully none of this came to fruition.

Nevertheless we do have the results: Michel Aoun's candidate won. On the pro-March 14th side (that means anti-Syrians) many are seeing the loss of the seat as a technical victory. Now common knowledge would dictate that if one loses a seat then it is a loss, but when one looks at the numbers it is easy to see that a huge, united portion of the population supported Amine Gemayel. The breakdown looks like this:

51% of voters supported the Aounist candidate
49% of voters supported Amine Gemayel

Now, obviously the elections were close, but the main reason Aoun pulled ahead was due to his carefully negotiated alliances. For starters only about 15% of all voters for the Aounist candidate were actual direct Tayyar supporters. The main support for Tayyar actually came from Tachnag, a party that represents Armenian interests and from the blessing of Michel Murr.

What Is Tachnag & Who Is Murr?

Murr was originally a Lebanese Forces supporter in the 1970s to the mid 1980s, but became very pro-Syrian along with his pro-Syrian Lebanese Forces ally Elie Hobeika. Of course Murr hates the current Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea (who supported Amine Gemayel), after Murr and Hobeika were ousted from power by Geagea. When Syria finally conquered Lebanon in 1990, Murr was appointed as the Minister of Interior. Because of his new found power Murr pulled the classic Lebanese move of using his power to create a strong patronage system in his home region (I like to use the term fiefdom). Where was Murr's fiefdom? The Metn area. Top that off with the fact that Murr's son is married into the Lahoud family, the same Lahoud that is currently the pro-Syrian president of Lebanon.

As for Tashnag, it was founded in 1890 to defend Armenian rights and to promulgate Armenian causes. As such, for many Armenians, their loyalty lies with Tashnag. Tashnag (and I'll say this again: typical Lebanese party) ran a very successful mixture of patronage system while also using mafia tactics to retain the loyalty of the Armenians. For more on them I would suggest reading an interesting post by the Ouwet Front Blog. For disclosure purposes this is a direct Lebanese Forces supporting blog (ie pro-Amine Gemayel). Nonetheless, the article written by contributor N10452 was quite interesting. Tashnag is not what I would consider a pro-Syrian party, but one that acts within its own self interests and what it feels (and is often incorrect) is within the Armenians self interest.

Polling & Numbers

From these two groups Aoun got around 70% of the vote. Aoun essentially needs to rely on shaky alliances with outwardly pro-Syrian groups (remember, another 15% of his vote came from the SSNP, quite possibly the most pro-Syrian party in Lebanon). This erodes Aoun's stance that he is essentially the leader of Lebanon's Christians (yes, he has tried this angle a number of times), and that he is completely in favor of Lebanese independence from Syria. He may have fought a war against Damascus, but now most of his support is coming from those who love Asad, a complete 180. Amine Gemayel's 49% of the vote came from a united grouping of Kataeb supporters and Lebanese Forces members. In addition Gemayel grabbed many Christian independent voters. Gemayel recieved about 42% of the Orthodox Christian vote, many Orthodox Christians usually vote for "Arabist" parties (such as the SSNP), as for Maronites Gemayel received about 56-57% of their votes. In general Christian support was very much behind Gemayel.

In the end though, Khoury, Aoun's candidate still has the seat, thus reducing the anti-Syrian majority by one. As for Aoun's attempt to become Lebanon's next president, his recent victory may not be the blessing he hoped for.

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Apology

2007-08-15T03:14:00.000-07:00

To all the readers: for starters I have been on an extended break because of a number of reasons.
1. I am in my home state to see my family, I haven't seen them in a number of months.
2. My girlfriend of almost 3 years left me, leaving me in psychological turmoil.

To PoshLemon: I disagree with you on many things you say, I am sorry I got so aggressive, it had nothing to do with you and more to do with what was going on with me. I hope that this doesn't result in a lasting dislike between us. Sorry.

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Amine Lost; Aoun Won; Lebanon On The Brink

2007-08-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

Cheik Amine Gemayel lost the election in Metn. After hearing from my friends directly involved in the elections I think it might get a bit hairy today. I saw fist fights between Tayyar (the winners, and Michel Aoun's party) and Kataeb (Cheik Amine's party), and from what I've noticed, Lebanon is looking more and more polarized. I hope nothing happens and saner heads prevail.

As for blogging, I am out to Colorado (amazing how I just touched down from Lebanon and I'm out again), I think I am going to take a little break, if any big news comes down the pike I will cover it, when I am out there I am writing one of my more important pieces, and interview with Toni Nissi.

While I am gone I will let my video of a Bedouin playing some music in Palmyra entertain you:

Thanks

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Trip Back To America

2007-08-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

I am now officially back in the United States. My trip back was somewhat eventful although I heard nothing about the blasts the night of my departure. On my flight to London I sat next to two ethnically Iraqi university students who had just attended a wedding in Beirut. They were great to talk to, and quite amusing. They told me stories about crazed Islamists in "Londonistan" and about their relatives who ran from Iraq to live in Syria. We talked a bit about Israel, while not being fans of the Israelis, they did seem to feel that the anti-Semitism perpetrated by al Manar was completely over the top.

London was incredibly over priced (thank you high pound to dollar rates!), I payed $6 for a beer. Numerous police officials passed me carrying submachine guns, London was on an anti-terror footing. I ran into an American couple, around the age of 75 who had just trekked for the first time around Europe. I told them I was just in Beirut for 7 weeks and they looked astonished, the man laughed, "I was in Korea, You've got a lot of balls to be in Beirut," "Not really," I said. "I just went to Beirut because its warmer than the Chosin Reservoir", I said jokingly. I told them about the "Paris of the Middle East," they smiled and said they wished more Americans would go experience these countries and learn Arabic, they appreciated my attempt to do so because, as the woman said, "you know what an idiot Bush is."

A made a short joke of a movie for friends. I am sure there are those of you who have seen the classic Chuck Norris/Lee Marvin film, "Delta Force." There is a scene in the film where Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin take control of the hijacked plane, and THEN ...Bam...The cheesy techno music starts (and yes...the music I used IS the theme song from Delta Force, only you can hear my fellow passengers talking as well)...SO I figured I would do a little take off of that, enjoy:

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Breaking News, Ironically, Hours Before I Depart!

2007-08-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

I was sitting outside with my friend Reem, a student here at LAU, when we both heard 2 consecutive explosions, she and I immediately jumped up and ran to the computer room and surfed the web for news and watched the TV for anything. So far we haven't heard a thing...I hope nothing has happened.

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So Long Beirut, Hope to See You Again!

2007-08-03T12:41:00.001-07:00

I have really fallen in love with Beirut. The people are as sweet as sugar and as hospitable as can be. The politics are enthralling, interesting, all with a slice of danger. I truly love Beirut and love Lebanon, they will maintain a special place in my heart. The culture, is a mix between the ancient East and the worst parts of the West, nevertheless it makes for a great time, and an interesting study. Many bad things happened, but so did many good things. I met a wide range of people, some radicals, others mainstream, while others were apathetic to what went on around them.

Many Americans look at me as if I had 10 eyes when I say, "I love Beirut," to them Beirut is something out of a 1980s action film with crazed bomb makers running around decapitating Westerners. Of course, Lebanon does have a small minority of such people, but I have honestly felt safer here than anywhere I have ever lived.

Politics and violence aside, the architecture, natural wonders, religious heritage, and general melee that is Lebanon is something only the best story book writer could come up with. While "I love life" has become a popular political expression here in Lebanon, the people do truly LOVE life, it is evident in the food they eat, how they dance, the clothing they wear, the way they drive, and how they act.

A Jewish prayer that ends the Passover Seder dinner goes, "L’shana ha’ba-ah b’Yerushalayim." meaning "next year in Jerusalem." While I am not a Jew, I can relate to Jewish urning to visit a place they feel close to their roots. The place I feel close to is also in the Middle East, and oddly enough just north of Jerusalem, I have been thinking "next year in Beirut."

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The Phalangists of Sassine Square

2007-08-02T00:30:00.000-07:00

This area of Beirut is both scenic, orderly, and quite a location for those Francophones out there. There is a Starbucks, the luxurious ABC mall, $1.5 million apartments and many honking cars, welcome to Sassine Square in Achrafieh. Achrafieh, the mainly Christian area of Beirut is a hotbed of commerce and most of all, of politics, in the middle of the square is a memorial to Bachir Gemayel. The Kataeb Party, also called the Phalanges, is based here. While secular on paper it draws much of its support from Maronites and many Greek Orthodox. To many Christians it is seen as the vanguard of their cause.

Pierre Gemayel the Nationalist & Kataeb

The party is also home to the Gemayel dynasty. The Gemayel family had been prominent Maronites and were an extraordinarily political family since the 1500s. The founder of Kataeb, Pierre Gemayel was once sentenced to death (as was his father and uncle) by Ottoman authorities for supporting an independent Lebanon. Gemayel also tired to launch a revolt against the French Mandate in 1943. The nationalistic Pierre Gemayel once said, "If my death would bring peace to this land, then wrap me in the Lebanese flag and burn me beneath the cedars."

Even though Pierre Gemayel had influence, Kataeb was still a minor party in the Lebanese poltical scene. Only in 1958 when Gemayel supported Camille Chamoun against pan-Arabist forces (led by Kamal Jumblatt, Walid Jumblatt's father) was he finally awarded with more power.

As with many Maronite and Christian parties, Kataeb considered Lebanese Christians to be a separate ethnic group from Arab Muslims. Kataeb, and its founder never supported Lebanon's inclusion in pan-Arab movements, such as the Arab League. Pierre, while an advocate and supporter of Palestinian rights, felt that the "Arab cause" (ie the Palestinian cause) only weakened Lebanon and drew it into more wars.

In the 1970s when militarism spread like wildfire through Lebanon, Kataeb was one of the main Christian parties to organize a militia and a military planning group, which was referred to by Kataeb higher-ups as, "the Security Council." Pierre Gemayel even played a role in the start of the Lebanese War.

Lebanon's War

In 1975, because of his right wing leanings and his aversion to Palestinian influence in Lebanon, Palestinian groups (this is speculation on my part, the gunmen were unknown) tried to have him assassinated (that operation killed four people) and then launched mortars into Christian areas of Beirut. Following his attempted assassination, Kataeb militiamen fired on a bus carrying DFLP/PFLP (Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine/ Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) members killing 27-30. Many say the bus occupants were armed, but others disagree.

During the war the party had many distinct attributes. For starters it was the lead organization in the Lebanese Front and later the Lebanese Forces. Pierre Gemayel's son, Bachir Gemayel was both the leader of the Lebanese Forces, and then in 1982 became the president elect of Lebanon. Bachir was known for his Machiavellian tendencies, and soon he and Kateab dominated the Lebanese Front/Forces. Later in September, 1982 a Syrian bomb (planted by the SSNP) ripped through Bachir Gemayel's meeting in Achrafieh, killing him and many others.

During the war the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb sought covert funding and arms from Israel. Even today many Christians are pro-Western and pro-Israel. Originally in 1976 the LF supported Syria's intervention in Lebanon against Palestinian and leftist forces. Later (around 1978), the LF reversed its position and saw Syria not as a liberator but what it was actually doing, using the war as an excuse for occupying Lebanon. The LF fought a protracted war against the Syrians and in 1978 actually won many battles. However, after numerous internal power struggles, and fighting against opposing Lebanese militias and the Lebanese Army, commanded by Michel Aoun, Kataeb and the Lebanese Forces were crushed.

Its interesting to note that the Lebanese Forces used to be considered an armed wing of Kataeb. After an internal coup launched by Elie Hobieka (the same man who carried out the Sabra and Chatilla massacres against the Palestinians) and Samir Geagea (pronounced JaJa), and then another coup which displaced Hobieka (mainly because of his signing of the Tripartite accord and his closeness to Syria), Samir Geagea transformed the Lebanese Forces into a separate political, militia, and patronage group. In the 80s and 90s (especially during Syrian occupation) Kataeb was dramatically weakened. Only following Syria's pullout did Kataeb have a resurgence in influence when they first joined the Qornet Shehwan Gathering, a mainly anti-Syrian grouping.

I had always been interested in the Kataeb party. Many Western commentators describe it as "Fascist," because of its modeling after Fransisco Francos Phalanges, and heavy use of the Roman salute. From my own research, the party seems is most definitely not Naziesque. The main reason for the name, salutes, and other quasi-Fascist aspects of the party arouse from Pierre Gemayel's admiration of the strength shown by European Fascist groups, a unity of strength rarely seen in sectarian ridden Lebanon. Economically Kataeb is most definitely not Fascist, it is more along the lines of a Labour or Christian Democratic style party in Europe.

Christian Isolation, Western Guilt & The Metn Meltdown

I visited "Bayt Kataeb" (Kataeb House) in Achrafieh a number of times over the past week. The offices are located in a white house with green shutters. On top of the house is a large poster of Bachir Gemayel, towards the middle there is a huge cut out image of Bachir Gemayel. A stylized triangular cedar tree is a symbol all over. Before one approaches Bayt Kataeb there is a collection of 6 mulberry trees in rows of 3, parallel from each other. This exact location was the site of Bachir Gemayel's murder in 1982. An illuminated torch, a wall with "Wanabqa" (we will always be here; this refers to Christians in Lebanon) written on it, and a brass plaque mark the site where he and others fell due to a Syrian bomb. To many Christians Bachir is a hero, and remains what could have been the solution to Lebanon's problems in the early 1980s. The common phrase heard is "Bachir Hay Fina" (Bachir lives inside of us).

The staff of Kataeb is incredibly pro-Western. As an American I was thanked numerous times for the support America gave to Lebanon. At the same time however these Lebanese also voiced their anger that Lebanon had been used as a bargaining chip in the "game" of Middle East politics. I was asked a number of times what Americans thought about Lebanon, "did they think it was all bombs?", "why do Americans not support us? We are Christians" said another. I met an older, bohemian looking man who was an elite fighter with the Lebanese Forces before Samir Geagea took control of it. He spoke no English but he smiled at me, you could see the tension in his eyes when I mentioned I was living in Hamra (a mainly Muslim area of West Beirut). After years of fighting, the Muslims were still his enemy. I was asked a number of times when America or Israel would start supplying the Christians with weapons, I could do nothing more than say, "America wanted the area to be stable", and ask "why would you need the weapons?" The answer I got wasn't the aggressive one I had originally expected, "we need to protect ourselves, many Muslims, especially Nasrallah, don't want Christians to be in Lebanon anymore." The main thing I kept hearing though was that, "Christian Lebanon is a light to the Christians of the Middle East, we are the only sizable number left, we give the other Christians hope."

I thought a lot about the awful press Kataeb and its fellow Christian parties received following events such as the Sabra and Chatilla massacre (carried out by Kataeb commander Elie Hobieka), and the things written about them by authors such as Robert Fisk. I believe much of it has to do with "Western guilt." We as Westerners feel guilty about our colonial/imperialistic/corporate mindset/history and so we beat ourselves up for it, often seeing forces that our are complete enemy (take the PLO or Hizbollah) sympathetically. We choose to ignore the injustices our actual enemy is doing, simply because we feel guilty in doing so.

Kataeb has been pro-Western, its supporters identify themselves with the US and France, nevertheless Americans see the Sabra and Chatilla massacres and are completely disgusted by Kataeb. However, many Americans haven't even heard of massacres commited by Syrian groups or the Palestinians. There were many, such as the Damour Massacre (600-800 were killed, and a village was destroyed), or the Massacre in Chekka (hundreds were killed).
Even Muslim on Muslim massacres were barely covered, for instance there was a second Sabra and Chatilla massacre carried out by Shi'ite Amal fighters, up to 1200 Palestinians were killed, that's many more dead than in the Kataeb massacre of the Palestinians. If you ask many American intellectuals (especially in the group I am with here at LAU) who the Phalange were the typical answer is, "a bunch of crazed nazi Christians who murdered Palestinians." Whey you ask them about the other massacres, especially those against Christians, it is simply written off. Am I condoning Hobieka's or some in Kataeb's actions? Most definately not! The murder of innocent people is a deplorable act, and yes, many Christians feel as though the Palestinians deserved it. However, I am trying to be far more objective than many Middle Eastern "expert" popinjays, who want to make the Middle East into a "black and white", "good (represented by terrorist groups such as Hizbollah or the PLO) vs. evil (Kataeb, Israel, or even the United States)" world.

The other reason I was at Bayt Kataeb was because of the Metn elections. Metn is an area that encompasses portions of East Beirut up through Bikfaya. The reason there are elections is because the MP from the area, Pierre Amine Gemayel, was assassinated by pro-Syrian bullets in his car. His father, former Lebanese president Amine Gemayel was running to takeover his murdered son's seat. Almost out of the blue, Michel Aoun's Tayyar movement contested the seat by running Camille Koury. To many this was doing Pierre Amine Gemayel's murderers a service. Tayyar is now in the pro-Syrian camp (along with Hizbollah, Bachir Gemayel's killers---the SSNP, Amal, and Franjieh's Marada), it was Syria's goal to knock off as many March 14th politicians as possible.

The elections are planned for August 5th (a day after I leave to go back to the US) and many have speculated they will turn violent. For instance in Sassine there was a Kataeb/Ouwet (Lebanese Forces) convoy of cars with flags waving. As the stopped some Tayyar members tried to beat up the Kataeb supporters. Fist fights are becoming a common occurance. This all reminded me of the December 2006-Febuary 2007 protests that ended up in sporadic violence.

The situation isn't helped by the fact that both sides have armarments. In one instance I was shown a collection of AK-47s by one of the parties, and was then requested, semi-jokingly to "tell George Bush we need more." There was some glimmer of hope out of all of the troubles, while talking to a younger member of Kataeb, I asked if he hated Michel Aoun and his followers, he answered, "they are my cousins, my aunt, my uncle, we can't just go kill them." The Christians of Lebanon are, for lack of better terms, split down the middle. I talked to a pollster friend in Bikfaya (the main area where the election will be held) and so-far it was 49% favoring Michel Aoun and 51% in favor of Gemayel. The closer these numbers get, the more tension will result. Already most Lebanese are anticipating a huge amount of violence. If Aoun wins this seat, his ultimate goal, the presidency of Lebanon is his for the taking.

Here is a movie I made of Bayt Kataeb. I didn't film/wasn't allowed to film the building for security reasons.

This is a short clip I took inside an old Mercedes cab, it shows the Hizbollah/Tayyar/Amal/SSNP/Marada protest in the downtown area. If you look closely, you can see orange flags (Tayyar's color) with the Omega symbol on it. In addition some yellow Hizbollah flags are present.

Pictures:

1. Sassine Square. Note the Bachir Gemayel statue.

2. A ripped poster of Ramzi Irani, a kinapped member of the LF student union. Ramzi's body was found in the trunk of a car near my school on Rue Hamra. Next to the poster is a Lebanese Forces cross.

3. A side shot of the Bachir Gemayel memorial.

4. The Kataeb party sign when entering Bayt Kataeb. The sign reads: Kataeb Lebnania, "Lebanese Kataeb."

5. This is a shot in Sassine of a Tayyar convoy, led by a Chevy Surburban. They drove while waving orange flags and blasting Lebanese army songs out of the back on a huge stereo.

