Lebanon and Kuwait’s problematic questions

SEVERAL days have passed, and Lebanese authorities are still silent regarding Kuwait’s escalating objections. In a letter, Kuwait urged Beirut to publicly and formally reveal its official stance on Hezbollah’s activities in Kuwait, and to fully assume its responsibilities regarding those activities via the “Abdali cell.”

Kuwaiti courts had convicted cell members with proof of Hezbollah’s involvement in planning hostile acts inside and outside Kuwait, as well as recruiting people to carry them out. Hezbollah has already dragged Lebanon into similar problems in Egypt, Gaza, Yemen and of course Syria.

Kuwait’s protest came at a time when Lebanon was preoccupied with Hezbollah’s alleged victory over Islamist militants in barren areas of Arsal. No Lebanese official has yet commented on Kuwait’s letter, and Beirut has not yet clarified its stance on the matter.

How can Lebanon’s government react to a protest over one of its components? How can it reproach Hezbollah while it is heaping praise on a party that promotes erroneous propaganda that it has protected Lebanon from terrorism?

There are media and political efforts to define a new mission for Lebanon through what Hezbollah is doing on foreign soil, mainly in Syria. From there to Iraq, Egypt, Yemen and Kuwait, the battlefronts in which Hezbollah is involved and dragging Lebanon are expanding.

There are those who want to impose their vision based on what Hezbollah is doing outside Lebanon, breaching its sovereignty while claiming that the party’s activities aim to protect the country. No one has seriously questioned why a militia is acting as a national army in Lebanon and beyond. Hezbollah’s agenda ultimately serves to expand the regional influence of its official sponsor: Iran.

The prevailing slogan in Lebanon is “the army, the people and the resistance.” This means Hezbollah is at the heart of the state. But proponents of this slogan have not advised us how to solve the state’s problems in order to prevent its institutions’ collapse due to corruption, sectarianism and mismanagement. Beirut will most probably not give Kuwait answers, but is there a clearer answer than what is currently happening in Lebanon?

Diana Moukalled is a veteran journalist with extensive experience in both traditional and new media. She is also a columnist and freelance documentary producer. She can be reached on Twitter @dianamoukalled.

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