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.