Lebanon transforms into Shia land

Video of Lebanese Flag brought down in Dec. 1 '06 Protest and replaced with Hezbollah flag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipDellud-VY

So begins the redefinition of a country. No disrespect to Shias but doing this in the middle of Beirut is an example of how sectarianism could work against other constituencies in Lebanon. Being primarily Shia, if Hezbollah reigns supreme over this possible shift in government and forces PM Siniora to step down, then Christians, Sunnis and Druze will severely lack representation and diversity will obviously diminish in the coming months. Perhaps this is a sign of things soon to come?

Obvious viewpoints that dont get enough press

-Religious propaganda in the Middle East has long gone out of control.
-Iran and Syria are Hezbollah's puppet masters.
-Syria is involved in Lebanon's political turmoil.
-Lebanon is just as involved and responsible for its own political turmoil.
-Conflicts in Lebanon are largely about ethnic origin, not just land.
-Lebanon is likely to turn into a Shia Muslim majority constituency.
-Iraq is in a state of civil war.
-Lebanon could revert back to civil war if the people dont take responsibility for their own weaknesses in establishing a more cohesive message.
-U.S.'s level of involvement in Iraq could have been executed differently but now that they're in deep, there's no turning back.
-Many people criticizing the U.S. for their involvement in the Middle East, are from the Middle East and comfortably living in the U.S.
-While Iran criticizes the U.S. for its 'Western' culture, lack of religion and political agenda in the Middle East, many of its own people are suffering from secular and gender discrimination and are cloaked in secrecy over their own involvement with countries like Lebanon and Syria.

New Testimony on Hezbollah tactics

Amidst all the bad press Israel had been taking for actions during the recent conflicts in Lebanon, here's something on Hezbollah. I'm not taking sides here but a group that refuses to legitimize itself by working alongside the Lebanese government through more peaceful means, while receiving aid from a pseudo noble country like Iran who uses religious propaganda for political gain is just deceitful.

JERUSALEM - An Israeli think tank with strong links to the military released videos and testimony Tuesday it said proved Hezbollah guerrillas used civilians as human shields during last summer's war in Lebanon.
Click here for more on article(Yahoo link)

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3



http://www.ajcongress.org/site/PageServer

What type of government

Personally I detest the BBC's description of the current Lebanese government as being a "US-backed government". I mean come on already. What is the point at mentioning this? So what if the US backs certain political agendas of other countries. Doesnt England, Syria and Israel or any other country do the same thing? And if Hezbollah did get its way, won more seats in parliament and got Siniora to step down, wouldnt it then be called a "Hezbollah or Shia or Syrian backed" government if the majority shifted to that constituency? (unofficially, it already is!) Calling Lebanon's current government a US-backed government really doesnt do much but enflame the Lebanese's hatred for the West even further. What the people of this country need to do is start taking responsibility for their decisions and the alliances they make, whether they turn out as beneficial or detrimental. To not move forward and constantly blame the U.S. for missteps in its own government is like eating a gooey cookie while you're on a strict diet and blaming it on the cookie jar. The U.S. is never infallible for its involvement in various agendas in the middle east but we are all grown ups here and somehow, we have to take responsibility for our actions.

Lebanon's downward spiral

Is Lebanon headed towards civil war again?
What remains obvious has never been clearer than the present.
People currently camped outside the heart of Beirut are calling for a radical change in government in Lebanon. This country is at the edge of its identity crisis and something has got to give.

The Lebanese are very polarized in their views on the situation in their country. Here is the sad reality that people rarely get to mention. Much as they want unity, there are those who also still discriminate and conceal their own prejudices about religion, ethnicity and social status; and who discreetly define their own meaning of being Lebanese. Are they Arab, Phoenician, Muslim, Christian, are they more european than middle eastern or a little western than they really care to admit, or even the opposite? There is a diverse blend of identities that somehow are still finding it difficult to truly define a nationalistic identity of its people.

It isn't clear whether they truly know how to embrace diversity yet nor establish their true alliances. Remnants of the past 1975 civil war also still remain in the minds of the people. Many are bitter and have bred prejudice more than acceptance because of the destruction that has ravaged this beautiful country.

Fundamentally, Lebanon's struggle for independence lies in its inability to carve out a unified identity. And in the coming months, more truths will unravel about the hypocrisies that plague this nation.

