Lebanon - Birth to a New Confederation

For Europe to become this beacon of wellbeing and welfare as a society and union, a war for religion that ripped Europe apart for thirty long years led to the much-needed treaty of Westphalia that imposed a clear separation of Church and State, apart from two World Wars. When the Islamic caliphate descended into chaos after the prophet's (PBUH) passing, due to several impostors posing as prophets themselves rose on the scene, it took a mighty hand and a brutal campaign for several years to preserve and maintain the teachings and scriptures of the Koran and declare Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) as the last legitimate prophet and Islam as the official reigning religion in the Arab world. For the United States to become an exemplary country of freedom and democracy, several key iconic figures of the 13 colonies, like the Freemasons, joined forces and led a long revolution for independence, which helped form the mightiest and wealthiest country by many standards the world has ever known.

Lebanon has undergone severe difficulties and roadblocks over the past few decades that the state ended up withering away, small time militias became dominate power players in the country and even the once cultured and creative people of this Mediterranean state have either come to pass or have migrated to other countries to bestow their talents and skills onto other societies. This has left the country in the hands of merciless hearts and lifeless souls that dictate the people as if they're numbers on a check book. Lebanon is grieving and hurt after the failed revolution of October 2019. What was once dubbed as the Switzerland of the Middle East has now become a mummified country on top of a volcano that is about to erupt. We need plausible actions that can help recover this once glorious nation back on its feet. To do so, we need to explore a few historical options that may be applicable to the current state of things.

Enacting an egalitarian parliament with its oligarchy as a separate institution could be an attractive alternative to the current governing structure that has proven to be a failure resembling the constant changing of cabinets and governments in Mexico throughout the 20th century. It's imperative that such a concept in a sectarian nation is to be introduced, after experiencing a provisional government reside over state affairs for months now with no real actions being enforced to provide security or stability in the country. To initiate such a massive step, the scrapping of the current constitution and writing a new social contract, with the current generation in mind is essential for maintaining a healthy state of affairs. The main issues that still resides over the country's fate, which is spinning a web in the shadowy places of the state, mimicking Flaubert's depiction of Madame Bovary as to how depression and boredom can creep up in an individual, is in the continued meddling of foreign powers intervening and the foreign concepts and ideologies that are embraced by leading political parties. A vivid example is the freedom of Palestine from the Zionist grip, which must never be forgotten or let go of for the preservation of Palestinians and their sovereignty but should not be lived and endured at the cost of Lebanese sovereignty. All political powers in the country have more to gain from unity amongst one another than with tying the not with foreigners that care far too little about the wellbeing of Lebanese citizens to advance their political agendas and economic aspirations withing the region. To initiate constitutional change requires assessing and identifying the main differences between the older and younger generations in Lebanon and how their mindsets, attitudes and aspirations may fit in with the direction the Lebanese people would wish to take at the present times. For the conceptions of freedom, progress and respect has changed drastically over the decades, and must therefore me explored and considered for the continuation of the country’s sovereignty.

Another major step to consider is rebranding the country by changing the name and therefore changing its identity, to make it more in tune with the present times, is vital and helpful for transcending the country from the reality its currently in to the reality it ought to exhibit. If India has already considered a change in its official name to Bharat (the ancient name of this mighty country with a rich history), or like Turkey which already made the transition to Türkiye the official name a while ago, then Lebanon should not shy away from such a drastic change to portray a new order and vision for the future of its people, since the time the treaty of Sykes Picot drew out the borders of the New Middle East post World War 1. Like corporations striving for higher gains and further impact, it usually all stems from its mission statement. A one liner is where the entire scope of the corporation's future plan and aspirations pretty much lies, and this is exactly what is missing from a fragmented and fractured Lebanon. The new mission statement or constitutional mantra of a Lebanese state could resemble the following:

An egalitarian state that advocates, protects and ensures the rights of religious toleration, personal freedoms of the individual, economic freedoms and leniency for all residing on the land and a shared collective vision of power sharing that ensures stability and progress of the citizens wellbeing and welfare, as the highest and noblest priority.

