The recent and still developing conflict between Israel and the Lebanese terrorist group Hizbollah has caused many analysts and pundits to point out the great disparity in arms between the two combatants:
The State Department’s 1993 report on international terrorism lists Hizbollah’s “strength” at several thousand. Hizbollah sources assert that the organization has about 5,000-10,000 fighters. Other sources report that Hizbollah’s militia consists of a core of about 300-400 fighters, which can be expanded to up to 3,000 within several hours if a battle with Israel develops. These reserves presumably are called in from Hizbollah strongholds in Lebanon, including the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs. The number of members involved in combat activity in southern Lebanon is under 1,000. But it has many activists and moral supporters. After the Israeli withdrawal Hizballah reduced the number of full time fighters to about 500, though estimates range from 300 to 1,200. There are also several thousand reserves, but these lack training or experience. Hizbollah’s militia is a light force, equipped with small arms, such as automatic rifles, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, and Katyusha rockets, which it occasionally has fired on towns in northern Israel. Hizbollah forces are shown on television conducting military parades in Beirut, which often include tanks and armored personnel carriers that may have been captured from the Lebanese army or purchased from Palestinian guerrillas or other sources. [Link]
versus:
The IDF [Israeli Defense Force] is considered to be one of the most high-tech armies in the world, possessing top-of-the-line weapons and computer systems, Some of it American-made or indigenously modified (such as the M4A1 assault rifle, F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon jets and Apache helicopter). Israel receives more than US$2 billion per year in military aid from the United States, and much of it requires that American equipment be purchased with it. In spite of this however, Israel also has developed its own independent weapons industry. Weapons such as the Merkava battle tank, Kfir jet series, and various small arms such as the Galil assault rifle and Uzi submachine gun have all proven to be very successful.
The IDF also has several large internal research and development departments, and it purchases many technologies produced by the Israeli security industries including IAI, IMI, Elbit, El-Op, Rafael, Soltam and dozens of smaller firms. Many of these developments have been battle-tested in Israel’s numerous military engagements, making the relationship mutually beneficial, the IDF getting tailor-made solutions and the industries a very high repute. [Link]
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p>This post is filed under, “Another thing that Indians invented that you probably didn’t know about.” In this case however, the invention might be viewed by some as a rather dubious honor. The only weapon of any significance in Hizbollah’s arsenal is the Katyusha rocket. Can this single weapon threaten to defeat the IDF? No. But it was the Indians that invented the use of rocket artillery in battle, and the father of rocket artillery, Tipu Sultan (the Tiger of Mysore), was celebrated for his use of rocket artillery in defeating the superior British army in the 1792 Srirangapatna War.
…Tipu Sultan achieved a grand victory, whereby the whole British detachment lead by Colonel Baillie was destroyed and 3820 soldiers were taken prisoner (including Colonel Bailli). the contributory cause being that one of the British ammunition tambrils was set on fire by Mysorean rockets.At the Battle of Seringapatam in 1792, Indian soldiers launched a huge barrage of rockets against British troops, followed by an assault of 36,000 men. Although the Indian rockets were primitive by modern standards, their sheer numbers, noise and brilliance were said to have been quite effective at disorienting British soldiers. During the night, the rockets were often seen as blue lights bursting in the air. Since Indian forces were able to launch these bursting rockets from in front of and behind British lines, they were a tremendous tool for throwing the British off guard. The bursting rockets were usually followed by a deadly shower of rockets aimed directly at the soldiers. Some of these rockets passed from the front of the British columns to the rear, inflicting injury and death as they passed.[Link]
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p>Here is a bit more background:
Tipu wrote a military manual called Fathul Mujahidin in which 200 rocket men were prescribed to each Mysorean ‘cushoon’. (Mysore had 16 to 24 cushoons of infantry). The areas of town where rockets and fireworks were manufactured were known as Taramandal Pet (roughly translated as “Galaxy Bazaar“).
