AMERICAN LEBANESE COORDINATION COUNCIL
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What about new approach to help Lebanon?
By Manuela Paraipan
I have just read an article in the Daily Star about the Lebanese elections. It is
unfortunate that democracy's voice did not win in Lebanon this time. However, I
like to know how the Lebanese Diaspora, your community, is going to deal with
such outcome?
I think that the Lebanese Diaspora’s hopes were high this year. The ALC, ALCC,
USCFL, and LACD groups together with many influential people have lobbied hard
to pass some bills and resolutions in the US and the UN (i.e. SALSA and
recently UN Res. 1559)to help free Lebanon. However, things look different from
Lebanon. I've wrote an acquaintance of mine who is a journalist in Lebanon. I
told him about some possible scenarios that might follow the UN 1559 resolution.
He told me that, I, as a foreigner, and as many Lebanese expatriates believe
that the US, UN, and other International organizations have say-so in Lebanon.
That's a fallacy. They do not. I asked him what about SALSA? He replied: "what
about SALSA?! That's irrelevant."
Living in democracies, although my country Romania still has a lot to accomplish
in that direction, makes us judge the situation in Lebanon from different
perspectives based upon our own beliefs and principles. That's not the case in
countries where the rule of laws is absent. Sadly, that's the situation in
Lebanon where what matters is the control of the Syrian secret service and not
the Lebanese laws or the will of its people. Moreover, from the outside looking
in, you can blame the Lebanese politicians, or I can do that, but living there
is not as easy as it may look. People are being forced to make certain decisions.
This situation reminded me of the typology of a totalitarian regime. Well, it
describes pretty much the image of Lebanon where the secret service apparatus is
the one that controls the country. It is really hard to deal with such agencies
and mentality. The fact that PM Hariri was against the renewal of Lahoud's term,
yet after meeting with the Syrian secret service chief he voted in favor of it
tells us a lot about what's going on Lebanon. This is totalitarianism in action.
I believe that it is important to strengthen the civil society's role in Lebanon
through educating the people. Hopefully one day they'll get strong enough and
courageous enough to fight the Syrian army and the intelligentsia’s control over
their country.
Furthermore, it is highly important that you lobby at the highest possible levels
around the world to free Lebanon. However, it is probably best to resolve
this situation by combining the top-down approach, which is lobbying, with the
bottom-up actions, which is educating and strengthening the people. It's here
that organizations such as the ones I mentioned above can and will make a difference.
Unfortunately, I'm not aware of these kinds of projects, especially inside Lebanon.
Best regards to all of you who are working relentlessly to help free Lebanon.
Manuela