Wednesday, February 23, 2005
DRUZE WARLORD TURNS NEOCON?
Walid Jumblatt, the canny survivor and leader of the ferocious Druze militia during Lebanon's civil war, had some kind words for George Bush:
"It's strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq," explains Jumblatt. "I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world." Jumblatt says this spark of democratic revolt is spreading. "The Syrian people, the Egyptian people, all say that something is changing. The Berlin Wall has fallen. We can see it."
Recalling Jumblatt's activities twenty years ago, this is kind of like finding out that Daniel Ortega had emigrated to the States and was last seen as a Republican poll watcher in Dade county.
Hat tip to Marc Shulman ! ¶ 8:30 PM
Walid Jumblatt, the canny survivor and leader of the ferocious Druze militia during Lebanon's civil war, had some kind words for George Bush:
"It's strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq," explains Jumblatt. "I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world." Jumblatt says this spark of democratic revolt is spreading. "The Syrian people, the Egyptian people, all say that something is changing. The Berlin Wall has fallen. We can see it."
Recalling Jumblatt's activities twenty years ago, this is kind of like finding out that Daniel Ortega had emigrated to the States and was last seen as a Republican poll watcher in Dade county.
Hat tip to Marc Shulman ! ¶ 8:30 PM
Comments:
<< Home
Zen my man.
A little piece of advice on the region.
Never, ever, ever, believe the nice English that Arab Zaims speak to the gullible.
This is not "as if" Ortega switched to being a Republican, this is pure old school factional politics without ideology cynicism. The Druuze are about the Druuze, and the Druuze Zaims are about getting their peeps ahead. Who's got the better deal.
I know you guys are getting all excited by apparent changes, take it from an old hand, a deep cynicism will serve you well in this region.
Or get all happy. Your choice.
A little piece of advice on the region.
Never, ever, ever, believe the nice English that Arab Zaims speak to the gullible.
This is not "as if" Ortega switched to being a Republican, this is pure old school factional politics without ideology cynicism. The Druuze are about the Druuze, and the Druuze Zaims are about getting their peeps ahead. Who's got the better deal.
I know you guys are getting all excited by apparent changes, take it from an old hand, a deep cynicism will serve you well in this region.
Or get all happy. Your choice.
# posted by 
: Thursday, 24 February, 2005
: Thursday, 24 February, 2005
hi Col -
Oh, I don't trust Jumblatt a whit. He's on the outs with the Syrians now for whatever reason - personal, political, rat off a sinking ship, better deal elsewhere. It doesn't really matter that much.
I just found this to be rather ironical given the source and I'm sure Damascus finds Jumblatt's antics irritating. Enjoyable to see him get a few licks on his former patrons. Syria's a nasty regime which I'd say should be given a shove except what might replace Assad is likely to be a lot worse, from my perspective.
Oh, I don't trust Jumblatt a whit. He's on the outs with the Syrians now for whatever reason - personal, political, rat off a sinking ship, better deal elsewhere. It doesn't really matter that much.
I just found this to be rather ironical given the source and I'm sure Damascus finds Jumblatt's antics irritating. Enjoyable to see him get a few licks on his former patrons. Syria's a nasty regime which I'd say should be given a shove except what might replace Assad is likely to be a lot worse, from my perspective.
Jumblatt has said alot of things over the years; most of them off the wall. I believe he relatively recently called for Bush's death and for "jihad" or I guess in his case "crusade" against the Americans in Iraq.
Barnabus
Barnabus
# posted by : Thursday, 24 February, 2005
: Thursday, 24 February, 2005
Zen, I wrote a post a few days ago that had a similar underlying theme as to what Mr. Walid was saying.
Link to CITAR post hereAlso, I'll be travelling to Beirut this July for a few weeks and will hopefully be able to get some face time with a few of the lower Druuze leaders in addition to many of the local Christian leaders. We will have to see how the trip goes and how much can be actually accomplished, but I will keep you all updated.
Link to CITAR post hereAlso, I'll be travelling to Beirut this July for a few weeks and will hopefully be able to get some face time with a few of the lower Druuze leaders in addition to many of the local Christian leaders. We will have to see how the trip goes and how much can be actually accomplished, but I will keep you all updated.
Mark
He's on the outs because he's on a power play. It does matter as this is not "Lebanese" (as the CITR comment gets so bloody and fundamentally wrong) versus Syrians and some divorced entity called "Hizbullah."
Its communitarian power plays so dear to Lebanese history: the more organized aspects of Maronites, Druuze, and Sunni Muslims on one end (the old school dominant classes in Lebanon in relative order) - the new up and commers to power (Shia Lebanese, particularly the radicalized Shia-Leb represented by Hizbullah.).
Hizbullah is Lebanese and has a lot of Baraka left over from it's bloodying the Israelis nose. You ain't seen nothing until you've seen an Orthodox Xian Leb woman argue violently with a Maronite about how "good" Hizbullah is.
Lesson: simplistic reads of the situ get you all in the wrong place.
BTW, as an aside, Druuze are not Xian in derivation but a whacky Shia origin, so it is indeed jihad.
Post a Comment
He's on the outs because he's on a power play. It does matter as this is not "Lebanese" (as the CITR comment gets so bloody and fundamentally wrong) versus Syrians and some divorced entity called "Hizbullah."
Its communitarian power plays so dear to Lebanese history: the more organized aspects of Maronites, Druuze, and Sunni Muslims on one end (the old school dominant classes in Lebanon in relative order) - the new up and commers to power (Shia Lebanese, particularly the radicalized Shia-Leb represented by Hizbullah.).
Hizbullah is Lebanese and has a lot of Baraka left over from it's bloodying the Israelis nose. You ain't seen nothing until you've seen an Orthodox Xian Leb woman argue violently with a Maronite about how "good" Hizbullah is.
Lesson: simplistic reads of the situ get you all in the wrong place.
BTW, as an aside, Druuze are not Xian in derivation but a whacky Shia origin, so it is indeed jihad.
# posted by : Thursday, 24 February, 2005
: Thursday, 24 February, 2005<< Home
