Lebanon's problems begin at home with a dysfunctional political class

By The Daily Star Thursday, September 13, 2007
Editorial

The political equation at play in Beirut these days is a quintessentially Lebanese one: Where else could 4 million people twist in the proverbial wind while the leader of the parliamentary majority jockeys for position to renegotiate a compromise proposal from the speaker whose details have yet to be announced?

Lebanon and the Lebanese may yet manage to sidestep the catastrophe that has stalked this long-suffering country for the past year, but no gratitude will be due the country's dysfunctional political class. Real leaders would have been coaxing their respective constituencies toward coexistence and moderation, dealing openly and honestly with the issues at stake, and putting Lebanon's interests above personal and/or party ones - not to mention foreign ones. Instead, Lebanon's politicians have been roundly outperformed by, of all people, the country's seniormost preachers.

Outside interference is certainly part of the problem, and it comes from many sources, but it would be grossly unfair to lay all of the blame for Lebanon's predicament at the feet of Damascus, Riyadh, Tehran or Washington. None of these players would be in the game were it not for the fact that each has so many Lebanese errand boys (and girls) whose greatest - and therefore least attainable - ambition is to be taken seriously by one foreign power or another.

A politician who pursues such dubious favors deserves to be abused by the object of his or her worship, but the same cannot be said of a general population whose priorities are much less grandiose but immeasurably more valuable. The people of this country want only a stable environment in which to pursue worthwhile careers and raise happy families. That should not be too much to ask, but the pollution of Lebanon's political arena figures to keep such simple goals out of reach for some time to come.