Re-Disconnecting Lebanon

Regardless of whether it was Syria or Islamists behind the massive explosion that killed the former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri, the attack was designed for one purpose alone, to disconnect once again, Lebanon from the emerging globalized world. In a seemingly brilliant strategic move, the assassins targeted not only the single most influential person in economic and political reform in Lebanon, but also succeeded in shaking the foundation of security that the PM Hariri had fought so hard to rebuild.

Disconnection Part I
Prior to the Lebanese Civil War of the 70's and 80's, the capital city of Beirut was remarked as the "Riviera of the Middle East". Boasting a warm Mediterranean climate, beautiful beaches and a vibrant tourism industry, Beirut quickly became an economic powerhouse and the center of regional banking. Following the the two Israeli-Arab wars, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees flooded the neighbor to the north and within a few short years they became organized and began launching attacks against Israel from their haven in southern Lebanon. What followed was one of the bloodiest and longest civil wars that the region has ever felt. Fed by Syrian and Israeli invasions, Hezbollah recruitment, PLO operations and Maronite Christian militias, the country essentially collapsed upon itself and ceased to be a sovereign nation. Without the presence of a coherent governance and the greater international community shrugging their shoulders at the problem, Lebanon de-evolved into a failed state and hence and incubator for trans-national and state-sponsored terrorists, arms and drug dealers and organized crime. This disconnection from the world is what allowed these groups to succeed for so long and to perpetuate the decades of civil strife and chaos.

Reconnecting to the Global Economy
Much of the civil war damage has now been repaired throughout the country, and foreign investors and tourists have returned. Lebanese civil society generally enjoys significantly more freedoms than elsewhere in the Arab world. Much of this was brought about by the Prime Minister Hariri and his policies of economic reform, ability to gain foreign direct investment, his relations with the west and even his very own money. A multi-billionaire from his lucrative construction contracts and dealings in Saudi Arabia, allowed Hariri to infuse millions into many downtown sections of Beirut, cleaning up after the bloody civil war. Part of the rebuilding involved overhauling the tourists industry and bringing back the banks that were once the cornerstone of the Middle Eastern Riviera. With the Israeli withdrawal from the country in 2000 and the reformed government that allowed for the election of a Christian President, Sunni Prime Minister and a Shi'ite speaker of the legislature, it seemed that there was a perfect balance of representation of the 3 main groups that comprised of Lebanon's citizenry. One important detail that was still unresolved however was the 15,000 + Syrian troops that still occupied the land and their ensuing influence over Lebanese political and social structure.

Pulling the plug on the reconnection
This latest attack in Lebanon was not an act of retribution nor a random killing of a former high level government official. It is likely a concerted and focused effort at destablizing the country for a potential plethora of reasons most of which is this, disconnectedness. Trans-national terrorists entities prey upon disconnected failed states due to their ripeness for discontent and relative freedom to operate in country without impunity. This is most evident in failed states like Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, Chechnya and Afghanistan. Other nation-states seek out instability in neighboring states in order to solidify their hold and influence over them. Syria is doing just this. In an attempt to thwart the actions of the connected "West" and UN Resolution 1559, forcing Syria to withdraw its troops from in-country, Syria is attempting to create further instability to justify its presence there.

In either case, the bombing and killing of former Prime Minister Hariri is an attempt at re-escalation and re-destablization of a country that for so long has yearned for the opposite. I am however optimistic in my beliefs that the Lebanese people no longer want to be used by outside actors and will not allow this re-disconnecting to occur. It is my belief that once you undergo extreme suffering and survive its rigors, you emerge a stronger, more passionate and humble people and that is just what the people of the country of Lebanon have become.

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