Gemayel and Geagea
Samir Geagea is a Lebanese politician and militia commander who now leads the LF as a political party, following its demilitarization in 1986. Recently, Geagea said, "They are saying that they want a president who protects the back of the resistance, but do we need a president who would protect Hezbollah's back, or do we need him to protect the back of the Lebanese?"
Geagea was referring to criticism directed at Hezbollah, which some claim has prevented the election of a new President of Lebanon. The former President, Michel Aoun, had aligned his office with Hezbollah. Aoun was a former General during the civil war, and despite being Christian, he valued Hezbollah's ability to defend Lebanon's southern border while the national army was underfunded and lacked the weapons needed for security.
The Soldiers of God are loyal to the parties of Gemayel and Geagea. In the aftermath of the Tayouneh massacre, 68 people have been charged, with 47 of them being charged with "murder, attempted murder, inciting sectarian strife and forming an armed gang," while 20 others are charged with "murder, attempted murder and possession of weapons without a license."
The Lebanese Civil War
During the period from 1975 to 1990, an estimated 120,000 people died in the Lebanese civil war, with another 1 million who left the country. Lebanon is very diverse. There are the Christians: Maronite Catholic, Roman Catholic, Armenian, Greek Catholic, and Syrian Orthodox. Then the Muslims: Sunni and Shiite. The Druze are a sizeable community as well. At one time in history, the Christians outnumbered the others, but in recent times the Muslims became the majority.
During the French mandate of 1920-1943, the political system and parliament became sectarian. This focus on identity-based on religious terms laid the framework for the civil war, where each community had an armed militia and they turned the country into a warzone.
In 1989 the Taif agreement began the process of the end of the civil war. In 1991 all the militias were to be dissolved which the exception of Hezbollah and the Lebanese army was to begin rebuilding itself as the sole non-sectarian armed group. However, this never materialized and the southern border of Lebanon is protected by Hezbollah, much to the dismay of many Lebanese who wish there were only state institutions for defense and security.
The Lebanese people are worried that sectarian violence may be increasing and the flames of civil war may be fanned by the Soldiers of God, and their ties to the warlords, militias, and parties who participated in the Lebanese civil war. This is part one of a two-part series explaining Lebanon's position currently as a failed state.
Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist
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