14th February 05
This is actually my article that will be published this week in the Barometer, but it’s whats on my mind right now and just thought I’d copy/paste to simplify.
..Just for reference… Beirut is about as far from here, as Corvallis is from Seattle… that’s about six hours for those of you who aren’t Oregonians…
This afternoon I received a disorienting phone call from my roommate Wendy. “Turn to CNN quickly – I need to find out where exactly the bombing occurred.” Bombing?!? I had not yet heard about the blast that had just rocked the capital of Lebanon. Confused, I switched the channel and found graphic images of a devastated city block.
Wendy had been living in the beautiful beach metropolis up until early last year when she had decided to attend a university here. The news wasn’t yet giving a detailed description of the locale for me to pass along, so she turned around and rushed back to the house to watch live coverage of the tragedy for herself.
Frantically attempting to phone friends living in downtown Beirut, she was forced to give up as the Lebanese channel LBC explained that mobiles were being turned off throughout the country to prevent remote detonation of bombs through phones. Thankfully, she received a message confirming that her friends who lived down the street from the explosion were not hurt. Unfortunately, at least a hundred and thirty others were not so lucky.
The bombing of Beirut may seem as remote for you as the WTC bombing was for those in Siberia. However, this event has single-handedly opened a chasm of questions about the future of Lebanon, Syria, and the greater Middle East.
The facade of stability that Lebanon has been able to portray since the end of the civil war was ripped to shreds. Internal tensions and external pressures have been working against the small, yet stunning country for roughly fifteen years. Seemingly against all odds, Lebanon had risen from the dust of the devastating civil war to become a trend setter. The massive rebuilding projects had been successful, and it was once again a popular tourist destination in the region.
It is a country where you can go skiing in the mountains, and swimming in the Mediterranean all in the same day. French is widely spoken and has even been integrated into their dialect of Arabic. It’s often portrayed as the most liberal, secular and “Western” developing country in the Middle East. Yet, the fifteen-foot crater now sitting downtown is a throw-back to the dark days of the 80’s when Beirut was lost in chaos and senseless violence.
The car bomb killed at least fifteen people, including the former Prime Minister and billionaire Rafik al-Hariri. Although an unfamiliar Islamist group claimed responsibility via “one of those websites” we all hear about yet never see, talk about Syrian or Israeli involvement continue to surface on local television stations.
It was just on Sunday that I had sat in on a briefing by the RSO (Regional Security Officer) provided by U.S. State Department. He had spoke about general security concerns, concluding that Jordan has a complex, and highly effective secret police service that has thwarted several high-profile terrorist attempts. Nonetheless, he asked us to stay conscientious and aware that there are constant endeavors to destabilize countries throughout the region.
The girl sitting next to me had scoffed at him. After the briefing ended I overheard discussions about how ridiculous it was to think that anything would happen. He was seen as insensitive and highly pessimistic. Although, he had been more right than any of us had known.
When I hear people discussing the innate goodness of humanity it makes me cringe. Do they not see what I see?
In this region alone catastrophes are seen daily in Iraq, Israel/Palestine, and now Lebanon. I can’t imagine this madness that infects our world is something new. The Beirut bombing is just another testament of what people are capable of doing to one another.
I’d like to think of myself as a “glass is half-full” type of person, but when I ask myself, “When will this all end?” I can’t help but suspect the answer is never.