Dear Mahmoud

Good gosh. If there was a contest on how to best execute a tangent it would have to go Iran's President Ahmadejinad.
After writing an 18-page letter in May to his friend G.W.B. , he writes yet another letter stating again not only the obvious in the Middle East but this time he additionally mentions that many victims of Hurricane Katrina are still suffering and that there are countless more living in homelessness and poverty. Duh?
Big Duh. Coming from the same guy who says the Holocaust never happened and that Israelis should be wiped off the face of this earth, it's hardly reasonable to accept such a comment of concern for people coming from a man of harsh words. And the tangent, WOW. The gist of his letter was to point out that supposedly the U.S. governs from coercion.
Two things. First of all, compared to Iran, the U.S. is far from governing from coercion given that people can vote without fear of persecution, and that there are hardly issues where education is stifled because of radical views of religion. And if Ahmadejinad were griping about how the U.S. wants to stifle its nuclear program, it's because there are reasons to suspect its activities. Second, how does pointing out poverty and homelessness drive to the point that the U.S. runs its government with an iron fist? These are issues of neglect at best and even if it's glaringly obvious that more could have been done in the aftermath of Katrina, his comment is so far fetched that it just reflects how he's been taking cheap shots at criticizing the U.S. on anything he can find. Bush is no phenomenal speaker either so any response on our end could very well come out looking like a petty squabble between an old married couple.

Unity?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061126/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians
Even as Israel pulled out early this weekend from an exchange of fire with Palestine, militant groups still blasted attacks on Israel saying they had no intentions to cease their offense. Islamic Jihad took responsibility saying they would not relent unless military activity would stop in the West Bank. And so the fights go on...
So do the Palestinians really want peace or are they just throwing unnoble attempts to make peace with Israel until they can gather more energy and arms to retaliate once again?
Israel did hold its end of the deal by not retaliating. Regardless, the bitterness the Palestinians (and even the Lebanese) feel towards their neighbor is always going to overshadow Israel's attempts at progressing towards peace. Israel is fierce; no question. But its military structure is more united. Compare them to Lebanon whose army didnt have enough people to protect their southern border that they had to get UNIFIL involved and even their presence is being scoffed at by the Lebanese. When a country lacks legitimate military representation there's no question it speaks volumes of the absence of unity. It discredits any attempts for peace and at a minimum, a decent level of coexistence.

Land, religion, liberty

Lebanon's Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel was assassinated today while driving in a Christian suburb of Beirut. Disconcerting as it is, this is yet another incident that may be foreseen taking place in succession as the coming months unfold regarding the conflicts in this country.
People here are caught in a web of confusion. No one wants to let go of the past and generations who have witnessed the war and suffering are embittered. There are hidden grievances in forms of prejudice and hypocrisy amidst a country whose capital is supposedly touted as the Paris of the Middle East and once boasted great strengths in the tourism industry. Conflicts of different origins abound such as Arabs versus Israelis, Lebanese versus Syrians, Christians versus Muslims, Sunnis versus Shiites, the Middle East versus the West lie within the core of this country's angst. Disputes about land, and people who claim to rightfully belong, and who should rule in government have been mired by hidden agendas. If a particular constituency moves towards a resolution, they get gunned down. They call themselves a democracy and yet despite the diversity of parliament, they cannot come to a agreement where no one is brutally killed.
So what now ? Does an acceptable resolution for peace really exist? Is there a direction to where all this destruction is leading?

Homeland?

After the 34 day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the constant spurts of retaliation still happening in Gaza, the undercover politics between Syria and Lebanon, you wonder if people ever really get the reality that there wont be any resolution happening anytime soon in this part of the world unless something really huge happens. It's scary.

I've heard and read so much talk about the U.S.'s involvement and mind you I'm not one to defend vehemently because every major player in politics in the mideast is in on some type of mess they wont completely admit to. But it's sickening that we get bashed for so much when essentially alot of people who blame us are the same ones who are currently benefiting from the US's economic wealth and some type of shelter from social discrimination.

Many know too well of the advantages of coming to America and living the 'dream' but people have to realize that they also have to persevere and give back to perpetuate a giving society. America is a country of immigrants. And perhaps the greatest thing about this place is the diversity that has fostered so many people of various ethnicities. So why now is there so much backlash coming from the same constituency who praises America for all the same freedoms that they have benefited from all these years?

Has America turned into just a temporary repository of residents that merely see this country as a place to make their living until they can comfortably retire to their native homelands?