This past Sunday, 13 March, I went to the rally for the 14 March coalition. I went merely as an observer since I do not have enough of a handle on Lebanese politics to support either 8 March or 14 March. All I can say is that the energy at this gathering was unbelievable. I have never seen such a large group of people rallying for a political cause. It was like a huge party. I wish people in the US could get excited about political issues the way people over here are. It was an exhilarating experience.
At first I didn't want to because I was afraid the rally might be targeted by Hezbollah or one of their supporters. However, 14 March coalition must have also anticipated this because they funded signs all over Beirut (and perhaps Lebanon) that criticized Hezbollah's arms stockpile. These billboards tied Hezbollah's hands because if they used their weapons they would be proving 14 March right and thus losing a large group of middle ground Lebanese. To counter the 14 March signs, Hezbollah put up signs that said "Israel also wants a demilitarized Hezbollah." This alludes to the fact that Hezbollah is the only force in Lebanon capable of defending the country. The Lebanese army is poorly equipped to respond to any Israeli offensive.
Lebanon is a country that relies heavily on coalitions for a functioning government. As such, there are many questionable alliances and a lot of hypocrisy. For example, Saad Hariri and his political party, the Future party, have allied themselves with the Lebanese Forces party, which is headed by Samir GeaGea. Their main rallying point is the Special Tribunal to Lebanon, which is charged with investigating the death of Rafic Hariri. They relentlessly criticize Hezbollah for being a part of the assassination. What's interesting in this is that GeaGea is no saint himself. He was imprisoned and sentenced to death after the Civil War for ordering several political assassinations, including the assassination of Prime Minister Rashid Karami. So while he's now supporting international law and investigations into Hezbollah's actions, I bet he wouldn't be too keen on reciprocal investigations into his past. From talking with a few people at AUB, I sense that this is the reason many people are disillusioned with politics. Politicians are only interested in their own power, and will act as the moment requires in order to retain their power.
At first I didn't want to because I was afraid the rally might be targeted by Hezbollah or one of their supporters. However, 14 March coalition must have also anticipated this because they funded signs all over Beirut (and perhaps Lebanon) that criticized Hezbollah's arms stockpile. These billboards tied Hezbollah's hands because if they used their weapons they would be proving 14 March right and thus losing a large group of middle ground Lebanese. To counter the 14 March signs, Hezbollah put up signs that said "Israel also wants a demilitarized Hezbollah." This alludes to the fact that Hezbollah is the only force in Lebanon capable of defending the country. The Lebanese army is poorly equipped to respond to any Israeli offensive.
Lebanon is a country that relies heavily on coalitions for a functioning government. As such, there are many questionable alliances and a lot of hypocrisy. For example, Saad Hariri and his political party, the Future party, have allied themselves with the Lebanese Forces party, which is headed by Samir GeaGea. Their main rallying point is the Special Tribunal to Lebanon, which is charged with investigating the death of Rafic Hariri. They relentlessly criticize Hezbollah for being a part of the assassination. What's interesting in this is that GeaGea is no saint himself. He was imprisoned and sentenced to death after the Civil War for ordering several political assassinations, including the assassination of Prime Minister Rashid Karami. So while he's now supporting international law and investigations into Hezbollah's actions, I bet he wouldn't be too keen on reciprocal investigations into his past. From talking with a few people at AUB, I sense that this is the reason many people are disillusioned with politics. Politicians are only interested in their own power, and will act as the moment requires in order to retain their power.
Flag of the Special Tribunal to Lebanon
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