Bashar Asad, Syria's Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger & Joseph Stalin Rolled Into One: A Photo Essay

2007-07-31T05:30:00.000-07:00

A Beautiful 1959 Cadillac Eldarodo in Damascus, on the back there was a poster of Bashar Asad.

The glorious hero/leader of pan-Arabism: Bashar Asad!...Can't you see the little sparkles around him? I guess that means he's Syria's gift from God...

Coming soon to a WalMart near you: BASHAR ASAD: THE T-SHIRT!

Globalization at its best...CocaCola, blacklisted by the Arab League because it sells to Israel, is sold in Syria...Well, I guess even a Coke stand which sells to the "evil Zionist/Imperialist/Satanic" Israel loving beverage needs a Bashar poster---Irony at its best...

In the words of the Library of Congress, Syria - Concepts of Nationalism, Unity, and the Arab Nation, "The Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party (SSNP), which is banned in Syria", is shown here on this poster (which dotted Damascus' Old City) with Bashar Asad...Let me just get this straight...Asad has banned the SSNP in Syria, yet, in turn the SSNP has remained Asad's loyal ally in Lebanon. To top that off, in a 1984 style police state that controls everything, there are posters with him and the SSNP all over. Where is the disconnect?

Dictatorship, The Only Solution For Lebanon?

2007-07-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

I was listening to a band play some oldies and munching on some tabouli when the discussion on how to "fix" Lebanon came about. After much debate the director of my LAU program, a woman who had lived through the Civil War, and has a doctorate from Georgetown say, "the only way to fix Lebanon is with a dictator. Get a dictator who stops the sectarianism, makes us a nation, and gets some order." While she was fervently anti-Syrian, she must have noticed how Syria had grand gardens, clean streets, working traffic lights. Laws were observed and there was a semblance and order about the place. This is all completely lacking in Lebanon. Lebanon looks like a tribal mishmash.

A village pledges allegiance to their feudal tribal lord and that's final. Most Lebanese still don't go outside of their sectarian boundaries. Many Lebanese Christians I've met still refuse to drive down to predominantly Muslim Hamra, in Beirut. Just to note, Hamra is no more than 10 to 15 minutes away from Achrafieh (the Christian area).

How can democracy even hope to thrive in a place where the people will really only vote for their feudal lord and/or their sons? Its less a Parliament and more of a Bedouin style gathering. Each family/sectarian group has its own "tent," ie the Druze tent would constitute portions of the Chouf, the Christians would have much of Jabal Libnan, the Shi'ites would have the Bekka and the the south, Sunnis would have portions of Beirut, Sidon and Tripoli. In the end they all gather and try to grab as much of the pie (Lebanon) as they can for the family and sectarian group.

And we expect democracy to win out and deliver Lebanon from Syrian domination? I think not.

Dictatorship offers:

Stability
Security
A chance for a country to have a unified goal
The possibility of secularism

However, Lebanon would need some sort of a benign dictator the likes of Lee Kuan Yew. I doubt we will see such "progressive" leadership out of Lebanon. A Lebanese leader would need to push Lebanon as the Middle East's leader for free-market reforms, be secular (no more sectarianism), clamp down on Islamists (that includes Fatah al Islam types and Hizbollah), build a strong Lebanese Army, shut down anti-Lebanon parties (this would include the likes of the SSNP, a group that wants Lebanon's union with Syria). All in all a successful leader would end up alienating a good 50% of the population, at the very least.

Lebanon has already been under a dictator's heel, one who let Lebanon retrogress. When Syria's Asad ruled Lebanon, it was like his own private fiefdom. The country's money was sucked dry and everything was as corrupt as could be. As such I have serious reservations about the decendents of Phonecian traders really being able to pull off a success story here in Lebanon through dictatorship. I just don't see the dynamism needed to pull off true reform.

When I am around my Lebanese friends, they usually talk about the need for federalism, and a strong central government. Normally I would be inclined to agree, but realistically it doesn't seem like a strong federal government will come about in this country. The people physically and mentally block eachother off, and the mentalities about outside groups (I'm talking about Christians thinking about Druze, Sunnis thinking about Shi'ites, that kind of thing) has remained unchanged since the 1800s.

What do you seek, my countrymen?

Do you desire that I build for You gorgeous palaces, decorated With words of empty meaning, or Temples roofed with dreams?

Or Do you command me to destroy what The liars and tyrants have built?

Shall I uproot with my fingers What the hypocrites and the wicked Have implanted? Speak your insane Wish!

What is it you would have me do, My countrymen? Shall I purr like The kitten to satisfy you, or roar Like the lion to please myself?

I Have sung for you, but you did not Dance; I have wept before you, but You did not cry.

Shall I sing and Weep at the same time? - Khalil Gibran, My Countrymen

Palmyra: Camels, Columns, & Geography

2007-07-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Palmyra, was the ancient Roman caravan city where camels, horses, and thousands of people rode through to get on the Silk Road to China. The city itself was incredibly well preserved, with columns and buildings were left as they were two thousand years ago. I had a nice time in Palmyra. The weather was simply beautiful. The wind combined with dry desert heat, particles of sand blew in the air. The night was so clear you could see every star perfectly, the moon shone like a silver dollar.

The hotel we stayed in, Zenobia's, was named after the beautiful Palmyran queen who, like the English Boudicca, stood up to Roman domination. Palmyra and the empire it controlled encompassed an area that spread from present day southern Turkey to modern Egypt. As with other short lived Roman era empires, it arouse from chaos within Rome, only lasting about 13 years. The ancient city of Palmyra now lies in ruins today because it was eventually crushed by the reorganized Romans.

Our tour guide was a sprightly Palmyran who loved to crack jokes about the Mukhabarat, Asad and Syria in general. Under normal circumstances this could land him in a lot of trouble, but I am guessing that with a load of Westerners he could get away with it. Even though he led on that he disliked Asad, he still subscribed to pan-Arabist and pan-Syrian propaganda. From claiming that much of the eastern Roman Empire was built on the backs of Arabs, to the claim that, at one point, the regions of Palestine (including Israel, the PA and Jordan), southern Turkey, and Lebanon were all part of Syria.

On the road to Palmyra we came upon a map of Syria that included the Turkish province of Hatay. Hatay, a region that used to belong to Syria (then under a French mandate), was given to the Turks by France following a popular referendum. The deal was also made to keep Turkey from joining the Axis power, and was unrecognized by Syria. In Hatay there were and are sizable Turkish and Arab communities. The district also contained the cities of Antioch (very important to Christians) and Alexandretta, the latter was considered Aleppo's port.

Here in the Levant, maps are incredibly important to the understanding of history, economics, and the people that inhabit the region. In Syria main inland cities such as Damascus, Aleppo, Hama and Homs all have connecting ports (see the map I've created and attached). One could draw an almost straight diagonal line from Syrian cities to their "natural ports." Currently, Syria's economy is stagnant, most goods have to come through the port of Latakiya, which is both far from the inland cities, and most definitely not a "natural port" to any Syrian city. Almost all of Syria's "natural ports" are in foreign states, its interesting to note that with almost all of these countries that hold ports that support Syrian cities, Syria has either tried to occupy them (take Lebanon for instance) or has ratcheted up pressure using terrorism (such as using the Kurdish PKK against Turkey).

At night I decided to wonder around Palmyra. The hotel was literally on top of the ruins, the night was very nice and I needed some time to suck in all of the history. The ionic and Corinthian columns shone in the moonlight as I walked through the desert scrub. I soon ran into a fellow student at LAU who was also taking in the history of the area. We decided to have an impromptu chat and walked all the way down to the central avenue in ancient Palmyra. Motor bikes went by us, about 2 every 10 minutes. I assumed the Bedouins were sizing us up, in the words of the LAU director, "they want money, they are all cheaters." Out of the blackness a Bedouin in full dish dash (the native white robe) and red and white kaffiah showed up on his camel offering us a ride. My classmate was hesitant at first, so was I, being in no mood to pay for anything that night.

Nevertheless, the Bedouin in true business fashion, decided that it was best to give us both free camel rides back to the hotel (a distance of about a mile), he felt that we could pass his card along to our tour guide. I learned later the man was the winner of the Qatar Camel Race, where he won €100,000 and a new Toyota Land Cruiser from the Shiek of Qatar. Incidentally I was riding the prized, winning camel that brought him all of this wealth and prestige. In the words of Goldie Hawn while on camel back in the film Protocol, "I [was] experiencing the new sights and smells."

After the camel ride under the stars, I danced the dabke and had an interesting meal of vegetables and half cooked meats (which later gave me that wonderful case of food poisoning), interrupted by skinny begging feral cats. The next morning we walked around the ruins, saw the amphitheater and the giant temples. In the amphitheater the Syrian Mukhabarat showed their heads. Some were in black dress pants and a button up white shirt, others wore jeans and baseball caps. They all had one thing in mind: watch the group of Americans. Their techniques of intelligence gathering were basic at best, one of them was "taking pictures of his friends" (aka more Mukhabarat). Holding a 1980s era large commercial plastic camera and wearing ill-fitting dress clothes, then started to snap pictures of the group, and was right behind us no matter where we went.

The Mukhabarat is strong in Palmyra, operating the infamous Tadmour Prison. Tadmour, the Arabic name for Palmyra, was the site of mass executions of the members of the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1980s. Even today the prison contains thousands of political prisoners.

Palmyra also served as an example regarding water security. In Roman times the city supported a population of 200,000, now the town of Palmyra (Tadmour) has but a few thousand. The region was much wetter and underground wells supported much of the population. With huge population growth in the Middle East over the past years, the wells have started to run dry. The same desertification and lack of water resources could effect the Levant over the next few years. The logical result would only be increased conflict and population displacement.

Syria and Lebanon have a fond place in my heart, but will be violent because of religion, resources, economic reasons, or tribal difficulties. The ruins of Palmyra truly show how the people here always want to be independent, will always be short of resources and how that urning for independence is fleeting. Even in the ancient world the Levant was known for its violence. Its more than fitting for the goddess Anat, lordess of the Levant used to hold and wear the hands and heads of those she killed.

Anat's soul was exuberant,
as she plunged knee-deep in the soldiers' blood,
up to her thighs in the warriors' gore …

Taken from Coogan, Michael D., translator, 1978. Stories from Ancient Canaan. Louisville, KY: Westminster

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PFLP-GC Stands For Syrian Mercenaries

2007-07-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

The PFLP-GC (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command) was founded in 1968 as a splinter of the PFLP; the group believed in militancy, not political agreements. Its founder, Ahmed Jibril, was a Palestinian refugee who adopted Syrian nationality and had become, essentially a Syrian puppet. Jibril was also the leader of al-Saiqa (a pro-Syrian Palestinian group), in the 1970s and 1980s, the second largest group within the PLO. Until the War of the Camps, in which the PFLP-GC fought alongside Syria and helped kill hundreds of Palestinians, Jibril had a strong following amongst many Palestinians. In the 80s Jibril even sold his services to the likes of Mumar Kadafi during the attack on Pan Am 103.

In the 1970s and 1980s Jibril's staged a number of remarkable attacks against Israel. In 1978 one of Jibril's attacks, actually the first Palestinian suicide bombing, 18 people (including 9 children) were killed. This attack pushed the Israelis to invade Lebanon up to the Litani River. In 1987 the PFLP-GC launched an attack on the Israeli Army using hang gliders, 6 Israeli soldiers were killed. That attack was a great psychological boost to Palestinians who later rioted against Israeli authority during the Intifadah.

Currently the PFLP-GC maintains training camps and a strong presence in the Palestinian refugee camps and in the Bekka Valley. Even though Marxism has long passed its vogue, the General Command still continues its violence today, only its for Damascus.

Track Record of the PFLP-GCs Attacks For Syria:

the General Command is a key source of arms and training for other Syrian backed terrorist outfits in Israel, namely Hamas and the PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad). In 2001 it was suspected that the PFLP-GC sent a ship loaded with explosives, ammunition, and arms to the Gaza strip. The ship was intercepted by the Israeli Navy before it arrived.

In 2002 the PFLP-GC launched katusyia rockets into Israel after former secretary of state Colin Powell's Middle East visit, snubbed Syria.

October 2005, the Lebanese Army surrounds PFLP-GC encampments in the Bekkaa following acusations that the group was smuggling weapons in from Syria.

In November of 2006 Jibril's organization stole a car used in the assassination of Lebanese politician, Pierre Gemayel.

Currently in Nahr al Bared refugee camp the PFLP-GC fights alongside Fatah al Islam against the Lebanese Army. To quote TIME, "Lebanese security officials also maintain that pro-Syrian Palestinians of the PFLP-GC have taken sides with Fatah al-Islam in Nahr al-Bared." Only recently did the PFLP-GCs fighters start surrendering to the Lebanese Army.

One this is for certain, as long as the PLFP-GC is around, it will continue to be a Syrian proxy group.

Misspellings of Syria

2007-07-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Damascus Day Trip

2007-07-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

The Friday night when we arrived in Damascus seemed to be jumping with excitement. There were throngs of people out; I noticed a preponderance of women wearing the hijab and long clothing. This was much unlike Beirut where even religious Shi'ite Muslim supporters of Hizbollah wear skin tight clothing. Damascus definitely had a mark of "Orthodox Sunnis."

Syria's population is between 70 and 80% Sunni Muslim, but they are ruled by the minority Alawite group who constitute no more than 11% of Syria's population. Many Sunnis, especially those in al Ikhwan (aka the Muslim Brotherhood) consider the Alawites to be heretical, regardless the Shi'ite clerics have accepted the Alawites as Shi'ite Muslims following Musa al Sadr's endorsement of the group in the 1980s.

We pulled into our hotel and were assigned room keys. My room was clean, but I heard other Americans had toilets missing seats or sinks that didn't work. I stored my insulin in the mini bar which looked a bit like a regularly used fridge in a frat house, bottled water, some chocolate, and some old unrecognizable food items were left around. In the lobby the waiters served "orange juice," or what we would call in the United States as "year old tang."

The group then went out to a meal in the Christian portion of the Old City of Damascus. The restaurant (as many other classical buildings in Damascus) was a mixture of black basalt stone and limestone or marble. There was a man playing Fairuz's Baalbek near a small fountain. I partook in Syrian beer, which felt like bitter corn syrup running down my throat and some native mezze (appetizers).

The next day we toured around the Old City. I acquired a painting of Damascus, a Damascene dagger, and a few other trinkets. I was especially interested in the Ummayad Mosque, built in the 700s over a destroyed church. The mosque was extraordinarily ornate. The floors were polished marble, there were columns with basalt and incredible Byzantine style mosaics. Inside the mosque there was the head of John the Baptist, and some body part belonging to Ali (the revered Mahdi or the Shi'ites).

The amount of Shi'ite Iranians was incredible in the area. It was easy to tell Damascus had great relations with Tehran just by the tourist traffic. There must have been six different groups containing Ayatollah Khomeniesque looking men. In the Damascus souk I heard more Persian than Arabic!

I also talked to an Armenian salesman by the name of Dikran. I asked Dikran if I could have one of his Bashar Asad posters (how many times in your life can you take a dictator who runs the Middle East's version of 1984 home with you?!), he suggested I go to the Baath party headquarters, and then wanted to talk to me about moving to Boston. Regarding the Asad posters, in Syria, they seemed as if they were a forced "product placement." In Beirut there was an actual outcry following Hariri's or Pierre Gemayel's assassination, as such people from the respective sectarian groups put up posters. However, in Syria (at the time Syria just had its "election." Bashar Asad won 97% of the vote), the posters were almost mandatory.

The other thing I noticed in Syria was the large amount of Hizbollah flags (I counted about eight in the old city), carvings of Hassan Nasrallah (Hizbollah's leader), even hand made leather trinkets featuring the aforementioned face were on sale. Under Hafiz Asad, Bashar's dad, Hizbollah was nothing more than a proxy militia, now it is a force to itself, and one force that is giving Bashar credibility. It seems as though the latest "Hizbollah victory" against Israel is also being accepted by Syria. At the very least Bashar Asad is standing side by side with Nasrallah and taking some of the limelight.

A video I made of Damascus's Ummayad Mosque.

Video I made of Damascus from a hillside near Asad's Presidential Mansion.

© All Rights Reserved; www.ArzelJabal.blogspot.com

Lines In the Sand

2007-07-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

Taxis, tour buses, and private cars are lined up and not moving. Nevertheless, the border between Lebanon and Syria is full of hustle and bustle. Money changers, beggars, and to quote Cher, "tramps and thieves," are all around. Cars and SUVs coated in Arabian sand trickle through the crossing after coming from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other oil producing Gulf states.

After getting the passport stamped (along with twenty five other Westerners in my group) we waited for about two hours until the bus would be allowed through. As the bus passed under the border post there was nothing but concrete, past the border post were the dun colored hills of Syria.

The Syrian side of the border is quite an ironic place. First, there must be about one thousand pictures of Bashar Asad dotting the road, but then there is a duty free shop, complete with a Dunkin Donuts. What a great mix of consumerism, globalization, and the police state.

The duty free shop in itself was a study on the haves and have nots in Syria and Lebanon. The duty free was loaded with everything from Swiss chocolate, Cuban cigars, lego toys, and lots of liquor. Rich Lebanese business people and/or their sons would go to the place to buy $700 cellphones and $450 digital cameras. Syrians who went to the duty free were mostly army officers. The corruption in Syria is such, that those in the army, especially higher ranking officials are the only ones with cash to spend.

Also in the duty free, I got my first experience with the Syrian secret police, or, Mukhabarat. No matter where you went in the duty free, which was apparently owned by a Lebanese, there would always be a Syrian dressed in military fatigues or in dress pants following you. I went to take a shot of insulin in the bathroom and magically the "janitor" shows up to mop, only, he didn't mop, he just stood there near my bathroom door. When I exited he put the mop away and disappeared.

On the road to Damascus there were a few villages, and tons of Bashar Asad photographs. Everything in Syria was "cleaner" than in Lebanon. Garbage didn't usually line the streets, in Damascus there were many people out and about, traffic lights and traffic laws were obeyed. One of my fellow students asked me, "why are they obeying traffic lights like this?!" We were used to Lebanon where there are no traffic lights and one can drive while drinking a beer. My answer was, "what do you expect people to do if they knew their government wiped out a city and killed 20,000 people."

My answer really seemed to be the mood in Syria. The government was quite powerful. From the gaze of Bashar Asad's posters to the piles of Mukhabarat (I heard one Lebanese I was with say they were 1 in 5 of the Syrian population), Syria was firmly in the control of the al Asad clan.

My video of the Lebanese/Syrian border.

© All Rights Reserved; www.ArzelJabal.blogspot.com

Damascus Food Poisoning

2007-07-24T04:01:00.000-07:00

Just to alert the readers, I got a wonderful case of food poisoning in Syria. I have been somewhat dellusional/throwing up/so tired I can't even move. I will post my photos and stories when I am feeling a bit more up to it.

Off To Syria

2007-07-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

Through the grapevine I've been hearing that whenever fun American tour groups (especially with LAU) go off to Syria, we come complete with our own Mukhabarat (secret police) to follow us around. I am not going to let this stop me, so I have a few places lined up to see (mostly tourist sites), but I will attempt to go and talk to some of the people. We are leaving early tomorrow morning (at 8ish).

