Playlist: Ode to the Political Leaders

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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The Phalangists of Sassine Square

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.

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

Trouble In The South

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

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.