Test case Lebanon

The ceremony marking Syria8217;s full military withdrawal from Lebanon on Tuesday occurred precisely at the same time as the new, transitio...

The ceremony marking Syria8217;s full military withdrawal from Lebanon on Tuesday occurred precisely at the same time as the new, transitional Lebanese government was presenting its policy statement to Parliament in Beirut. These were images of the past and the future, not the present. The end of the Syrian military presence in Lebanon was about a past tradition of military dominance of governance that seems to be coming to a close throughout the world, with Arab regimes collective being the main exceptions.

The Lebanese government8217;s policy statement and parliamentary debate was about the future, more particularly about the intense desire to revive a democratic, sovereign governance system that is more responsive and accountable to citizen rights and desires. If democracy is going to advance and take root in Arab countries, Lebanon now appears to be its most important test case8230;

It is not enough to note that we are at a juncture today in Lebanon and the entire Arab world, where political systems can move toward democracy or stay in autocratic mode. More urgent is the need to act on the realisation that if democracy is to take root in the Arab world, it will do so because of the painstaking organisational work of true democrats to generate participation and accountability at the local and national levels, rather than through impressive declarations by Arab activists or flowery speeches by foreign leaders8230;

Washington and Paris should not make the same mistake that Damascus made 8212; to enter into Lebanese affairs legitimately and achieve early successes that are supported by most Lebanese, but then to stay too long and generate the anger of the same Lebanese who once welcomed the initial intervention and assistance. At home, the Lebanese must answer a key question in the months ahead: can they channel the populist political energy that liberated them from Syrian dominance into a domestic democratic governance system that effectively deals with their many challenges?8230;

Lebanon now may be the Arab country with the best opportunity to make the transition from the postcolonial, semi-feudal, tribal political systems that plague this region, into a better place for modernity, civility, citizenship and accountable democracy. Success in Lebanon could provide that one indigenous example that is needed to spark genuine, home-grown democratic reforms throughout the Arab world, free of the murderous stigma of foreign armies and occupations.

Excerpted from an article by Rami G. Khouri in 8216;The Daily Star8217;, April 27