June 2008
An appearance of peace has returned to Lebanon; but as Hezbollah grows in power, political tensions are becoming palpable. Has the country finally entered a long-term settlement, or are we witnessing the preliminaries to a new conflict?
Thanks to massive financial and military backing from Iran and Syria, Hezbollah has emerged as a powerhouse over the past years. Keen to display its power, it has repeatedly had the upper hand in skirmishes with government forces. A traditional enemy of Israel, Hezbollah has recently shifted its attention to Lebanon. Sunnis and supporters of the government have now become terrified to speak out against it: ‘I doubt the Lebanese president can do anything about them because they see themselves as stronger than the state. They are a state within a state’, says a leader of the Future Movement. Lebanese society is divided between pro-Hezbollah and pro-government factions, which is most visible in the hostility between Sunnis and Shias but has lately spread to other communities. With the 2009 elections looming, the Christian vote has become a vital political battleground. And in some ways the split emerging among them is more significant than the Sunni-Shia divide. Militias are forming in the suburbs of Beirut and tensions keep rising. Is this the build-up to a new civil war?

For years, Lebanon has been in political crisis. Civil war, political assassinations and all-out war with Israel shattered any hopes of peace this tortured nation may have had. Until now. Within days, leaders from all the parties gathered in Doha and reached a momentous agreement. Lebanon: The Audacity of Hope with Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, asks if the agreement will hold and if it could be a model for the region.

For years, Lebanon has been in political crisis. Civil war, political assassinations and all-out war with Israel shattered any hopes of peace this tortured nation may have had. Until now. Within days, leaders from all the parties gathered in Doha and reached a momentous agreement. Lebanon: The Audacity of Hope with Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, asks if the agreement will hold and if it could be a model for the region.

This video shows how Lebanon and its capital Beirut are places of beauty. But interesting how in the whole video we do not see any picture of orientalism and the Arab side of the country. Even one of the interviewed said that Lebanon is a Mediterranean country with a ‘touch’ (?) of orientalism. I would say, Lebanon is half of each one.

For years, Lebanon has been in political crisis. Civil war, political assassinations and all-out war with Israel shattered any hopes of peace this tortured nation may have had. Until now. Within days, leaders from all the parties gathered in Doha and reached a momentous agreement. Lebanon: The Audacity of Hope with Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, asks if the agreement will hold and if it could be a model for the region.

Today on CNN, Seymour Hersh of the New Yorker, the one who mainstreamed the Abu Gahrib story, has confirmed with insiders that Bush and the Israeli Government planned months in advance that any incident, no matter how small, would ignite a broad and punishing response by Israel in a preemptive move to start a war with Iran. Bush’s Neocon advanced plan actually included Israel destroying Hezbollah’s missles as pre-cursor to an attack on Iran. The war with Iran is on the assembly line. Only a mass (I mean millions of people marching) protest will stop this insane neo-dictator in the Whitehouse. Hersh even says that Bush doesn’t even regard Congress or the people when deciding foreign policy. I think this little vid is an ominous insight. Make this TUBE go viral far and wide.

For years, Lebanon has been in political crisis. Civil war, political assassinations and all-out war with Israel shattered any hopes of peace this tortured nation may have had. Until now. Within days, leaders from all the parties gathered in Doha and reached a momentous agreement. Lebanon: The Audacity of Hope with Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, asks if the agreement will hold and if it could be a model for the region.

Hezbollah’s leader has warned the government’s moves to close the Shia group’s private telephone network are tantamount to “a declaration of war”.

Al Jazeera broadcast extracts of his speech.

lebanon tour

Fadia Sherra2a. Clips from the famous Lebanese show SLCHI