[whataretheysaying] Mary Madigan: Lebanon: The Coup that just occurred

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Posted by Mary Madigan:
Lebanon: The Coup that just occurred
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1210339628.shtml


   From the [1]Lebanese Political Journal

     Hezbollah has taken control of the media in Lebanon, and their
     propaganda campaign has already begun. They are currently
     presenting themselves as liberators of Lebanon, and allies of the
     Lebanese Army against a corrupt government supported by
     pro-government snipers and brigrands.

     Hezbollah's militant takeover of Beirut and its systematic
     destruction of the authority of the state and freedom of the press
     suggests a sophisticated and planned campaign to take power. There
     is no hiding the violence Hezbollah used to seize Beirut and cut it
     off from the rest of the country. But as their media campaign is
     already showing, Hezbollah is employing subtle and sophisticated
     mechanisms to take over the rest of Lebanon. All news which could
     be construed as negative behaviors, such as the blatant destruction
     and corruption of Lebanese institutions, is hidden beneath a
     Hezbollah-dominated media blackout....

     Targeting the Lebanese Christians

     Hezbollah seems to be making a concerted effort to placate the
     Christian population. Ashrafieh was not attacked, and life is
     relatively normal in the Christian suburbs north of Beirut.

     Al Jazeera is claiming that Hezbollah has made a "concession" by
     opening the airport road. As was told to me by a veteran Lebanese
     reporter, all of the journalists and news agencies reporting right
     now have been vetted by Hezbollah. Even if the news is true, it is
     written to present Hezbollah's actions as gracious.

     Michel Aoun just gave an interview claiming that the crisis will be
     over soon. He even noted that the illegal occupation of Beirut's
     downtown by opposition militants will end soon. Many who watched
     his interview are happy to hear this news, despite it coming from a
     politician who appears to be Hezbollah's Christian spokesman. Once
     again, this sounds like propaganda that no other Lebanese faction
     is in a position to challenge...

     ..Depressing Conclusion At the moment, it feels a bit like fall
     2004 when the Syrians bullied all Lebanese factions into voting for
     a three year extension of Emile Lahoud's term in office. Rafiq
     al-Hariri resigned from office, and Lebanese parliamentarians and
     democratic activists kept their mouths shut while Syria appointed a
     government made up of its Lebanese cronies. When Lebanese
     politicians began to stir a bit, Druze parliamentarian Marwan
     Hamade was targetted for assassination, and barely survived.

     According to NOW Lebanon online newspaper, pro-government websites
     are being attacked. So, we'll see what happens to this blog. The
     government's telecommunications company has probably been fully
     overrun by Hezbollah, and all of our calls and internet traffic
     could be monitored. A source in the pro-Hezbollah Syrian Social
     Nationalist Party claims that everything is being monitored right
     now. Good luck getting reliable news from Lebanon.

   (Hopefully) more at [2]NOW Lebanon

   ..and [3]Kouchner says France will not passively watch Lebanon go to
   war

   Isn't that what we just did?

References

   1. http://lebop.blogspot.com/
   2. http://www.nowlebanon.com/
   3. http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=41866