united under one sky

"All of us under the Lebanese sky" (pictured) and "Our future together." These were two of new Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's campaign slogans during the June elections. And you can't miss them. They appear on billboards with bright blue sky backgrounds all over the country, particularly in the more Sunni areas. The slogans express a nice sentiment - that of unity, an undivided nation. But for a country with a sectarian government and fresh civil war scars, most visible of which are war-torn buildings all over Beirut City, the slogans are a bit ironic.

When I talk to the Lebanese about Lebanese politics, they say that no candidate has a real political platform. The candidates don't discuss social or economic issues, or political reform. Rather, they use broad slogans like the ones mentioned above. "People simply vote along sectarian lines," they say.

Lebanon's government is a parliamentary democracy structured under a framework of Confessionalism, whereby the highest offices are constitutionally reserved for representatives of certain religious communities. Thus the President must be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim and the Speaker of Parliament a Shi'a Muslim. Seats in parliament are also divided as half Christian and half Muslim, with Druze considered Muslim. While the various Muslim and Druze parties tend to command loyalty, the Christians tend to be more divided.

Thus, can a country with a sectarian political system by design, a 15-year history of civil war, and a new generation that continues to vote based on sectarian affiliation rather than political platform really be united under one sky? Traveling around the Country one clearly sees divisions based on the election posters in the area. The East and North are full of Hariri posters. The South is full of posters for the Shi'a Amal movement and for Hezbollah. Afterall, when the Lebanese government failed for years to provide basic services to villages in the South, it was Hezbollah as a civil organization that provided healthcare, education, infrastructure, and defense. Despite the fact that Sa'ad Al Hariri's March 14 Alliance won a majority of parliament seats (71 of 128), the Hezbollah and Amal-led March 6 Alliance won the popular vote (55% vs. 45%). Is this a nation united or a nation divided?

War-torn buildings like this one abound in Beirut

I have some reason to think things will gradually change in Lebanon. First, The Lebanese Army has strong and positive relations with the Hezbollah militia. It's the Lebanese Army that mans checkpoints throughout the South, not Hezbollah. Second, Lebanon was united in 2006 against the Israeli attacks. The Lebanese felt a sense of oneness against an aggressor, minimizing their own internal divisions. Third, Saad Al Hariri won the elections with his unity campaign. Perhaps the March 14 Alliance didn't win the popular vote, but election day was largely uneventful and the results were accepted by all sides. The violence that was so feared did not materialize. Finally, parliament passed a law requiring that all election posters be removed from the streets. Posters signify sectarian affiliation and the new government wants these visible symbols removed. Walking around Beirut one can already see where posters have been torn down.

Thus, while some people might say Lebanon will always experience strong sectarianism and the new generation doesn't differ from the old, I disagree. I see signs of change. The change will be gradual. It will take more than one generation. But I think it is already coming.