[Politics]: Lebanon: A third alternative

Lebanon is a country located in the Middle East on the shores of the Mediterranean sea surrounded by Israel/Palestine, Syria, and Turkey. It comprises of a shore, 2 chains of mountains and a valley in between, the Bekaa Valley. Throughout history, it has been located at the crossroads of civilizations, empires, political powers and religions turning it into a cornerstone for trade, political and religious influence. Several religions prospered in the Lebanon and several groups found refuge in a land that offered at the time a lot of hideouts for the minorities and persecuted. In 1920, an international agreement led to the creation of what was called the "Big Lebanon" [????? ??????} which joined Christian Communities, Muslim communities and Druzes who have been fighting each other on and off for centuries.

The creation of the Lebanon as we know it today was nothing less than a step towards the fiasco we are living today. This international agreement led to the creation of a country that has no common vision, no common history its population agrees on and no common entente on major matters including its belonging to what is also called the "Arab World". The issue with all of that is our inability to understand this house of cards built by instigators aiming to reach a specific objective through the implementation of such belongings which in turn are built on false underlying grounds. Take the Arabs for example, what is the real definition of Arabs? What is the real common history? how do we identify this civilization? Arguably what was before Islam for Arabs? What are the commonalities between Mauritania and Saudi Arabia?

Subsequently debating whether we belong to the Arab world or not is not really accurate especially since we are not set on what is this community we are "claiming" belonging to. This idea leads to several sub debates especially regarding the Palestinian cause and whether one is with the Fedayeen or not, with the cause or not, with the war or not. The debate again has been blurred since day One with the help of secret services and political funding. Therefore we can conclude that all of these debates that are being imposed on us are just a hoax. The debate is totally elsewhere.

Before moving to what could be the solution, we need to be really aware of what is the situation today. Lebanon is a "Small" country, surrounded by 3 bigger countries, and neighbor to one of the biggest political project of the 20th century, i.e Israel. Lebanon is also in a region that contains natural resources, and is a stepping stone from the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf. To know what could be the solution is to know what is the problem and the problem is Lebanon's positioning and circumstances.

Fortunately many solutions are there but these solutions are not to please and are not at all the easy way out. Indeed in order to get out of the current situation hard decisions must be taken. The first solution is to come back drastically to a neutral political position on the regional and international level. This solution is very hard with the presence of the Hezbollah and all political parties with ties and belongings to outside countries. This solution indeed is not achievable as the situation stands today. The second solution is a pure and simple jump towards the Arab world and engaging in all aspects of its causes. This solution would leave a major part of the Lebanese society stranded.

Another solution is to move towards a smart lean position based on the interest of neighbors and the international community. Such solution has to take into consideration the situation of Syrian refugees, the reconstruction plan in Syria, the complex religious situation in the region, the positioning of the UAE, KSA and Iran in the region and on the international scene, and most importantly the position of the Israeli state and the Jewish community. A solution will need to take into consideration that Lebanon has to play a role in the future of the region without becoming dangerous and a threat to others. A potential solution could be to have Lebanon understand its positioning as a Neutral state, offering the region a touristic getaway and a place to visit for economic and financial transactions. It is destined to be the refuge of Christian communities in the region and the protector of minorities. If we think 50 years down the road, globalization is becoming the norm and borders are being destroyed by Internet and Media and each country will have to decide on their offerings. Furthermore it is a real belief that Lebanon is no longer at the center of a regional plan that would hand economical interests in natural resources to the Western World. Lebanon will prosper as a Minorities and Neutral State and politics will be changing to become less corrupt simply because unfortunately the plan for Lebanon is to initiate the process of accepting the Israeli state and ending once and for all the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It is not likely that the Lebanese system will easily steer towards a civil society but rather become a stronger place of entente with a larger margin of maneuver on the economical and financial level.