Al Jazeera Discovers Lebanese Sectarianism, Forgets Foreign Meddling
Al Jazeera asks 'How does sectarianism impact daily life in Lebanon?' (Source: Al Jazeera). A perfectly valid question, but the framing often feels like asking 'Why is this house on fire?' while ignoring the arsonist. Conspicuously absent from such discussions is the detailed historical context of external interference, dating back to French mandate policies that deliberately entrenched sectarian
divides for easier colonial control, and continuing with decades of regional proxy wars, Israeli incursions (Operation Litani in '78, Lebanon Wars in '82 and 2006), and the consistent arms flow from various global actors. These weren't isolated incidents; they were explicit campaigns often leveraging existing communal tensions. One might wonder if sustained, documented foreign funding and military
aid to various factions, alongside deliberate destabilization efforts, might have *some* bearing on sectarian conflict. But, you know, it's probably just their innate inability to get along. Surely, it has nothing to do with powerful nations consistently treating Lebanon as a convenient battleground or a buffer state, ensuring its internal wounds never quite heal.