If the peoples of Syria and Lebanon are to press forward and build on their recent achievements- a big "if"- they must slay the three golden calves that are largely responsible for their suffering. While it is true that they cannot rid themselves of these golden calves overnight, it is equally true that waging this cultural confrontation is a necessary condition for stable and enduring success.
By slaying these calves, both societies would be endeavouring to break with the era that Nasserism and Baathism introduced and brought to the Levant- an era that grabbed these two societies by the throat and stifled prospects that had, following their independence, seemed real and attainable.
The first golden calf is the military coup that took hold of Syria and whose repercussions hurt Lebanon. Before being the replacement of one social class with another, and without entailing a transition from politics that fails to liberate Palestine to politics that does, the coup is the execution of a way of life that had a place for freedom- a life in which shortcomings and mistakes could be publicly debated, and by extension corrected, and, perhaps, resolved.
The turn toward the Soviet camp further tightened putschists' grip on Syrian society. By supporting the Baathist regime with arms, military training, military doctrine, and intelligence expertise, as well as shielding it through Security Council vetoes, Moscow equipped this regime it called "patriotic" and "progressive" with sharper fangs to tear into the flesh of Syrian people.
Applying the lessons of that experience urges extreme caution toward rhetoric that condemns the politicians and parties of the old regime as corrupt, accuses the media of distracting the public, blames colonialism for our flaws and shortcomings, and seeks to monopolize the economy and free enterprise. This caution does not stem from a belief that the previous regime’s politicians were not corrupt, nor that the media does not sow confusion, that colonialism was a virtue, or that everything the wealthy do is productive and beneficial. Rather, it stems from the fact that the actual objectives (whose success the putschists diligently sought to achieve) of these denouncements is to eliminate the media, and spread corruption far worse than that of the previous regime’s politicians without allowing for any scrutiny or accountably, to empower the state in its subjugation of the people by seizing wealth and resources, and to impose internal colonialism that is a thousand times worse than foreign colonialism.
Learning from that experience also calls for firmly applying the principle of separating the military from politics and reinforcing the public's awareness to military interference in the political sphere, which entails not falling for slogans like the liberation of Palestine, the establishment of a just and pure society, or any of the other pretexts that have long been used to justify military coups.
The second golden calf is the civil war that tore Lebanon to shreds and became a pivotal weapon the Assads used to strengthen their grip over Syrians. While no one openly and explicitly praises the civil war, it seeps into the national body politic whenever an absolute right that disregards the views of fellow citizens is insisted upon, a culture (be it that of a minority or majority) is abased, or slanderous accusations of treason are levelled at those who hold disagree with the self-appointed stalwarts of absolute truth. Civil war does not produce the "beautiful collapse" or "glorious ruin" that some poets saw in it; rather, it leaves profound destruction in souls that is difficult to heal, brings death, shatters the economy, and degrades health and education.
The third golden calf is “the resistance” whose implicit regime governed the Lebanese and then occupied parts of Syria and took part in the slaughter of its people. The power and magic of the resistance stem from the fact that it stands at the intersection of modern consciousness, which legitimizes it as an exercise of the right to fight occupation, and the pre-modern consciousness, which couples it with bravery, manhood, dignity, and similar values, albeit through a primitive interpretation of these notions. Because of its association with these concepts, wars of resistance are justified regardless of whether they are supported by a favourable balance of power or popular consensus. Everyone is expected to welcome its wars with an optimistic smile, even if they result in the collapse of society, the economy, and the foundations of life itself.
This resistance, as we and as other peoples have experienced it, in truth, is nothing more than a blend of sectarian militias, masked civil wars, and a smuggling and drug trafficking economy. Like military coups and civil wars, it is founded on a claim to an absolute right that warrants establishing, either overtly or implicitly, a virtuous dictatorship; or else, let there be limitless chaos. It also similarly operates under the assumption that rights can only be attained through violence, as violence is the sole means for resolving conflicts.
In a bit of twisting of the biblical narrative, we might say that Moses’s return from Mount Sinai may be unlikely, or it may not happen very soon, but the Syrians and Lebanese confronting their three golden calves would certainly hasten that return, or something equivalent to it.
