The Lesson of Lebanon
- 05.09.2008 - 6:54 PMWhat does the crisis in Lebanon teach us about Hezbollah? It teaches us the same lesson we learned from Hamas when it took Gaza: Islamic supremacist groups, despite their claims to the contrary, cannot be integrated into states or democratic political systems.
We have heard for many years from an array of journalists, scholars, and pundits that Hamas and Hezbollah are complicated social movements that employ violence in the service of their political goals, and that they are therefore susceptible to diplomatic engagement. Such tropes about Hamas have become standard — that there should be a Fatah-Hamas unity government, that Israel should diplomatically engage Hamas, that Hamas’s victory in the Palestinian elections make the group a legitimate political player, etc. — and likewise, similar claims are made about Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon: that it is a legitimate representative of the Shia, that it can be negotiated with, that, like Hamas, the magic elixir of political integration will dissuade Hezbollah from its traditional behavior, which is to terrorize and dominate any system in which it participates.
The Hezbollah rampage in Lebanon that we are witnessing should make it obvious to any sentient observer that Hezbollah’s claims to democratic political legitimacy have always been intended only to manipulate the credulous. Participation in politics requires the willingness to persuade your foes, to compromise, to stand down when you don’t get your way. But there is no record of Hamas or Hezbollah ever observing such restrictions: the moment Hezbollah was confronted with political pressure, it responded not within the political sphere, but with warlordism — with an exhibition of violence intended to make clear not just that Hezbollah is the most powerful force in the country, but that challenging it will result in its enemies’ humiliation and dispossession. In the streets of Beirut, with Kalashnikovs and RPGs, Hezbollah is making it abundantly clear that its participation in Lebanese politics ends when Hezbollah is asked to submit to the state’s authority. How many more Middle East “experts” are going to proclaim that the answer to Islamic supremacism is dialogue and political integration?
The one thing Hezbollah has lost this week is the credibility of its claims to being a Lebanese “resistance” movement. Hezbollah has always countered concerns about its military buildup with the promise that it would never turn its weapons inward. The mask has fallen, and now it will never be restored. But it really doesn’t matter, and in some ways this fact might actually free Hezbollah’s hand — the group no longer need maintain any kind of charade at all that it has Lebanon’s interests at heart.
How is this situation going to play out in the coming days and weeks? That depends on a number of things, first among them being the question of how far Hezbollah wants to push its assault. The Druze, Christians, and Sunnis can field their own militias, and if open warfare comes to Lebanon there is a serious risk of outside intervention — that is, Syrian intervention, under the guise of a peacekeeping or stabilizing force. The Cedar Revolution will have been rolled back, only this time with an emboldened Hezbollah working in the service of a Syrian-Iranian alliance whose interests are more indistinguishable than ever.
| »Back to Contentions | »Back to Commentary |
May 9th, 2008 at 7:15 PM
The Hezbollah rampage in Lebanon that we are witnessing should make it obvious to any sentient observer that Hezbollah’s claims to political legitimacy have always intended only to manipulate the credulous.
There are almost no sentient observers left, at least in the west. The vast majority are credulous.
There’s another thing to learn: that the democratic west is pathetically finished. They all talk and do nothing. That’s how they reacted to the murders in gaza and that’s how they react to hezbollah in lebanon.
possible scenario: hezbollah takes over, nullifies all the decisions and commitments of previous govt, including UNIFIL, and kicks them out. then what?
The one thing Hezbollah has lost this week is the credibility of its claims to being a Lebanese “resistance” movement.
Wishful thinking. On the contrary, the more violent the behavior, the more cowardice and appeasement they evoke.
How many more Middle East “experts” are going to proclaim that the answer to Islamic supremacism is dialogue and political integration?
That’s about the ONLY reaction I see from the west and the arab world. It’s unanimous. Which signals to hezbollah: do whatever you want.
oao
http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/
May 9th, 2008 at 7:18 PM
there is a serious risk of outside intervention — that is, Syrian intervention, under the guise of a peacekeeping or stabilizing force
I’ve seen references that this has already occurred — some greek orthodox militia/party controlled by syrian intelligence is already in and has helped hezbollah take over. anybody can confirm?
May 9th, 2008 at 7:35 PM
oao,
Are you talking about the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, or something new?
The SSNP is an old (small) Orthodox fascist party/militia with a spinning swastika on its flag. Some of its thugs are in Beirut now.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:58 PM
It is a testament to western credulity (or perhaps some kind of guilt) that after so many repeated counter examples there are still droves of educated and intelligent people that are willing to turn a blind eye to the most egregious transgressors of democracy on the planet. It is not as if Hezbollah and Hamas have not explicitly stated their anti-democratic aims a myriad of times publicly and without shame.
How willfully ignorant can our (western) intelligentsia be without becoming a parody of our own tolerance?
May 9th, 2008 at 9:14 PM
All of this begs the question of whether Israel should prepare to defend itself by any means necessary, including bringing in a wartime President like Bebe Netanyahu, and the US providing whatever Israel needs to win. The AIPAC group needs to spin the Rolodex and get all the moving parts moving.
BTW, the two- state solution crowd are silent. No sane Jew can support another enemy state on the border. The “Peace Process” is toast.
There is no practical difference between Hezbullah, Hamas, Al Quaida and 30 other groups sharing the same ideology, funding, training, weapons, loyalties and direction from the masters in Iran. All are clearly proxies for the Islamofacists in Iran. Its all the same war, fought on different fronts. We have to defeat them all.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:21 PM
Obama will talk to Iran because it is a state but not to Hamas because it isn’t a state. If Hezbollah takes over, will that make them the state and earn them Obama talks?
May 9th, 2008 at 9:30 PM
No, the one true thing we’ve learned is that fighters devoted to an idealogy, such as Hezbollah and Hamas, will be far superior fighters than paid lackeys, such as Fatah and FM.
The mistake Israel made was not sending in a ground invasion to take out Hezbollah. I’m not sure why they choose not to invade on the ground, but it’s apparent now it was a costly mistake.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:34 PM
Bill (#6, above) in response to your question: yes. Once Hezbollah takes over, President Obama will hold “constructive talks” with them.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:38 PM
Are you talking about the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, or something new?
Yes. Are they subservient to syria?
It is not as if Hezbollah and Hamas have not explicitly stated their anti-democratic aims a myriad of times publicly and without shame.
Stated? They have gone beyond just stating a long time ago. They are now DOING it and the west has its tail between its legs. Indidentally, here’s what hezbollah does in america’s backyard with impunity:
http://www.benadorassociates.com/article/21210
and the US providing whatever Israel needs to win.
uhuh. what planet have you been living on?
The “Peace Process” is toast.
wanna bet? the more violent the islamists become, the more pressure on israel. that’s a process the west won’t stop, because they delude themselves that sacrificing israel (and now lebanon) they’ll save their ass.
Its all the same war, fought on different fronts. We have to defeat them all.
We have to but we won’t.
If Hezbollah takes over, will that make them the state and earn them Obama talks?
More than likely. After all what’s the diff between Obama and Carter? He’ll find excuses to talk to anybody. Even consider hamas a governing entity.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:50 PM
I’m not sure why they choose not to invade on the ground, but it’s apparent now it was a costly mistake.
Crisis of leadership in Israel. Olmert is a failure, Peretz was clueless, and the chief of staff was an arrogant IAF commander who thought he could finish everything from the air. The army had not fought a war in a long time, the “peace” with Egypt and Jordan put it to sleep, did not have proper training, had turned into a police force, chasing terrorists.