Wish me luck

The Lebanese Middle Class: Gone and Out

2007-07-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Many countries have marked their stability by the size of their middle class. American democracy and power was spurred by growth in the middle class. Even in Communist China the new burgeoning middle class of 200 million wants more stability and rule of law. To quote Ayn Rand, "upper classes are a nation's past; the middle class is its future." However, in Lebanon a middle class is almost nonexistent. Beirut is a have or have not world; if Rand was correct, the Lebanese are definitely retrogressing.

Lebanese people are like peacocks, they love to display their tail feathers. Only, in Lebanon they usually cannot afford the plumage they have bought.Everyday I see at least 3 high end Mercedes or BMWs, and that's just in Hamra. While I've been in Lebanon, I've seen everything from Hummer H2s, $90,000 BMWs and Maybachs, to Armani shirts, designer jeans, and $400 Gucci sunglasses. Regardless of the fact that 28% of the population lives below the poverty line (remember Lebanon has a population of almost 4 million).

I asked one of my Lebanese friends why so many Lebanese find it necessary to get cars and clothing they can't afford, the answer, "to get girls." Attracting the opposite sex aside, there is an underlying cultural current that makes Lebanese go and get extravagant things and live far beyond their means. Because the culture is one of "haves and have nots", all in this country, even the poorest Shi'ite from Dahiyia finds the need to live beyond his means.

Before the Lebanese War (1976-1990) Downtown Beirut was a place for the middle class. Neighborhoods thrived, and so did small shops. Following the war and Rafik Hariri's Solidere project the new downtown is one of high end boutiques, million dollar apartments, and one devoid of Lebanese. Who has moved into downtown? Arabs from the Gulf, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait. All of the Gulf's oil oligarchs (I call them oilgarchs) who need a place to pass through, own property and cruise around in their BMWs in the downtown. Beirut has passed from being "Paris of the Middle East" to "Grand Central Station of the Levant." The oilgarchs use Beirut as a little resting stop before they head to Geneve, or go back to their own countries.

I wondered where the money came from for Lebanese to buy all of these luxury goods, some have bank loans up to their ears, others turn to a different source of cash: expatriates (in Africa, South America, Europe, and the US) or the Lebanese "mafia". I use the term mafia to describe thugs in Lebanon that peddle drugs and knock people off. expatriates returning to Lebanon aren't the doctors, lawyers, or the educated middle class, they are the super rich who want a house in their ancestral village. The others who return are the thugs who see Lebanon as a new place to peddle his goods.

Recalling history, the first people to leave the British Mandate of Palestine in 1947-1948 were the Arab middle class followed by the extremely wealthy. Without the leadership of an intellectual community that wanted and needed stability, the remaining Arabs in the Mandate were put at an extreme disadvantage, and eventual failure. Here in Lebanon the only two groups of (Lebanese) people left are the zuama (sectarian feudal lords) and the poor hard working Lebanese. Everyone wants to be a zuama, only in this place that is impossible. The next best thing is to try to put on a facade. Just remember, no matter how beautiful a facade is, if its covering something that is disintegrating, it too will eventually be destroyed.

© All Rights Reserved; www.ArzelJabal.blogspot.com

(Cult)ure of Martyrs

2007-07-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Shahid (Shaheed), in Arabic شهد: Martyr.

Save for Abraham Lincoln, we in the US we would have a hard time calling those who die because of politics, "martyrs." While religion plays a huge role in the United States, it pales in comparison to its importance in Lebanon and the broader Middle East. Lebanon was founded on sectarianism, even the non-religious are proud to identify themselves as "Muslim" or "Christian." Because religion plays such a huge role in politics and daily life, the word "martyr" gets tossed around quite a bit.

A martyr, according to the American Heritage dictionary is:

1. One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles.
2.One who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, cause, or principle.
3.

a. One who endures great suffering: a martyr to arthritis.
b. One who makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy.

Here in Lebanon it can mean your favorite murdered warlord, a killed militiaman who defended your village, a suicide bomber who murdered foreigners in an embassy, or a child that was killed due to an Israeli bomb, that's to name a few. If Lebanon had its own dictionary, a martyr follows this definition:

1. One who is killed by an opposing sectarian/tribal/family group.

2. One who killed others while killing him or herself in the process.

3. Anyone the Israelis kill (this can be anyone, from a man who is accidentally killed in a bombing raid against Hizbollah, or a terrorist infiltrator who gets shot while gunning down children in a school).

Because the Culture of the Martyr is so pervasive, martyrdom always finds its way into politics. Rafik Hariri, the multi-billionaire former Lebanese Prime Minister is considered by some Lebanese to be a martyr for being killed by Syria. Martyrdom was so important to the identity of the March 14th group that they also call themselves, the Rafik Hariri Martyr List. From many accounts Hariri tried to kiss and make up with the Syrians, so he technically wasn't so steadfast in his beliefs, what got him killed was that he was a little TOO vocal for Syria.

On political websites, pro-Syrian Maronite, Suleiman Frangieh maintains a list of 'martyrs.' Included on the list are Suleiman's son Tony and Tony's 3 year old daughter. After infighting over protection rackets and a falling out between Lebanese Front Leader Bachir Gemayel and Tony Franjieh due to the latters pro-Syrian attitude, there was spates of violence. These 'martyrs' were created when Gemayel wanted to hunt down a number of Marada (Franjieh's party) members for murdering Kataeb (Bachir's party) members. What resulted was a blood bath, 10 Kataeb party members were killed (that link is a pro-Lebanese Front view) when Franjieh refused to hand over those who were thought responsible, Tony, his family, and a number of others were killed by Kataeb gunmen. Sticking to the definition of what a martyr is, a 3 year old girl, her mother and warlord father don't really constitute martyrs. Nevertheless the term is used to stir political feelings.

Speaking to an ordinary Shi'ite girl about suicide bombers, I was immediately interrupted by her correcting me to call them "martyrs." I questioned her whether she considered the al Qaeda terrorists blowing up countless Shi'ites in Iraq as "martyrs" and she didn't understand what I meant. The view that people who blow themselves up and take countless innocents with them is considered glorious by many here. The innocents are written off, in the Middle East no one is innocent, sometimes its an incredibly black and white, us versus them environment. What could be more glorious than to 'sacrifice' your life while taking 30 'infidels' with you? This girl's views had been so warped by surrounding influences that anyone who rammed their Ryder van, loaded with fertilizer and diesel fuel into a crowd of people was a hero, a martyr--That's it, any criticism of the person or the act was blasphemous.

These men and women who are now hailed as demigods have had their problems, some of them were drug dealing warlords bent on domination, others were out and out terrorists, some were corrupt, no one here likes to look at the "other" side of them. Once you are a "martyr" in the eyes of the populace who coined this term for you, you could do no wrong. Who knows, maybe I'll come across the poster of a suicide bomber with the word "shahid" scrolled across it, go 50 meters down the street and find a poster of his victim(s) with "shahid" written prominently on it.

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* News about my trip: I am off to Syria this weekend

A Dinner With The Guardians

2007-07-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

The crowd was markedly older, arak was on the table, and smoke filled the air. It was the 12th, a Thursday night in Jounieh, at the Guardians of the Cedars (GoC) dinner. The dinner brought together former fighters, family members, believers in the GoC's right-wing, secular-nationalist philosophy and members of the self described GoC youth. The dinner hit off without a hitch, there were piles of food, hummus, tabbouleh, vegetables, and meats. I sat at a table of younger GoC supporters, mostly college students. There was a collection of marching music and hymns in honor of the GoC militia. There was atleast 45 minutes of standing for the fallen members and to honor Lebanon.

"Phillip, we are not speaking Arabic, it is Lebanese," said one of the attendees after I explained I was learning Lebanese Arabic at LAU. To the GoC, Lebanon is Phonecian, not Arab. The Guardians see the Palestinians and Syrians as the ultimate enemies to their goals for Lebanon. The ideological leader of the Guardians, was poet and author, Said Akl. His protege, and warlord leader of the GoC, Etienne Sakr (known by his nom de guerre, Abu Arz) said, "there is no room for any Palestinian in Lebanon." Both Akl and Sakr attributed Lebanon's geography, its lack of desert (Lebanon is the only state in the Middle East lacking one) and its mountains, a feature which sheltered the Lebanese (Christians, Shi'ites, and Sunnis) for centuries. These geographical attributes, leading to isolation, fostered a unique Lebanese culture and language. Many, especially those in the media would call their philosophy of anti-Arabism and rabid anti-Palestinian ideology as racist and simplistic. Nevertheless, some of their ideology was a strong underlying current in many of the right wing Lebanese parties from the early 1980s until today.

"We didn't have this dinner to just make money," said one of the events organizers, referring to the $20 door fee, "it was to show the old fighters, some of whom were brothers in arms, that they didn't fight in vain." The night was also topped by a phone call by Abu Arz (Etienne Sakr), who is currently exiled in Cyprus. Sakr was sentenced to death in abstention by Lebanon. In addition, his Lebanese Renewal Party (the political parent to the Guardians of the Cedars) is banned in Lebanon.

Some Christians, even those not on the fringe like Sakr, do feel that he was one of not even a handful of Lebanese politicians who didn't sell out to a foriegn power. He didn't give into bribery by the Syrians, and didn't completely sell out to the Israels (as Antoine Lahad, commander of the South Lebanese Army [SLA] did). Even one of my teachers, after seeing my invitation to the GoC dinner, and a supporter of no political party said, "you know, they were right. [about the Syrians and Palestinians]"

Through an active recruitment policy, the Guardians continue to attract many Lebanese (although most of them Christian) to their line of thinking. The internet revolution has brought many in, in fact at the dinner I met one person who came because he met a GoC member via the internet. I've counted atleast four Guardians of the Cedars related groups on Facebook, a popular social networking site. In addition to Guardians run a number of websites:
http://www.cedarguards.org/wb/index.php
http://gotc.org/
http://www.gotc-au.org/

The GoC dinner was topped off by a cake, frosted with the former militias logo. Many started to shuffle out the door, the old militiamen sat and reminisced with their families, smoke from water pipes and cigarettes hung in the air. It looked like the extreme ideology the GoC holds may slowly be going the way of the dinosaur. Nevertheless,even if the GoC became extinct; like previous ideologies, even those on the opposite side of the political spectrum of the GoC, their ideals will influence people to come. Incredibly, it seems in the eyes of GoC members, their ideology is now filtering into their old enemies (mainly Sunni pan-Arab parties) and becoming more mainstream. In the words of the event's organizer, "it took us 20 years, we wanted the Palestinians out, and now look, the Sunnites (Sunnis) are going in and crushing Nahr al Bared."

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*Fellow blogger Ecce Libnano brought an interesting point to light, and one I would expect from many GoC members: 1. the GoC isn't a "rightist group." Many GoC members consider themselves to belong to an "ideology" which is neither left nor right. I based my comment on the fact that historically the GoC fought and identified with rightists inside Lebanon. In addition most of the people I talked to identified themselves as "right wing" or "rightists." One GoC member even refused to go to a club in Hamra (one that is decked out in Marx and Lenin posters) because it was leftist. Nevertheless it is a point to consider that "rightist" is just a Western label invented for the GoC.

© All Rights Reserved; www.ArzelJabal.blogspot.com

PR'bollah

2007-07-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

While I have been in Lebanon, I have talked to numerous people. Many of them, Christians, Sunnis, and Shi'ites voice their support of Hizbollah. Talking to Hizbollah members and their supporters is a bit like playing high stakes poker. You need a good poker face and have to put up with the hand you are dealt. When I ask them about Hizbollah's connection to terrorism I get one of four answers:

1. "Its all American propaganda/Whenever America decides it doesn't like a group it calls it a terrorist group." (Its America's fault, as usual)

2. "They are resistance fighters, they never committed acts of terror." (Outright denial; Play the "Resistance Card")

3. "Has anyone from Hizbollah been nasty to you?" (Answering a question with a question. See, if they aren't mean to you, how in the hell could they bomb an embassy?!)

4. "They haven't killed any Lebanese." (Self Interest Card; This is factually incorrect considering they killed many in the Amal party during the war of the camps. When they bombed the US embassy in 1983 they killed 43 Lebanese. During the 1984 bombing of the US embassy they killed 20 Lebanese)

How is it Hizbollah can sway so many people into their sphere of thinking? It can't be ALL smoke an mirrors. They do legitimately (though massive Syrian and Iranian aid) provide social services for impoverished Shi'ites in the south,Bekka, and Beirut. They did have a hand in kicking out the Israelis from the south. Nonetheless, they still committed acts of terror (two bombings of the American Embassy in Beirut in '83 and '84; bombed the AMIA building in Buenos Aires; and kidnapped a number of Westerners), through instigating the war with Israel last summer they directly caused Lebanon's fledgling economy to collapse, and their armed presence causes an uproar amongst many other sectarian groups (namely the Sunnis, Christians and Druze).

The 2006 Israel-Lebanon War is another topic that solicits a number of responses:

1. "This was in response to Hizbollah members kidnapped by the Israelis." (Big Lie Technique; If you tell a lie enough people will believe it; just for the record Israel hadn't kidnapped any Hizbollah members before the war began. The operation to kidnap Israeli soldiers was originally called "Operation Free Samir Kuntar." Kuntar was a member of the PLF [Palestine Liberation Front] who murdered 4 people in Israel, including a 4 year old girl, with his rifle butt.)

2. "Hizbollah was trying to free Shebba Farms." (Occupation Card; Shebba Farms is a part of Syria that Israel has occupied since 1967, Syria has said its "given" the area to Lebanon. The UN stands behind Israel [a first] in saying the Israelis fully pulled out of Lebanon in 2000)

3. "All Hizbollah did was kidnap 2 soldiers, Israel killed 1200 Lebanese and destroyed the country; it was a disproportionate attack." (Turn the Aggressor Into the Victim; Who decides what is disproportionate (a very big moral-subjective)? If a terror group say [and I am speaking hypothetically here]...Attacked 2 buildings in NYC and one in Washington, DC is invading the country that supported them disproportionate?)

4. "Israel was planning to do this for a while" (Facts Taken Out of Context; Olmert admitted Israel had plans on the books in case Israelis were kidnapped in the north. Even so, if the US was attacked by China and we used one of our already made plans to strike back, does that mean America had been planning to attack China and was simply waiting for an excuse?)

Responses aside, the question remains how so many people can believe these things? Its a bit like believers in 9-11 conspiracies (and trust me there are plenty of those here), scientifically and factually, all of the theories have been disproved. When the facts are stacked up against people who believe these things, their response is to claim there is yet another conspiracy trying to hide the truth or alter reality. Here in Lebanon, Hizbollah has a number apparatuses to make sure those who believe in their web of conspiracies is believed:

1. Al Manar TV. Al Manar is Hizbollah's TV station here in Lebanon, it comes complete with Hizbollah propaganda videos, documentaries on how wonderful Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is, and anti-Semitic cartoons for the kids (like the cigarette industry, 'you gotta get 'em while their young').

2. Pop Stars. Many pop stars here in Lebanon (as in the US) love to jump onto a cause and support it all the way. Usually in the US, the cause isn't one involving armed Islamists (except for of course Janeane Garofalo) For example Julia Boutrous did a song based on a speech Nasrallah gave during the war:

Who needs Brittney Spears showing cleavage when you have steamy Jihadist action like this?

3. A Culture of Blame. Many Lebanese I have met subscribe to a culture of anti-self-responsibility. Nothing is ever their fault, it is always an outside actor. This all ties into the belief in crazy conspiracies to explain bad/good/odd things that happen.

4. That 'Ole Time Religion. Mix militancy with religion and you have a great "good vs. evil" fight. Satan is played by Israel/America ...[insert Western nation here]. God and his righteous forces is represented by the Davidesque (as in David and Goliath) Hizbollah. Its a real win-win situation using religion. If you militarily lose it can easily be written off as a punishment by God for failing to do something. If you win, it was divinely inspired, and shows how God is actually on your side. "If God is with us, who could be against us?"
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* In the US we have restaurants shaped like hot dogs, always fun to eat in a place that looks like what you're eating. In the photo above, Hizbollah constructed a roadside, Dome of the Rock. For Hizbollah its always good to drive by what you launch rockets for.

* I've heard conflicting reports that Julia Boutrous is a Communist, a member/supporter of the SSNP, and/or likes Michel Aoun. If anyone can give me the interview where she outlines her real political philosophy that would be great. For now I'll take down the "Michel Aoun supporter bit"

Some Breaking News For July 16

2007-07-16T02:03:00.000-07:00

Bomb hits U.N. vehicle in Lebanon
By HUSSEIN DAKROUB ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
BEIRUT, Lebanon AP) - A bomb hit a U.N. peacekeeping force patrol on a coastal road in southern Lebanon on Monday, a Lebanese security official said, the second such attack targeting the force in less than a month.
The bomb struck the convoy as it was driving through the village of Qassimiyeh near the southern port city of Tyre, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
There were no immediate reports of casualties and the nationalities of the soldiers traveling in the convoy were not released.
In the first attack targeting the U.N. force known as UNIFIL, six peacekeepers belonging to the Spanish contingent were killed June 24 when a bomb struck their armored personnel carrier in southern Lebanon.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Lebanon_UNIFIL.html
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Lebanon army advances into camp
By Nazih Siddiq
NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (Reuters) - Lebanese troops advanced for the first time on Sunday into a Palestinian refugee camp as they battled al Qaeda-inspired militants, and two soldiers were killed raising the military death toll to 100.
Lebanese and army flags were seen flying over two or three devastated buildings inside Nahr al-Bared as the battle for the north Lebanon camp between the military and Fatah al-Islam fighters entered its ninth week.
The advance marked a major step for the army in the battle to crush the militants and a rare venture by troops into a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon in four decades.
A 1969 Arab agreement banned Lebanese security forces from entering Palestinian camps. The agreement was annulled by the Lebanese parliament in the mid-1980s but the accord effectively stayed in place.
Security sources said at least two soldiers died in the latest fighting, bringing the military death toll to 100. A total of 221 people, including at least 80 militants, have been killed since the fighting began on May 20, making it Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The toll includes those killed in limited clashes in other areas of the country.
Fatah al-Islam is made up of a few hundred mainly Arab fighters who admit admiration of al Qaeda but claim no organizational links. Some of the fighters have fought in or were on their way to fight in Iraq.

ALIVE FROM UNDER THE RUBBLE
Soldiers exchanged automatic rifle fire and grenades with militants at building and alleyways leading to the centre of Nahr al-Bared while army artillery and tanks pounded other areas. Fatah al-Islam fighters hit back, firing a dozen Katyusha rockets at surrounding Lebanese villages.
The sources said troops pulled out alive two commandos who had been buried under the rubble of a booby-trapped building that blew up on Saturday.

The military has increased its bombardment of the besieged camp since Thursday, anxious not to get sucked into a war of attrition with the well-trained and well-armed militants.

But the militants have responded fiercely, killing 13 soldiers and wounding 53.

