I'm offering this piece as another effort to understand (see also this piece) what is happening in Lebanon, Syria's next-door neighbor.
In stark contrast to the Arab Spring movement, the narrative of which was hijacked by the old political guard, even if in opposition to the actual regime, Lebanon has introduced a new revolutionary tone to the Levant, one which is defiantly non-partisan and proudly secular. Where Egypt, for example, fell prey to the old Islamist narrative under the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, Lebanese protesters have risen beyond religious, ethnic and social divides to promote their shared values and expectations.In the past I have expressed the view that US media coverage is almost entirely managed in support US Empire imperial policies. Thus when I apply this to the current protests over garbage collection in Lebanon, I must conclude that they are organic and not an application of a "color revolution" strategy that Empire agents have so often used to destabilize governments. From my observations, mainstream media coverage of this protest was strictly limited by presenting it as narrowly about garbage, and coverage only lasted about two days. This is in stark contrast to their coverage of the "Arab Spring" protests to which US media gave extensive and ongoing coverage.
This author sees the garbage protests as only a symptom of a much deeper opposition to the extreme capitalism that exists in Lebanon.
Where Egypt, Tunisia and Libya’s democratic aspirations were crushed before they could blossom, the Levant is not playing any faction’s game. Neither financed by any particular group nor sold out to any self-serving agenda, this budding revolution remains organic and popular — at least for the time being.
Going one step further than their Arab Spring revolutionary counterparts, Lebanese are calling for more than just reforms. Many want to wipe the slate clean to better redefine how their institutions should be organized and under what authority.
