A Tree Grows in Beirut

by Matt Cohlmia

This February, Lebanon shocked the world. In a land where civil war is relentless, ethnic tensions keep chaos a pin drop away, and freedom is only a nominal reality, the people of Lebanon united to throw off the oppressive Syrian regime, the puppeteer behind a Lebanese government riddled with corruption. As I write, Lebanon is more democratic, more independent, and more liberated than it has been at any point in the nation’s 62-year history. Perhaps the most surprising reality of the revolution is not the fact that an Arab nation revolted against its oppressors but who’s leading the charge. Like no revolution in history, the Lebanese youth have turned out in massive numbers to emerge as the vanguard of a new populist democratic voice, the first of its kind in the Arab world. This is a revolution led not by soldiers, not by politicians, not by tribal leaders, but by the rebellious student voice of Lebanon.

These revolutionaries stop in at internet cafes to get news updates, duck out of rallies for a few hours to attend classes, and use text messages to spread the word of last-minute changes to planned demonstrations. They have nose rings and tattoos; they sport dreadlocks and Diesel jeans; they have iPods and drink lattes. This is revolution in the 21st century. Some men are dressed in business suits, some in baggy clothes and flip-flops, and girls come in tight skirts and high heels, carrying expensive designer purses. It’s even been called the “Gucci revolution.” Most of the protesters weren’t even alive when Syrian troops swept across Lebanon, killing hundreds of soldiers and citizens, in order to halt the bloody civil wars of the mid-seventies. They come not to avenge the past, but to build a better future: their future.

Tent city has blossomed into an urban Woodstock, hosting poets, musicians, and political speakers, as an estimated 50,000 protesters swarm the capitol. New podiums are erected daily to accommodate the hundreds of vocal revolutionaries; stages overflow with energy, voice, and passion; and the streets are smattered with red, white, and green, the colors of a patriotic Lebanon. “The student organizations run the place,” explained Samir Kassir, a columnist for An-Nahar newspaper. Thanks to Hariri’s Future Television network, this revolution is even televised. Every day, sandwiches and bottled water arrive by the truckloads, courtesy of dozens of different political parties of all different creeds, uniting behind the protest. There are two simple rules in tent city: no alcohol, and no men and women sharing tents alone. “People aren't here to have fun,” said Joe Hakash, a 24-year-old organizer. This is organization. This is voice. This is power.

This kind of revolution is absolutely unheard of throughout the Arab world, a place considered to be among the most volatile, dogmatic, and militaristic parts of the world. The difference, many analysts say, is the progressive international attitude in the capitol city of Beirut. Once known as the “Paris of the Middle East,” Beirut is a haven of rich diversity in the Arab world. It has Arab, French, American, and Lebanese universities, as well as a British high school, an American International College, a secular Lyçée Français, a French Jesuit school, and German, Italian, and other schools. At around 88 percent, its literacy rate is among the highest in the Arab world (compared with 40 percent in Iraq). Education, diversity, and organization have given the power and legitimacy to this revolution that has made it so undeniably effective. It is a non-violent revolution of the mind, not the gun, a rarity in the war-torn region of the Middle East.

These young patriots have even managed to unwittingly do something no politician or military leader has ever accomplished: they have united the Lebanese people behind a common cause. This is a region of the world where factions have fought in bloody civil war for centuries and yet, the Maronite, Orthodox Christian, Druze, Shia Muslim, and Sunni Muslim citizens stand side by side, or, more correctly, tent by tent, united only by their quest for freedom. The wealthy as well as the poor have flocked to the city to unite against the Syrians. The flags that blanket the courtyard in every direction in tent city are not those of individual political parties, radical minority messages, or tribal emblems, but the glorious red and white national flag. This spectacular scene has prompted the title “Cedar Revolution,” in honor of the national emblem emblazoned on the flag: the cedar tree. This isn’t about factions or personal vendettas; this is about Lebanon. Their tent city is clustered below the Martyr’s statue, still riddled with bullet holes as glaring reminders of the civil war that saw these very same factions set against one another.

The Syrian military has had a smothering presence in Lebanon since intervening in civil war in June of 1976, most feared for its widespread military intelligence network of more than 5,000 operatives. According to a former Lebanese intelligence officer who requested anonymity, Syrian spies infiltrated and corrupted both judiciary and security bodies throughout the country. “If you want to remain strong, you ignore your chain of command and work directly for the nearest Syrian military intelligence office,” he said. “By obeying the Syrians, you stay protected.” On top of the hugely influential espionage program, Syria held Lebanon with an iron fist, using “peacekeeping” troops, a force that as late as 1990 still remained overwhelming at 40,000 soldiers. Syrian occupation had crippled Lebanon for almost 15 years, but it was the death of Rafik Hariri that brought Lebanon to revolution.

The former prime minister and entrepreneurial billionaire was the face of a new Lebanon, even nicknamed “Mr. Lebanon” by his supporters. Using his financial clout, he coaxed dozens of foreign investors to Beruit and is often considered solely responsible for Lebanon’s rapid economic recovery after civil war. As a businessman devoid of political family, powerful clan, or military clout, his terms as prime minister marked a new era in government, one based on an entrepreneurial charisma, a rapidly growing economy, and international diplomacy. He resigned in October 2004 in protest of Syria’s pressure to keep their endorsed president, Emile Lahoud, in power. Even after his resignation, however, Hariri was revered as a hero of the Lebanese people. On February 14, 2005, Hariri was assassinated when a car bomb was detonated beside his motorcade as it passed through downtown Beirut. Though no definitive evidence has yet been uncovered as to the party responsible, it was no secret that Hariri’s greatest enemy has always been the occupying Syrians. In September 2004, he used his political connections to help pass the later-ignored United Nations Resolution 1559 calling on Syria to end its occupation of Lebanon.

Now, students who shared Hariri’s dream of a thriving Lebanon are accomplishing what even their revered hero could not. On February 28, the Syrian-backed government fell to the non-violent protests of the Lebanese people as Omar Karimi resigned. After intense pressure from both the Lebanese people and the international community, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad announced that Syria would complete a full withdrawal of both military and intelligence operatives by May 1, and, as promised, all 15,000 remaining Syrian troops left Lebanon on April 26. On May 29, Lebanon will have its first elections without Syrian military presence in over 33 years.

Now they face the toughest challenge yet: the future. They still sit doggedly in one of the most dangerous parts of the world, tenuously awaiting elections while Syria still looms to the east. This youthful rebellion will be given its true test of maturity. In many ways, however, the student patriots of Lebanon have already succeeded in bringing a new fervor and freedom to the Middle East. With a peaceful protest, they have achieved in Lebanon what thousands of cruise missiles and the lives of American soldiers still haven’t achieved in Iraq. Gone are the days of politician-led revolution and the meek uniting behind some powerful savior. The Lebanese youth have flown in the face of history and become the glowing face of freedom in the war-ridden Middle East.