The rocket men were trained to launch their rockets at an angle calculated from the diameter of the cylinder and the distance of the target. In addition, wheeled rocket launchers capable of launching five to ten rockets almost simultaneously were used in war. Rockets could be of various sizes, but usually consisted of a tube of soft hammered iron about 8″ long and 1Å“ – 3″ diameter, closed at one end and strapped to a shaft of bamboo about 4ft. long. The iron tube acted as a combustion chamber and contained well packed black powder propellant. A rocket carrying about one pound of powder could travel almost 1,000 yards. In contrast, rockets in Europe not being iron cased, could not take large chamber pressures and as a consequence, were not capable of reaching distances anywhere near as great. [Link]
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p>I fancy the term, “Galaxy Bazaar.” I have a feeling that if such a thing still existed I’d find myself there often (although I feel like they DO still exist off the highway in states like Indiana 
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Dr. APJ Abul Kalam, the father of modern Indian rocket technology, in his Tipu Sultan Shaheed Memorial Lecture in Bangalore (Nov. 30, 1991), called Tipu the innovator of the worldÂ’s first war rocket. In fact, two of these rockets, captured by British at Srirangapatana, are displayed in the Woolwich Museum Artillery in London. Their motor casing is made of steel with multi-nozzle holes and the sword blade as warhead. The 50mm diameter, 250mm long rocket weighs about 2kg, with about 1kg packed gunpowder as propellant, and its range performance is reported 900meters to 1.5 km. [Link]
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p>So what would Tipu Sultan say if he saw his battlefield innovation being put to use in this conflict? Fortunately we have some insight into his thoughts here:
War must be linked to battlefields. Do not carry it to innocent civilians. Honor their children and the infirm.” A TOLERANT RULER In the tradition of Islamic tolerance, Tipu advised that “… Religious tolerance is the fundamental tenet of the QurÂ’an,” adding, “The QurÂ’an calls upon you not to revile the idols of another religion for it says: revile not those unto whom they pray beside Allah lest they wrongfully revile Allah through ignorance.” In a declaration issued in 1787, Tipu also informed his subjects: “The QurÂ’an expects you to vie with each other in good works and says for each we have appointed a divine law and a traced out way. Had Allah willed he could have made you one community…so vie one with another in good works…” [Link]
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p>At a recent lecture at Tipu Sultan’s old residence “Dariya Daulat,” BrahMos Aerospace CMD and Managing Director Sivathanu Pillai spoke the following words in regards to Tipu’s accomplishments:
“As there are no models of the rockets left in India, I visited Woolwich Artillery Museum in London where a spent rocket and pieces of other weapons used by the King are on display. I will tell the President [Kalam] how innovative our people were in those days. We must celebrate this and tell the world that the birth of rocket indeed took place in Srirangapatna.
“The rocket has a steel chamber and is charged with gun powder. Even today the solid motor of a rocket looks like this. The technology the ruler and his men have developed is amazing. They had developed a launcher from which three rockets could be launched simultaneously. Though not accurate, the rockets were so effective that it spun and hit the British cavalry with deadly effect. This is depicted in a painting in the London museum. In the painting, horses were seen tumbling when hit by the rockets,” he added. [Link]
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p>Anyways, I always find it useful to view modern conflict while keeping a historical perspective and Tipu Sultan, his deeds, and his thoughts seemed appropriate here.
To learn more about Tipu Sultan you can check out this bibliography for interesting sources.
Also see related posts: Spy Princess, Dr. Ramanand Sagar, 1917-2005, The tyranny of a transposition typo, More Vicarious Traveling: “The Lost Temples of India”, “Brown Arms White Wars”,
nice post, very informative.
Hence, comparing Tipu’s valiant fight to Hizbollah’s guerrilla warfare is ridiculaous.
Yeah no shit. I refered to Hizbollah as terrorists in the first sentence for that very reason. The comparison being drawn here is between the ancient and modern use of rockets in battle.
To further the “Another thing that Indians invented that you probably didn’t know about.”:
I watched a Discovery Channel (or other similar channel?) documentary that featured Tipu Sultan’s rockets (and attempts to recreate them with modern day materials), and it was claimed that in the US anthem, the “rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air” was a reference to British rockets that the Brits adopted from their experience with Tipu Sultan.
Well there are doubts about Tipu’s tolerance too..
Read his treatment of Mangalore Christians http://www.indiacatholic.com/goaandmangolorean.htm
I refered to Hizbollah as terrorists in the first sentence for that very reason
Admirable clearthinking.
On the flip side, a explosive device that was invented in India in 1912 by a British Army officer is still in use today:
If I remember right, Tom Hanks character in “Saving Private Ryan” is yelling for “Bangalores” while pinned down on the beach.
Abhi:
Did any part of my comment say that you called them anything other that terrorists?
Jilted_Manhood:
Admirable clearthinking…think again!
Your implication was clear.
I object to the use of word terrorist to describe Hezbollah. Hezbollah are in essence Lebanese irregular forces.
