Looking for a solution

After countless negotiations a solution might appear to the deadlock. Sources say Hizballah may agree with Elias Murr taking the Defense Ministry. The catch is that Hizballah has to give the green light to the men that will take control of Lebanon's security services, army and intelligence. Most likely, Hizballah already assessed through its own intelligence service, which Generals have the capacity to empathize with it, and erased from the list those who are too Western for the party's taste. Both Hizballah and AMAL stressed that in spite of the separate talks and negotiations, the new government won't be formed, if Michel Aoun, their ally, is not satisfied with Siniora's proposals.

I highly recommend you read in full the following excellent editorial of Michael Young.

A third reason why writing Aoun off could be premature is that the March 14 coalition, particularly in the past week, has only confirmed how devoid it is of stirring ideas. If many Christians are far less enthusiastic than they were about Aoun, they have not transferred their enthusiasm to the majority. And yet there are things the March 14 leadership can and must do to behave like a majority and regain the initiative nationally.

What should March 14 group do.

For starters, the government and March 14 need to show more imagination when dealing with the social and economic crisis – the main concern today of all Lebanese. What has the government done to make this a priority? What has the majority done? There is no lack of money among states supporting March 14, no lack of interest from the Lebanese diaspora, to fund projects that might increase employment and reinforce the impression that the parliamentary majority, like Rafik Hariri once, stands for economic prosperity. The government may have limited constitutional powers today, but nothing prevents it from proposing practical measures alleviating the socioeconomic burden on the Lebanese that a new government could take up. In its rhetoric, March 14 almost never constructively tackles the population's declining purchasing power.

Unless March 14 moves on, Lebanon moves back.

And most importantly, in defending a state project March 14, particularly the Future Movement, needs to show that it has a tight rein on what is today a humiliated and confused Sunni community. Hariri cannot defend the project of a stronger state while allowing the Sunnis outside Beirut to slip further into a war mentality. That Hizbullah's recklessness is to blame for this goes without saying. But national suicide, to borrow from Michel Sleiman, will spare no one. And if Lebanon goes down that path, Syria will very likely again be tasked with imposing order on the country, ending the fragile freedom we won three short years ago.

Meanwhile, street clashes continue in Tripoli.