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Remember that politics move quickly, and people and their opinions evolve.
The “Cabinet of Curiosities”
June 14, 2011 · Mustapha Hamoui
Karl Sharro has a pretty interesting analysis of the new Lebanese government.
On the greatly exaggerated rumors of the death of Harirism:
Despite the FPM’s and Hezbollah’s loud proclamations about the end of Harirism, Mikati’s appointment was in fact an attempt at rescuing Harirism ‘sans-Hariri’. In other words, let’s not rock the boat too much. Note that the major economic posts in Mikati’s cabinet have all went to businessmen and industrialists not economists or academics.
On trying new things:
I called this ‘the Cabinet of Curiosities’ because in many ways it breaks away with convention to overcome the paralysis in the Lebanese political system and the failure of March 8 to offer a solid programme of governance. The unequal number of Sunni and Shiite minsters is one of those ‘innovations’, dispensing with the token gesture of appointing women ministers is another. The one distinctive aspect about it is that it created a de facto parliamentary opposition for the first time in a long while in Lebanon.
Do read the whole thing and let me know what you think…