*El-Beik Switches positions and switches alliances faster and more frequent than a baby in a candy store- I love to keep using this analogy. He learned the lesson early on and mastered the deadly political game in Lebanon.
A deadly game for those that do not know how to play it or do not want to play it, but not for the Beik.
In 1976, at the height of the Lebanese civil war, his father the former and late leader of the Druze in Lebanon and the leader of the Socialist Progressive Party, was assassinated by the usual suspect in Lebanon, Syria, El-Beik knows that and the whole world knows that-could be others but Syria for years carried that 'honor'; the honor of being known as the killer and the assassin and the murderer in Lebanon.
His father, Kamal Jumblatt, was not like the son, probably he would have wished to be as clever as the son, maybe he would have been here and the son still in **El-Mukhtara being the playboy he is and leaving the politics and baby-sitting Syria to his old man.
***The Druze, a tribe, a religion, a way of life, exists in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel. There is a whole mountain area in Syria named after them, the Druze Mountain, in Arabic, Jabal El-Druze. The most prominent Druze families have been Jumblatt, Arslan and Al-Atrash in Syria, Jumblatt is the strongest now and he has been for years, Arslan succumbed to this fact. Still, the two families are relatives; I think Walid’s mother is from the Arslan family, Mai Arslan. Walid Jumblatt is also considered the supreme leader of the Druze all over the world.
He managed to gather them from all countries where they exist, in two conferences so far, the first was in Amman- Jordan few years ago and the second was in Lebanon just few weeks ago; every leader came including the Druze leaders in Israel. In Israel, the Druze live well, they are loyal citizens of the State of Israel and they serve as soldiers and officers in the Israeli military.
In Lebanon, they maybe have the most say; they make and break things as every clan or religious group in Lebanon. In addition, Walid Jumblatt in Lebanon plays the role of the Arab Nationalist who he is not and the Arab nationalism itself is an idea and an illusion that never really flew or got traction anywhere, it was a romantic concept that never been explained, identified or materialized and probably never will unless new thoughtful inclusive leaders come along and recognize all ethnic groups that make up the Middle East now.
Walid runs and leads the Democratic Progressive party and claims to be the savior of the poor and he is one of the largest landlords in the area. In Lebanon, the tribe, the group, the family is more important than the country, in Lebanon, there is no country, but a land that is divided by old families and deep-rooted hatreds.
Alliances change and leaders who do not keep up are assassinated. Walid Beik mastered all this. In 2005, the Sunni leader and former prime minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated, the whole world condemned, and the United States ordered Syria to leave Lebanon, Syria has been in Lebanon since 1976 as a peacekeeping turned occupying force and did not leave until after 2005 and the assassination of El-Hariri.
Jumblatt at the time accused Syria directly of assassinating Hariri and called the Syrian president Bashar El-Assad, retarded and criminal. He stayed on that position until recently, it was time again to switch sides, there is an international criminal court waiting to indict the suspects in Syria and Lebanon for the assassination of the Lebanese leader El Hariri.
Now, few days ago, Elbeik paid a visit to his on and off enemy, Syria and Bashar El Assad, and declared from there that Syria is a "true" ally of Lebanon and that he made a mistake by condemning Syria.
Actually, he apologized for being honest, he knows honesty is a not a word the Lebanese political politburo likes to hear, it is not a word the Lebanese or the Syrian regimes understand or believe in or appreciate. In politics anyway, it is not easy to be honest and maybe you do not have to or you cannot be honest all the time but some can master the game more than others.
El-Beik so far has done it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Old, original Turkish- from the day of the Ottoman Empire- title of respect. The rank used to start with Afandi, then Beik or Bek, then the top, Pasha. Now in the Middle East, these titles are used but not officially, they are not titles given by the state any more.
** The residence of the Jumblatt family and the symbol of the Druze power and presence.
*** "Theologically, Druze consider themselves "an Islamic Unist, reformatory sect". The Druze call themselves Ahl al-Tawhid "People of Unitarianism or Monotheism" or al-Muwaḥḥidūn "Unitarians, Monotheists." source and qoute from Wikipedia.
