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einige freunde haben sich, anlässlich der ‘krisensiutation’ nach unserem wohlbefinden erkundigt. uns gehts gut. und danke der nachfrage.

bei uns ist alles im grünen bereich. stimmt, zwei der drei rollbahnen des flughafens dürften kaputt sein. die israelis bombadieren auch wirklich ziele (dörfer!) im süden, und baalbek, hinter den bergen – halt überall dort wo hezbollah stark vertereten ist, und infrastruktur wie häfen und möglischerweise noch das elektrizitätswerk. da wir aber in einer christlichen gegend wohnen – einer von israels früheren verbündeten, der warlord geagea baut sich grad ein ferienhaus direkt neben uns – haben wir nichts zu befürchten und werden wohl auch wenig action sehen, ausser ich fahr die 25km nach beirut um den schaden zu begutachten und den puls der nation zu fühlen.

an koffer packen denk ich grad überhaupt nicht, da müsste die sache doch noch sehr eskalieren. ich glaub ja auch nicht dass die israelis wirklich wieder in beirut einmarschieren wollen. die wollen halt hezbollah loswerden und hamas in palästina. da ist ihnen der vorwand ihre entführten soldaten befreien zu wollen grade recht, sag ich mal. die libanesische regierung unter druck zu setzen indem sie infrastruktur ziele aufs korn nehmen, führt ja auch tatsächlich dazu dass der druck auf hezbollah weitergegeben wird. die frage ist nur ob israel verhandeln wird oder nicht. und da kann ich mir im moment zwei szenarien vorstellen.

ich glaub dass weder hamas noch hezbollah ihre geiseln ohne was dafür zu kriegen rausrücken werden. und das heisst es muss entweder verhandelt oder aber eine übergabe erzwungen werden. in ghaza können die israelis eskalieren so viel sie wollen, da wird den palästinensern keiner helfen. im lebanon allerdings haben sich mittlerweile alle fraktionen der armee (sind ja alles ex-milizen) darauf geeinigt lebanon zu verteidigen, und das heisst auch hezbollah zu unterstützen im kampf gegen israel. ich glaub nicht dass die israelis wirklich einen krieg wegen hezbollah riskieren werden. das würde die ayatollahs im iran – die ideologischen ziehväter der hezbollah – auf den plan bringen, die hezbollah ja auch mit waffen und geld unterstützen. eine derartige eskalation würde krieg im ganzen mittleren osten bedeuten, ein szenario von dem sich die amerikaner unter anderem gerade deswegen abwenden weil sie es sich nicht leisten können ein drittes konflik-theater nach afgahnistan und irak simultan zu unterhalten, und auch weil die ölpreise explodieren würden. also werden die israelis verhandlen müssen. vielleicht erzwingen sie ja die lang übefaällige entwaffnung hezbollahs und deren eingliederung in die offiziellen libanesischen streitkräfte. das wär gar nicht so schlecht, meiner meining nach.

die andere möglichkeit ist das nasrallah – der geistliche und militärische führer von hezbollah – so viel druck von unten und von oben kriegt dass er die geiseln rausrückt, ohne bedingungen zu stellen. das wird daruaf ankommen wieviele tote in den eigenen reihen die shiiten aushalten bevor sie sich bei ihrem führer beschweren und auch darauf, wieviel druck die libanesische regierung in der lage ist auf nasrallah auszuüben. diese möglichkeit halte ich aber für unwahrscheinlich.

mal schauen was in den nächsten tage so passiert. blöd ist nur noch das alessandras schwangere schwester und ihr mann grad auf besuch sind. die wissen nicht so recht wie sie hier wegkommen sollen und müssen wahrscheinlich nach damaskus fahren und von dort einen flieger nehmen.

hier noch ein paar gute quellen um auf dem laufenden zu bleiben:

– alexander jeniche’s Beirut-Blog erwacht grade aus seinem dornröschenschlaf und hat eine brauchbare analyse hier

– mehr ideologisches kommentar gibts auf As’ad Abu Khalil’s berühmten Angry Arab News Service

– pacifica radio hat – für ein kommunistisches news-service – einen guten bericht über die invasion in den flashpoints vom mitwoch

Yesterday downtown Beirut saw some serious clashes between police and Muslim rioters who eventually succeded in burning the Danish Consulate in protest against the cartoons ridiculing the Prophet in Danish newspapers last autumn. The events are widely condemned by all leaders and especially by Muslim clerics who actively tried to intervene and stop the protesters from rioting.

The BBC, citing no evidence, suggests that the escalation was planned beforehand in this article: www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1703239,00.html The almost exact same demostration took place the day before in Damascus. Some commentators have rightly pointed out that no demonstration ever takes place in Syria without the government wanting it, ar at least tacitly approving of it. That people were bussed in for a demonstration in Beirut is true. But there is another fact suggesting that some outside meddling took place: Arrested at the riot were some 70 Syrians, 35 Palstinians, 20 Bedouins or Stateless, and only 35 Lebanese. Historically the Syrians have profed to be adept at mobilising the disenfranchised for their own ends.

In summary there was considerable damage. I heard one policeman died, several cars were burnt and shops broken. Also the windows of St. George Church in Beirut were broken with stones. The violence took place in Achrafiye, the heartland of the Lebanese Forces in Beirut. The LF are a right wing Christian militia who have their own dirty record from the war, in any case not someone to be messed with. What happened yesterday would have easily been enough to kick of a series of vengeance attacks, leade to renewed escalation and civil strife. The fact that there was no immediate response on the street may show that people are ready to exercise restraint and that they sense there is something fishy about these riots. As my colleague put it: It was the ultimate match to light up a fire and it didn’t work.

