Relax, They’re Just Kidding

March 14’s latest actions, designed to mobilize a maximum amount of supporters on February 14, are taken way too seriously.

You can all go to hell ! Sort of.

Here’s a question for you: If Mr. Jumblat was really getting ready for war, then why did he quietly call Assafir at night and tell them that his speech was “for mobilization purposes only”? (A warning is due: Assafir’s credibility is notoriously low)

In the last few days, March 14 leaders orchestrated a string of coordinated speeches and actions that managed to scandalize and freak out even the most cool-headed opposition members.

Ranging from ridicule, to war talk, to unprecedented largess, to staged bullets-of-joy shows, to trips to washington, the bold words and actions were designed to achieve 4 important objectives:

1- Mobilize a maximum amount of people on February 14
2- Restore morale to March 14 supporters who are tired of Hezbollah posturing.
3- Re-establish negotiation leverage by “putting war on the table”
4- Put the opposition off balance by creating bottom-up pressure from war-weary supporters (this works especially well with those with a preference for orange)

Is this fair game in politics? Some would argue that it’s not. They say that it is adding tension and volatility to the situation, and that it’s a dangerous dance around the brink. But then again, is the presence of Hezbollah’s weapons -and the negotiation leverage they bring by the sole virtue of their existence- fair game? 

Many agree that what happened this weekend can restore the balance of terror and make a better ground for fair negotiations, leading to a breakthrough. In Lebanon, paradoxically, a credible threat of war can be the only thing that brings lasting peace. Let’s just hope we don’t get tested on that.