In south Lebanon, unknown gunmen shot dead Dharrar Rifai at Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp. Rifai was a member of the now defunct Jund al-Sham group.

Jund al-Sham was dissolved last month after clashes with the Lebanese army. Two groups dominate Ain al-Hilweh, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp: Fatah and al Qaeda-linked Usbat al-Ansar.
The violence has further undermined stability in Lebanon, where a paralyzing 8-month political crisis has been compounded by bombings in and around Beirut, the assassination of an anti-Syrian legislator and a fatal attack on U.N. peacekeepers.

Lebanese politicians are meeting in France in an effort to find ways to resume dialogue after months of political stalemate.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1434460820070715?pageNumber=2

Political Graffiti: Lebanon Style

2007-07-15T03:34:00.000-07:00

In Beirut and Lebanon in general, you can always tell what, or more precisely "whose" neighborhood/town you are in, due to the political graffiti. I decided that after a number of lengthy posts, and seeing American Graffiti (in Arabic) on TV, that I would post some Lebanese political posters/graffiti for your viewing pleasure.

Three posters for Rafik Hariri, on top a poster for Walid Eido (and his son), all of them were killed in bombings. All were members of the Future Movement. Location: Beirut

Samir Geagea's poster for the Lebanese Forces. Location: Bcharre

Walid Jumblatt's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP)

Old posters for Danny Chamoun and his Ahrar Party. Location: Douma

Lebanese University: The orange check marks are for Michel Aoun's Tayyar Party, there are posters of Samir Geagea, Bachir Gemayel (holding the assault rifle), Kataeb (the green and brown cedar tree), and Pierre Amine Gemayel. Location: East Beirut (Achrafieh)

Yes, even the Communists have graffiti here. Location: Beirut (Hamra)

No political graffiti could be complete with out the smiling and waving Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbollah's leader. Location: Baalbek

Graffiti in support of UN resolution 1559, calling for the disarmarment of militias (that means you, Hizbollah) and the withdrawal of Syrian forces for Lebanon is present, right next to posters of George Hawi, the assassinated former head of the LCP (Lebanese Communist Party). Hawi was a longtime Syrian ally who was killed in a carbombing following his formation of the DLM (Democratic Left Movement). The DLM is a secular movement that became very anti-Syrian. Location: Jounieh

Underneath the roadsign is one for Amal (the green one with red stripes). Location: Baalbek

Syrian Workers, Mexican Illegals

2007-07-13T02:08:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, July 15th is right down the road. To expand upon my blurb before, Syria is planning on pulling out its workers in Lebanon on the 15th. This has been a huge cause of concern by analysts and by common Lebanese who feel the pullout of Syrian workers is just the prelude to a new terror-offensive led by Damascus. This May, Syria, acting in consort with the Islamist terror group, Fatah al Islam (an Islamist off-shoot to Fatah Intifadah, A Syrian created and financed Palestinian group), launched assassinations, bombings, and other attacks against anti-Syrian politicians (namely Walid Eido), locals that are heavily anti-Syrian (namely Achrafieh, Aley, and Korietem), and the Lebanese Army. Recently the head of the UN probe into Rafik Hariri's murder has stated that the recent combat operations involving Fatah al Islam and the Lebanese Army, are hindering their investigations; how convenient for Damascus.

With Syrian workers being pulled out, the Lebanese economy may suffer. The Syrians have firmly implanted themselves into the economy of Lebanon. Its interesting to note that Syrian workers are in many ways like illegal Mexican immigrants in the United States, but there are also many differences.

They are coming to seek higher wages, an American's average wage (this includes middle and upper class workers) is around $42,000; a Mexican's average wage (also includes their middle and upper classes) is around $3,300. Syria's average wage is around $1,200 a year, compared to Lebanon's 9,600 a year.

During Lebanon's occupation by Syria, Syrian workers were given free range to work in Lebanon, meanwhile, if a Lebanese wanted to work in Syria it was not allowed. On the other hand illegal immigrants to Mexico can face stiff jail sentences.

Syria considers Lebanon to be an integral part of Syria, just as many Mexicans consider the southwestern United States to be part of Mexico. Former Mexican President Zedillo said,“I have proudly affirmed that the Mexican nation extends beyond the territory enclosed by its borders.” Syrian president Bashar Asad said, "We, the Syrians would continue to give to Lebanon because you are the grandchildren of the Syrian Arabs."

Experts such as Habib C. Malik have called Syria's workers in Lebanon, "nothing short of a movement toward Syrian colonization of Lebanon." In the City Journal, Manhattan Institute contributor, Heather Mac Donald wrote,“Mexico’s five-year development plan in 1995 announced that the ‘Mexican nation extends its border into the United States. The government would strengthen solidarity programs with the Mexican communities abroad by emphasizing their Mexican roots, and supporting literacy programs in Spanish and teaching of the history, values and traditions of Mexico to those Mexicans living in the United States. We are betting the Mexican population in the U.S. will think Mexico first.’”

About 200,000 Syrian workers are in Lebanon out of a population of 3.9 million; there are anywhere from 7-12 million illegal Mexican migrants out of a population of 200 million.

Syria uses car bombs and political coercion to control Lebanon. Fortunately for Washington, Mexico hasn't started using terrorism.

I wanted to see what supporters of Syria's staunch ally, Hizbollah felt about the Syrians leaving. I asked one university student, and Hizbollah supporter from south Lebanon, "what will happen on the 15th?" Her answer, "problems." It seems that even erstwhile supporters of a Syrian proxy know that Syria will cook up problems for Lebanon.

"You see Phillip," she said, "I am with Syria because they help Hizbollah to free my village, I wouldn't be able to see my parents, but these Syrian workers take people's jobs, they make it so we make less money." Of course, in typical Lebanese fashion, self-interest comes first, but it also shows that in Lebanon many things are "grey."

The Lebanese Army is planning on crushing the Fatah al Islam stronghold of Nahr al Bared. Fatah al Islam, most recently, launched a rocket attack against Tripoli. Syria, after inspiring a set of numerous explosions and disturbances throughout Lebanon, is pulling out its nationals. Also the Hariri Tribunal is supposed to name a number of suspects in the investigation, this could include Syrian officials. Last, but not least, Iran has agreed inspections of their heavy water plants and atomic reactors. Things in Lebanon will only heat up.
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*Picture above is of the ABC Achrafieh bomb site, interesting to note that the people cleaning up the site were Syrian construction workers.
*All Pictures on here are taken by me, and my property, all rights reserved.

The Beating Heart of the "Christian Mountains": Bcharre

2007-07-12T02:46:00.000-07:00

Bcharre is one of the highest towns in the Middle East, resting on the edge of the Qadisha Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town is a mix of low rise buildings, red roofed villas, and a number of large churches, whose bells can be heard throughout the valley. Historically the town and its environs were home to St. Charbel, a Maronite hermit saint. In more recent history it was the town from which Lebanese Forces leader, Dr. Samir Geagea hailed from, making it a hotbed of support for the Lebanese Forces.

The St. Bernard Hotel sits right next to Dr. Samir Geagea's, mountain retreat in Jabal Libnan. His villa was complete with armed guards, a concrete protective blast wall and its own checkpoint. The hotel was completely empty, save for the group of thirty students I traveled with. The hotel's walls were covered with early Maronite arms; muskets, knives, swords, and other weapons. The decoration and smell of the hotel was something out of the early 1980s, dust was still on the fireplace. My room had two single beds in it, a balcony looking out at the mountains, and a toilet/shower. The toilet paper had probably been in that very bathroom for the last 3 years.

The day we arrived at the St. Bernard, a group of ten (myself included) was taken to a chairlift in the mountains to do some hiking. At first I was quite nervous about the hike and the chairlift. The device had been repaired a few years ago, nonetheless it was being run by the Lebanese Army and pieces of the old chairlift were scattered about. Even the building where the chairlift was located was in disrepair. Nonetheless, I made the journey up the lift to a height of about 7000FT. After getting off the lift, the group headed out through the mountains. We passed a number of small snow patches. There were large hand sized grasshoppers called aboots milling about. The terrain was a mixture of shale and sand colors, and quite rocky. After stopping in a glacier made depression we found a large patch of snow, some of the members of my party decided it was apt time for a snowball fight. On top of the highest peak in the area was a wooden cross. If you looked east the Bekka Valley and its countless fields could be seen with the naked eye. Looking toward the Mediterranean the dark outline of the Qadisha Valley and the villages that dotted it were full view.

The bus met us half way down the mountain, it was hazy, further down the mountain I could see Arz el Rab, or "the Cedars of God." The cedars are truly somthing, many of them are over 1000 years old. These same trees were the ones used by Solomon for his Jerusalem temple, the Phoneticians and Romans for shipbuilding, the Crusaders for buildings and fortifications, the Ottomans for railroads, and in the modern day, for small trinkets. The wood is extraordinarily fragrant. The trees themselves are massive. The trunk of one tree, I saw, was thicker than two yellow school buses and as high as a high rise building. The trees also have a religious significance to many Christians in the area. The cedars were mentioned 75 times in the Bible, and their wood was used to create two Jewish temples, Solomon's and later, Herod's, where God himself was supposed to dwell.

Back at the hotel my skin was burned to a crisp from the high altitude hiking and tour through the cedars. I decided to spark up a conversation with the people who ran the hotel. I explained to them my interest in the Lebanese Forces and their subgroups, immediately I was accepted as "one of them." When the other Americans had to pay a bill, I didn't, everything was on the house, their courtesy was unmatched. We exchanged phone numbers and sat for hours discussing the Christian situation in Lebanon. After a time I even shared coffee with one of the Kalashnikov toting guards of Samir Geagea.

The two men who I talked most to were Philipee and the hotel's chef, Charbel. Philipee explained to me that even though he had to work two jobs, seven days a week, and that Lebanon's economy was destroyed, he would try his best to stay in the country, "this is my country, all of us [Lebanese Christians] are going, I just can't." Charbel's English was limited to curse words and phrases from the early 90s used to hit on women. Nevertheless, they took an instant liking to me and presented me with cigarettes ("I don't smoke" doesn't hold much weight in this country, I must have been offered them 50 times in the span of 8 hours), a poster of Samir Geagea, and a number of vodka and redbull cocktails they enjoyed mixing up.

"The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar in Lebanon" (Psalm 92:12)

The Christian Heartland: Identity, History, & Politics

2007-07-11T03:20:00.000-07:00

Traditionally the north of Lebanon, on Jabal Libnan, has been the home of the Lebanese Christian community. On the map the area forms triangle, with al Habba forming the tip of the triangle, East Beirut forming the bottom left side of it and Zahle forming the right side. Interestingly enough the triangle has much significance to Lebanon's Christians, both in religion and politics, so it was quite fitting that the region in which they lived formed such a shape. To the religious Christians, the shape represents the "father, the son and the holy spirit." Politically the Delta shape was adopted by the mainly Christian Lebanese Forces (whose commander, Samir Geagea, and much of their support lies in Bcharre) during the war, in addition the right wing, mainly Christian party, Kataeb, has as its symbol a triangular shaped cedar tree. On LebaneseForces.com their reasoning for adopting the symbol is this:

"1] The delta (triangle) of resistance refers to the 3 areas; Ain el Roumeneh, Furn el Chebek and Ta7weeta. Because the war started in these 3 areas and all the Christian militias had soldiers located there, the three areas formed a triangle of resistance. Since all these Christian militias became Lebanese Forces, the delta (triangle) became there logo.2] The delta represents the cedars, while the circle represents the circle of resistance3] The delta means 'in the name of the father, son and holy spirit'

2] The delta represents the cedars, while the circle represents the circle of resistance

3] The delta means 'in the name of the father, son and holy spirit'"

Even in the 21st century the area is incredibly isolated. The roads through the mountains are long and winding. Red roofed villages cling to green and brown colored hillsides, churches dominate the skylines of these villages. Because the area is so isolated those escaping persecution have quite literally "head for the hills." Many Christian aesthetics and hermits hid in the regions numerous caves, including the famous St. Charbel. The isolation also gave ground to a movement in Christianity called Maronism.

Founded along the Orontes River in Syra, the incredibly independent minded Maronites are a group of Christians that follows their own patriarch (who is considered a Cardinal in the Catholic Church), yet receive communion from the pope. Technically they are Catholic, but technically they are not. Usually, to call a Maronite, "Catholic" would garner an answer, "no I'm Maronite!" This independent streak led many Maronites to seek refuge in Mount Lebanon following the Muslim Arab conquest of Syria. The Maronites self and outside imposed isolation caused them to turn to their religious leaders for guidance both in the realm of politics. The Patriarch and his fellow clergy members usually handled affairs of "state" and of religion. Even in modern times Cardinal/Patriarch Sfeir (head of the Maronites) is called Abu Hakim (father of the doctor). Al Hakim (or the doctor/learned man in Arabic), is the name given to Dr. Samir Geagea (leader of the Lebanese Forces) by his followers. Sfier received this name because he was one of the few voices in Lebanon to rally to Samir Geagea's side when he was imprisoned for 11 years by Syria in Lebanon.

The Maronites have been both oppressed and the oppressor. They have felt, for at least one thousand years that they are surrounded on all sides by hostile Muslim hordes who want nothing more than their elimination. They have many reasons to fear the Muslims. Because of their affiliation with the Vatican the Mameluk Muslims felt the need to cleanse the area of them following the Crusades.

The Mameluk occupation of the area was ended by the Ottomans. The Ottomans in turn gave relative autonomy to Jabal Libnan and its Christian majority, but nonetheless saw them as a thorn in their side. Because the Maronites could seek outside protection from Catholic states such as France, the Ottomans had to keep a more lassies fair stance with them. When Europe was occupied with with her own internal wars, the Ottomans would in turn strike the Maronites. For example, in 1860 the Ottomans encouraged the Druze to massacre many Christians, killing up to 10,000 of them. Recently it was mainly Muslim forces (mostly the PLO, Syria, Druze groups, Leftists and Islamists) who were fighting the Christians during the Lebanese War.

In terms of "oppression," the Maronites are the sole religious group allowed to hold the Presidency of Lebanon. Essentially, Lebanon was founded for them when the French carved much of it out of Syria. The Muslims absorbed into the new Lebanon ( Shi'ites, Sunnis, and Druze) led at the time by a Christian majority, felt disenfranchised. In addition, many Maronites held lucrative businesses while many Muslims didn't, especially the Shi'ites.

In the eyes of many Maronites (and other Christians) counter massacres against their enemies are justified. One such massacre that has garnered much press was the Sabra and Chatilla refugee camp massacre of 1982. Following the SSNP's assassination of President-Elect Bachir Gemayel (who was also head of the mainly Christian Lebanese Forces), Israeli troops surrounded the two Palestinian refugee camps. Christian forces under Elie Hobieka were let into the camps by the Israelis to clear out any remaining PLO militants. Instead of soley mopping the camp up of its Palestinian militants, the Phalangists forces exacted their revenge on the populace of the camp, killing anywhere from 600-1200 people. While the massacre, its motives, and who really took part in it are subject to much heated debate, some Christians found the action tolerable, if not justified. In the words of a Christian friend, "all you hear them [the Western press] talk about is Sabra and Chatilla, they never mention Damour or Chekka [two massacres committed by Palestinians], if you ask me they had it coming." In the Middle East the climate has been either "eye for an eye" or "head for an eye." Essentially, no crime goes unpunished, and punishment for the crime is usually handled by committing another crime.

Today some Christians push for federalism in Lebanon. They feel a stronger central government can reign in renegade elements, and help preserve Lebanon as a whole. However many Christians feel the only way to stop being Arabized is through forming more autonomous zones for certain sectarian groups within Lebanon. In a Washinton Post article, head of the NLP (National Liberal Party) Dori Chamoun (son of former Lebanese President Camille Chamoun) said, "I don't see Lebanon surviving as it is today, It is inevitable that the Christians will have a smaller share of the country. I only see one solution, cantonization. Everybody wants it. Nobody says it out loud."

The question of Arabization has caused many problems within Lebanon's Christian community. Many Orthodox Christians consider themselves Arabs, while many other Christians, mostly Maronites consider themselves to be Phonecian. One of my Christian professors noted, "I consider myself Phonecian first, Arab second, and Lebanese third." When she was asked why most Christians see themselves as Phonecian she answered, "most say it because they don't want to be associated with Arabs, whom they see as terrorists, I know history and that's why I regard myself as a Phonecian." Many Maronites, who originally used the Syriac language before the Arab conquest, even consider the Lebanese dialect of Arabic to be distinct from other forms of Arabic. the Guardians of the Cedars, a right wing, mostly Christian nationalistic organization even developed an alphabet for Lebanese.

From the isolated villages atop Jabal Libnan it was easy to see the isolated and insular nature of the Maronites. Nevertheless their Phoenician heritage has given them the pre-disposition to be excellent traders and merchants. Materialism has a huge hold in Lebanon, not just in the Christian community. Mercedes, BMWs, Cadillac Escalades, and Maseratis cruise the streets of the former war-torn state.

Christians in Lebanon are caught between being Phoencians or being Arabs, control or subjugation, currently they are being marginalized. As a minority group in the Middle East the hills have provided security, isolation, and a sense of community. However they have also proven to be the main reason Maronites, and many Christians are neither Western nor Eastern, only somthing in between. In the words of the late Bachir Gemayel, in reference to his fellow Maronites (and Christians in general), "we are the angels of the East, but also its demons."
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* More to come on my trip up to Jabal Libnan (Bcharre, etc)

* A special thanks to reader Selim K. who corrected an earlier error. I originally said Samir Geagea was jailed in Syria, he was actually jailed in Lebanon.

My Movies From Bcharre

2007-07-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

This is a movie of the ski lift that took me to the top of Jabal Libnan (Mt. Lebanon)

This is a movie I took of Bcharre, Lebanon. Bcharre is a mainly Maronite Christian town in the Mt. Lebanon range. Many people are loyal to Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces. In my short movie you can hear the bells ringing.

This movie was taken on the top of a mountain on Jabal Libnan, I first try to focus on the historic Qadisha Valley, then on the Bekka Valley, on a clear day you can see Damascus, Beirut, and even Aman Jordan from this spot. It lies deep in the Christian heartland, hence the cross.

No Fireworks For The Fourth; Fireworks For the 15th?

2007-07-10T00:52:00.000-07:00

During Syria's occupation of Lebanon they exploited both Lebanon's politicial system and its economy. Thousands of Syrian workers, even following Syria's pullout of Lebanon in 2005, make their living off of higher wages in Lebanon. However, it has been announced by Syria that it is pulling all of its workers out on July 15th. Many are speculating the country might have a new round of Syrian inspired terrorist attacks.

Only time can tell

A Temple For Baccus, A Poster For Nasrallah

2007-07-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

Built on the backs of thousands of slaves, the temples in Baalbek are some of the most expansive and beautiful in the Roman world. Edward Gibbon said in his landmark work, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire that, "Whatever evils either reason or declamation have imputed to extensive empire, the power of Rome was attended with some beneficial consequences to mankind." Architecture is one of the vestiges the Romans left behind, it most definitely ranked highly amongst them.

