It's now Monday night in Kuwait and time to put the last 24 hours in perspective. On Saturday, when the Danish embassy was attacked in Syria, it made the news but no one was surprised that it happened. On Sunday, when the attack happened in Beirut, it was a surprise because the Danish consulate is located in the Christian community of Achrafie. Since the end of the civil war between the Christians and Arabs, there have been no incidents that cross the boundaries of the communities. The Arab attack on the consulate took place in what is considered a safe haven area. In the process, a church was attacked and many people had their cars and property destroyed. The people involved were bent on destruction and while it happened under the guise of protest, it was really just a group of people all worked up to be violent. CNN makes the scene look as if all of Beirut was under siege. Obviously this wasn't true because I was just a few miles away, first at the beach and then later at my hotel.
What makes the Lebanon situation different is the fact that the attacks spilled over into the Christian community and with the one year anniversary of the Prime Minister's assissination coming up, people are worried about attacks on Feb. 14th. The economy had just started to recover after 11 months of recession and Sunday's riot is sure to drive the economy back down again.
What is unique about Lebanon is that the country is ruled by 3 parties, the Marionite Christians, the Druze, and the Shites. There is a form of balance of power but the country is set-up to be run by Christians who are now the minority group. When there is a shift in populations, the population majority always resents the minority group that is in control. So while a building is gone, much more is at stake. The refugees from Palestine and the continuing war in the south with Israel, the Syrian population and tension are all building up to a new level of insecurity in Lebanon.
Contrast that to Kuwait which is a properous country and has no refugee population and is secure in it's borders. There are no public protests going on and business goes about as usual. Kuwait is a 2 hour flight from Lebanon and worlds away. People here are detached from what is happening out of the Gulf Coast area. For me, my biggest concern is that it's raining and cold in Kuwait and I didn't bring winter clothes. The heater isn't working right in my room and I'm in the usual danger of being bored in Kuwait.
Now contrast this to Kua
What makes the Lebanon situation different is the fact that the attacks spilled over into the Christian community and with the one year anniversary of the Prime Minister's assissination coming up, people are worried about attacks on Feb. 14th. The economy had just started to recover after 11 months of recession and Sunday's riot is sure to drive the economy back down again.
What is unique about Lebanon is that the country is ruled by 3 parties, the Marionite Christians, the Druze, and the Shites. There is a form of balance of power but the country is set-up to be run by Christians who are now the minority group. When there is a shift in populations, the population majority always resents the minority group that is in control. So while a building is gone, much more is at stake. The refugees from Palestine and the continuing war in the south with Israel, the Syrian population and tension are all building up to a new level of insecurity in Lebanon.
Contrast that to Kuwait which is a properous country and has no refugee population and is secure in it's borders. There are no public protests going on and business goes about as usual. Kuwait is a 2 hour flight from Lebanon and worlds away. People here are detached from what is happening out of the Gulf Coast area. For me, my biggest concern is that it's raining and cold in Kuwait and I didn't bring winter clothes. The heater isn't working right in my room and I'm in the usual danger of being bored in Kuwait.
Now contrast this to Kua
Better analysis than listening to NPR. Thanks!
ReplyDelete