To put it mildly, Lebanon should embrace its religious, social and political differences and insurers that only we as Lebanese are the guarantors over our own destiny. The idea of the enemy of our enemy is out friend must be rooted out and the idea of the enemy of our neighbours is our existential and direct threat is the only truth and objective that would quell the rivalry between the political parties. A senate rather that a parliament, where all discuss and ensure the weight of their voice is considered on the floor, while each region, province or district's boundaries are respected, would be the ideal make-up of the future prosperity for this once great country. A unified army should also be re-evaluated, for a small country with a considerably sizable army that is mainly ineffective when it comes to the security and stability of the nation. As it may be wiser for every region in this potential confederation or federation to have their own standing army, similar to Switzerland in the 16th and 17th century. Also, reigniting the once all-powerful and prominent banking sector in the country, with flexible and guaranteed laws of security and toleration for foreign money to remain and for foreign businesses to reside in, is of the greatest importance. As a sizable part of Lebanon’s income came from such transactions the filled up the coffer of Lebanon’s once secured and profitable banks, which provided hefty sums of interest on the deposits made.

Enacting secularism in schools and universities, where students are safeguarded from political or religious interference by the state or various political parties, is essential for the continued production of great vibrant minds that can ensure the future of this country to snap out from the coma its in. The importance of education must be highly emphasized by the laws of the modified constitution and direct investment from the elites towards the schooling system or university funds, like how Singapore has witnessed from its independence from Malaysia in the mid-20th century. Lebanon could also invest in creating boarding schools that may encourage foreigners from the MENA region to place their children for grooming and mentoring in their most pivotal years of moulding, given its unique geographical position and cultural diversity and richness in the arts. More importantly, Lebanon hubs many creative minds that are quite inventive and innovative. Just witnessing the Lebanese diaspora in the MENA region, Europe, Australia, North/South America, or in Africa in action, constantly producing superb business ideas or generating fabulous ideas that help such foreign economies prosper, means that such energy can be directed to Lebanon itself if the right conditions are set for establishing such an environment.

The main obstacle is not just Hezbollah, but all militias carrying firearms that could inflict harm on the wellbeing of the people. Each party has become a large part of the country with their own loyal following. Unless all-out war is enacted, which is not a solution by any standard nor are these parties and the people willing to handle such horrific measures, after a 15 year Civil War that is still very much alive in almost half of the people's memories, a compromise through a unique checks and balances system must be imposed to safe guard the country and give way to real growth to take place for the sake of posterity. The recent clashes between Palestinian armed groups in the Ain El Helwee refugee camp or the clash between Hezbollah and residents of a Christian town over a tipped over truck carrying weapons for Hezbollah, suggests that there is no government whatsoever to handle the pivotal issues at hand, which is only a single match away from initiating a wildfire of destruction and chaos. We still have a way to stop this from happening. We know how to stop this from happening. What we lack is the will to do something concrete about it. And like anything in life, if there is no will to act, then there can never be any real change or progress.

There are three potential scenarios that can extend a helping hand in bringing out Lebanon from the rubble its buried in at the moment. These scenarios are intended on delivering the most effective methods for transitioning from the feudal and divided country it currently represents to a major centre for learning and development:

A benevolent dictatorship is a concept that seldom is successful to bring about. But once it is enacted, the results are beyond splendid. Especially if the size of the country is small, like Lebanon, as we can recall from various historical examples, such as Florence under Lorenzo Medici, Athens under Solon, or present-day examples like Singapore and even Dubai (although is part of a federal monarchy, the city state is ruled by one family dominating the entire city but is perceived of as very friendly and tolerant when it comes to establishing or attracting businesses and with showcasing religious and personal freedoms). But such scenario would require all parties agreeing to one candidate to take over the country and initiate a series of reforms that could bring about change, which is impossible given the current political quagmire. The last man to possess such unwavering influence, power and wealth, coupled with an extraordinary vision for Lebanon was Rafik Al Hariri. Mr. Lebanon himself, as some foreign and domestic commentaries would have him dubbed, was attacked, criticized and eventually assassinated for his vision of a modern Lebanon. His death tore up the country leading it to the present-day disarray we currently face. Therefore, the likelihood of another Al Hariri with his magnitude to appear on the political stage is highly unlikely, unless one backed up by foreign powers would come to impose by force their will over a factional political establishment that will resist at all cost and it would lead to an all-out war, which many today ate trying to still rid themselves from the memories of the most recent Civil War that paralyzed the country for 15 years and brought it backwards economically, politically and socially by another 200 years.

