My Saudi friend was furious. He read my article "Lebanon needs a break!" and threw some tough questions that had been around for a while, but intensified recently. "Why Lebanon? Why do we need it?" he asked. "We had already wasted decades of political and financial support only to see its foreign minister stand against us and with the Iranian camp during the foreign ministers' meetings of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Why do we still support a country that has no gratitude for us? Besides, what importance Lebanon does have? It is too dependent, small and irrelevant. Let's cut our losses, get out of its hell, and let Iran take it all — benefits and headache. They deserve each other!" he concluded. What my friend and many others miss is the fact that Lebanon is our extended frontiers. Geopolitically, it is our border with Israel, Syria, and the Mediterranean. Politically it is our front with Iran, Turkey and the Arab world. Culturally, it is the lungs of all. Arabs of all backgrounds breathe in Lebanon. Its democracy and freedom of the press makes it the one place were intellectuals could express and debate in the "market place of ideas" without much fear or censorship. Lebanese are so used to such intellectual exchange that friends and colleagues may go into heated debates then end up celebrating someone's birthday. I had many hard talks with Shiites, Christians, Sunnis, and Druze, some strongly affiliated with Hezbollah-Syria-Iran axis, others passionately against it. We spent long evenings crossing swords, but none would personally attack another, or cross the line of respect. Once the subject matter changed to softer, less dividing issues, we all went back to our normal tone and heart rate. Debates are kind of sports in the Lebanese culture. If no controversial issue is present, they invent it. The exercise is healthy for the mind and heart — a value in itself. That is not to say Lebanese ever run out of issues! To discuss differences in open air is the best way to deal with them. At the end of the day, they are all friends, neighbors, colleagues and relatives who live in a small country. Without such tolerance for the different other, they could go into another civil war. Democracy is the only way for multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-political country like Lebanon to survive. Unfortunately, democracy, as a system of governance, has its weaknesses, especially when you live in a rough neighborhood. Lebanon since its independence (1943) has been an arena for others' games. Its media, political parties, as well as ethnic and religious groups, have been receptive to sponsors from the Arab world and beyond. The free Lebanese stage was used at many historical stages by Arabs, especially neighbors, like Palestinians, Syrians and Iraqis, to present their cases, and defend their causes. During and after the Civil War (1975-1990), those players played a rough hand. The Syrians won at the end of the day, with the support of Iran and its agent — Hezbollah. The Palestinians lost their political and military influence, so did other Arab players, including Iraqis, Egyptians and Libyans. Saudi Arabia led the conciliation effort and had the surviving members of Lebanon's 1972 parliament; fathered by Parliament Speaker Hussein El-Husseini, sign the Taif Treaty, in 1989. It officially ended the war and gave Syria a special status as the guardian of peace and guarantor of the agreement. Iran came in hard and strong after the end of its war with Iraq (1980-1988). It helped Hezbollah become the kingmaker and the one and only party with muscle (and missiles) after all had given up arms and returned to civilian life as political parties. Today, the "Party of God" is waging war, on Iran's behalf, in Syria and Iraq, while training, arming and financing Iranian agents in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Bahrain. The party is also the biggest grower, manufacturer and merchant of illegal drugs, such as Hashish and Captagon in the region. With such military, political and financial power, Iran managed to strangle Beirut and use it as a base to extend its interests, influence and interference in the Arab world. The way things are going, Lebanon may soon join Iraq and Syria under the Farsi belt, and be another failed state that exports war and terrorism to the rest of us. Arabs cannot afford such a fate. We cannot accept it. We cannot resign ourselves to it. My friend and others of his opinion may not know that the majority of Lebanese do appreciate us. They resent the Iranian grip and call for our help. We cannot abandon them. Besides, our past neglect, absence (and mistakes) had contributed to Iranian wins in Lebanon and other Arab countries. We woke up late, but fully aware, active and strong. Our Decisive Storm in Yemen, should now be directed towards Iran's influence in Lebanon, too. No less is enough! Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him at Twitter:@kbatarfi