Wake up everyone…unwash your brainwashed minds and turn off CNN. Hizbollah are freedom fighters and do much in social services for the oppressed people of Palestine and Lebanon, whose homes were forcible taken away 50 years ago, whose women were raped, and people tortured and segregated in the worst possible apartheid system. Don’t believe the hype you followers of George Bush. Hizbullah is not a terrorist organization, any more than Mangal Pandey and his people were.
whose women were raped
That is one thing IDF never does. Even an Arab or a Palestanian will tell you.
Sure, Hezbollah does lot of social and ambulance work but they do act “state within a state”, often on behest of Syria and Iran. In parts of Lebonan they are the de-facto rulers and have refused to disband their militia.
What right do they have to put the whole Lebanon through this?
Wasn’t Hezbollah implicated in 1983 Beirut U.S. Marines barracks bombing ?
Wasn’t Hezbollah implicated in the 1983 Beirut U.S. Marines barracks bombing ?
Wasn’t the IDF implicated in…oh fer feck’s sake where do I start? Until the lions get their own historians, the story of the hunt will always be told from the hunters’ perspective.
And I’ve got another one of them terrorists for you, right here.
Nelson something or other…oh, that’s right, Nelson Mandela.
that’s not at all clear:
of course it’s entirely possible that some people associated with this event then are part of hezbollah now. but in terms of organizational responsibility, to the best of my knowledge, it’s speculation to call hezbollah responsible for the barracks bombing.
there’s also a legitimate argument to be made against calling that bombing terrorism. after all, it was a military target. in no way do i minimize the event — in fact, i know someone who was a marine in the compound and can attest to the trauma — but insofar as the target was not civilian, it’s problematic to lump it in with, say, 9/11.
more generally, people play fast and loose with the word “terrorist” nowadays, stripping away much of its force. from everything i’ve read and heard about hezbollah, i too object to the characterization. i agree with farouk engineer that they are a lebanese irregular force who exist outside the command and control of the lebanese government.
Ok… ease up on the bombastic hyperbole, lions, hunt..whatever . There has been an an official verdict on the matter.
You can choose to have your own opinion based on your own “sources” .
Prof. Roddam Narasimha published an article in Nature in the year 1999 titled “Rocketing from the galaxy bazaar“, in which he said:
For those of you, who have no access to Nature, the piece is available here.
i agree with farouk engineer that they are a lebanese irregular force who exist outside the command and control of the lebanese government.
Siddhartha,
The problem starts here: Hezbollah is part of the Lebanonese Government, as a minority partner. However, they are acting in ways that is undermining the Government, the entire Lebonese society and the soveriegnity of their country. That is where it gets tricky: Is Hezbollah really commited to Lebonan or Syria or Iran or has a larger agenda, and that agenda goes beyond the well being of Lebanon?
They are dozens (if not more – hundreds) irregular forces in Lebanon but none with the clout of Hezbollah too. Until recently, their enemy were Lebanonese Christians and Shias too (they recently had an alliance with a right-wing ex-Lebanonese Christian General).
If you read former CIA agent Robert Baer’s memoir “See No Evil” (which was loosely the inspiration for “Syriana,” Clooney as Baer), you learn that Baer focused pretty tightly for nearly 20 years on trying to find out who was responsible for that bombing, and other kidnappings and mischief in Beirut (friends and colleagues were killed). According to Baer, some combination of Hizbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood, and a secret wing of the Iranian military are the leading candidates, but there are no clear lines. No surprise. The real surprise, when you piece together Baer’s later comments, is that these people–and not al Qaeda (as a group of bin Ladenists)–were probably responsible for 9/11. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (rousted sleepy-eyed out of Rawalpindi apartment in 2003) was probably closer to the Muslim Brotherhood than bin Laden.
These views fall in line with long-held CIA beliefs that Iran is the prime instigator of terrorism in the Middle East–and has been for 30 years–and that bin Laden is late on the scene, represents a new but fractured actor, and probably has very little capability beyond a propaganda apparatus.
All these views are extracted from Baer, by the way. He’s written two non-fiction books (the second, “Sleeping with the Devil” is about Saudia Arabia) and a novel, “Blow the House Down,” which is god-awful as a work of fiction, but he uses it as platform to probe some of the current, and politically expedient, beliefs about 9/11 and posit some alternate scenarios.
Vikram —
Yes, please let’s talk about sources. 🙂 To characterize Judge Lamberth’s decision is an “official verdict” is more than a bit much. From the story to which you link:
Since Iran defaulted, there wasn’t a contested factual record at all upon which to base the Court’s decision. So I’d take the “official verdict” business with at least a pinch of a salt — this really doesn’t amount to all that much of an adjudication.
