March 14 Coalition Masters the ART OF POLITICAL SUICIDE

Dr. Ibrahim Mousawi

March 14 forces campaign, spearheaded by Al-Mustaqbal party to overthrow Premier Miqati's government yielded a complete failure.

Again and again, the coalition of these forces proves to be big-headed, short-sighted and immature. Their failure recently has given a stark example about how a political group could be a masterpiece of expertise in political suicide.

The opposition forces fell short to read the political map correctly, so they went as far as to try bringing the government down in the street by attacking the grand Serail, oblivious of the right assessment of the regional and international events. They did not know that the whole world is busy minding more crucial issues in the region.

The outcome of March 14 forces' campaign was catastrophic by all means; is not it enough to remember the picture of the five permanent security members' ambassadors to Lebanon to indicate the extent of great support this government received to ignore all threats, and continue to assume its responsibilities.

The list of failures is too long, and the direct and indirect losses are too. But the persistent question that can not be over skipped is the following: what calculations did the opposition forces do and made them believe they can win this time? Why they thought they could trespass the red lines that they once demarcated to others?

Needless to say that the time and place were not working to their side and the general public mood did not favor their move as well. They did what they did out of political bankruptcy and shallow understanding.

Now, coming to the results they yielded out of this failed political adventure, one can discover horrible points:

- First, there is a general sense of weakness and fragility that characterized their movement in every aspect and detail, which reflected itself in the low participation of people in the funeral event, though it was called for by many leading figures of March 14. The lack of organization and orientation punctuated and tainted the event, and the incoercible desire to invest politically in the crime, made the funeral of martyr Wissam al-Hasan almost invisible amidst vengeful speeches.

- Second, the attack of March 14 forces against the Serail premises which resulted in injuring many security personnel who are assigned to ensure the safety and security of the place, along with the materialistic damage they caused undermined once again and for all the boasted credibility they always preached about building the state and abiding by its rules. It was clear from the very beginning that their main drive was and continues, is to seize power by all means, and to this end, all means are justified.

- Third, the violent attack of al-Mustaqbal militia against the Lebanese army in many Lebanese regions has put the militia face to face with the state institutions and evacuated all its previous slogans and claims about building a nation state from its content, let alone, the systematic blockade of streets and random checkpoints which checked people's identities, which brought the painful memories of civil war. Doing all of this, March 14 forces have been able to break all the red lines in one day, that they put into shame the most veteran militias during civil war days.

March 14 forces have betrayed the basic principles they have been preaching for years, and they proved readiness to do anything to get back to power seats. Their failure caused them heavy price; eroding the remaining of credibility, and bringing disappointment and despair to their followers.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian
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