Soapbox:

Lebanon's third way

By Ammar Ali Hassan

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Lebanon cannot emerge from its current crisis unless the "majority" and the "opposition" start talking. Theirs is not a zero-sum game; sharing a country means accommodating the interests and views of others. There is a third way to be considered. At some point the majority and the opposition must start making concessions. For now, it doesn't matter who makes what concessions. What matters is for both to avoid civil war.

A fully-fledged political arrangement can wait. What is needed for now is a mechanism, however temporary, to forestall the madness. The last thing Lebanon needs is civil strife that would bring outsiders onto the scene. Lebanon doesn't need others to sort it out. It doesn't need invaders, protectors or guardians. All it needs is a short-term arrangement that delivers the country from its political and security woes.

The opposition and the majority are not to be expected to see eye to eye on all things, but they should start recognising the common ground they have. Theirs is a country based on political and social reconciliation. And it is time they start building on this legacy.

The current situation, in which the legitimacy of the government is in question, cannot be allowed to last. Lebanon has a reserve of parliamentarians, politicians and administrators who can keep the country out of harm's way. And these people must be called upon to fill the void.

Since Rafik Al-Hariri's assassination, and especially since Israel's 2006 war, the Lebanese economy has been going downhill. Lebanon needs leadership able to kick-start the economy, and how hard is this in a country known for its business acumen?

Lebanon must also put to rest any ambiguity surrounding its relation with Syria. The two countries need to start dealing with each other as equals with mutually recognised interests and history. And some Lebanese must stop trying to undermine Damascus, for this can gravely backfire.

As for the resistance and its weapons, Lebanon cannot abandon the resistance, for this would deprive it of the only defence it has against Israel. Meanwhile, the country cannot afford a conflagration pitting an armed militia against the rest of the people. Lebanon cannot afford sectarian strife that brings back memories of a bloody past.

This week's Soapbox speaker is a political analyst.