Root of Recent Protests in Lebanon

The inability of Beirut’s Mayor in collecting the garbage that is spread across the entire city has led to vast popular protests and the threat of the government’s dissolution, to the extent that Prime Minister Tamam Salam has threatened to resign from his post in reaction to thousands of protesters who have poured into the streets. The interesting point is that what has shaken the government in Beirut is its inability to resolve the problem of garbage which has destroyed the image of a city which was once called ‘the Bride of the Middle East’. In a television message, Salam has warned the people of Lebanon that the continuation of their protests would lead to the downfall of the government. He then described “political garbage” to be more problematic that the garbage that has been left in the streets. The following points are important in this regard:

1-The situation in Lebanon is not stable. The problems in this country will be resolved if the government is 100% agreed upon. Then, the government would be able to reduce these problems and fill the existing gaps at the political and propaganda level. But the present government is not supported by all. This government intends to have an inclination towards forces supporting the Resistance and also be a member of the March 14 faction. Therefore, the attempts made to select a president who is accepted by all parties and who would have complete power did not succeed. These internal problems have created instability and, in turn, will reduce the possibilities to give services to the people. Thus, this situation and the cabinet’s inability to make proper decisions have led to street protests.

2-Regional developments including the crisis in Syria are the main reasons behind the differences and instability in Lebanon. The fact that the Lebanese have, hitherto, been able to prevent the war in Syria from entering their country is a big success. In this regard, the Resistance front made great efforts to prevent terroristic measures, and the cooperation of other fronts and the prime minister was certainly also effective. Nonetheless, so long as there is a problem in Syria, the stability in Lebanon will not be formed. Merely preventing a civil war is a big success for the Lebanese.

3-The other issue is the presence of a number of foreign players, including France, Saudi Arabia, Iran and also the Zionist regime, in Lebanon. As these foreign players play certain roles in other cases, they could have indirect roles in Lebanon as well. The improvement of relations between Iran and Europe and the West due to the resolution of the nuclear issue could be an element to reduce tensions and to follow a policy of détente. This matter could also be experienced in the region by Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. In that case, the problems in Syria and then Lebanon would be reduced through regional and international cooperation.