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A Government is What a Government Does: Hezbollah ChapterAgonist member Stunster provided a partial transcript of a speech by Nasrallah. I want to highlight part of it:
The first thing that struck me was the comparison to Katrina. Which response strikes you as the one you would expect from your government when so many people lose their homes - the US one, or the Hezbollah one? There are those who say that Hezbollah isn't ready to govern, that they aren't willing to do the "hard work of governing". This is the hard work of governing. And, once again, Hezbollah will steal a march on the Lebanese government. They will get money and aid to the population before the government does. Now one might argue that this is only reasonable - that they were at least partially responsible for the war (though it has become clear that Israel was just waiting for any reason to attack), but that's not the point. The point is whether you're there for your people when they need you. The US government, at the Federal, State and City levels all fell down on preparing New Orleans from a hurricane, then fell down on the job during the hurricane and the immediate aftermath, then fell down on helping the people rebuild. Nasrallah knows he has to deliver on this. The current adulation for Hezbollah could turn to resentment very easily when people have time to really take stock of what they've lost, and the government and other donors know that this is their chance to try and reduce the southern Shia's attachment to Hezbollah. Because this is a must do situation, and becuase Hezbollah are, in fact, very good at this sort of work, I'm betting that while there will be some grumbling, Hezbollah will not loose significant support in its base. (We'll see how they do with other groups. If they have the resources Hezbollah would be very wise to help the Christian, Druze and Sunni communities rebuild.) Meanwhile the real question will be whether Israel is willing to accept the result on the ground, or if they come back for another shot at it. Finally - notice that Nasrallah is lunging for legitimacy in a huge way. As I have noted in the past Hezbollah wants legitimacy badly, and frankly, trading it to them for a secure and peaceful border is probably the way to go. Ian Welsh August 14, 2006 - 1:56pm
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