Disarming The Opposition

The magic words that could help dry the opposition of large popular support.

They’re not all bad people

As a supporter of the March 14 independence movement, I am convinced that Hezbollah’s leadership is taking orders from Tehran, that Nabih Berri is threatened and that Sleimen Franjiyeh, Talal arselan and the SNPP would all do anything to get back to power.

But I am also convinced that many of the people who gathered on December 1st have genuine misgivings about the government’s performance. The government shouldn’t treat those people the same way it treats Iran’s fifth column. It should instead try to deal with their problems

According to William Ury, a negotiation guru, one of the most important parts of a negotiation is to listen to your opponent and to acknowledge his point, without necessarily agreeing with it: (source)

Listening to someone may be the cheapest concession you can make [..] Every human being, no matter how impossible, has a deep need for recognition. […] by letting him tell his side of the story and acknowledging it, you create a psychological room for him to know that there’s another side of the story.

Throwing the labels “Iranian and Syrian” unfairly at some of the protesters will simply make them more defiant and rebellious.

Why can’t Ahmad Fatfat apologize for smiling with Condi Rice while Lebanese children were being bombed, all the while insisting that this doesn’t mean that Syria should get off the hook regarding its crimes in Lebanon?

Why can’t Samir Geagea and Walid Jumblat say: “we have done terrible crimes in the past and we have been corrupt. We really regret those days, but for now it’s time to look to the future because the very nature of Lebanon as a free society is endangered?”

Those words, if made in good faith, can placate a good chunk of the “legitimate” protesters and might start a genuine conversation. I tried this myself, and as you could see, the result was fascinating.

Of course, many of the opposition are more interested in power than in talking. What we’ll do to those is simply deprive them of companionship.