Imposing federalism may seem ideal and convenient, given the excessive number of large and small political parties, along with religious sects that still have a dominant role to play over society and government, that has become quite similar to a feudal style reign. The federalism I am visualizing for Lebanon, may be one similar to that of Switzerland at the present. Splitting the country into 5 to 7 regions, and allowing the main dominant party to rule over that region undisputed, which technically is already the case, is ideal for a sectarian country. However, one central government, which acts as a provisional government, where all can meet to discuss and explore different ways to solve various disputes amongst themselves within an already existing parliament, but without the democracy function that has proved a failure in Lebanon, is necessary. The provisional government acts as a delegation for the ruling elite, whose main job is to maintain order in the state and process all the necessary matters liaising between the different regions, while more importantly addressing the needs and wants of the ruling establishment within the country's foreign policies and functions. Unlike the UAE, where Abu Dhabi addresses all the needs and wants and even ensures the protection over the entire Emirates, this version for Lebanon will not have one specific city, but rather a governing body overlooking all these matters, acting as mediator between the various regions, based in the capital city of Beirut that is in any case divided between Muslim and Christian districts. This arrangement can be considered similar to the existing confederation based in Switzerland, where the lesser-known Bern is considered the political capital of Switzerland, while Geneva, Zurich and Lugano are the more notable capitals of their own regions. The main function of a typical federalism is the identity of this nation. Similar to that of the United States of America, the 50 states all retain a particular flower, song, and norm distinct from other states, but they all identify as being American. The same concept is to be enacted in Lebanon, where under the different regions or states, each has their own traditions, standards and local regulations, but all are loyal and supportive of one collective identity and unified by one main constitution.

Introducing a confederation is personally the most suitable scenario that can be implemented in the future, as the central government would be dissolved, which anyway has been inactive in almost every facet of the country. Each region will be treated as a separate country, but all are part of a collective hub or identity, where the treaties and alliances forged between them benefit each other before benefiting other countries. All are Lebanese and all practice similar traditions and cultural norms that create a collective identity amongst this bloc, but each state would be free to exercise freely without question their own constitution, regulations and even foreign policies at will. This confederation will also be the best remedy for the numerous internal divisions Lebanon hubs and even suffers from, whether it be the religious or political divisions that the country is known for. With the federalism option, one form of governance is mainly imposed on the rest of the blocs, but with the confederacy system, each bloc or state would exercise and enforce their own governing style, similar to the Greek city states 2000 years ago, where Sparta was ruled by a military system while Athens was ruled by a democratic system - the first of its kind. Under this system, every city state can have their own currency, although having one currency to exchange with each other would be deemed wiser. Therefore, reinventing the Lebanese currency altogether with a new value-based system would be considered necessary. Separate state flags but one unified confederacy flag, like the existing Lebanese flag reflecting the different states would be essential for cultural identity. Each state would have their own standing army, if necessary, and each would have their own moral code, tax regulations, and banking systems. Unlike a federation, this confederacy will have clear drawn-out borders on a map and some form of barrier, like signs, welcoming or bidding farewell to those passing through. The airport can be shared in Beirut, but s unique public transportation system like a hyperloop can be designed to navigate through the various city-states. However secondary airports can be established in main cities, like Saida and Tripoli, to make traveling easier. The most extreme example could be an airport for every state, but given the geographical landscape of this mountainous country, it may prove difficult.

We have discussed three varying strategies on bringing out Lebanon from the darkness it was sucked in. But what is truly needed are the right mindsets, daring strategies, and high-spirited folk to push forth these amendments, changes and development to the fore. For, no change can truly take place, when silence is embraced by the majority.