(That would be true no matter who the judge was, but above and beyond that, Judge Lamberth himself is a bit of a wild card — a smart and interesting guy, but unpredictable and a maverick nevertheless. Just last week or so he was removed by the Court of Appeals from a case involving Native American trusts on account of an appearance of bias, which is a very unusual thing to have happen to a federal district judge.)
I have to agree with this. Why is it a god given right for the US armed forces to be present anywhere in the world? and when they are they cant even be targeted by another militia?
Does Iran’s ignoring the judge’s ruling automatically absolve them of blame ? In matters like this it is hardly surprising that the Iranian government is going to behave as it has.
Until recently, their enemy were Lebanonese Christians and Shias too (they recently had an alliance with a right-wing ex-Lebanonese Christian General)
I assume you meant Sunnis. Nelson something or other…oh, that’s right, Nelson Mandela. Mandela didn’t recruit young black South Africans to kill elderly White people halfway across the world.
On July 18, 1994, 09:53 hours, a huge explosion occurred in the building of the Argentine Jewish community center, AMIA, on Pasteur Street in Buenos Aires. As a result, 85 people who were in the building or its vicinity were killed, and another 240 people were wounded.The Argentine intelligence completed the investigation in March 2003, and submitted a report to the investigating judge, Galiano. The judge made a final report that relied heavily on the intelligence data. The judicial report accused Iran and some Iranian representatives who were then on duty in Argentina serving in diplomatic posts. It also singled out Hezbollah as the organization which had carried out the Iranian decision. “A thousand suicide commandos are ready to strike Israel all over the world”(Hassan Nasrallah, al-Watan al-Arabi, June 17, 1994, a month before the bombing of the AMIA building)
The current deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians with Katyusha rockets is also not terrorism. Right?
Correction: and Shias too …
I meant Sunnis too. Hezbollah is a predominantly Shia group. My mistake.
Something to think about. From London’s The Times:
It doesn’t absolve them of responsibility, but only on account of the default. It’s hard to argue with the notion that this kind of judgment tells us much less about what the facts really are — if it tells us anything at all — than one involving real adjudication in a full-blown, contested adversarial proceeding.
And the point isn’t that Iran ignored the judge’s ruling — it’s that they didn’t show up in the first place. If some court somewhere issued a judgment against the United States when the United States didn’t recognize that court’s jurisdiction, and therefore didn’t appear at all, we’d probably have similar difficulties relying upon that court’s judgment as conclusive or definitive. I’m not saying the judge’s conclusion is wrong — or that it is right — just that we should be careful about reading too much into the court’s judgment itself under the circumstances.
I actually agree w/ Mr. K and and the Ill-Hindu that the focus on “terrorism” is misplaced. After all, the Allied forces targeted civilians (and I’m not just talking about hiroshima), and virtually all armed resistance groups and militaries have killed civilians during wartime, like the Israeli’s are doing now.
Terrorism is still a meaningful word but at the end of the day it’s just a means to an end. More important are the ends, which is why the “war on terror” is a silly phrase. Probably “War an Islamic Fascism” would make more sense, but even that’s a bit problematic.
Even if al-quaeda were to renounce terrorism, they would, by virture of their Islamist philosophy, still be a despicable group worthy of our opposition. I submit the same applies to Hezbollah.
What’s this world coming to? I actually agree with Manju on this.
Right. It’s war, by an entity other than a nation state. Don’t get me wrong, all of this grieves me. But I hate to see nation states fetishized at the expense of smaller groups with equal claims to legitimacy.
As Manju suggests, the rightness of the cause is not determined by the size of the forces advancing it. Hezbollah is not reprehensible because they dare fight the only way they know how (which you label “terrorism”); they are reprehensible because of their political commitments.
When Mandela engaged in armed struggle against a nation state, he did so in furtherance of a cause I support. And that makes a big difference.
One way Bush and co. have denatured the language is that they have made any and all political causes below the level of the nation state illegitimate by tarring them with the brush of “terrorists.” The Chechens are terrorists, the Zapatistas are terrorists, the ANC are terrorists, Hamas are terrorists, all factions in the Iraqi resistance are terrorists. They all hate our freedom, see, and we’re going to crush them.
The Chechens are terrorists, the Zapatistas are terrorists, the ANC are terrorists, Hamas are terrorists, all factions in the Iraqi resistance are terrorists. They all hate our freedom, see, and we’re going to crush them.
