I am often confronted by the question “What is the end-game in
Lebanon?” Will Lebanon survive the current crisis of dysfunction and find its way to recovery and normalcy?
اضافة اعلان
His Majesty
King Abdullah II has been expressing support for Lebanon and pledging to stand by it, treat explosion victims and wishing Lebanon well.
All of these Royal gestures wavered between “We remember Lebanon and Lebanese” to a soft nudge to work harder in order to rectify the situation on the turbulent domestic scene.
Yet, after last week’s Akkar explosion killing at least 20 people, which took place almost a year after the catastrophic
Beirut Port explosion, proved too impactful an event to simply be considered a local incident, devoid of any regional implications.
His Majesty suggested that a new scheme of reform with a clearly delineated program of action should be created and implemented by the world community, especially those who owe Lebanon a debt of gratitude for what it has been always for
Arabs and foreigners alike.
There is hardly any family in Jordan which had not been impacted by Lebanon one way or another.
There are those who own business or real estate in Lebanon; others were educated at one of its universities or highly qualified schools; and almost everyone has enjoyed being a tourist in Lebanon, tasting its gourmet cuisine, attending a cultural festival, seeking medical treatment, or shopping.
From Akkar to Shouf, to Aleeh and Bhamdoun, from Al-Hamra Street to Al-Ashrafiyyeh, from Qarnayel to the Rousheh, from Sidon to Zahleh, everyone knows these places and was once lost in its narrow zig-zag roads.
Art is abundant, taste is alarmingly staring its visitors in the eye, and the Lebanese have mastered the art of talking to outsiders in such an effective way while the opposite is true when they engage in out-shouting each other.
This dualistic nature of Lebanon in imbedded in its culture.
The Lebanese need to do what Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu did after the end of apartheid. “Go to a mosque, church, or cathedral, cry it out, say we forgive each other for the sins of the past, and from now on we want our children and grandchildren down till forever to live in peace and harmony.”
If Lebanon continues with the current destructive modus operandi, it will eventually implode to the dismay and uncalculated loss of
Syria,
Jordan, the Gulf, and other neighboring countries.
Lebanon was good for the Arabs. It is about time that Arabs should reciprocate.
If the situation in Lebanon has worsened to a level where the King of Jordan abandons his carefully worded comments to ask for a restructuring plan for Lebanon, then a danger — and a serious one — is lurking behind the doors.
In my uncouth language: Ye Lebanese remember that when the Maareb Dam broke loose, hell came after.
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