The Baalbek temple complex is for lack of better terms, grandiose. There is the temple to Baccus, god of wine. The temple is a rectangular shape, surrounded by Corinthian columns, its also one of the few temples that still looks as it might have in Roman times. While massive in its own respect, the temple pails in comparison to the gigantic erect columns that belonged to the Temple of Jupiter. The marble columns are as thick as three to five grown men and stretch far into the sky. The art work is quite significant, there are carved lions heads that at one time spouted water or wine. Designs on the side of the temples looked like stylized swastikas, depictions of gods preforming tasks, and even graffiti dating from Roman times until the present.

Baalbek is a microcosm of Lebanon, and truly highlights Lebanon's irony. Standing atop the high ground that used to make up much of the Temple for Jupiter, I could see a modern built mosque, in the form one might find in Iran, coated in colorful tiles and with a huge dome. The mosque had a sign outside of it showing how Hizbollah had built it. Next to Heliopolis, the ancient name of the Baalbek complex, was a Greek Orthodox church, its bells were ringing. There were more yellow Hizbollah flags than there were Lebanese. In front of the Baalbek temples were gift shops catering to who other but Western tourists. What did they sell in the gift shops? Hizbollah flags, Nasrallah posters, Coca-Cola (note: Coke is on the boycott list for many Arab states because they sell to Israel), small trinkets, and more Hizbollah gear such as T-shirts and baseball caps. $10 for a Hizbollah flag!

I was in a group of about 30 Westerners, so Hizbollah decided to keep an eye out for us. It sent three cars to watch us as we went to the temples, little children shouted curses at us such as "sharmouta" (whores/bitches in Arabic) and then tried to get high fives from us. Trash cans in Baalbek had USA or painted American flags on them. I was a bit upset by the fact that these people quite literally ran a state within a state. One Canadian in the group told me, "there is a lot of anger with them, you know Israel was bombing this area last year." Another Westerner turning the aggressors into victims. Even so, Western tourists are the bread and butter of Baalbek's economy, no other people were visiting the complex. Lebanon is known for how considerate and hospitable its people are, and these people were in my view getting orders from the top (remember Hizbollah is incredibly well organized with a complicated hierarchy) to essentially watch and even harass Westerners.

I snapped an interesting picture of a sign near the road down to the temple complex, it said, "south for reconstruction." What was so ironic about it was that the Lebanese flags that were atop the sign were in tatters, the sign was ripped, coated in dirt and dust, and had marks all over it. This reminded me of Ian Bremmer's book, The J Curve. Bremmer shows how closed societies will remain authoritarian and unfree in nature, and how open societies remain free. Hizbollah doesn't want rebuilding or economic success in Baalbek, they want stagnation and failure. They know the anger created can be used against those whom they accuse of being outside enemies/agitators: the United States and Israel. Through isolation comes power.

An isolated group amoungst the mostly Shi'ite city of Baalbek is the Christian community. I found a beautiful Greek Orthodox church opposite the temple site. They were holding a Greek mass and I went in to observe. Other Westerners with me followed, we sat in the back pews, recieving stares from the locals. While Lebanon is generally becoming more mixed, sectarian division are still extraordinarily deep. If the Christians of Baalbek can't find a modus vivendi with the ruling Shi'ite Hizbollah they would surely be displaced or eliminated.

Short video I made of the ruins in Baalbek:

Another Short video I made of the Greek Orthodox mass I attended:

Incase those links didn't work:

1.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ8Ro-ymCu0

2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fEk3PBVHJo

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*Next Post will cover the trip to Bcharre

Long Road To The Bekka

2007-07-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

The Beirut to Damascus highway is mired in history. As it name states it connects coastal Beirut to Damascus, and winds through multi-sectarian areas, Jabal Libnan (Mt. Lebanon), and the Bekka Valley. During the Lebanese War it was controlled by countless militias, bombed to submission, and rolled over by Syrian, Israeli, and Lebanese tanks.

We were passing Baabda, the home of Lebanon's pro-Syria president, Emile Lahoud. The Christian areas around Lahoud's compound obviously had no love for him, I couldn't find a single Lahoud poster in the area.

The bus started to gain altitude along the Beirut to Damascus highway, we left the Christian areas and headed into Druze territory. The Druze areas are nominally controlled by the PSP's (Progressive Socialist Party) Walid Jumblatt. This was apparent through a large number of Jumblatt posters and the trademark PSP symbol; a red background with a blue triangle, inside the triangle are a pick hammer and a staff. I didn't see many Druze (or Durssi as they are called in Lebanese) out as we passed through their villages, and in their areas the mood seemed quite relaxed.

The mountains were quite pretty, a golden brown and green color. Fruit trees lined the roads and cloud cover was heavy in a few areas, all in all it was a quiet ride. We finally made our way out of Jabal Libnan to a town just inside the Bekka Valley. The town was mixed, part Shi'ite Muslims part Christians (mostly Greek Orthodox). As a result there were few political posters up and the streets were empty. We stopped for lunch and I had a traditional Halloum (native white cheese, a bit like mozzarella) sandwich.

We continued to drive north through the Bekka. The flags along the road began to change to the distinctive green of Harakat Amal (the Amal Movement aka the Amal Party) and yellow of Hizbollah. The area was mostly Shi'ite, although there were many mixed towns. Posters of the smiling Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah looked upon traffic as we drove through villages and towns. Oddly enough we weren't on our way to see Hizbollah, but ironically to get to the world famous Ksara winery in the south-central Bekka Valley.

Ksara's premises stands out from the cinder block construction and power lines along the road. Leading up to the famous cave and winery complex there is a small terraced area for growing grapes. The bus pulled up to Ksara and we entered inside. Founded by Jesuit priests, the wine was originally used for religious purposes, and when the Vatican sold the property off in the 1970s a group of buyers came in and bought the vineyard and winery. The building was spottless, it probably hadn't seen tourists in 2 years. We were led into a damp, cool cave complex that housed barrels upon barrels of wine. Following the subterranean tour we were ushered up to a beautiful dinning room for a wine tasting. Ksara wine definitely isn't a Chateau La Mondotte Saint-Emilion 1996 (aka a $600 bottle of wine), but for $4 it was cheap, tasted good, and is great with tabouli.

Some Geography & Politics of the Bekka

To give you a better idea the Bekka is in Eastern Lebanon, opposite Syria. The valley is smack dab in between the "Eastern" and "Western" ranges of Mount Lebanon (in the West) and the anti-Lebanon Mountains (in the east). The area is known for its wineries, incredible produce, and almost complete control by Hizbollah. From the mountains the Bekka looks like a green swath cut through two huge chunks of dry earth.

There are two very important population centers in the Bekka. The first is Zahle. Zahle is the largest Catholic town in the Middle East, during the Lebanese War it gained fame amoungst Lebanese Christians for holding out against a Syrian seige. The second city is Baalbek. Baalbek is situated to the north of Zahle and is primarily a Shi'ite town with a small Orthodox Christian minority. Politically Zahle is a stronghold of the Christian Lebanese Forces, however, most of the Bekka, including Baalbek is a base for Hizbollah and Amal.

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*More Posts later on my trip to Baalbek, Bcharre, Batroun, and Douma

Seeing Orange

2007-07-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

Lately there has been much talk about Michel Aoun and his orange colored nikesque logo sporting, Tayyar Party. Michel Aoun is quite a popular figure with many Christians. Originally during the war years Aoun was commander of the Lebanese Army. After Amin GemayelAoun to be the Prime Minister of Lebanon, unfortunately for Aoun the position of Prime Minister has always been alotted to a Sunni Muslim due to Lebanon's National Pact. This in turn caused the Lebanese government to fracture, on one side a pro-Syrian Muslim government headed by Salim El-Hoss, in the Christian enclave Aoun, with Iraqi support ruled supreme. In 1989-1990 Aoun launched a "War of Liberation" against Syrian occupation. In addition he also attacked fellow Christians (namely Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces) inside the Christian enclave to take control of the Beirut Port and the tax revenue it pulled in.

Many accused Aoun of launching the war against fellow Christians as part of an effort to gain more support from Muslims. In turn, the effort was an attempt make himself out to be a respected leader willing to go after anyone, Christian or Muslim who defied him. Aoun wanted the same clout Bachir Gemayel had in 1982. Bachir was quite Machiavellian, crushing Christian and Muslim opponents equally, winning the respect of many Muslims and Christians. Aoun's war against his fellow Christians and Syria was costly, and when Syria sided with the US against Iraq (Aoun's main Arab support) Aoun was forced into exile by Syrian forces.

Aoun's effort to become Prime Minister of Lebanon, regardless to the fact that traditionally and according to the National Pact that the postition should be in the hands of a Sunni Muslim cemented his belief in secularism. During his exile Aoun was adamantly anti-Syrian and wanted the terrorist group, Hizbollah, to be disarmed. To quote Aoun from his appearance on Pat Robertson's 700 Club,

ROBERTSON: General Aoun, delighted to have you with us on The 700 Club, welcome . Tell me about Hezbollah. We hear about the terrorist group Hezbollah. What relation do they have to Syria?

GENERAL AOUN: Hezbollah is not a separate entity from Syria. It is under the Syrian operational control.

ROBERTSON: The so-called terrorist group is under the operational control of Syria?

AOUN: Yes, 100 percent, no question about that.

ROBERTSON: I understand that Damascus is the headquarters of a number of other terrorist organizations that have received aid and assistance from the Syrians. Can you tell us what they are, those other terrorist organizations?

AOUN: There are about 11 organizations of terrorism in Damascus. Among them, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the Democratic Front and the General Command Front of the Palestinians [Liberation Army], all of them are listed in the United States as classified as terrorist organizations.

Now on his return from exile in France, Aoun is back in the Lebanese political game with his eye on the presidency. Interestingly enough once Aoun got back to Beirut, following a short honeymoon period with anti-Syrian groups like the Future Movement and the Lebanese Forces, Aoun joined forces with Hizbollah, Amal, and the SSNP (Syrian Social Nationalist Party); a flip-flop if I've ever seen one.

Of course a turn around like this was completely unexpected by many Christians who were drawn in by Aoun's secularism and anti-Syrian rhetoric. Now Aoun wants to keep pro-Syrian president, Lahoud in office. I asked a Christian friend why she supports Tayyar and Aoun and the answers were startling. "Hariri kills Christians, he steals money, his new Solidere project doesn't employ any Christians," answered my friend. Briefly I argued that the Shi'ite Islamist Hizbollah was nothing more than an Iranian and Syrian proxy, and had a stated goal to turn Lebanon into an Khomenist state. To her, Hizbollah was peaceful to Christians where she was from in the south, and even helped them in some cases. The Shi'ite/Iranian threat was not as present as one she saw from the Sunnis. Also, in regards to Aoun's relationship with Hizbollah I asked my friend how as a Christian she could support a group that had been responsible for terrorist acts. Her answer, like that of Hizbollah supporters I've heard before was, "Hizbollah never killed Lebanese civilians," yet again, the Hizbollah spin doctors and propagandists had worked, another Lebanese couldn't even acknowledge that Hizbollah was involved in some henoius acts. Her answer to my critism was, "we have respect for Hizbollah they fight hard and are not corrupt."

I continued to press her on why she despised Rafik Hariri so much, she then told me about her brother. Her brother was the number 2 math student in Lebanon. He was one of the few who received a Hariri scholarship to study abroad in the United States. My friend continued on and told me that following his graduation from the university Hariri's people contacted the brother, and offered him a job working for a Hariri firm, only he would have 10% of his salary taken out, to pay Hariri back for the "scholarship." To her this happened to her brother, "only because he is Christian."

One of the security guards here at LAU is also a Tayyar supporter. Interestingly enough he is married to a supporter of Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces, Aoun's main rival. His answer wasn't as complicated as my other friend's when I asked him why he supported Aoun, "I like him because he is crazy, he does not care what people think."

Now living in his plush Rabieh villa, Aoun is definitely a force to be reckoned with. For those who support Aoun, they see his complete flip-flop to the pro-Syria camp as something that any other Lebanese politician would do. For those in the pro-Western sphere of Lebanese politics, Aoun is a traitor to values he had been sticking with for about a decade. Not only is Aoun a flip-flopping traitor, but he has split Lebanon's Christians down the middle. Aoun definitely has his eyes on the Lebanese presidency, and as in 1990 he will do his best to destroy whoever gets in his way. Aoun is like many other Lebanese politicians, he is willing to "eat his own young" just so he can advance and get more power.

Downtown Silence & The Hariri Effect

2007-07-05T11:13:00.001-07:00

A skinny black and white cat ran by, the only souls within a 100 yard radius were a security guard, a Lebanese Army soldier, and a group of about three gussied up girls waiting to enter White, a club on top of the An Nahar building. Beirut is officially dead. Its only Thursday, but there should have been hundreds of people lining the walkways of downtown.

I had originally gone to downtown to see a friend and look around the Virgin Mega Store. After my friend left I was about to take yet another poorly maintained 1980s Mercedes taxi back to LAU. It was getting dark, and I was tired. Nonetheless, my more adventurous side got the best of me, so I decided to wonder around the downtown, talk to people where I could, and just see the city at night.

I headed towards the famous statue to the Martyrs in Martyr's Square, no one was there, earlier I spotted a French tourist snapping pictures of the bullet holes in the statue, but that was it. I was the only one to go into the Rafik Hariri memorial, I was told by another friend that the memorial got a shipment of new flowers every single day. I had originally ruled this out as impossible, to replace sets of flowers like the ones in the Hariri memorial, it would take hours of labor and thousands of dollars a day. That was until I saw 7 flower arrangers putting together wreaths and other decorations made completely of red and/or white flowers.

The memorial was made to commemorate the assassinated former Prime Minister of Lebanon, but I noticed something a bit more interesting in the photos that lined the tombs and walls inside. The memorial really highlighted what a zaim is. Zaim (or plural Zuama) is Lebanese for a leader, but it has a broader and more political meaning, referring to feudalistic sectarian leaders. Hariri could easily be characterized as one of those leaders. His sectarian group were Sunni Muslims. The mountains of cash he made from lucrative construction deals and his party, The Future Movement were all his brainchildren. In some respects he was the modern equivalent of a Japanese Shogun.

The pictures looked a bit like something out of Socialist Realism. One picture or painting would show Hariri praying or meeting with a dignitary, another would show him as the builder of the great mosque that is downtown. One must also remember the memorial isn't supposed to just be about Hariri, it also had an area where his guards are entombed. In the US many leaders (if they were killed in such a horrific manner) who characterize themselves as populists would be buried right next to their slain guards, not in Lebanon, egalitarianism is not a concern. Hariri, in true zuama fashion is buried out in front with a huge tomb, his guards are entombed behind him. All of the guards have their pictures next to their graves, but in each of those photos there is a superimposed Hariri in a semi-heroic stance behind them.

Construction in the downtown is booming, all thanks to Hariri. As part of the rebuilding effort Hariri launched his Solidere company, a plan to largely reshape downtown Beirut, bring in high end shops, and clear away many of the shell ravaged buildings. I always imagined Beirut as an interesting dichotomy of Orthodox/Byzantine style Christian buildings and a number of Ottoman style mosques. The real Beirut is a mix of cranes, in some cases poorly built high rises, an odd war scared building or two, all obscuring historical Beirut. Roman ruins are dug up and left out, during the March 14th protests my friend told me that some people urinated into a Roman ruin opposite the Martyrs' Statue because there weren't enough (correction: any) bathrooms.

I walked to the famous clock tower, I counted about 25 people (not including the countless private security and Lebanese Army soldiers) and 6 cats in the whole area. Cafes were empty, many stores were closed. The smell of shisha (Arab water pipe) was in the air, and ice cream was slowly melting in the Haagan Das near the clock tower. Soldiers would gawk at me, I was probably the only American within 5 miles. I continued to walk through downtown towards the Phonecia Hotel, location of Hariri's assassination. I walked more, passing an Ottoman era mosque, 3 people were inside praying.

I could see the shell ravaged Holiday Inn Hotel. The hotel used to be one of the highest and most strategicly placed buildings in Beirut. It achieved a legendary status amoungst many Christians after a Phalangist militia man threw himself off the top floor of the building, so he wouldn't be captured by Palestinian gunmen. After passing the hotel and buying myself a diet coke I flagged down a cab, and was back at LAU.

My movie of Beirut as seen from Martyrs' Square:

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* I will try to post, but will be out in Northern Lebanon in Batroun, Bcharre, and Duma until Sunday, the 8th of July

Happy 4th, Blame America!

2007-07-04T02:54:00.000-07:00

In regards to anti-Americanism and the "blame America" tendencies of many on the left, the late Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick said it best, "When Marxist dictators shoot their way into power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats don't blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies. They blame United States policies of 100 years ago. But then they always blame America first." Hyperbole and hypocrisy are two words that best describe most people's views here. Its no different here in the Middle East, America is usually the cause of every ill and the reason behind every failure.

There is a certain Islamic tendency I've noticed to rarely look inward at the source of many ills and instead to look outward, usually at the most powerful non-Muslim empire/state/outside power and express their wrath at it. Some of these reasons are legitimate, toward the end of the Ottoman Empire, Russia was encroaching into mainly Muslim territories such as Bukhara, and in the Caucuses (which were Ottoman provinces). As a result Russia was seen as the 'Great Satan' for the later part of the 19th century. Tags such as "Godless Atheists" or "foreign invader" would return to Russia in the 1970s and 80s as they invaded Afghanistan. Still, you don't hear many Muslims calling the Soviet Union the Great Satan, regardless of the fact that they had state sanctioned Atheism, suppressed Muslims, and (if we are being literal here) absorbed "Muslim lands" (the Kingdom of Bukhara or the lands to the east of the Caspian are prime examples) into its great empire. Even today, war rages on in Chechnya, many foreign Jihadists have joined the fight against Russia. Nevertheless the main country that is to blame for Middle Eastern problems is the United States.

The Middle East is a Catch 22. I am paraphrasing, but I heard a number of American soldiers in Iraq say on TV, "if something happens they blame us, no matter if our intentions are good, they just hate us, we can't do anything right." Its quite true, let's take Lebanon for instance. In the US we call it "Taxi Wisdom," the man on the street who is driving the taxi usually has the general views of much of the population and much wisdom to go with it. Here in Lebanon I call it "Security Guard Wisdom." I am friendly with all of the security guards at LAU and we always love to talk about politics. They will ask me, "when will America kill Asad, why haven't they done it already?" My answer is usually, "we don't have the power to do that, and what happens to Syria AFTER he is gone?" It seems the basics (let's say assassinating Bashar Asad) is far more important then the kind of chaos the country would descend into following any such assassination. I am sure the answer I would get AFTER we kill Asad would be, "well why didn't America stop the anarchy? Why couldn't you just leave Asad?"

Personal responsibility isn't big in the Middle East, if a scapegoat is present "everyone is happy." Let's take Syria, a repressive dictatorship, terror sponsor, and all round not so nice player in the "Middle Eastern sandbox." Why must Syria have huge expenditures on its military and be so oppressive against its own people? Easy answer: 'The Zionists and Americans!' Their internal economic problems are never the regimes fault, no, its some huge conspiracy by America and Israel to destroy Syria. No matter the fact that its incredibly implausible this view is, it is somehow curried as fact. As we have seen, Syria has sponsored and STILL sponsors terrorism against the US and Israel, yet the regime is still around, wouldn't this be enough to convince someone on the street that maybe America isn't all powerful? Definitely not.