Actually not. The Bush admin does attempt to discriminate between real terrorism and pure freedom struggle/oppression. It’s not ideal though. Chechnya actually is a prime example. Most conservative opinion pages ( if considered proxy for the Bush admin ), do routinely criticize Russia for its handling of Chechnya. Though Bush and others’ opinions did turn against the Chechens after the Beslan massacre. Ditto the plight of Uighurs in China. The Bush administration has in fact successfully pushed for the freedom of jailed Muslim Brotherhood activists in Egypt and their participation in local elections. They were even willing to talk to Hamas after it won the elections but Hamas won’t renounce its charter of wiping Israel off the map nor disband its militia. That’s why US aid was withheld.
Forgot to add how US lost its base in Uzbekistan after criticizing it for carrying out the Andijan massacre. The Uzbek president had said he was fighting Islamic terror.
Is this a post about Tipu Sultan’s rocket, or about the Israel-Hezbollah conflict? Other than the the word `rocket’, what is the connection between them? If the post were only to mention Tipu Sultan’s rockets, perhaps we could have discussed the state of desi engineering before 1750. But, as things stand, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict has hogged the discussion.
Great link Guru. I wish I had dtumbled upon it before writing my post.
To clarify the rape question. I believe Koh Rean was referring to the rapes carried by Christian Phalangist forces prior to a massacre of several thousand Palestinian refugees at the Sabra and Chatila camps in 1982. The Israeli Kahan Commission subsequently found Ariel Sharon guilty, the nuances of his guilt I do not need to expand on here. Sharon’s punishment was among other things to be barred from ever again serving as Israeli Defence Minister. The IDF is a largely honourable force. It must be. It is drawn from an admirable nation. However, there have been, as with every army, moments when they have been led into criminality, the 1982 invasion of Lebanon throwing up the most blatant examples, and other occasions where their forces have acted improperly. The examples of reprehensible conduct within the occupied West Bank and Gaza are too numerous to list.
And to further expand on my strong objection to the description of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
Hezbollah was formed in response to an invasion and brutal occupation of their land. Hezbollah almost single handedly repelled this occupation. Hezbollah has subsequently grown into a vibrant, very popular political force. I recall sitting in the office of a Lebanese Christian MP in the Lebanese parliament not long ago, who wished, just before introducing me to two Hezbollah MPs, that he wished they were in his party. I recall compliments such honesty and integrity. Lebanese democracy, as it was, was better for Hezbollah. Furthermore, Hezbollah is a massive community organization. Massive. The slight Kush intended when refering to it as offering lots of social and ambulatory services is disappointing, giving it an air of a dodgy Piscataway health van service.
In recent times Hezbollah developed respect, albeit grudging from some Lebanese, who all to a man, woman and spruce considered their country still under occupation by Israel. The Sheba Farms are important to the Lebanese, even if CNN don’t bother to expand on such a detail. That Hezbollah would remain under arms while their country was under occupation seems perfectly reasonable to me. Therefore, Hezbollah are Lebanese irregular forces.
All that said, and though I still respect Hezbollah, their indescriminate bombing of Israel should one day lead their leaders to a place on the docket at the Hague. That would be justice. However, those responsible Israel’s bombing of Lebanon and for the United States’ recent bombardment of cities Fallujah and Tal Afar should also be sitting in line for use of Milosevic’s payphone.
This is Farouk Engineer, as ever behind the stumps watching every for swing and spin.
Actually, this article is factually incorrect. Neither Tipu Sultan nor India in a broader sense were the first to pioneer battlefield rocketry. They were about 700 hundred years too late.
According to NASA…
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ROCKETRY
earliest recorded mention of gunpowder comes from China late in the third century before Christ. Bamboo tubes filled with saltpeter, sulphur and charcoal were tossed into ceremonial fires during religious festivals in hopes the noise of the explosion would frighten evil spirits.
imperfectly sealed and, instead of bursting with an explosion, simply went skittering out of the fire, propelled by the rapidly burning gunpowder. Some clever observer whose name is lost to history may have then begun experiments to deliberately produce the same effect as the bamboo tubes which leaked fire.
Conqueror would land on the shores of England — the use of gunpowder and rockets formed an integral aspect of Chinese military tactics.
before 1045. Chinese documents record the use of “fire arrows,” a term which can mean either rockets or an arrow carrying a flammable substance. By the beginning of the 13th Century, the Chinese Sung Dynasty, under pressure from growing Mongolian hordes, found itself forced to rely more and more on technology to counter the threat. Chinese ordnance experts introduced and perfected many types of projectiles, including explosive grenades and cannon.
the battle of Kai-fung-fu in 1232 A.D. The rockets were huge and apparently quite powerful. According to a report: “When the rocket was lit, it made a noise that resembled thunder that could be heard for five leagues — about 15 miles. When it fell to Earth, the point of impact was devastated for 2,000 feet in all directions.” Apparently these large military rockets carried incendiary material and iron shrapnel. These rockets may have included the first combustion chamber, for sources describe the design as incorporating an “iron pot” to contain and direct the thrust of the gunpowder propellant.