A deadly game for those that do not know how to play it or do not want to play it, but not for the Beik.
In 1976, at the height of the Lebanese civil war, his father the former and late leader of the Druze in Lebanon and the leader of the Socialist Progressive Party, was assassinated by the usual suspect in Lebanon, Syria, El-Beik knows that and the whole world knows that-could be others but Syria for years carried that 'honor'; the honor of being known as the killer and the assassin and the murderer in Lebanon.
His father, Kamal Jumblatt, was not like the son, probably he would have wished to be as clever as the son, maybe he would have been here and the son still in **El-Mukhtara being the playboy he is and leaving the politics and baby-sitting Syria to his old man.
***The Druze, a tribe, a religion, a way of life, exists in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel. There is a whole mountain area in Syria named after them, the Druze Mountain, in Arabic, Jabal El-Druze. The most prominent Druze families have been Jumblatt, Arslan and Al-Atrash in Syria, Jumblatt is the strongest now and he has been for years, Arslan succumbed to this fact. Still, the two families are relatives; I think Walid’s mother is from the Arslan family, Mai Arslan. Walid Jumblatt is also considered the supreme leader of the Druze all over the world.
He managed to gather them from all countries where they exist, in two conferences so far, the first was in Amman- Jordan few years ago and the second was in Lebanon just few weeks ago; every leader came including the Druze leaders in Israel. In Israel, the Druze live well, they are loyal citizens of the State of Israel and they serve as soldiers and officers in the Israeli military.
In Lebanon, they maybe have the most say; they make and break things as every clan or religious group in Lebanon. In addition, Walid Jumblatt in Lebanon plays the role of the Arab Nationalist who he is not and the Arab nationalism itself is an idea and an illusion that never really flew or got traction anywhere, it was a romantic concept that never been explained, identified or materialized and probably never will unless new thoughtful inclusive leaders come along and recognize all ethnic groups that make up the Middle East now.
Walid runs and leads the Democratic Progressive party and claims to be the savior of the poor and he is one of the largest landlords in the area. In Lebanon, the tribe, the group, the family is more important than the country, in Lebanon, there is no country, but a land that is divided by old families and deep-rooted hatreds.
Alliances change and leaders who do not keep up are assassinated. Walid Beik mastered all this. In 2005, the Sunni leader and former prime minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated, the whole world condemned, and the United States ordered Syria to leave Lebanon, Syria has been in Lebanon since 1976 as a peacekeeping turned occupying force and did not leave until after 2005 and the assassination of El-Hariri.
Jumblatt at the time accused Syria directly of assassinating Hariri and called the Syrian president Bashar El-Assad, retarded and criminal. He stayed on that position until recently, it was time again to switch sides, there is an international criminal court waiting to indict the suspects in Syria and Lebanon for the assassination of the Lebanese leader El Hariri.
Now, few days ago, Elbeik paid a visit to his on and off enemy, Syria and Bashar El Assad, and declared from there that Syria is a "true" ally of Lebanon and that he made a mistake by condemning Syria.
Actually, he apologized for being honest, he knows honesty is a not a word the Lebanese political politburo likes to hear, it is not a word the Lebanese or the Syrian regimes understand or believe in or appreciate. In politics anyway, it is not easy to be honest and maybe you do not have to or you cannot be honest all the time but some can master the game more than others.
El-Beik so far has done it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Old, original Turkish- from the day of the Ottoman Empire- title of respect. The rank used to start with Afandi, then Beik or Bek, then the top, Pasha. Now in the Middle East, these titles are used but not officially, they are not titles given by the state any more.
** The residence of the Jumblatt family and the symbol of the Druze power and presence.
*** "Theologically, Druze consider themselves "an Islamic Unist, reformatory sect". The Druze call themselves Ahl al-Tawhid "People of Unitarianism or Monotheism" or al-Muwaḥḥidūn "Unitarians, Monotheists." source and qoute from Wikipedia.
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