Actually this thread has been going on so smoothly and on topic. I don't know what happened in the last couple of pages. Anyway, I am keeping an eye on it and hopefully other will learn from what happened.
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The Lebanese political crisis!!! (18 Viewers)
- Thread starter JCK
- Start date
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lol!Just for the sake of giving Gill_Juve a proper answer!!
It varies from country to country. I can't go into detail about each one, but if you could specify what exactly are you trying to "investigate" (if you will) with such a question.
On the basis of presumption...I get the feel that you think we are living in oppression and have no rights and freedoms. I guess the classical Orwellian system applies here, where All citizens are treated equally but some are more equal than others.
Syria is a Baathist regime ruled under Bashar. You can live a good life in Syria, but you probably don't have room to prosper or become a millionaire. In Syria, everything is pretty much manufactured in Syria. There's no Pepsi Cola or Coca Cola or McDonalds or Nike or Adidas etc....and all these signe names that you see all over the world.
Before you think I'm criticizing them, if there's one thing you can appreciate about their system is that they are very self-sufficient. They produce their own goods and therefore have their own "Adibas", "Mr. Nice Cola" and God knows what other brands with ridiculous names
Of course, this system is very limited: there is alot of poverty in Syria. Alot of Syrian's flee to Lebanon and work labor jobs for better salaries. Their military service is 2 years...and it's more of a Torture boot camp, than military training.
And it's not a democracy. You either like Bashar, or don't like him and shut the f*ck up...or don't like him and die...or don't like him, leave the country, and bitch about him hoping Syrian intel don't find your ass and make you vanish into thin air like you never existed. I.e. the Saddam Hussein system.
Palestinian life is a different story...and I'll have to go waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy off topic beginning with the month of May in 1948. Let's not go there, or PM me, or better yet PM ReBeL
To go back on topic, Lebanon is supposedly a democracy. However, the Taif Accords was sort of tailor made political system to suit Lebanon's sectarian demographics and society. It was a framework to provide equal representation of ALL sects within Parliament and Governmental institutions (Public Sector etc). Google Taif Accords and read all about it, I'm too lazy to provide you with a link
The problem with the Taif Accords, is that the Syrians didn't respect it although Hafez Assad supported it. Syria had their own interests at stake: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict (that was between the Madrid and Oslo talks, I think!) where the Intifada was taking place. Lebanon's borders were secured by them. And they had their forces dispersed all over the country. Syrian soldier guards would stop you any time of the day, and you had to obey them. In the beginning they were extremely bothersome...they searched cars for no reason, they made people get out of their cars......and lot's of other stories.
By the time I had moved back to Lebanon in 1995-1996 the Syrian checkpoints were simply there for "manzar" as we say in Lebanese...or "decoration". They had no purpose, they were just there. They minded their own business, and didn't talk to people much.
Soon by the late 90s early 2000s they had decreased considerably, and checkpoints were only found near villages who's roads would lead directly to the Syrian border. i.e. Zahle, Chtaura, the Chouf mountains etc.
Also, they had armed gunmen in civilian clothing who drove around in old model Peugeout cars. Those guys were the moukhabarat or the secret police. They had access to your phone lines and could listen in on potentially "suspicious" calls.
This was on the ground.
Politically Lebanon was a HEGEMONY. Look it up -> www.dictionary.com
(not insulting your intelligence or underestimating you, just in case you dont know the word.
)All of Lebanon's decisions had to pass thru Syria before they got final approval. This was one of the main contributors to our debts. Alot of our funds went into the pockets of the members of the puppet government.
Two president puppets served this tenure - Elias Hrawi and the current president who's still backed by Syria, Emile Lahoud. The only way to succeed as a politician was to be pro Syrian. Otherwise, you're toast. Alot of brutal murders have taken place at the hands of Syrians namely Rene Mouawad - Lebanon's first president after Taif...on the other hand, Leb Forces member Ramzi Irani was found dead in the trunk of his car...
...all this just because he spoke what was on his mind.The Syrians never let us practice our democracy. At the moment we still have Lebanese prisoners in Syria.
The final battle in the Lebanese civil war was the liberation war lead by Michel Aoun in 1989. One of his supporters went up on national tv and declared that Lebanon will emerge victorious and bring back the head of Hafez el Assad (i.e. chop his head off).
Within minutes the heaviest shelling took place in Beirut/Baabda/Mount Lebanon regions...it was the second heaviest bombing since Israel in 1982.
Since then they kept a lid on all the armed forces, until the Cedar Revolution in 2005 after Rafic Hariri's murder.
Hope you're able to digest that. If you have any questions, ask Jack, Rab or Stripper. I'm going to sleep...........
:sleepy:P.S. - No reports of any nasty incidents today in Lebanon during Ashoura ceremony. Nasrallah made a speech, but I was in the office, couldn't see it. I'll read the transcripts to see if there was anything...
At least he has the guts to say it... other lebanese have been literally protected by the israelis and would not dare to even ask Israel politely to pull out of the sheba'a farms..
How can you be friends with some country that dectates wht pieces of land it keeps and wht pieces of land it gives.. this is just absurd!.. i dont understand why ppl try to justify a wrongdoing when they strongly belive it will always be wrong in anyone's book!... War is bad and we all know that..but if your backyard was viciously and unhumainly taken by your neighbour, you wouldnt just sit on ur bum waiting for the heavens to bring it back would you.... the lebanese didnt just opt for war cuz they love it, they opted for war cuz they have already tried every single political way that they can possibally go thru, without a noticable result, simply because Israel is no where near being a peace seeker.
How can you be friends with some country that dectates wht pieces of land it keeps and wht pieces of land it gives.. this is just absurd!.. i dont understand why ppl try to justify a wrongdoing when they strongly belive it will always be wrong in anyone's book!... War is bad and we all know that..but if your backyard was viciously and unhumainly taken by your neighbour, you wouldnt just sit on ur bum waiting for the heavens to bring it back would you.... the lebanese didnt just opt for war cuz they love it, they opted for war cuz they have already tried every single political way that they can possibally go thru, without a noticable result, simply because Israel is no where near being a peace seeker.