This myth that America is all powerful is a sham created by the people in need of a scapegoat. Sometimes even their own propaganda gets the best of them, in Iran for instance America is considered the 'Great Satan' and a nation that controlled EVERYTHING in Iran. When Jimmy Carter's rescue attempt of the hostages held in Tehran failed, the answer by the ayatollahs was: HA! America is nothing more than a paper tiger! The Iranians, feeling strong in the 80s upped the ante in the Gulf against the tankers using mines. There decision came around to bite them when the US launched Operation Praying Mantis and sank the Iranian frigate Sahand.

The Hizbollah supporters whom I've met here at LAU are probably the most affected by the "America-did-it Syndrome." They would routinely deny that Hizbollah was EVER engaged in terrorist activities against the United States, "we are just resisting invaders, we don't kill innocent people." I asked if "invaders" included the 63 people, mostly Lebanese, including 17 embassy staff, murdered via Hizbollah car bomb in April of 1983? The answer I received was, "well there must have been a reason it was attacked." Of course, when the facts are stacked up against these sorts of people they always say, "see Phillip your government tells you the opposite to the truth." Whenever a book, article, or anything is produced to say, "hey you guys are wrong," it is deemed as American propaganda.

I once brought up the "War of the Camps", a prolonged bloody conflict primarily between Palestinians and the Shia, and between Shia groups. The two primarily players at each others throat were the more secular Amal Pary and the Iranian backed Hizbollah. Today the two are allies, so I asked these Hizbollah supporters what their views were on that conflict. Their answer was as usual hypocritical, "it was an inter-Shia thing," so I asked, "if you were killed by a fellow Shia it wouldn't be as bad as opposed to if an American killed you?" Considering hundreds if not thousands of Shia were killed in the conflict, one would assume that possibly it would be realized that its not always "America's fault." Of course this fell upon deaf ears. Following that interchange, they told me how the Hizbollah members protesting in Martyr's Square were opposing US influence and control of Lebanon. I asked, "what would make Syrian or Iranian domination or control any better?" Their answer, "we are the same people, and they want what's best for Lebanon." This ignores the fact that Iran is most definitely Persian, not Arab (as the Lebanese Shia consider themselves), and that Syria has killed Hizbollah members before. To quote the MEIB (Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, a more right wing, anti Syria publication), "In early 1987, Amal launched a disastrous campaign against rival Druze and Palestinian forces in west Beirut, prompting Syrian forces to enter the area on February 22. During the operation to secure control of the Basta quarter, Syrian troops killed 23 Hezbollah members who allegedly attacked them."

This isn't a solely Muslim phenomena, many of the Christians of Lebanon blame the US for the loss of Lebanon to Syria. I was speaking to a friend regarding American policies in the region and his answer was, "America sold us out, they let Syria have Lebanon so you could fight in Iraq [referring to James Baker's deal with Damascus, pulling Israeli air cover of the Christian enclave in 1990]." There is much truth to that statement, but to allow all of the blame to fall on the United States ignores many basic facts. For instance Syria was the Soviet Union's main ally in the Middle East following the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreements, they supplied Damascus with thousands of tanks, airplanes, and other weapons. In addition the Christians main enemies (namely the Druze, Sunni Arab Communists, and the PLO) were all Soviet clients. Also regardless of whether America gave the "green light" or not to a Syrian invasion, Damascus already controlled 3/4ths of the country. The Syrian goal, regardless of what the Soviets or Americans told them, was to conquer Lebanon. Even Syria's greatest ally, the Soviet Union, was incredibly mad with Syria for attacking leftist forces (the Soviets backed) and creating tumult in the area. Following Lebanese Army General, Michel Aoun's "War of Liberation," a time when he attacked the Syrian Army, to push them from Lebanon, the Syrians were, air cover of not, going to try to take the Christian areas. Blaming America also ignores that the United States inadvertently preserved Christian power in Lebanon in 1958, and helped stabilize the country, following Lebanese President Chamile Chamoun's plea for American assistance vs. what Chamoun characterized as a Communist takeover.

The question remains, "why is it always America's fault?" Its a number of reasons, it isn't just because we are "the most powerful nation in the world/the world's only superpower."Former vice- chair of the National Intelligence Council at the CIA, Graham Fuller, (again I'm paraphrasing) says much of the hatred against America is because of an Islamic view that they were once the dominant empire in the world, respected and feared, and now they are not united and they perceive they are controlled by outside Western influence, who is the biggest and most powerful of the Western nations? The US. Atlantic Monthly writer Robert Kaplan charts the rise of Islamism (and its anti-American overtones) to rebelling against globalization. Globalization is, of course, primarily pushed by America.

Again, the Middle East is a cocktail of tribal identities, and sometimes the only way to get them to work as one, is by finding an outside enemy. America, with its liberal social policies (as compared to much of the Arab world), massive conventional military power, and strong presence abroad make it a clear target. Arab governments use this to their advantage. If the economy is poor, and in comparison America's is large and booming, it was all an American plot. If the military is too repressive, its only to protect the nations identity and keep it out of American hands: in essence its written off "a necessary evil." In the eyes of a common person here and of course many other places, anything that is large, powerful, and seemingly better in many respects than home will be an instant competitor or potential enemy. An old Arab proverb says it best, "I against my brother I and my brother against our cousin, my brother and our cousin against the neighbors all of us against the foreigner." Now imagine that foreigner is more powerful then the brother, the cousin, and your neighbors. This is human nature, only in the Middle East it often takes a violent turn.

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Happy 4th of July from a place that doesn't celebrate Independence Day, but has enough fireworks to light up 1000 American cities.

I am headed to al arz (this blogs namesake) aka the cedars, and northern Lebanon on Friday. I will visit Batroun, Bcharre, and a number of other locations.

Visitor Map

2007-07-03T00:48:00.001-07:00

I have a new visitor map application on the right side, click the map then click where your location is. I'd love to see where many of the readers are from. Thanks everyone!

To Jbeil

2007-07-02T04:38:00.000-07:00

The Mediterranean sprays against the shoreline of the world's oldest seaport, Jbeil (also known as Byblos), are breathtaking. After driving through Jabal Libnan we reached the seaport and I marveled at its antique grandeur. The view was beyond belief, in front of me was the Mediterranean, further on was the ancient Byblos castle, to the right the ancient seaport, used by mariners since time immemorial.

The castle was a combination of two parts fairy tale mixed with one half history text book. The area had been continuously inhabited by some of the world's most interesting invaders and civilizations. To name a few of them the Phoenicians, Alexander the Great's Greeks, Ramses' Egyptians, Romans, Frankish Crusaders, Ottomans, Arabs, and yes, even the French all called Jbeil and its castle home at one time or another. The ruins were quite expansive, and spread over a large area that was buttressed by the sea. At the top of the castle there was a view to die for. I could see all the way out to the Mediterranean and the whole city (including the old historic parts) of Jbeil.

Jbeil is a primarily Christian city on the Lebanese coast, so the political graffiti was a bit different than what one would find in a place like Beirut. The main contenders for wall space in Jbeil were Bachir Gemayel (assassinated president of Lebanon and founder of the Lebanese Forces), Orange check marks belonging to Michel Aoun's Tayyar Movement, Kataeb Party graffiti in the shape of a cedar, and Samir Geagea and his Lebanese Forces.

You could definately see that Jbeil had been hit hard by the lack of tourists. The zouk (market) down by the ancient seaport was virtually empty, the vendors tried to charge an arm and a leg for anything, I must say though I found a beautiful (albeit overpriced, so I didn't purchase anything) book store loaded with Lebanese history books in three different languages.

I love the imagery that always shows Israel or Lebanon with a dove and olive branch in its mouth. These are two places where political violence knows no bounds, but I can understand the pictures to a point. As I stood atop the Jbeil castle I realized how peaceful a place Lebanon could potentially be. I would guess that the combination of seaspray, expansive views, Crusader era embattlements and the beautiful breeze would have that effect.

Misty Jabal Hop

2007-07-01T04:57:00.000-07:00

I was up bright and early to head out to northern Lebanon, more specifically Jbeil (Byblos) and the Mt. Lebanon area. Even at 7 o'clock the weather here is muggy and hot. If the breeze wasn't so forceful I would have sweated through yet another T-shirt. At around 7:30am we boarded a bus, the bus had Reagan era orange curtains, barely functional air vents, the bus had seen better days, when MTV was new. I sat next to a very well educated Turkish girl who worked with the Washington Institute, we had a good conversation about a wide variety of topics, and listened to CCR and Journey on my headphones (That's right Lebanon, Don't Stop Believin'). We were also "blessed" by the fact that we both have low blood sugar, so I guess we had each other's back.

The bus headed up the coastal road past Downtown Beirut, the seaport, Rabieh, and up the (in)famous Jabal Libnan (Mt. Lebanon). After living in Colorado I was much more comfortable with the change in altitude, less humidity in the air, and cooler breezes one would get in the mountains. The mountains here are truly spectacular; I can only speculate what they may have looked like in the 17 and 1800's when the first Victorian Europeans started to explore the area, but I am pretty sure there weren't many concrete high rises.

To the Jeita Grotto! To get to Jeita travellers have to board a cable car. The cable car is a no-frills ride that goes over a small stream bed and through a valley lined with very green trees. When it gets to the cave complex you go through a small turnstile and into the cave. The cave complex is of course dark, but also cool and misty. The combination of those things makes me understand why so many aesthetics and mystics would often become hermits in the complexes. Inside the cave had a nice little walk way and lights pointing at all of the marvelous stalactites. Further on there was a boat ride through the cave. The water inside the cave is very cool, I would often put my hand in to feel it or throw some on my head. Even though the water is not very deep, the lights placed into the water make it have this very Caribbean feel, even the sand on the bottom is white.

Following the boat ride, we were coerced to watch a movie that reminded me of those 1950s made for school, Mcgraw Hill productions, "From the makers of Duck and Cover: What You Need to Know About Reds and 'The Bomb', its, Caves and Stalactites a New Frontier!" (note: I just made that little bit up, I'm sure you get the idea) To top that off the theater was boiling, I must have been perspiring so much that I lost at least 3 gallons of water. After the movie we took "the train," a more or less hyped up gasoline powered golf cart pulling carloads of my fellow students to the small petting zoo of native Lebanese animals. For people who know me, I love to play with any animal that comes within a mile radius. Because of this, I had a ball harassing the grown and baby Shami and Mt. Lebanon goats, with whom I played with for a few minutes.

We left Jeita and started to hit the same altitude I was used to in Colorado, about 6-7000FT. We then drove off the paved road onto what looked like a deserted dirt road, lined with wild mint, mountain flowers, and some wild herbs. We were in Faqra, about 45km from Beirut. Faqra is home to the world's highest Roman temple, and the largest set of ruins in Lebanon. The ruins were very well maintained albeit they were fenced off with a rusty chain link fence. There were the remains of columns, an old church, and the most spectacular of all, the columned entrance to the temple remains, the pyramid shaped roof has long disappeared, but the splendour of the entrance columns was somthing Nero himself couldn't have imagined.

The area around the temple was virtually empty, save for the few lizards that were basking in the heat and my tour group. I climbed to the top of one of the Roman (and later Byzantine) walls to enjoy the view of the mountains. The mix of colors is almost Tuscan, with reds, sepia, green, and many hues of gold. The hills here have a mix of sepia and reddish soil. there are some grains, herbs, and piles of sharp straw (I say sharp because they can penetrate a sneaker) dotting the landscape.

Just up the hill from Faqra are the world famous Faqra ski resorts. In Lebanon it was popular to say that in spring you could be bask in the sun at the beach in the morning, and in half an hour's drive go skiing. Even though Lebanon is currently experiencing a heat wave, I could easily see how beautiful the area could be with a little snow.

We continued to drive to the north and stopped to view the natural stone bridge (jusoor al Hijar) at Kfardebian. Some of villages that line the roads here are something out of a story book. They are dun colored, some have red tiled roofs, in the Christian villages you can see Lebanese Forces symbols and shrines to the Virgin Mary. Sometimes out of nowhere you see a modern looking house/apartment building in the middle of nowhere, empty, as if a family of vagrants were squatting in it for the past 10 years. Around the villages there are terraced hills, many different types of fruit trees, ranging from lime, pomegranate, orange, figs, to a variety of apples.

Up in Jabal Libnan you could definitely see the "tribal" breakdown of the people. Since the 1850s the area had been fought over by the Druze and the Christians. In 1860 the Druze massacred up to 10,000 Maronites, Greek Catholics, and other Christians. Currently, much of the Druze are represented by Walid Jumblatt's PSP (Progressive Socialist Party) and many of the Christians belong to Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces. During the 1975-1990 war the PSP and LF fought incredibly bloody battles against one another to control the mountain. At times the Druze would massacre the Christians, and other times Christians would massacre the Druze.
The more I experienced life in the mountains, I could see how certain sectarian values were in turn brought by those villagers to the bourgeois capital of Beirut. Mix materialism, religious fanaticism, and provincial views and you have a healthy reason why you can always tell which sectarian neighborhood you are in because of the posters that line the walls. The mountains are a kill or be killed type of area. You could hide out in them for weeks, and no one could/would find you. The villages seem quite self sufficient. They remind me of micro-city states in the hills; Supplying their own food and social functions in times of peace, militias and communal defence in times of war.

As we continued driving the tiny, winding mountain roads, I was astonished to find an all Shia village near Kferdiban. Older women wore the Iranian chador, a few younger girls were in Western clothing, for the most part it was a conservative village. Young children came out to gawk at the bus, in one case a 7 year old boy threw a rock at the bus. The village was complete with Amal and Hizbollah flags, posters of Hassan Nassrallah and Samir Kuntar, and a small mosque decked in yellow and green sheets. (yellow and green are the colors of Hizbollah and Amal respectively). Past the village were a set of small waterfalls and springs. The springs were fresh but I wouldn't drink from them. In Lebanon I have noticed many people care about preserving the environment, but many villagers, even when its within their self interest, still don't care. For instance, there is a small sitting area where one can have a soda near the springs. The covered women would wash dirt and filth from the floors into the very streams and water lauded as crisp, fresh, and scenic.

To the villagers the small "cafe" was the perfect place to scam a few extra lira, they tried to charge 2000 L.L for a coke (that's about $1.30); of course, the cokes are bought by stores for about 250-500 L.L, I'm guessing a bit of the profit went to Tehran, so I argued with the shrewd little boy selling the cokes and got 2 of them for 1500, I guess it does pay sometimes to have a university education! I guess I also had another laugh considering they were selling Coke, Coca-Cola in turn sells A LOT to Israel. Oh irony, thou hast smiled upon me.

Apart from the Coke, irony is always present no matter where you turn in this county. Old enemies are friends and sometimes friends are enemies. In the village I mentioned there were both Amal AND Hizbollah flags, however, in 1985 Hizbollah and Amal (both Shia groups) fought countless bloody battles in what was refered to as "the War of the Camps." Right now the PSP and the LF are allied in the March 14th grouping. The PSP used to be one Syria's strongest allies, now Jumblatt (often called "the fox" for his unabashed realism in politics) is completely anti-Syria. Henry Kissinger was off by a few hundred miles when he did his dissertation on Realpolitik, instead of analyzing von Metternich, he should have analyzed Jumblatt.

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* Next post will be on my trip I made to Jbeil.

Is War On The Horizon of The Eastern Mediterranean?

2007-06-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

I was browsing Michael Totten's website and came upon the article, Feels Like 1967, Redux. To paraphrase, Totten explained how Israel is assuming that at some time this summer an attack will come from Iran, Syria, Lebanon (through Hizbollah), or even al Qaida.

According to WorldTribune.com, "Israeli military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin told the Cabinet that the Jewish state faces five adversaries in what could result in an imminent confrontation. Yadlin cited Iran, Syria, Hizbullah, Hamas and Al Qaida.'Each of these adversaries is capable of sparking a war in the summer,' Yadlin was quoted as saying."

I have serious doubts that al Qaeda could really take Israel on via Lebanon, Gaza, or the W. Bank. They usually operate in Arab/Muslim countries and strike targets within them. One of their few anti-Israel strikes was in Mombassa, Kenya, while this caused great alarm it didn't spark a war.

Hamas is a different ball of wax from al Qaeda. First, Hamas is busy solidifying its control of Gaza and that probably won't be complete, atleast, for a few more weeks. This doesn't mean that they won't try to launch rockets or hit and run attacks against Israel, but I think Olmert is quite wary of sending the army into Gaza so soon after the debacle he managed in Lebanon. One must also consider that Hamas does get some of its orders from Damascus, so if Asad decides he would much rather have a low-intensity war on Israel's southern border he may choose to do that.

As a casual observer who is currently residing in Lebanon, A.K.A the country that is home to Hizbollah and location of the war last July; it is my fundimental belief that if there is a new war against the Jewish state it will be along the same lines as the war last year.

Why Will A War Come?

• Lebanese presidential elections are on September 25th, Syria has been at work this spring and summer knocking off anti-Syrian MPs (namely Walid Eido). Emile Lahoud, the pro-Syrian president of Lebanon is going to have to step down. The last thing Damascus wants is an anti-Syrian Maronite (namely Amine Gemayel or another Maronite from the anti-Syrian Rafik Hariri Martyr List). If a crisis can be made by Damascus, Beirut may have to delay elections, or if Damascus is feeling adventurous it may just contiune knocking off more politicians.

• The current Lebanese Army vs. Fatah al Islam war started around the same time the UN was going to start its tribunal for Rafik Hariri. Syria has a vested interest in keeping Lebanon destabilized at this time. If there is war, how can the UN carry out any investigation?

• Iran is facing internal strife and external pressure. Internally there were numerous riots due to gas rationing. According to the New York Times,
" Unrest spread in Tehran on Thursday, the second day of gasoline rationing in oil-rich Iran, with drivers lining up for miles, gas stations being set on fire and state-run banks and business centers coming under attack.

Dozens were arrested, and the Tehran police chief, Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, complained to reporters that the police had been caught unaware by the decision to ration fuel.

The anger posed a keen threat to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was elected two years ago on a platform of bringing income from oil to the nation’s households. Instead, even though Iran is one of the world’s largest producers of crude oil, it has been forced to import about 40 percent of its gasoline at an annual cost of $5 billion to make up for shortfalls in its archaic refining industry."

In the Middle East distraction from domestic problems can be solved by a foreign adventure. Due to the success of Hizbollah's last war against Israel, they may feel emboldened to launch another one. If Hizbollah succeeds again then the Iranian leadership could find its way out of another problematic internal situation.

Add that the possibility of the international community pushing for tighter sanctions on the Iranians. Currently the international community is offering Iran a "nuclear time out" I.E. Iran should hold off temporarily from Uranium enrichment. The Iranians could very well ignore the initiative and continue on their current course of enrichment.

• Arms are flowing into Lebanon faster than water out of a faucet. Syria and Iran have been pumping Hizbollah with new arms. The UN has been complaining that Iran and Syria have not been respecting an arms ban into Lebanon.What does someone do when they get new toys? Do I really need to answer this one? All right: THEY USE THEM!

