A few years ago, a flash mob dance troop at a train station in Antwerp became a viral sensation. Now Beirut has its own equivalent, with a well-choreographed flash mob dance at the Beirut airport Duty Free. The flash mob antics provide some hope that Lebanon might still persevere.
Lebanese culture has traditionally been moderate, cosmopolitan, and tolerant. Unfortunately, traditional Lebanese society is under attack by Hezbollah and its Iranian patrons, both of whom preach hatred and seek to replace a more cosmopolitan culture with one dominated by a repressive interpretation of religious ideology. Let’s hope the Lebanese continue to resist, and that the Obama administration won’t be tempted to further sacrifice Lebanon on the altar of appeasing larger enemies as, admittedly, did President Bush and Condoleezza Rice in their last years in office.