| FrontPageMag.com | By Robert Spencer | By Hugh Fitzgerald | Books | Jihad Watch | Islam 101 | Qur'an Blog | Raymond Ibrahim | Robert Spencer |  |
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|
Walid Phares writes in FrontPage about why the elections in Lebanon might not be all they're cracked up to be, with thanks to EPG.
The last round of legislative elections ended June 19 in North Lebanon, completing a month-long process that gave the country a new assembly of 128 members. No violence marred the four rounds of voting; however, charges of corruption were raised, and many in the West, including those within the circles that supported the "Cedar Revolution," are struggling to understand the results. Any honest observer must admit Lebanon’s politics are complex. Unfortunately, the simple analysis of the elections that the media offers is not completely accurate...The international media has reported the same basic analysis about the elections: according to election returns and party affiliations, the "Lebanese national opposition," led by Saadeddine Hariri carried 72 seats, a clear majority, to form the next Lebanese government. Hariri’s allies include the Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt (14 seats), the Lebanese Forces Party of jailed leader Samir Geagea (6 seats), and the Qornet Shehwan grouping (3 seats). According to this analysis, the "opposition" to the present Syrian-dominated government won the election, which therefore shifted the Lebanese to a moderate, pro-Western sphere.
This analysis is based on political reports out of Lebanon since the assassination in February of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, reports which included the million-plus people who flocked to downtown Beirut on March 14 to demand their independence from Syria. In the minds of viewers and governments around the world, those who led the protests that day are the heirs to a free, democratic Lebanon. Hence, Hariri, the son of the assassinated leader, and Jumblatt were named the leaders of the anti-Syrian movement. All other groups participating in the march were defined as followers. When Hariri’s election lists scored a majority in parliament, the perception was that the anti-Syrians had won...
Another, more complete analysis of the Lebanese elections, however, paints a different picture. The Lebanese political system is a labyrinth, notorious for its complexities, and one that is often oversimplified by observers or redrawn to match accepted worldviews. It is still, in fact, unclear whether the emerging parliamentary alliance will deliver democracy and keep Syria at bay...
Read it all.
Posted by Rebecca at June 22, 2005 11:32 AM
Print this entry
| Email this entry
| Digg this
| del.icio.us
Dr. Phares, who is Lebanese, is a seasoned and knowledgeable observer of the politics of Lebanon. I only hope that Lebanon can one day be truly free and successful again. Once, they were the economic envy of the Arab world. They also were the only Arab country who enjoyed a society where Muslims did not dominate but shared power with Christian and Druze groups. Unfortunately, Christians have fled by the thousands in the past 15 years. Lebanon will need its Christian disapora to return in order to achieve any real success.
Posted by: maryrose![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at June 22, 2005 6:13 PM
So I just learned that Hariri represents Saudi interests. Why do so many high profile Bush supporters celebrate the victory of a Wahhabi? Did they bother to do their homework? This is just too weird for me.
Posted by: Andrei Rublev at June 22, 2005 7:08 PM
"Hariri represents Saudi interests..."
-- from a posting above
And he has hardly hidden his profound ties to Saudi Arabia, which in at least one interview he described as his "second homeland" to which he would be forever grateful. That tells you all you need to know -- the Hariri family's "soft Wahhabism."
The American interest in Lebanon is not "democracy" which if fully instituted, would end the confessional arrangement that assured the Christians that certain of the highest positions would be reserved for them. Real democracy would end that, and cause the Christians to lose even more political power in a country which, after all, was for 1350 years their refuge, their place in the mountains to stave off Islam -- as they did, and now not only has Islam, but the Shi'a are busy overbreeding and are taking power away from the old Sunni elites as well.
Posted by: Hugh at June 22, 2005 9:09 PM
(Note: The Comments section is provided in the interests of free speech only. It is mostly unmoderated, but comments that are off-topic, offensive, slanderous, or otherwise annoying stand a chance of being deleted. The fact that any comment remains on the site IN NO WAY constitutes an endorsement by Jihad Watch or Dhimmi Watch, or by Robert Spencer or any other Jihad Watch or Dhimmi Watch writer, of any view expressed, fact alleged, or link provided in that comment.)