❊ In Lebanon, “Dialogue” Means “Black Hole”

Whenever Mr. Najib Mikati is asked about the international tribunal, he gives this standard answer:

“this is a topic of disagreement in Lebanon and should be handled through dialogue within the Lebanese institutions”

For the record. This is not just an unsatisfactory answer, this is BS. The kind of BS that has a long tradition and history in Lebanese political life.

In Lebanon, “dialogue” is the tool that Hezbollah uses whenever it wants indefinitely postpone discussing matters it doesn’t like (its weapons, the STL). To other parties who deal with Hezbollah, saying that they’ll have a “dialogue” is a polite way of admitting that there’s nothing they can do. To the president — and now Mr. Mikati — dialogue is the way to show us that they’re working when they’re not.

“Dialogue” is the art of cooling things down until the external powers figure out what they want to do. Dialogue is the technique to placate angry Lebanese until the next round of fighting. Dialogue is also the way politicians justify allying themselves with unsavory groups. The word is so versatile in fact that whenever there’s a question a politician can’t answer, he can always fall back on the ever reliable “dialogue”

Now that I’m thinking of it, it is kind of scary the Mr. Mikati will be the Prime Minister of dialogue.