What the Secretary General of Hezbollah said recently was extremely crucial; whether in terms of his awareness of the extent of the economic disaster, or in terms of the thought process he explained during the speech. On the surface of what he said, it seemed that he is ready and working hard to save the country from its rampant corruption. The country is surrounded by theft, waste, exploitation, and negligence within all its institutions. As he- and all of us- know, this country lies in a swamp of corruption and failed policies that have lately started to wreak of stink and toxicity.
What the Secretary General of Hezbollah said recently was extremely crucial; whether in terms of his awareness of the extent of the economic disaster, or in terms of the thought process he explained during the speech. On the surface of what he said, it seemed that he is ready and working hard to save the country from its rampant corruption. The country is surrounded by theft, waste, exploitation, and irresponsibility from all directions. As he and all of us know, this country is floating in a swamp of corruption and failed policies that have lately started to wreak of stink and toxicity.
The Plunder of Goods
The transfer of the Lebanese economy to Syria isn’t what Nasrallah was suggesting. He truly dos not accept the plunder of the countries goods or wealth or the right of Lebanon to benefit from its resources as intended. The support of the Syrian regime is seen by a significant number of the people as unsustainable and deserves reconsideration. The mechanisms of communication, connections, and commercial exchange with Syria are unfortunately fraught with risks due to the current reality experience by Syria and its people. Trade and other regional relations require a lot of efforts by the Syrian people in dealing with their own authority in order to reach agreements that suit their aspirations. These trade relations also require a lot of time due to the state of regional and international condemnation towards the regime.
The national interest of a sovereign and independent Lebanon must be the basis of any relationship with any country, both neighboring and distant. This implies that Lebanon must adopt a legal standard for its policies on the international level and must act in accordance to limitations defined by its national interest. Lebanon must not be tempted into alliances that impose a certain ideology that assures little return and high cost. Lebanon must develop relations based on mutual interest and attract large investments with the exception of unanimously agreed upon enemies of the states. The Lebanese people, including Nasrallah and other leaders who have driven the situation in Lebanon to its current state, must understand that the priority today is to change the attitudes established by or imposed on the country. They must realize the volume of international changes, and reassess the current strategies by the current authorities with many countries that do not fall in the category of nationally agreed upon enmity.
The Cold War
The mentality of war be it cold or warm, does not produce a healthy and active economy. Axes and alliances hinder trade and economic transactions with people from across the world. Within the current climate of the lack of respect for sovereignty and mutual non-interference principles, crossing borders and participating in the silencing of the freedoms of others, prioritizing the benefit of other regimes above national interest, accepting the exploitation of the people of the region, and losing track of the political control by not adopting new age diplomacy as well as losing the traditional Lebanese pragmatism that had helped us achieve wonders in the economy have all prevented Lebanon from moving forward on a steady path towards a common goal guided by national interests. Lebanon has become a rogue nation by not reconciling with the principles of healthy and sound international relations.
Even China, whom Nasrallah referenced, uses national economic policies different from its foreign relations policies influenced by its communist party regime. It facilitates opening up its economy for foreign investments. Therefore, it is crucial that Hezbollah let go of its ideological position in favor of strengthening Lebanon’s economic and trade positions with the outside world. Attempts to further to justify these ideologies or generalize them and impose them on external relations will not be in the interest of redeveloping a strong and healthy economic, social, and financial position.
