From: m-faraday@lut.ac.uk
Newsgroups: soc.culture.lebanon
Subject: Re: European Parliament and the Lebanese legislative elections
Date: 30 Jul 92 11:58:20 GMT
Reply-To: m-faraday@lut.ac.uk
Organization: Loughborough University, UK .

Hani writes : 

>>The unification should be the objective of all Arab states ala EC example.
>>It is of economic necessity if not a political one.  If some Lebanese are
>>objecting to unity they probably should live in GreenLand, or maybe Antartica.
>>By doing so they have no problem of unification with any creature...Maybe
>>with the Big Foot population:-) 


>>Eliew...Why don't you state your objections to an Arab Unified Countries
>>that will share resources.  In this new world order, and while others are

  Sorry if this might seems as replying on behlaf of ElieW but as I and many 
  fellow Lebanese see it Arab unity in the near future is far from being 
  achieved . Hani , you are comparing the EC to the Arab world , IMHO this 
  comparison doesn't hold as the EC countries and the Arab countries are on 
  two different levels and the gap is widening daily . The EC countries have 
  been working on the unity issue as far back as 1947 and thus has held meetings 
  on anual even quarter anual basis at times where as the arab countries never 
  had any sort of serious discussions about such matters and kept the idea as 
  a dream to be achieved without any sort of organization or elaboration of 
  the means for such unity . The reason why you find many lebs. not too militant
  for this idea could be due to the following : 

1- Non of the present day regimes in the Arab World are considered to be 
   democratic but rather autocratic neglecting the intertests of their own 
   people and working mainly for themselves and their pockets . 

2- The arab world nowadays lives a deepened division/problems between nearly 
   every single pair of countries you could think of . All the "Arab Brothers" 
   talk has proved to be nothing but empty words .Each country have doubts 
   about the interests of the other neighbouring country , no trust ,
   no co-operation apart from the typical newspaper jargon you read every day 
   and the useless visits ,kisses and hugs they waste every day .

3- The people of these countries had put apriory ways by which they could 
   survive ( securing food,water,basic life requirements ) , how can we 
   suggest a perfected idea of unity when someone in Lebanon say sits down 
   on the street begging for money ?? This of course is not the case in most 
   European countries where the basic living requirements has been accounted 
   for/secured by their governments .

4- One of the mian reasons for this rather "cold response" for your idea of 
   unity is the identity factor . This ,as you might not have realized , is 
   very critical for Lebanese , no matter how many people in your "camp" tried 
   to trivialize it . Many Lebanese as you already know are Christians, and given
   the suggestion that they have to live as a minority would rather prefer to 
   be the makers of their own policies rather than being led into submitting 
   to someone elses decisions . Given also the increasing extremism /fundementalism 
   experienced against Copts say in Eygpt and the imported wave of fundemen.
   from Iran and the rather shameful treatment you get as a "kafer" in Saudi 
   Arabia , there has been no solid proof of this brotherly love that could 
   lead to a unity . I think first we should find this proof then we could 
   speak about unity , so far it has proved the opposite , so logically you 
   would expect people to repel /reject it ( contrary to what happened in 
   the EC ) .

There are many reasons why one would oppose such an idea , I wish I had more 
time and I hope some of you guys out there could elaborate more and share your 
opinions regarding this matter .

>>uniting, we are swiming against the current.  The Arab Dictatores  will not
>>rule for ever.  We have wittnesed what happened in East Europe.  Hopefully,
>>some time in the next 21st century this will happen:-)
>>

until then , then ...

>[..]
>>-Hani
>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.lebanon