Lebanese Must Save Lebanon

By George Moses

American television coverage is awash in the pathos of the plaintive cry from Lebanon: "Why doesn't the world help us?" This is disquieting to those Americans who have been trying to do just that. American policy makers have felt for decades that Lebanon is America's best window on the Arab world. The large numbers of American diplomats who have seen service in Beirut recount their experiences in tones that suggest to the listener a Mediterranean Camelot. Alumni of the American University of Beirut are dotted throughout America. Each is a working ambassador for Lebanon.

In the most recent round of shelling, America has done a great deal to stand by a country to which it feels a closeness bordering on kinship. The commitment of the private voluntary organizations to providing relief to Lebanese citizens has been extraordinary. The US government has done all that is within its power (and arguably, attempted some things that were beyond its power) to rescue the situation. Private American citizens, individually and in groups, have also involved themselves in the search for solutions. That some of these projects were undertaken with more enthusiasm than skill only demonstrates the depth of American commitment to Lebanon.

Even today after innumerable burned fingers, American citizens and officials grapple with the question of how best to help Lebanon. Virtually no one questions the appropriateness of helping. That help should be rendered remains the common assumption.

Clearly, a major concern for all who care about Lebanon is the high profile of the foreign presences, both physical and by proxy, on the Lebanese political horizon. Whether one views these presences as cause, effect, or a little of both, they represent a major obstacle to the return of stability.

The key to the solution is going to be the Lebanese themselves. Even allowing for the pernicious effects of occupation, for the most part the combatants have been Lebanese, the negotiators have been Lebanese, the intransigents have been Lebanese, and the great failures have been those of the Lebanese.

The unwillingness of the parliament to fulfill its responsibility to elect a new president has allowed an almost total vacuum to develop where Lebanese political leadership ought to be. Lebanese must save Lebanon. The world stands by to help, given a firm place to stand. All who know Lebanon long for the return to peace. But leadership along that road will have to be Lebanese leadership for the journey to be successful.

George Moses, a former president of the National Association of Arab Americans, is of Lebanese descent.