Communist Students Supplement

Arabs need a comprehensive solution, says Communist Students

Communist Students is a group of former young members of the Lebanese Communist Party. The group’s perspectives on the different political and socioeconomic issues are printed below.

Political Perspective

Since the end of World War II, Arab nations have never faced such a serious breakdown similar to the one they are facing today.

The current Arab situation is the result of several factors that are shaping currently developing and ongoing scenarios. Such factors mandate efficiency, if any political group intends to deal with them.

These factors include the events of Sep. 11 and its consequent militarized globilization, war on Iraq and the continuous Israeli offensive on the Palestinian people.

According to Communist Students, the building of a global system dominated by the United States and resulting in a huge imbalance among nations on the world scene was coupled with a similar dominance of a few countries over the international economic and political organizations.

This in turn led to the centralization of the global capital, and eventually the global decision, in the hands of the few countries, causing poverty and the alienation of the majority of the planet’s people including third world societies.

The imbalance in powers has encouraged the United States to adopt an imperial attitude and a one-sided policy on world issues. The AMerican monopoly of world decision prompted the formation of a global opposition against American policies.

World opposition is not only evident in social, civil and political fields. It is rather present in radical forms.

The situation became more complicated in the absence of true democratic and leftist alternatives especially in third world countries.

On the Arab level, the consequences of the above world developments are most evident in Iraq and Palestine.

American dominance was seen in Gulf War I in 1990 and in Gulf War II in 2003. But after Sep. 11 attacks, however, the United States adopted further aggressive measures as it unveiled its new militarized colonial trend which started in Afghanistan and does not seem to end in Iraq.

The US main goal behind its post Sep. 11 agenda is widely believed to be oil.

America’s aggression in the region and its invasion of Iraq provoked most Arab regimes to increase their brutality and oppression of their peoples in compliance with US policies.

Communist Students believe that Arab regimes have opted to yield to the American pressure and comply with US policies under the pretext of “national interests amid sensitive conditions.”

In this respect, regimes drew several “red lines” and imposed restrictions on anti-war movements in the Arab world. The intensity of these red lines vary among the different Arab regimes but mainly include oppression of civil liberties and freedom of expression in addition to banning some protests.

Therefore, the activity of most movements in the Arab world is leading nowhere under the rule of dictatorships, which are considered as part of the complicated problem of this region.

The Arab dictatorships’ main concerns include maintaining their rule disregarding their societies’ aspirations and interests and apart from the interests of the Iraqi and Palestinian peoples.

In this sense, democratic and leftist alternatives should give priority to addressing their societies’ needs and interests and coordinating with civil society organizations and NGOs in order to form an efficient political and popular oppositions against external pressures.

On Lebanese Affairs

The current political and socioeconomic crisis continues while the government pursues its political, economic and administrative measures regardless of any channels of dialogue and consultations with the people.

Political reconciliation, administrative reform, and a fair share in bearing the consequences of the current economic crisis among the Lebanese citizens are all missing elements in the country.

According to Communist Students, the Lebanese crisis suffers from the following problems:

- A multi-faceted political crisis with national, regional and international complications
- A socioeconomic crisis.
- A cultural and socio-political crisis mainly embeded in sectarianism

The most important case for the Lebanese people, and particularly for leftists, is to live in a nation and a state that expresses the real national interest of the citizens of this state.
Such aspirations can be only achieved if they were based on the following three factors including the formation of a certain strategy towards dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict and the peace process, correction of the Syrian-Lebanese relations, and sponsoring reconciliation between the different Lebanese groups.

The Arab-Israeli Conflict

The Lebanese resistance (both Islamic and national) succeeded in forcing a unilateral and unconditional withdrawal of the Israeli forces in 2000 thus undermining the concept of Land for Peace. The Lebanese victory should be highlighted for it protects Lebanon’s national interests.

The Lebanese Islamic resistance’s fundamental role should be invested on the national level. Liberation should contribute to the concept of building of a democratic Lebanese state that should retain control over its decision. The state, instead, has been building a “guerrilla” situation and conceding its control and power to certain sectarian powers.

In this regard, the Lebanese government should deploy the army to the liberated areas and should bear the responsibility of protecting its citizens by all means. The state should protect citizens’ rights and create better conditions for social and economic development.

Lebanese-Syrian relations

The basis for Lebanon’s relations with Syria should be based on devising a common strategy

Lebanon and Syria need also to coordinate in any coming peace negotiations with Israel.

Socioeconomic relations between the two countries especially with respect to the cost of production, salary levels, freedom of transport of goods and services, labor and investment in common water resources and power field are mandatory between.

The current situation, however, is perceived as being far from the above standards.

Under the current Lebanese-Syrian relations, Syria enjoys political and economic benefits at the expense of Lebanon. Communist Students perceive of Syria as forcing decisions on Lebanon which do not necessarily suit Lebanon’s real national interests.

Syrian hegemony over Lebanon’s decision-making and the dependence of several Lebanese officials on Syria are leading to negative results on all levels.

Launching a national dialogue about Lebanese –Syrian relations among all the different Lebanese groups may fund a solution for the awkward situation. Dialogue should aim at developing guidelines for national agreement, followed by dialogue with Syria to agree on the content and convenient measures to correct relations that guarantee national interests of both countries.

The Taef Accord

As for the 1989 Taef Accord, which put an end for the Lebanese civil war in 1990, was originally drafted to be the basis for internal dialogue that could have contributed to Lebanon’s progress.

Regional and national factors, however, scrapped this accord and created a situation that is similar to that which prevailed prior to the civil war in 1975.

A good alternative to the present Lebanese situation has to be a process of national reconciliation among the Lebanese different factions and groups , in order to form a government of “national consensus” that might be able to draft original national policies that would best suit the interests of the Lebanese people.

National Reconciliation

Democratic political reconciliation mandates the following:

- The legitimacy of Lebanese authority should be acquired from a wide internal base, and not from foreign powers.
- The drafting of a modern and democratic electoral law that guarantees correct representation and avoids dividing the electorate along sectarian lines.
- Independence of the judicial authority from the executive authority.
- Commitment to human rights, such as freedom of expression and the right of assembly and protest.
- The right of forming organizations without the interference of intelligence apparatuses.
- Administrative reform can never be achieved without political reconciliation. Modern states structures are based on differentiating between politics and the administration. This concept, however, is non-existent in Lebanon. Thus fixing the electoral law, developing parties’ activity and building a civil state are prerequisites for administrative reconciliation.

The Socioeconomic Situation

This was the result of the government’s socioeconomic policies that have widened the gap between the different Lebanese classes, increased the state’s dependence on borrowing money from foreign nations.

Economic policies have led to the weakening of the agriculture sector, impoverished farmers and an increase in unemployment and immigration rates.

These policies are drafted by the current ruling political class that is benefiting at the expense of national interests.

This is evident in the state’s protection of corruption, fraud and public corruption, the Electricite du Liban crisis, and the Al-Madina Bank’s crisis.

Thus any effort to change the prevalent situation would be futile unless the government stops serving its own interests and cater more to the interest of the Lebanese people.