Investing in the Lebanese Youth
June 7, 2009 by RootSpaceOnline
By Alain Mina
In modern democracies, elections are the mechanism used to select decision-making representatives that have been deemed by the majority of a social or cultural group worthy of holding power whether in the executive or the judiciary field. These representatives ought to encompass the integrity, the righteousness and the intellect necessary to make significant decisions and hold considerable power over others: A somewhat unambiguous definition of a common process that is known to occur in cultured and educated communities. Lebanese society however, profoundly distorts and complicates this definition; Lebanon is indeed an intricate and beautiful blend of cultures, religions, races and ideologies.
Though these differences amongst the Lebanese people are the ingredients that confer to the “Lebanese way of life” its uniqueness and its exoticism, they are the very factors that contributed to endless conflicts that seized the growth and progress of the nation for more than three decades. Different cultural groups/parties are in a constant struggle to assert their existence. These groups coexist in constant fear and anxiety of being politically and physically eliminated by their peers. Distrust arises and partition follows. These groups eventually seek refuge in external forces in a quest for financial support and strategic protection. This confers a whole new dimension to these struggles: Acquiring executive and legislative power is no longer a mean to achieve social and economical reform as the group in question perceives it but rather power becomes the golden aim itself. A group in power is not one that governs or leads in Lebanon but rather rules and dominates, and the supporting external force will rule and dominate as well. These internal conflicts become protégés of larger planetary struggles mirroring clashes in civilizations and ideologies. These clashes became so severe, that the gap between Lebanese has widened and become larger than ever before. The 7th of June is supposedly a historical turning point that will shape Lebanon’s cultural and ideological identity for the upcoming four to five years. Nonetheless, anyone who is slightly familiar with the political and strategic make-up of the country will be well aware that the 2009 elections will unfortunately carry very little changes. An internal autonomous significantly powerful force has been developing for the last twenty years. A force that has challenged and matched in battle one of the strongest armies in the world. This force’s influence exceeds by far the Lebanese borders and whether it attains formal power or not, it will rule. In three of the last four years, this force was excluded from the government and yet it managed not only to paralyze the Lebanese government but also coerce it to take back and apologize for some of its decisions, a disgraceful unprecedented event that will forever taint the history of the Lebanese democracy and sovereignty. If this force further acquires by means of the 2009 elections official and executive legitimacy, its dominance will be unlimited, unrestrained, unquestioned. If the opposing cluster of parties however manages to acquire the majority of the Lebanese votes though, they will have the legitimacy of the official power on their side and their whole reign will be as troubled and deficient as were the last four years. Hence Lebanon is a politically pre-destined nation.
Before such a troubling image, emerges the role the Lebanese youth is asked to play: It is up to the youth to give the election back its taste. Young Lebanese still carry immense ambitions. They genuinely aspire and believe that they are in fact capable of making a difference and changing the regional order in spite of their age, religion, and social and cultural origins. They dreams of breaking down this vicious cycle and giving back to Lebanon its freedom, liberating its future from political pre-destination. They also believe that unity is strength and no enemy, no matter how powerful, is capable of penetrating a unified nation that has put distrust aside.
