Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Paradigms Are Shifting Quickly

If I have to choose, and they're forcing us to choose here, between the Iran-Syria axis and the Saudi Arabia-Egypt-Western axis, then I choose the latter. For God's sake, most Arab countries are with the Syrian forces' withdrawal from Lebanon. Then if we call for such a move as Lebanese, we cannot be branded as not Arabists.

Today, a group of respectable representatives from the Opposition are heading towards Brussels and then Paris to support Jumblatt's stand and to visit Bassil Fleihan as well. Amongst them are Walid Jumblatt, Marwan Hamade, Nassib Lahoud, Ahmad Fatfat, Ghattas Khoury, Mohammad Kabbani, and Mosbah Ahdab.

Can I call this group a bunch of collaborators? Is it wrong to talk to the West? Since when was Lebanon "isolationist"? We are back again to square one with regards to the ever-contentious issue of whether Lebanon has an Arab face or a Western face. This time the Arab face is not the same Arab face; our region has changed. Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the bastions of everything traditional are changing, reconsidering their recalcitrant policies that have created more enemies to their rule than friends. Paradigms are shifting, and they are shifting quickly.

Most importantly, in order for Lebanon to maintain its delicate balance of housing under its roof vigorous, outspoken, and opinionated sects and political groups who are never immune from reaching out to others from all sides of the globe, we should all remember that our call for democracy should always be flanked with protecting the minorities.

"Nobody knows how many rebellions, besides political rebellions, ferment in the masses of life which people earth."

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