By Abir Chaaban
It was a good experience to participate in the Beirut
Exchange March 22-March 29. Discussions on the wide spectrum of Lebanese
politics were intriguing to understand the dynamics that dominate political
decision making processes. Some politicians like to talk only behind the scene.
Others spoke in their capacity as public officials in public office. These were MP’s of Hezbollah (HA) and the
Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). Hezbollah also presented its party politics in a
meeting at their media relations office. HA officials in the area of media
relations, research and documentation discussed substantive issues relating to
security, war aims, Israel-Levant conflict and HA communication strategy. FPM MP discussed territorial security of Lebanon and Lebanon’s
military capabilities facing the threat of ISIS.
The Lebanese political
scene is imbalanced. The Future Movement has no pressing issues to discuss at
the level of its constituencies. The party is dismissive of poverty as a security concern, promoting the immigration of Lebanese youth, and rejecting the
idea of developing the agricultural sector. Job creation is not an item on the agenda. The March 14th’s only issue
in Lebanon is Hezbollah.
The questions that emerge out of this course are 1- How long
would such a Western backed alliance, assuming a Western constituency and legitimacy
last, when the issues of security and terrorism pose and existential threat to
communities within the Levant. 2- How would the relations between the survival
of government and the militarization of communities, to ensure the survival of
the community, be balanced taking material processes developing on the ground.