Gearing Up For Elections In Lebanon...

An intriguing end to the weekend, with fireworks of course. They love fireworks. I mean, really, really love them. Electioneering is in full swing, and two of the big parties held their 'coming out' parties at BIEL, a big conference hall by the sea, normally host to fashion parades (which is hard to differentiate from a Future Movement rally from what I could see...) and Euro-DJ's (ditto...). First - yesterday - it was the turn of Geagea (read 'Gaga')'s Lebanese Forces, who heard him utter the following:

"I will not promise you anything because the conditions in our country are difficult and complicated.
I promise that we will not spare any effort or blood to achieve this project."
(translation http://www.nowlebanon.com/Default.aspx)

So, no contradiction there, then.

Today - Sunday - it was the Future Movement's turn, with Hariri uttering the following:

"...putting an end to poverty and discrimination among regions and safeguarding the environment [and] stimulating development and creating new job opportunities through encouraging the agriculture and industry sectors in addition to upgrading the electricity sector, [...] and the health of Lebanon lies in the private sector." (translation http://web.naharnet.com/default.asp)

Well, yes, of course it does, because the chance of dodgy contracts owned by friends of friends of friends with bank accounts safely out of harm's way in France might be in jeopardy otherwise

Some nice rhetoric there, you'll agree. Otherwise, there has been lots of war metaphor (Bahia Hariri: 'We and Berri Are in One Trench', Gaga talking of the 'Cedar Revolution 2' and so on and so forth). Inbetween times, Syria has announced that it will open its Embassy in bohemian Hamra - not for them a fortress in the hills a la the Yankee Embassy, or a low-key run-of-the-mill building next to the Sukleen waste depot underneath a flyover like the Canadians, or a hard-to-find bog-standard apartment like the Finns have, but a house in trendy Hamra which, they tell me, is "booming" again. Well, yes, it is, if you call the opening of a dozen identikit trendy cafe-bars and half a dozen identical trendy chain-restaurants 'booming' then, yes it is. Mind you, it's over the road from the Starbucks, which, during the IDF attack on Gaza became a focus for irate anti-Zionist protests, so at least they can look out of their windows and make themselves believe they are in the heartland of pan-Arab unity.

And back to Hariri's comment...it's not at all odd that people should protest against a minimal-commitment affiliation with Kadima on the part of the CEO of Starbucks, but not protest against the very scorched-earth business practices that allowed them to set up shop there in the first place. And Gaga is right, things are "difficult and complicated," but not so difficult and complicated that connections between them cannot be unearthed and brought to light. However, it's easier to have promises which are not promises, and sloganeering, and veiled threats, because then it becomes easier to justify a move from militaristic rhetoric back to militaristic action and, as we know, militaristic action is a great way for some people to make piles of money...