This seems like a good place:
Thanks for your comments in this post, Mr. Kobayashi.
Maximum respect, my brother. I actually don’t really like getting too involved in political debates, but Israel has really grieved me this week. Ain’t none of us got clean hands though. My solidarity is with those who suffer on both sides.
Amen. Next World Cup, I’m rooting for the civilians’ team 🙂
It depends on how you look at it. It is true that the Chinese invented rockets (it says so in several of the sources I cited) but it was Sultan who perfected there use in battle.
The problem starts here: Hezbollah is part of the Lebanonese Government, as a minority partner. However, they are acting in ways that is undermining the Government, the entire Lebonese society and the soveriegnity of their country. That is where it gets tricky: Is Hezbollah really commited to Lebonan or Syria or Iran or has a larger agenda, and that agenda goes beyond the well being of Lebanon?
Hizbullah is Lebanon. If not for the French shared power plan, Hizbullah would get democratically elected to rule Lebanon.Shiites and conservative Sunnis are the majority of the Lebanese population and Hizbullah enjoys almost universal support in this demographic especially when you factor in Hizbullahs growing popularity in Palestinian refugee camps. Hizbullah does not do either Syria’s or Iran’s bidding. Hizbullah works for the impoverished Shiite masses and represents the values of those people. You and I might not agree with the sentiments held by the Shiite masses in Lebanon but the fact is that Hizbullah is not undermining Lebanese democracy. In a one man one vote presidential form of election (without the Lebanese power sharing agreement) Hizbullah will easily win the presidency. If Lebanon were to become a Parliamentaty democracy, Hizbullah will turn out to be the largest party easily. The truth is a little more complicated than the Anti-Hizbullah platitudes given by expansionist Israelis and their Neo-Con enablers in the US.
Excellent reference there, Iran’s covert involvement in seeding terrorism was really explained to me here. Too bad it the man who initiated it all was in fact a Desi.
If Hezbollah cared so much for Lebanon why in the world would it use Lebanon to fight its battles. As Preston mentioned,Hezbollah’s ties with the Iraninan Pasdaran led it to commit the bombings. I have read the book “See No Evil” by Baer and he makes some good connections there including Muganiyah’s involvement.
Not for the fainthearted – What CNN never shows you
http://fromisraeltolebanon.info/
You not only undermine the naivete of the Neocons, but also the notion that the Lebanese as a whole are mere innocents caught between Israel and a non-reprehensive extremist group. That Hizbollah’s platform–whether it be the destruction of Israel, the establishment of an Islamic republic (modeled on Iran), or the suppression of dissent and minorities–is actually mainstream in Lebanon or much of the Islamic world (including strangely, the Islamic world in Europe) is at the heart of the matter.
Too f**king depressing. May be we should get back to talking about mangoes, Indian English malapropisms and Brazilian hotties.
Surely, there has to be a better way.
Read Rawi Hage’s story in Macleans this week:
July 21, 2006  The killing formula What is to blame for the growth of Hezbollah?  Lebanese-Canadian writer Rawi Hage says it was Israeli bombardments and invasions into Lebanon  By RAWI HAGE Maclean’s Magazine, Canada  A few weeks ago, and before the latest events in Lebanon, I was on the Plateau in Montreal, having dinner at the house of a Lebanese Canadian friend. He is an old lefty, a progressive middle-aged man, who like myself left for the West in the midst of the Lebanese civil war. The dinner was attended by a few of us Lebanese Canadians from all religious denominations.  Since then, a couple of the invitees have gone to Lebanon for a vacation. Like many others, they are now stuck and can’t come back home. I imagine some of their employers in Canada have extended their temp contract for another week or so. I can also imagine what they are missing most about being Canadian: the abundance of water under those generous house showers; electricity; and maybe, who knows, a good Quebecois poutine, since it is probably the only food that is not sold in that cosmopolitan city, Beirut.  While my friend was pouring us wine he said something that stayed with me all night: “Twenty years ago,” he said, “I thought that I would be living in a world where religion would be irrelevant.” He sounded like a French intellectual, and all he needed was a bit of fair skin and an eccentric pair of glasses. It was one of those not uncommon gatherings in our community, where religious denomination is irrelevant, wine is predominant and sexual orientation is a private matter. In short, you wouldn’t find a bearded cleric among us, lying on a sofa with a fuming Indian cigarette in his hand.
