Syria's Struggle Is Now Lebanon's Struggle
Lebanon's political stability and instability have always depended on external key powers; today, the effect of the Syrian crisis, is no different.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, asked for comment on his disappointment on the failure to reach an agreement on a new electoral law after so many attempts and bridging proposals were made, is reported to have said that he thought there could be a Lebanese Doha.
This is to suggest an inter-Lebanese agreement like the one reached in Doha, Qatar in 2008, but in Beirut this time to avert the dangerous crisis looming in the horizon. The outcome of the 2008 agreement was engineered by the key regional power holders or patrons of the different Lebanese factions, in direct and indirect ways.
The successful bargaining for the Doha agreement among the factions that met in the Qatari capital put an end to the state of paralysis and the dangerous tension in the country. The agreement allowed for the election of a new president and the formation of a government.
Nevertheless, this time polarization at home has been maintained, backed and encouraged by polarization abroad among the friends of the different factions, not necessarily about the electoral law but reflecting other points of contention that could be affected by the law to be adopted.
