Talk Shop

So Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa is gone, and we are no closer to peace than before he came. I doubt this comes as much of a surprise to those who follow politics closely. But, given the excessive media coverage surrounding his every statement and visit, it wouldn't surprise me to learn if some regular Lebanese were convinced that his visit meant that peace was nigh.

Here's what I wrote for Now Lebanon:

"[T]he truth is that Amr Moussa arrives in Beirut with limited goals, and even more limited means to achieve them. Without unanimity among the Arab states, he cannot pressure any group to agree to a compromise solution. The Arab League delegation attracts a great deal of attention for holding high-level meetings with every faction involved in Lebanon's political crisis. It is only when the cameras go off, and the time comes to make hard decisions, that the Arab League falls disturbingly silent."

The Lebanese political deadlock will not be solved by the rhetorical brilliance of Amr Moussa. We moved beyond the situation where fancy words could cause either side to shift from their entrenched positions long ago. There are structural differences between March 8th and March 14th, and the factions will only be moved by structural changes in the Lebanon's political landscape. Amr Moussa cannot control any of the levers that could force a compromise -- a large shift of popular support, the election of a President, or the withdrawal of aid from a foreign patron. Without any weapons to pressure either side, Moussa might as well have been talking into a vacuum.