So here I am again, in an effort to get on top of myself I’m restarting the writing routine, for claritiy’s sake. I am in the process of recasting my role in HGSD and mission in life as organizational developer. Sounds sexy, huh? All I need right now is a few pointers by good people on where to start looking for tools and I can get started experimenting and learning with my guniea pig NGO. I guess that is the actual chance I am given here.

Since this is my personal corner for rants and raves let me quickly offload some complaints about the fiendishness of the world. Yesterday I fucked up the car by destroying the cylinder-head-casquets. No idea what they are, the car tends to overheat, steam off the coolant and at that point I should have intervened, but it happened too fast. The other nuisance is the unsatisfactory heating situation. We spend a lot of time carrying wood around. And the pipe of the stove drips, a black stinking soup, and the stove itself smokes a lot. I guess I’m smelling like a smoked speck already myself.

Other than that 2006 is pure rock’n’roll. The first week back here I couldn’t think about anything else but the fantastic free riding in the local ski resort. I’ve calmed down a bit since. Right now I’m back in bachelor mode as well – Ale just left for Syria untill the end of the week. Which means I get to sleep on the couch, leave dirty dishes all around, read work stuff untill late and generally be merry. Here’s to freedom!

The Lebanese are shallow – or so say many of them about themselves: We are only interested in cars, clothes and having a good time. This also corresponds with the stereotypes commonly held about the Lebanese. They only live for today. And there is some truth to it, especially when the Christians are concerned. People here are dressed better than Italians – in fact they don’t only dress to impress, they dress to kill. And never have I seen so many brand new SUVs on the road as here. In fact, a lot of people live on borrowed money, spending more than they can afford. Beiruti nightclubs are indeed notoriously expensive, even for expats. Usually this ubiquitious hedonism is immediately explained with a reference to the war. You know, peope suffered so much and now they just want to have a good time. Also this has some truth to it. The memories of the war are still fresh and the scars deep. The only thing around which the fractured nation can come together is partying the night away, a kind of zen therapy: all that counts is the here and now because the past was so bad that it makes thinking about the future almost impossible.

I would like to offer a complementary explanation: The Lebanese live like there is no tomorrow because they hate themselves. Let me explain. Today Ale and me had a long conversation with the guy in whose shop we usually by the top-up credits for our cell phones. He is a nice guy and we usually get on well. He is also a Christian and hates Arabs. In fact he does not consider himself Arab, but Lebanese. In his oppinion Arabs are camels. Also, for him, being Muslim is closely linked to being Arab. This kind of stereotype about Arabs is largely congruent with the picture of the quintessential Arab painted by the Western media. A guy with beard, probably unwashed who locks up his wife(s), blindly follows the fundamentalist teachings of his religious leaders, hates the free world and supports terrorism or carries out terrorist acts himself.

The concept that the Arabs are some kind of irrational sub-humans, not quite in control of themselves and their chaotic societies is not new – it is called Orientalism. This term was coined by Edward Said who examined the literature of colonial Britain and found this: There is a widespread idea in the writings of travellers and anthroplogists of the 19th century about what Arabs are. It is the exact opposite of what we consider ourselves: rational, civilised, truth-telling light skinned, in one word, developed. The Orient, then, is the canvas on which the western imagination painted its own other – the dark Arab is subject to his own emotions which constantly override his rational faculties. Arabs tell lies all the time, their parochial customs take precendence over the rule of law and they are generally backward. Simply not quite on the same step of the evolutionary ladder as our enlightened selves. Or a bit like children that need a firm guiding hand in order not to harm themselves and others.

This idea is a functional one. It served, then as now, to justify the colonisation of Arab societies, their subjugation with military means and the extortion of wealth from them. The tragedy of the Lebanese, then, is that they buy into this propaganda. They actually believe this crap and they hate the Arabs. Now the problem is that they are Arabs themselves but don’t want to be. They deny their Arab idendity to the extent that some people don’t even teach their children to speak Arabic. They send them to French schools instead. People here are also collectors of passports – whoever can has French, Canadian, German, Italian or any other nationality. And there is a huge Lebanese diaspora. People really are very cosmopolitan: able to converse in at least three languages, knowledgeable about history and geography, and up to date with current events all over the world. And the Lebanese are great hosts, truly open to visitors. Unlike the Europeans, they are actually happy to have foreigners around, they like them. But the flipside of this internationalism is an all-out rejection of a part of their selves.

I think this explains why the Lebane are so crazy about showing off their cars, clothes and gadgets. That’s all they have. With the rejection of their idendity as Arabs they also threw all their traditions out of the window: their songs, their rituals, their celebrations and, most damaging of all, their stories. Left empty-handed, they strive to be like the Europeans and Americans they so much admire. So their empty selves take flight into what is perceived as western culture – consumerism. They replace what they lost by buying those SUVs and Armani suits. And this is how they really became like us Westerners who long lost our own traditions to urban techno-culture. Like us they shovel pre-packaged life-style goods into the bottom-less holes that used to be their selves in a desperate attempt to give some meaning to their stranded lives. This is how the Lebanese ceased to be Arabs and really became Westerners and this is at the same time the real tragedy of the Lebanese.

I hope my Lebanese friends will forgive me this piece of racist pop psychology. They may choose to read it as another exercise in Orientalism – another lost European projecting his own shadow on them in his travelogue.