 Since the bombings, journalists have been frantically looking for Canadian Lebs to interview. They seem all of a sudden such a rarity, even in Montreal where they mostly reside. Maybe because there are over 50,000 of them stranded in Lebanon. Lebs are now the hottest item since shawarma was discovered in this country. The journalists’ questions, and so far I have been subjected to a few of them, are at times uneducated, repetitive, even irritatingly personal. No one seems to fully explore the religious dimension of the conflict, the historical and class factors that are at play on all sides. It seems to them like a local war between two groups that fight each other, like a tribal feud in a biblical scene. Arabs versus Jews. The Arabs started it and the Israelis retaliated: the media and even Mr. Harper seem to concur.  I will put aside the oppression, malnutrition, poverty and collective punishment to which the Palestinians are constantly subjugated, to concentrate on Hezbollah within the Lebanese context.  In Lebanon, Hezbollah are simultaneously respected and feared. They are respected because they were instrumental in ending the Israeli occupation of Lebanon (though they were not the sole resisters to the occupation of the Israelis. Many leftists’ forces were also active in the beginning of the resistance movement). Hezbollah are also respected because they never turned their firearms inward, meaning that they never participated in the Lebanese civil war. And they always delivered what they promised, giving them an air of integrity in a region much plagued by corruption and political failure. They are feared because they are a religious party that advocates the dominance of one sect. As a person of non-Muslim background with a secular, social-democratic political affiliation, I wouldn’t want to see Hezbollah as the sole ruling party in Lebanon (nor the old Reform party in Canada, for that matter).  But who is to blame for the birth of Hezbollah, if there is anyone to be blamed? In 1978, Israel bombed and invaded the south of Lebanon (on many occasions in retaliation for Palestinian operations), and in the process uprooted olive trees and demolished the houses and infrastructure of the Shiite community who predominantly lived in the south. Historically, in Lebanon, the Shiite community was the most underprivileged. Lebanon’s sectarian/feudal society left each community to fend for its own. The Shiites of Lebanon were predominantly the farmers and the poor, with the highest illiteracy rate among all religious communities. With every bombardment and Israeli invasion, more farmers from that community moved to the city as they found it impossible to cultivate their land. Not to mention that Israel did reorient some of the rivers in the area, cutting off irrigation sources to the local farmers.  In 1996, the intensive bombardments by the Israelis drove half a million Shiite refugees to the periphery of the capital, Beirut, to add more refugees to one of the most overpopulated places in Lebanon, what is now known as al-Dahia (pronounced Dahieh in the Lebanese slang). Excluded from receiving social assistance from the government or outside aid, the area became a recruiting ground for religious fundamentalists, who offered social assistance, jobs, schools and hospitals. Hence, the birth of Hezbollah. Ever since, Hezbollah has evolved to become a legitimate party in the Lebanese government, having seats in the parliament, its own TV station (watched by Israelis and Arabs alike) and, as we lately have seen, a well-organized armed force.  One should stress and examine the motives that drove Hezbollah to such a unilateral confrontation with Israel. By doing so, the Party of God had achieved an unprecedented coup d’état on the Lebanese state, taking it by surprise and in the process imposing itself as an independent force that, like most religious fundamentalist parties, in the West and East alike, give a priority and allegiance to God over the nation-state. The reactions in Lebanon to Hezbollah’s action are not homogeneous. To start with, Lebanon is not an ideologically homogeneous society. The range of reactions varied from total support for Israel’s elimination of Hezbollah — a reaction mostly held by the far right Christian parties — to apprehension, to solid support.  In the West as much as in the East secularism is in decline. And religious-based parties are on the rise and making a strong comeback.  There is a new emergence of Christian, Hindu, Islamic and Jewish fundamentalism in the world. And the secret to their success is a promotion of adversaries, fear of crime and a demand for order, a dialectical equation, a winning formula that increases numbers and voters.  The formula works as such: minus times minus equals a plus (-1 x-1= +1).  If one is to apply the formula to the current situation in Lebanon, I would say the two parties, Hezbollah and Israel, each being a number with a minus sign, when multiplied against one another produce a positive number for both parties and maybe a number played on all of us.  Hezbollah has asserted its might and relevance on the local and regional scene. Israel also has asserted its position as a democratic state under attack by the notorious terrorists. In the process, the state of Israel may secure a continuous flood of future military and foreign aid, giving it the chance to display and test the might of its weapons in a rare showcase for prospective future clients in the weapons market.  