- 09:00
During one of his many mass rallies held in a French province, the leader of La France insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, told his supporters that it was important to constantly maintain a climate of aggression and escalating verbal tension in political discourse, combined with efforts to stir up persistent instability on the ground. His stated goal was to sustain an atmosphere of acute crisis, which he considers a necessary stage for bringing about deep change to the existing system.
This understanding of political action has often characterized certain left-wing movements—not all left-wing movements—in countries with at least a basic level of public freedom. Yet when the “new order” managed to assert itself, it was not necessarily more beneficial to the population than the previous regime, which had been labeled “reactionary.” Quite the opposite.
This strategy of extreme deconstruction and destabilization gained traction in Lebanon over the past decades through the actions of the Shia duo (Amal and Hezbollah), often described as “obstructionist,” with Hezbollah in particular setting new benchmarks in this regard. The group deliberately combined systematic gridlock, together with the intentional erosion of institutions, with a heavy dose of intellectual intimidation, ideological indoctrination sprinkled with sectarian fanaticism, and above all, irrationality pushed to its furthest limits.
The latest instance of this reckless irrationality in public administration is the reported intention of Amal’s leader and speaker of the parliament, Nabih Berri, to convene a large-scale meeting under his authority to launch the massive reconstruction project in southern Lebanon. The initiative might have deserved applause had it not been accompanied, simultaneously, by an equally fervent effort to rapidly rebuild the military arsenal and ammunition stocks of the pro-Iranian faction.
The leaders of the sectarian duo thus aim to rebuild today what will likely be destroyed in two or three years, when Hezbollah will almost certainly launch its next war—predictably futile—since it is currently rushing to restore its entire militia infrastructure at every level. Incoherence at its peak and in its purest form.
However, it remains unclear who will finance this massive reconstruction project. Certainly not the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is grappling with a severe economic, social, and financial crisis. It is hard to envision the donor countries—the Gulf states, the main hubs of the European Union, and the United States—investing hundreds of billions of dollars in Lebanon while Hezbollah continues to loudly proclaim its determination to maintain and expand its military arsenal, openly adopting a relentlessly belligerent stance. Such behavior is enough to drive away even the boldest investors. And too bad for the population. After all, isn’t the priority to serve the geostrategic interests of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps?
But an even more serious example of the state’s collapse and the erosion of society is the widespread forgery of university degrees. A few years ago, Lebanon was stunned by the astonishing scandal of the “sale” of the baccalaureate, which allowed many high school seniors to receive their secondary school diploma at home, without attending in person and largely disregarding the curriculum.
Today, the situation seems to have reached an even higher level, as progress apparently knows no bounds. Entire Master’s and Doctoral degrees in certain fields are now being offered for sale at high prices, thanks to the involvement of overzealous officials. Fortunately, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam acted promptly and reached out to the Minister of Education to request a formal investigation into the scandal. One can only hope, however, that a thorough and impartial investigation will be carried through to the end and that appropriate measures will actually be taken so the matter is not covered up.
Having undermined the state’s institutions from within, sabotaged the national economy, triggered the collapse of the banking sector, and plunged the country into a state of lawlessness, the next target appears to be the prestige and reputation of Lebanese universities.
The deliberate sabotage of the state and the very foundations of society now shows no restraint. Corrupt officials, without faith or law, stubbornly cling to power, driven by the barely concealed aim of dragging the country into the deepest darkness.
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