When I talked with the mother of a friend here she was telling me about a new article (I believe it was in An Nahar) that discussed how Hizbollah was ready for a new war against Israel. Many of the Christians here feel a war will break out at any time. Hizbollah has become excedingly powerful and to some extent it has left the Lebanese Christian population to feel immasculated. To quote my friend's mother, "Hizbollah wants to Islamicize Lebanon and have war all the time."

However there is an opposing view. Some on the Lebanese street are convinced no war will come and its simply sabre rattling by both sides. As I am writing this, I asked a Druze girl sitting at the computer next to me whether she thought a war would occur this summer, her answer, "they have been saying that for the past 5 to 6 months, I doubt there will be war." Israel has also been very cautious in regards to its northern border. Following a number of recent Katusyia rocket hits, Jerusalem decided to just ask UNIFIL to do a better job. Granted many people said this attack was from a rouge Palestian group trying to scuttle the cease fire in the south, but Israel did attack the PLO in 1982 after Shlomo Argov was attacked by the Abu Nidal Organization (Abu Nidal and the PLO were both Palestinian groups, but, they hated eachother, Abu Nidal was far more extremely violent and considered the PLO to be a sell out group).
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I'll add a bit more as the time comes. More interviews/travel-logs to come, look out for:

• A trip to Dahiya with a publisher friend (she's great, Ms. Wasta). Dahiya is the HQ of Hizbollah conjoined with a Palestinian refugee camp, and is located in S. Beirut. Currently Dahiya is a pile of rubble due to successive Israeli airstrikes. This should be interesting...

• A trip to Harrisa (حريصا) & Jbeil/Byblos (جبيل). I am going there on Saturday---So look forward to a late night blog post.

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This post is in serious need of additions and editing, so treat the current post as a proto-version of whatever is going to come.

Martyrs' Square

2007-06-28T04:46:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I headed out with J, her sister N, A and E. They have been incredibly hospitible towards me and I feel as though I am one of the family, its the sort of acceptance you would rarely find in the United States; I have only expereienced it within my own family and with my girlfriend.

I really feel at ease, unstressed and at peace here. Despite the random violence (nothing has hit Beirut so far), and, in some places uncleanliness there is a general relaxed feeling about the people. I honestly think most of them are more curious about me than I am of them, I've never been stared at quite so much, but its not a stare of disgust, it is one of interest.

J, N, A, and E (we can't forget E!), were kind enough to take me to the downtown area. Many Lebanese, especially those in the Christian community rarely go to the downtown area because of the Hizbollah tent city that sprouted up in the square. Also, because of the terrorism purpotrated by Fatah al Islam many of Lebanon's most famous sites look like ghost towns. I wasn't about to let this deter me, but then again, I must put my thanks out to my friends who were kind enough to drive me there, guide me and put up with their feelings of rage against Hizbollah, which they regard as a state within their state. Not to mention deal with a routy American who always sticks his nose in things.

The Garden(s) of the Shahid (Martyr)

Martyr's Square first attained its name from six Lebanese nationalists who were hanged by Ottoman authorities in World War One, following a revolt against the Turks. The Palace des Martyrs' (as its known in French) was also the place in 2005 that the March 14th rally was held. It was described to me by friends who attended the event as a remarkably huge sea of humanity; Sunnis, Druze, Christians, and even some Shia all comming together to protest Syria's murder of Rafik Hariri and to get Syria to pull out of Lebanon. This is one of the few squares I've been to that not only features "martyrs of the past" but of "martyrs of the present." If you look east you can see the Kataeb Party headquarters adorned with a poster of slain leader Pierre Amine Gemayel, to the center of the square there is the An Nahar Newspaper tower with a huge poster of murdered MP and writer Gebran Tueni, towards the new mosque built by Rafik Hariri is his tomb and that of his body guards, all killed by Syria. Even the statue commemorating the 6 executed nationalists is scared by war as there are bullet holes all over the bronze. In Lebanon death is always around the corner, or in this case in the square, but life is always so vibrant. I toured around Place de l'Étoile which features the famous Rolex clock tower, normally the square would be PACKED with people, but today, because of the high heat and the fear of terrorism, tourists and locals have just stayed home.

We continued on in central Beirut and I went into this stunning Greek Orthodox Cathedral called The Cathedral of Saint George. The churches and cathedrals here are simple on the outside, using heavy stone, mixing Byzantine, Western, and Arab architecture. On the inside they are incredibly ornate and stunning. In Saint George's there were murals of angels, gold leaf covering the columns, and 3 burning candles in the back. If you aren't religious like me, the building could definately cause you to reconsider.

Following the tour around City Centre, everyone took me to Club 43 in Achrafieh. The club is within (and excuse the pun here)a gunshot's distance from Martyrs' Square, has a French flag hanging from its 18/19th century window, and is up a darkened flight of steps. Our server was an Australian hippie who served us shots (ouzo) and then our other food and drinks. I must note that they have the best iced tea I've had in Lebanon, but the food was hit or miss.

"Wierd New Jersey" Doesn't Have ANYTHING on "Wierd Lebanon"

On another side note, Lebanon has always been a place of contradictions, a place where the militant Islamist group Hizbollah can launch katusyia rockets at Israel but at the same time where one can get drunk in a bar off absinthe, 500FT from a Hizbollah protest.

I've noticed that time isn't that important in Lebanon. In my dorms there are no clocks, just one clock on the bottom floor (I am up 4 flights of steps to my room). Appointments are made but I've noticed that they are rarely kept, for instance I was supposed to have lunch with a Hizbollah member, we made plans the night before and she was atleast 20 minutes late and wasn't hungry.

Modern Lebanese culture (and I am trying not to generalize here, because my friends are not like this) is incredibly materialistic. People may not be able to buy food in some cases but have a brand new Mercedes or BMW, Gucci clothing, or a Rolex watch.

In the United States much business and politics is preformed through connections people have but it is generally frowned upon to openly gloat about how one uses and makes connections. Here it is quite different and the word that is used is Wasta. I was talking to two people who go to LAU and one was trying to get her best friend to go out with a teachers assistant who proctors her class---why you may ask? Not so she could be a good friend, no, she wanted a good grade in class! In Lebanon even socially, the ends justify the means.

A Night at ABC with the GoC & A Late Night With Hizbollah At LAU

2007-06-27T02:52:00.000-07:00

Last night I took 'le service' (Lebanese taxi for about a dollar) to Future TV in Spears to meet a friend. She picked me up in her car and took me to ABC Achrafieh. To correct a previous post the ABC I went to earlier was farther east and on the water. ABC Achrafieh was a palace, loaded with all of the most posh Lebanese, it was definately comparable to an upscale American mall. ABC Achrafieh was loaded with security following the bombing, and in the parking garage we passed the area the bomb blast hit.

My friend is a member of the GoC or Guardians of the Cedars. They are considered and consider themselves to be the elite of the Lebanese right wing, and often view the Ouwet or Lebanese Forces (LF) as backward rednecks. I stop at calling them a "Christian party" because that would incure the wrath of some non-Christian AND Christian party members. The GoC consider themselves the purest form of Lebanese Nationalists. Many in the West would remember the GoC from Robert Fisk or other journalists who popularized them by talking about how their phrase was, "ﻋﻠﻰ ﻜﻝ ﻠﺒﻨﺎﻨﻲ ﺍﻥ ﻴﻘﺘﻝ ﻓﻠﺴﻁﻴﻨﻴﺎ" or translated "It is the duty of every Lebanese to kill a Palestinian." The GoC views Palestinians and Syria as the ultimate arch-enemies of Lebanon, encourages a nationalism that wants a return of Lebanon to its Phonecian roots, expulsion of the Palestinians, and a peace agreement and possible alliance with the State of Israel. They are the antithesis of anything the SSNP, Hizbollah, Arabists, Islamists or Syria espouse, as such they were banned by Lebanon and Syria.

When my friend drove me back to LAU it was quite evident that there is some truth to the claims that the GoC (while being a group that advocates secularism) still has many sectarian roots. She (my friend) had lived in Lebanon all her life, and while not being a Beirut native still couldn't find Hamra or LAU (Hamra, while mixed is mostly Sunni and in mainly Muslim West Beirut). Nonetheless, I observed no outright racism/anti-Muslim behavior on her part, she considered the Muslims just as Lebanese as she was.

When I returned to LAU I went to the computer lab. I started talking to a girl who said she was from Abu Dhabi. She, like most Lebanese women and girls who attend LAU was quite pretty and dressed just as a teenage girl would dress in the US: showing cleavage, in jeans, and a designer top. Her friend was in a mini-skirt and a very tight top, so when I found out they were both members and supporters of Hizbollah I was truly suprised (I always pictured women in a flowing chador packing a Klashnikov). They were both extremely polite to me, eventhough my views directly opposed theirs, and I was allowed to hear their view on the US in the Middle East, which was nothing short of misinformed. There is nothing better then hearing disproven "theories" on Israel, 9-11, and the US. Later we went to the convienence store across the street to pick up some drinks and sweets, one of the girls was nice enough to bring down Arabic bread and some home made labbneh, then made us all some sandwitches.

Note on new photos:
1. Picture of the site that was bombed in Achrafieh.
2. Pictures of the beach, Harrisa, Rouche, Rabieh, Hamra, W.Beirut, LAU, and AUB.
3. A few personal pictures with good friends.

Classes Begin

2007-06-26T05:59:00.000-07:00

Let's start out with what I did yesterday.
My friend(s) (let's call them J, E, and A) took me to a wondeful little restaraunt\bar called Cafe d' Orient. The restaraunt was off of the main coastal road, the same road one would take to get from Rabieh to Gemayze or Hamra (note: I am in Hamra). I sampled a wonderful assortment of Arabic bread, tabouli, houmus, and smoked a lime/mint shisha.

Before the meal we went to the ABC shopping center in Achrafieh, the ABC had been bombed a few weeks ago, and, as a result security was quite strong. I picked up some grocceries, a beer, and some soap. I must have been the only American in the whole building and no matter where I walked (even with my Lebanese friends) I was stared at.

After the mall, J, E, and A took me back to J's apartment. While there we discussed politics, watched an LBC (Lebanese Broadcasting Channel) presentation on Chiek Pierre Gemayel. It was a very wonderful night.

Today my classes began, I attended my upper elementary Arabic and my Lebanese dialect class, can you say, "Shufi Mafi?" Classes were quite good albiet the power went out a few times (not great when the weather is like a Florida August).

I also had lunch with J's sister across from AUB. The food was somewhat American although it has much Lebanese influence. We had an interesting discussion about publishing in the Lebanese world.

Parts of Beirut I've been wondering around are denoted by a red box:

Trouble In The South

2007-06-25T01:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, as I finished up my orientation period, I called up my friend. We all had been planning on going out for dinner. As I was on the phone with her there was a period of silence only to be interrupted by the radio. Once I heard the silence and the radio announcer say "Filisteeni" (Palestinian in Arabic) I figured there must have been a problem, and I turned out to be right.

In southern Lebanon, near the Maronite town of Marjayoun, a blast was heard. This area is usually under Hizbollah control, but after the 2006 war the UN and Lebanese Army moved in to secure the area. The explosion was the result of a mine detonated by a cellular phone as the UN convoy passed. An Armored Personel Carrier (APC) was burned and 6 UN peacekeepers (2 Spaniards and 4 Colombians) were killed. Following the news it was clear that my Lebanese friends were quite shaken up. I spoke to one of the LAU staff and she was quite adimant that the Palestinians were the worst group of people in the Middle East and should just be kicked out. I must have heard 4 people in Lebanon, all of different sectarian groups (one Kurd, one Christian, and two Sunnis) say things along the same line.

At first I heard reports that the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (a loosely organized Fatah affiliate terrorist group/militia) were the ones to set off the bomb, but apparently that wasn't true: gotta love the Lebanese rumor mill. Later authorities blamed Fatah al Islam and/or one of its surrigate Sunni Islamist allies. The Spanish Defense Minister was quoted by the Baltimore Sun saying, "Without a doubt, we are dealing with a premeditated attack."

It goes without saying that this recent attack has really frightened many Lebanese. I went out later with my Lebanese friends and they seemed to be a bit on edge, this is the farthest south Fatah al Islam has attacked and it partially shows that eventhough the government declared victory against them, Fatah al Islam can still strike with impunity.

This attack also was a clear and blatant attempt to scare off international observers/peacekeepers. Lebanon has a track record for being a country that has sent peacekeepers packing to go home. Fatah al Islam may be following the example of the Shi'ite Hizbollah, who, in 1982, bombed the US Marine barracks and a contingent of French paratroopers. The attack ended up killing 241 and 58, respectively. Soon thereafter France and the US packed their things and went back home. The situation following their retreat resulted in more anarchy and ruin for Lebanon; without a coercive force to pay attention to petty sectarian games, Lebanese ran amuck and killing eachother was back in vouge. So, Fatah al Islam also wants foriegners to go, once they leave then the terrorists can go on a violence splurge. This merely plays into Damascus's formula to control Lebanon. If their formula was a recipe it would be written as such:

Step 1: create a problem and in the process knock off as many adversaries as possible.
Anarchy (much of it helped along by Syria) was the same excuse they used in 1976 to intervene in Lebanon and subsequently occupy the country.

Step 2: Maintain plausible deniability. Remember, if they think you are behind an attack but can't put their finger on the fact that Syria planned it, then you are ok.

Step 3: As Lebanon slides into anarchy act like a savior. Tell the international community that those "silly Lebanese" can't control their own affairs, so Syria will do it for them.

Step 4: Try to stay in Lebanon and suck it of all its wealth for more time to come.

Footage of the explosion on Lebanese TV (to be more specific NBN-Amal's/Nabbeih Berri's network):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJXdMvS4J3M

Dinner & Arak With Friends

2007-06-24T00:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first full day in Lebanon. I slept about 3 hours in total, but had many adventures and met many interesting people. My first adventure was going outside of the LAU campus to get some coffee, water, sodas and some other assorted junk food. Afterwards a fellow student and myself took a stroll down to the Raouché (Pigeon Rocks). They are a spectacular formation of stone jutting out of the Mediterreanean, the water surrounding them is a mixture of teal, green, light blue, and a medium shade of blue I can only describe as "Azure Mediterreanean."

The stroll down to the Raouché was quite an interesting one. The school I am attending is in the heart of Quoritem, the bastion of Rafiq Hariri and his Future Movement (a March 14th associated political party and heavily anti-Syrian). As such, there is heavy security by both the army and police. On almost every major intersection one can find an M113 Armored Personel Carrier with a .50 caliber machine gun mounted atop its metal hull. To get to the Raouché you have to pass the Saudi embassy, which is a massive building loaded with private security and a battalion of soldiers outside. Because I am a free wheeling American I decided I would take some pictures of the APCs dotting the streets---BAD idea. I got yelled at repeadedly by the soldiers, although it seems if I just play the "dumb American" card I won't get my camera smashed.

Also, during the day, I stopped and found some nice little coffee shops, and had some of the best iced coffee in a place across from the school. Around 11 in the morning I gave a close Lebanese friend a call. She invited me over to her home for a dinner complete with the Lebanese specialty drink known as Arak (also spelled 3arak--the 3 is an ain in Arabic) . Arak is made of anise and is quite sweet, almost like drinking an incredibly sweet tequila without so much alchoholic bite.

After speaking with my friend she informed me that her boyfriend (who was playing soccer at the time) was going to pick me up around 9:30PM. As 9:30 passed I called her up again and she told me he would be there to pick me up around 10PM. I had little to do, so I sat in the guard house and talked with the guards. The guards told me that rent (per month) was around $700 a month, they earned around $1.30 an hour and they couldn't get over the fact that America had a minimum wage around $5.75-$7.00. I tried out my rudimentary Arabic/Lebanese with the guards and they seemed to get a kick out of it, teaching me a few new words and pronounciation. As 10 o'clock rolled around my friend's boyfriend pulled up with another person I am friendly with and we headed off to Rabieh.

Rabieh and Christian Beirut (and its suburbs) seem a lot more organized and clean as compared to the Muslim sections. Of course both Muslim and Christian Beirut have much alore, but that difference definately sets them apart. On the drive down to Rabieh we passed downtown Beirut. I was told that ever since Hizbollah started protesting the current government they were subsidizing poor Shia (giving them $3 a day) to squat in Martyr's Square. There is a joke that is going around (some of it is true according to photos I've seen) that these Hizbollah members brought their shishas (water pipes) and TVs with them---Now Martyr's Square is their new home. I was also told that to get down to Martyr's Square (which stradles the old Green Line seperating Christian and Muslim Beirut) one must go through, not one of the numerous Lebanese Army checkpoints, but a Hizbollah checkpoint. Yes, Hizbollah has people who "guard" their encampment in downtown Beirut, and they (not the government) allow people in and out.

As we entered Rabieh we pulled up to a nice looking apartment building. My friend had a beautiful home with a wonderful family. Politics was the talk of the night, and of course I felt as if I had center stage (its not everyday some random American walks through your door and wants to talk about inter-Christian/Sunni-Shi'ite politics). I had a wonderful meal prepared for me complete with native bread, salad, arak, and pleasantly spiced chicken just to name a few things served. After the meal we all sat down and watched the television, my friend's sister had an international phone so I gave my mother a quick call. I must say after a great dinner there are few things more amusing than to have Seinfeld with Arabic subtitles.

For some time I had been talking about trying to get as much political paraphenalia out of Lebanon as possible. My friend went through a huge poster collection and gave me a Lebanese flag, a Kataeb party flag (Kataeb is also known as the Phalange party, and are right wing, anti-Syrian). As I was driven home my hosts took me to the Bachir Gemayel memorial in Achrafieh. Bachir Gemayel, a hero to many Lebanese Christians, was the son of Kataeb founder Pierre Gemayel, founder and leader of the Lebanese Front and later Lebanese Forces, and was president elect of Lebanon in 1982 before an SSNP bomb killed him. I visited the very place he was murdered that night. Formerly it was an unspectacular apartment building, after the explosion flattened that building, it became a square with concrete floors, trees, and a memorial to Gemayel and those killed in the building. The square was mostly quiet, save for a few young men who jokingly wanted to cheer for George W. Bush because I was in the area. Large posters and a massive metal carving of Bachir Gemayel's figure adorned the building adjacent to the memorial and it reminded me of a modern day shrine. In Lebanon it seems that the whole city is one massive shrine to opposing/allied political leaders who were supported by their confessional group. Eventhough I have been here a day, you can tell what sectarian section of town you are in by the posters that are stuck to the walls: Rafiq Hariri for Sunni sections, Walid Jumblatt for the Druze, numerous Hizbollah "martyr posters" and pictures of Hassan Nasrallah for Shi'ite sections, and Bachir Gemayel and the recently assassinated Pierre Amin Gemayel for Christian areas.

All in all it was a very spectacular day/night filled with adventure and great conversation.

Just Arrived

2007-06-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

I am writing this from the LAU computer labratory on the bottom floor of my dorm. I was the first off of my plane (thank the almighty I didn't check any bags!) and met LAU's driver, Mohammed, in the terminal. There was definately a presence of Lebanese Army and Police in Beirut Airport, but nothing too extreme.

