The Elections

For the last few days, I was following on the elections in Lebanon. It was a thriliing experience. Seeing my fellow Lebanese going to vote... Here are some thoughts that came to my mind:

1- It is energising to find out that a new leader, Saad Al Hariri, emerged so quickly to lead a huge portion of Lebanese so swiftly... Brilliantly, he mobelized, the otherwise "politically lazy*" sunnis all over Leabanon to go and vote... At the same time, attracted the otherwise "politically cautious-to-cooperate with moslems" christinas ... If you re-listen to his speeches, announcements and motivation instigations... you discover that he never used "sunni" vocabulary to agitate suni "3asabiah"... or religeous instigations... To the contrary, he even made them vote for their "all time enemies" like Lebanese Forces and Kataeb... to me, this is a dawn of a good leadership... Is it him or the advisors around him... no one knows...

2- Saad, or Sheikh Saad, has one sin: he is young, which means Lebanese politics might change him to become an "old lebanese mota3aseb"... I pray not! He has one virtue: he is young, which means if he keeps this atitude and thought line, he can take Lebanon to new levels... . Up till now, he showed more maturity than the other young Lebanese leaders who inhereted leadership from their parents (like Sleiman Franjieh, Talal Irsalan, Farid Al Khazen, Walid Junblat in his early days, Pieer Eljumail, etc...) He used the right diplomatic vocubulary, he avoided alienating the enemy, he was talking about choices and not fears, he acted swiftly when it is needed to defend his position, he retracted when retract was wisdom. Till now, it shows that he chooses his battles wisely (for example, he did not retaliate when Hezbullah did not vote for his list in Beirut!)... Is it him or his advisors... I do not know...

3- General Aoun is another story... He excels in driving my feeling from one side to the other... Once, he made me hate him (when he bombarded my neighbourhood and mercilessly killed many inncent people because he thought he is right and everybody else are wrong), at another time, he made me proud being a Lebanese (when he mobilized the Lebanese youth against the Syrians for the last 15 years!) at others, he made me feel he is disgusting when he uses wrong machiavellan tactics to reach his aims... At first, I felt he had a real nationalestic program... which I fully support... at other time, I am convinced he aims at power and he is ready to change his program just to get to the "chair." Now, I feel he is the 70 years old little bully who fights you in the school yard simply because he wants to bully around... when he has strong buddies, he aims at the strong student... if he is on his own, he goes to the week one... and only for one reason... to release his self anger which he does not know how to release except by hurting others... Or is it Alzheimers... I do not know....

4- General Aoun has a basic problem: he thinks he knows all and there is only one truth, which is his truth... and that others are not allowed to have fears, opinions, insecurities and beliefs... this is a dangerous paradigm... this is what most dictators believe... General Aoun, although claims he believes in democracydoes not bow to democracy... when he wins the elections with 30,000 votes... he is a hero and the Lebanese can make the right choices... but when he loses the election, he accuses the 100,000 Lebanese who did not vote for him as ignorants... illiterates... driven by 3asabiah and religeon... and that his lose is victory although he allied with the enemy that his program... this reminds me of Saddam... Saddam always thought he knows the truth for his people... when he lost "the mother of all the battles" he considered himself the winner!... is there a similarity? Is this why Aoun aligned himself with Saddam in the late 80's? Is this concidence or is it a trend? Is Aoun a "demilitarized" Saddam? I do not know...

more later...