The Lebanese landscape is here again, un champ de battaille, flat and hilled like the Plains of Abraham. The corpses and the defeated walls may not be forgotten, and not for a long time. Where else could Israel have the opportunity to test new and improved merchandise on a live audience, in the process eliminating a potential competitor in the region? Lebanon receives up to 1.5 million tourists a year. A dynamic society, one could well argue it is becoming an emerging competitor for the Israeli tourist industry, among others. One wonders about the logic behind Israel’s attacks on clothing factories!  I lived through nine years of the Lebanese civil war. And I could feel what the civilians were going through on both sides of the fence. But I am privileged now. I have the luxury to see things from a distance. And a good dosage of guilt comes with such privilege. I couldn’t help but reflect on that winning formula that is slowly and surely beginning to dawn on our Canadian landscape. Yes, here too the minus signs are creeping up on us. And religion is more scientific and rational than we think.  Look! Here are the numbers and signs: a conservative, religiously based government, its election based on a fear of crime and disenchantment with corruption. A promise to establish order. Big on military spending and testing it too (Afghanistan to be the next lucky recipient of the game).  The formula is magical, scientific and treacherous, and maybe that is why it seems invincible. It is an enchanting, killing formula, and its victims are not just civilians and bridges and economies, but also those clandestine wine drinkers who gather in houses with forbidden fumes and free progressive thoughts. This formula has to be stopped or the Canadian landscape, much like the Plains of Abraham once, and Israel and Lebanon now, will be filled with damaged walls and colourful corpses.
That Hizbollah’s platform–whether it be the destruction of Israel, the establishment of an Islamic republic (modeled on Iran), or the suppression of dissent and minorities–is actually mainstream in Lebanon or much of the Islamic world (including strangely, the Islamic world in Europe) is at the heart of the matter.
But if AM is right, that Hizbolah would win the popular vote, where does the necon solution lie? Is democracy without enlightenment (or the caste system, as in India) even viable?
If AM is correct, it would lend credence to the argument that we should abandon Neo-Conservatism in favor of a return to Realpolick, where the US supports dictators (like the Saudi Royals or for that matter Saddam) b/c the alternative is worse. It may not be pure realpolitick like Pat Buchanan advocates (i.e., the abandonment of Israel b/c our self-interest, especially oil interests, lie elsewhere) but more along the line of cold war politics, where we use totalitarian dictators to keep totalitarian ideologues (Islamists) at bay.
Otto Von Bismarck may have a second coming.
“Hizbullah is Lebanon”
It is not as clear cut as you project it out to be. Lebanon is 40% christian who don’t like Hizbollah – i don’t know the exact percentage of sunnis, but they don’t like the shiite org Hizbollah either. Actually in the last parliamentary election, Sunnis had a coalition with Christians. If you look at the lebanese blogosphere, it is clear that a lot of people don’t like Hizbollah. Hizbollah does a lot of grass root level work and does enjoy reasonable support but there are a lot of people in Lebanon itself who thinks that Hizbollah brought this upon themselves.
However, I am of the opinion that this collective punishment of bombing a country to rubbles goes much beyond destroying Hizbollah. Why would they bomb the airport in the first place – one of the things the lebanese society was so proud of? The brazen attack is also about destroying the spirit of lebanese people. The scale in which Israel is doing this operation is likely to kill severla innocent civilians. The pictures pouring out of Lebanon is alreayd mind-numbing. There is no justification in invading Lebanon inflicting such mass violence on its people.
i don’t know the exact percentage of sunnis
This is what I got from Wikipedia: Today, there is general consensus that Muslims constitute a solid majority of the population; the CIA world factbook estimates their share to be 60% [2]. Still, there is no single sect constituting a majority of the population by itself. The Shi’a is the largest community, thought in 1990 to be about 35% of the population. Since then, their numbers have increased even more, while other communities have decreased due to emigration, and some sources indicate they may be close to 50% of the population. There is no consensus on this number, and the Shi’a proportion of Lebanon’s population is among the most widely disputed figures of Lebanese demographics.
There also Druzes, and other groups that constitute Muslims in Lebanon.
There is no justification in invading Lebanon inflicting such mass violence on its people.
I totally agree. Farouk Engineer aka wicket keeper/ ALM: I am not denying Hezbollah’s grass root support and their reach or work. Ask any Palestanian. My question is: Did their gamble failed regarding the prisoner swap or did they care about bringing war to their living room (if you consider Shebaa Farms the backyard) and pain it brings to Lebanese? They are totally quiet about it.