As we left the airport I saw a number of Emile Lahoud (Lebanon's pro-Syrian president) posters plastered to an onramp post, but it was minimal in comparison to the huge posters of Rafik Hariri (Lebanon's slain former Prime Minster) that dotteded Beirut. As we pulled into the Hamra district I passed a fully armed M113 Armored Personel Carrier, complete with .50 caliber machine gun, and 3 Lebanese Army soldiers with M16s, quite the show of force.

LAU, right in the heart of Korietem, borders the Hariri Mansion, and as such is heavily guarded. The same anti-car-bomb devices used in places like Iraq and Israel were present, along with many guards. The campus itself is quite quaint, and thankfully air conditioned.

Pictures will come along with more comentary.

Off To Lebanon Part 2

2007-06-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

In my previous post I talked about my upcoming trip. So, tonight I am off to Lebanon, it should be an interesting trip through JFK, Heathrow and finally Beirut Airport. I am traveling light with some clothing, Arabic books (for my classes in Beirut), a notebook, and a camera.

I will do my best to blog from Lebanon.

Topics I hope to cover:

Hizbollah anti-government protests in Beirut.
March 14th officials and their reaction(s) to the current assassinations by Syria.
The Lebanese Army vs. Fatah al Islam in Tripoli.
Rise of Khomenist Shi'ism/Iranian influence in Syria and Lebanon.
Sectarian differences in Lebanon.
Interviews with common people in Lebanon and their views on the current situation.

Fatah al Islam Defeated?

2007-06-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

Reports from Lebanon are claiming that Fatah al Islam has been defeated. Lebanese Defense Minister is quoted in the linked story as saying, "the military operation is over. The Lebanese army has crushed those terrorists." This may be true considering there haven't been any recent car bombings, only time can tell. I will try to post my findings on here.

Another Example of The Shia-Sunni (aka Iran vs. Sunni Arab Regimes) Divide Is In Full Swing

2007-06-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today President Mubarak of Egypt announced he would be holding a meeting involving Israeli, Jordanian, and Fatah to discuss Hamastan (aka Hamas occupied Gaza) and its implications. While many see this as primarily an anti-Hamas/a move to bolster Fatah meeting one must acknowledge that the meeting has many anti-Iran and anti-Islamist overtones.

Hamas is armed/supplied by Iran
Hamas is the militant wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Palestinian Territories. This is the same Muslim Brotherhood that was sweeping Egypt's 2005 elections and considered a political arch enemy by Mubarak in Cairo.
According to The Australian, "Egypt's Foreign Minister accused Iran of having encouraged Hamas to seize Gaza in factional fighting with the secular Fatah movement in which more than 110 people were killed last week."
Jordan has an increasingly hostile stance towards Iran, especially following the Summer of 2006 war between Iranian backed Hizbollah and Israel. In addition Jordan borders an increasingly destabilized and Shia controlled Iraq. In the Sunni Arab states Iran is seen as the prime supplier of Iraq's Shia militias.
Israel sees Iran, its ally Syria, and Hizbollah as its greatest regional threats. Hamas, a client of Iran getting hold of Gaza is seen as a terrible thorn in Israel's side.
Following the Summer of 2006 Israel-Hizbollah war Israel fears a new war could break out on numerous fronts, with a new Gaza-Israel conflict in the south and a Lebanon-Israel war in the north.

Democracy In the Middle East Means All Or Nothing

2007-06-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

By. Phillip

Elections and Democracy, these words are often paired with freedom and justice. However, this hasn't been the case in the Middle East. Instead democracy has been just a byword for civil war. Four years ago the American people and the world were told to prepare for a democratic revolution in the Middle East, all thanks of course, to US forces blowing down the despotic regime of Saddam Hussein. One could say that truly has come to pass: with democracy came revolution. Unfortunately, the desired revolution of the Bush administration failed to come to fruition. The revolution now is an Islamist one, all thanks to democracy. As we look at the turmoil between rival Palestinian groups one can only blame a push to elections. In the Middle East, just as with George Bush's rhetoric: there is no gray, only black and white. "Democracies are good/peaceful, dictatorships bad," juxtaposed to "Islam is the only answer, democracy and anything short of Sharia law is evil." "You are either for us, or against us," is the only logic that transpires.

Machiavelli once said, "It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising partly from fear of their adversaries, who have the laws in their favour; and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it." Gaza, Iraq, and Lebanon are all smoldering due to "democratic change." Why does this always seem to happen in Middle Eastern "democracies?" Islamist victory would clearly be a leap backward into the 11th century while current "populist" dictatorships are as moribund and corrupt as the former Soviet Union circa 1992.

We in the West should have expected Gaza to turn into a tinderbox following the Hamas victory, not just because Hamas is a violent Islamist terrorist group, but because politics in the Middle East to use the oft quoted Mao, "Grows out of the barrel of a gun."

Algeria 1992: In 1991 the FIS, an Islamist party won 188 seats in Algeria's parliament following democratic elections, giving it a very clear majority. Following the elections, a secular military junta led by Mohammed Boudiaf took power, canceled the elections and declared the Islamists to be invalid. So started the the Algerian Civil War that continues today. Bombings, assassinations (including the assassination of Boudiaf), and massacres occurred. Its important to note that the FIS, formed the AIS (its armed wing) as early as 1992-1993. So, when the government clamps down, get a gun. That doesn't sound too unreasonable considering this is how many revolutions in the West have occurred, but of course in the Middle East militia politics is interchangeable with politics.

Lebanon 1975: Demography has always been at the heart of Lebanon's political system. Maronite Christians (the majority when the last census was held in 1932) hold the Presidency a Sunni Muslim is Prime Minister and a Shi'ite is the Speaker. Threatened with a growth in Muslim population and power and feeling as alone in a sea of Islamic enemies, not to mention an influx of heavily armed Palestinians, Lebanese Christians form themselves into a number of militias. The largest and most powerful of which was the LF (Lebanese Forces). Muslims who either felt disenfranchised, wanted union with Syria, or sided with the Palestinians (to name a few reasons) also formed numerous militias.

When arguments break down in parliament it is always good to have thousands of heavily armed men who can attack your opponent(s). It is a kill or be killed world on the shores of the southern and eastern Meditereanean.

In 1982 Lebanese President elect and LF commander Bachir Gemayel was to sign a peace deal with Israel. For this he payed with his life, as an SSNP (Syrian Social Nationalist Party) bomb ripped through an apartment building he was speaking in. As a result members of the LF in an operation to "clear PLO militants" out of the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps used the opportunity to massacre their despised enemy, the Palestinians. 600-1000 Palestinians were killed in response to the murder of their leader. Clearly one side cannot be left standing, it is not as the Bible describes as "eye for an eye" but instead a village for an eye. The rationale is: there won't be an enemy if I wipe every single one of them out, once that occurs "my side" can preserve/take power.

Syria 1982: Syrian President Hafez Asad is threatened by a rebellion by the Muslim Brotherhood. Members of Asad's sectarian group, the Alawites are gunned down in an Artillery school in 1979, and open rebellion by many Islamist Sunni Muslims becomes widespread. In keeping with the "village for an eye" rules Asad crushes the Muslim Brotherhood. Hafez's brother Rifat commands 12,000 men; complete with helicopters, tanks, and armored vehicles. These 12,000 men besiege the Muslim Brotherhood in their stronghold city of Hama. Rifat under orders from Hafez simply flattened the city of Hama killing by some estimates up to 20,000 people. Editorialist Thomas Friedman described the action and how politics are waged in the Middle East in his book Beirut To Jerusalem as "Hama Rules." Now, even though the Islamist insurrection in Syria took place not because of democratic elections, but because Sunnis (70% majority population) and Sunni Islamists regarded Asad and his minority Alawite religious group as heretics, the Hama Massacre only highlights that in the Middle East the common way of dealing with opposition is to crush it ruthlessly.

Gaza 2007: After the January elections the Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas, took the parliamentary majority, they ran on a ticket opposing the corrupt Fatah party and on a goal to destroy Israel. Fatah, while still a sponsor of terrorism, saw Hamas as a clear and present danger to its over a decade long hold on Palestinian Authority power. Hamas on the other hand saw Fatah as a bug that needed to be crushed, so they could be the main power broker of the Palestinians. Subsequently, Hamas started to smuggle more weapons in via its Gaza tunnels. Fatah remained on high alert, fearing its tenous grip on power in Gaza would fall. In ensuing the power struggle there were shootings and kidnappings, what some would call a low-scale tit for tat squabble.

As with many civil wars/inter-sectarian conflicts, small raids devolved into full scale open conflict. More than one hundred people are dead from a weeks worth of fighting. Masked Hamas Gunmen stormed offices belonging to Fatah officials and related organizations. They subsequently threw their enemies off of roofs or summarily executed them in the streets. It was the shootout at the OK Corral, only in Rafah. One man would be left standing, even though many Arab countries tried to form a Palestinian unity government, coexistence and uniting for a common cause (even against a much hated enemy: Israel) couldn't be achieved. It was simply impossible for Hamas or Fatah officials to imagine they could be in the same government together. It was one or the other, black or white. Hamas now has Gaza, Fatah is solidifying its hold on the West Bank.

Rules for Politics in the Middle East:

Always have a militia/armed wing to back up a political party. If there is no force behind your party then you are as good as dead.
If you must engage your enemy in open conflict make sure they are crushed completely and ruthlessly. If you wipe out an enemy then there can be no one to counter you.
Even winning an election doesn't mean you have power, the only way to achieve full power is to wipe out any and all opposition.

Welcome to the Middle East. Where an outsider has to go along with the rule of the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" (i.e. a "secular" dictatorship providing enough coercive force is much better to have around rather than a radical Islamist dictatorship). Democracy in the Middle East is as a Lebanese friend put it, "demockary," one can claim to have free and open elections, but regardless of the results the one with the most guns makes the rules.

MIGs For Damascus & Tehran

2007-06-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

Russia announced recently that it plans to sell Syria a revamped version of its MIG-31 fighter jet. The MIG-31 is the re-vamped version of the MIG-25 Foxbat, can reach speeds of Mach 2.83 and carries a wide variety of long range missiles. The type of MIG-31 that Russia is selling Damascus, the MIG-31E can as reported by GlobalSecurity.org:

"The MiG-31E provides facilities for vectoring up to three fighters, types MiG-21-93, MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-29, Su-27 to ensure a covert attack. A group of four MiG-31E fighter-interceptors is capable of interchanging data in the automatic mode on presence of air targets in the zone up to 800 km wide."

Not only is Russia planning on selling a batch of MIG-31s, but it also wants to sell Syria the new MIG-29M/M2. This advanced multi-role fighter jet has brand new liquid crystal displays and a long range interception capability.

This sale raises a number of questions. Woodward and Bernstein were told to "follow the money," but Syria is so deep in debt it technically shouldn't have the money to pull off all of this new defensive procurement. The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported,

"Several questions are raised by the deal. First, where Syria got the money for such expensive weapons. In the winter of 2005, Russia wrote off 70 percent of Syria's foreign debt, which was $13.4 billion at the time. Under that agreement, Syria's debt to Russia was reduced to $3.6 billion. Russia renewed military-technical cooperation with Syrian at the same time. Information has arisen regularly since the beginning of 2005 that Syria is in negotiations with Russia for the purchase of new weapons."

I was really drawn to the Kommersant article mainly because of its title, "MiGs Will Defend Syria and Iran." Read that closely Syria and Iran. Now a cliche statement in the academic world, but widely ignored by many in the press, Syria and Iran are forming a strategic alliance based on their mutual hatred of the United States and Israel. Not only are their external enemies much the same, but their ruling groups (Alawites in Syria, Twelver Shia in Iran) are both Shia minority states in a sea of US allied Sunni Muslim countries (such as Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states, Egypt, and Jordan. Syria itself has about a 70% Sunni majority).

Israel expressed concern about the sale. Nevertheless, as a casual, realistic observer, one can assume that Israel's intelligence and air capabilities could greatly counter any advance made by Syria. Historically Israel was gravely concerned in the 1970s when Syria received a large number of Soviet MIG-23 swing wing fighter jets, only to shoot large numbers of them down over Lebanon in 1982, without a single loss to Israel. If Syria even wanted to even the odds vis a vis Israel they would need to greatly upgrade training and tactics. I can only speculate that Syria will make the same errors as it has in the past regarding its air force; they will buy the most advanced Russian equipment yet neglect to really train its pilots.

Video of the MIG-31:

Video of the MIG-29:

To Lebanon

2007-06-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

To all readers, I am off to Lebanon by the end of this week to attend an Arabic course and if possible get a few interviews for this fledgling blog. I will primarily be in the Beirut area but will most likely go off on adventures to Damascus and other parts of Lebanon. I hope to post some photographs when I get back.

Note: Any interviews I do get will be published on this site effective when I get back in the beginning of August. If I'm involved in any breaking news I will do my best to post it up here.

Wish me luck!

Fatah al Islam: Arabic For Another Syrian Front

2007-06-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

By. Phillip

There has been a recently repeated theory that claims that Fatah al Islam is somehow an organization with close ties to al Qaeda. Granted, Fatah al Islam does show Islamist tendencies, such as having a leader, Sheik Shaker Al-'Absi, a man sentenced in absentia to death by Jordanian authorities for the murder of an American diplomat. However, there is overwhelming evidence linking Fatah al Islam to Syria.

Journalist, Nicholas Blanford reported in Time that, “Fatah al-Islam, the group battling the army, has dominated much of the news in Lebanon since it first declared its existence late last year, splitting from Fatah al-Intifadeh, a pro-Syrian Palestinian faction that is headquartered in Damascus.” One must remember that Fatah Intifada was created by the Syrian regime as a Palestinian counter organization to Yasser Arafat and the PLO during the Lebanese Civil War. In addition Fatah Intifada is widely considered just another Syrian proxy (such as the PFLP-GC), and has its headquarters in Damascus.

Recently, in May of 2006 Fatah Initifada was used to stir the Lebanese pot when they attacked the Lebanese army. It isn’t just coincidence that both Fatah Intifadah and Fatah al Islam both have a knack for starting problems by attacking the Lebanese Army. When the Lebanese Army encircled Fatah Intifada last May it was in response to provocative action taken by the group. After Fatah al Islam’s bank robbery there were subsequent raids by the Lebanese Police and Army. Fatah al Islam retaliated by attacking Lebanese Army posts and killing 27 soldiers.

Other Connections:
• Not so ironically, Fatah al Islam launched its attacks on the Lebanese Army during a time when the UN was just beginning a tribunal on the assassination of Rafik Hariri. Any tribunal was expected to call Syrian officials, up to and including President Bashar Asad.
• Fatah al Islam has not attacked any pro-Syrian groups. Many Islamists, especially the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood regard the ruling Alawite minority as apostates. If Fatah al Islam was a true Islamist group, would it not seek to attack them (Syria and many of its proxies are secular) too?

The current spate of assassinations and bombings is obviously due to Asad’s hand. The bombings that occurred in Aley, Achrafieh, and Verdun were more than just operations designed to sew terror in the hearts of average Lebanese, just remember this:

• Aley: in the Druze heartland, not to mention a location where there is a strong PSP
(MP Walid Jumblatt’s party) influence. While Jumblatt has been known to engage in unabashed realpolitik, even before the Cedar Revolution of 2005 he’s been a staunch critic of Syria and a leading member in the March 14th Alliance.
• Verdun: known for being quite luxurious part of Beirut. While being a mixed neighborhood (Nabi Berri owned a residence near to where the Verdun blast occurred) is generally considered to be within another anti-Syrian party’s sphere of influence, the Sunni, Future Movement. This was a message aimed at shaking Saad Hariri, leader of the Future movement and son of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri.
• Achrafieh: A Christian part of Beirut, the bombing of a shopping mall in this area had much to do with threatening the Christian base of anti-Syrian coalition. This more specifically targeted parties such as Samir Geagea’s Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb Party.
• Most of the explosions were small, often in areas frequented by the public (such as shopping malls) but often in off hours. One of the few bombings to have a large death toll was the Walid Eido assassination, which killed 10 others in the process.

The Syrian Mukhabarat is sending a very blunt message to the anti-Syrian parties: Keep defying Damascus and you will get more bombs. This was the same message sent by Syria following the anti-Syrian protests of March 14th. Syria’s bombing campaign included targets (as the bombing campaign has recently) such as anti-Syrian journalists, politicians, and areas where anti-Syrian confessional groups (ie. Druze, Christians, and pro-Hariri Sunnis) reside:

• Assassinations of fervently anti-Syrian politician Gebran Tueni and journalist Samir Kassir. This also includes the assassination attempt on LBC journalist (and candidate for a Maronite seat in the Baabda-Aley district) May Chidac.
• The bombings used small amounts of explosive (ranging from 1- around 50lbs).
• The same style of targets as the current bombing spate were hit, such as a shopping mall in the Christian neighborhood of Zalka.

Walid Eido and Destroying the Majority

After the June 14th murder Walid Eido, a Lebanese friend mentioned to me, “just four more to go.” I asked him what he meant by that and the answer I received was quite startling (I am paraphrasing here), “The Syrians just need to kill 4 more parliamentarians with March 14th, then they [March 14th and other anti-Syrians] won’t have the majority.” Whittling down on the anti-Syrian political majority is most definitely a goal of Damascus. The number of anti-Syrians has now gone down to 68 from 72, if the number goes down to 64 then pro-Syrian elements in Lebanon will undercut the Siniora’s government. Lebanon’s current president, pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud has his term is set to expire on September 25, 2007. Because Lebanon’s president is elected via the parliament, a pro-Syrian majority is a goal desired by Damascus in order to control Lebanon’s presidency.

Useful links on mentioned topics:
BBC Fatah al Islam
ABC: What is Fatah al Islam?

© Copyright http://arzeljabal.blogspot.com/; June 16, 2007

Blog Goals

2007-06-15T13:41:00.001-07:00

Arz el Jabal? Purpose and Mission:

Arz el Jabal (أرز الجبل)= Mountain Cedars in Lebanese Arabic

What's the deal with the name?
The Levant is known for many of its mountainous areas and I've always been a lover of cedar trees. Because many of the cedar trees (in Lebanon and Syria) are upwards of 2000 years old, are considered a much honored symbol in Lebanon, and symbolize strength and longevity it seemed more than fitting.

Goals
For those of you who don't know, the Levant, a region comprising much of the Eastern Mediterranean, includes the modern states of Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Jordan. This district of the Middle East, needless to say, is rich with history and includes the oldest seaport, continuously inhabited cities and includes a wide variety of religions and spoken tongues.

Arz el Jabal will primarily concentrate on the politics, history, polity, tribalism, terrorism, and the regions religion(s). I will try to post interviews I have with important people (politicians, historians, news makers) who focus on/are important in the region.

List of Other Goals:

Post interesting newslinks
Keep a travel log on trips to the region
Get some interesting interviews
Put some good book reviews up here
Explain the region so the layman can understand

That's what I have for now

Thanks, I hope you all enjoy the wild ride that is Arz el Jabal.