Lebanon at the Iraqi Blogodrome · Global Voices
Salam Adil

The Iraqi blogs have been alive with comment on the crisis in Lebanon. The opinions are so diverse that subject deserves to be covered in its own right.
If you read no other post read this one
Ali from Free Iraqi delivers a sharp analysis that would make Machiavelli nervous. He starts:
“I do wish the war between Israel and Hezbollah goes on and on, that it spreads to involve Iran and Syria.”
Why?
“Death is not the worst outcome to us and I’m sure they can understand if they want to but they still can’t imagine it. I only cared that much about life when I was given a chance to live a decent life. Now that this chance is slipping count me on the cheerleaders for death; death of dictators, their killing machine and the terrorists, and if it means our death too then so be it.”
It is not that you should agree with him but, like the Al-Jazeera interview with Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah it is refreshing to see an analysis that just get to the point without the usual smoke and mirrors that are used to mollify the nervous populations in the West. War is ugly, get over it and get to the point!
On all sides of the divide
There is a whole spectrum of opinion from Iraqi bloggers from out-and-out support for Hezbollah to views that Israeli leaders would not dare repeat. And several shades between.
Hammorabi is against the war. He laments the loss of civilian life and wishes for an immediate seize fire but states that: “The most important [issue] now is that, Hizballah showed that they are able to attack with precisions deep inside Israel. This will change the balance of power in away that if Israel hit inside Lebanon the Lebanese may hit heavily inside Israel.” he also foresees that the nature of the Israeli aggression will create a world where: “every state [that] wants to protect itself and its civilians has to arm itself with nuclear power and heavy destructive war machine as Israel doing now.”
On the other side Mohammed of Iraq the Model does not want any “half-solution” to the conflict and calls for the war to extend to “firm and resolute measures .. to be undertaken against Syria and Iran.” Who he argues are behind a trail of instability from Iraq to Lebanon and Palestine. He argues that if America does not fight a conventional war with Iran now it will face a nuclear armed Iran in the future.
Abu Tammam reminds us that at one time the founders of the State of Israel were considered terrorists and some were wanted by the British police.
Z, an Iraqi in New Zealand, has thrown his lot on Israel's side. “Israel has right to be attacking Lebanon it has. There were some intentional attacks for preservation against its neighbors but I can only imagine for any Arab nation to doing no less the same as Israel is doing now.” he writes. And he is bitter about his fellow Arabs:
“Neither Hizbollah nor Hamas have done any good to Iraq. All they do is love sending militant Iranis and Iraqis with weapons and their sons for martyrdom to kill other Iraqis or hail their flags to Saddam and his family.”
While Z writes about what divides Iraq and Lebanon, Baghdad Treasure looks at what unites:
I was watching the news bulletin: same footage, same suffering and almost same attacker for the same reason. Buildings collapse and people die, cry and flee homes. Children are hurt, mothers weep and parents sob. Maybe no one in the world feel what is happening in Lebanon like Iraqis…
I take a bow with full respect to the Lebanese people, brothers and sisters of the Iraqi people. Both will win in the end, not necessarily by weapons but by will, the will of revival despite the hateful aggressions and successive wars. The will of Iraqis that rebuilt their country after the 1991 aggression is the same will which Lebanese people will adopt in rebuilding their country and is the same will Iraqis will restore to revive their country and the smile of its people. Viva Lebanon… Viva Iraq…
The Exiled Shalash, is no friend of Hezbollah but says Israel is doing itself no favors. On one side Hezbollah has been elevated to the status of “a regional player to which the world must now listen.” and on the other:
“The Jewish state found itself trapped in this crisis. … the all-out war against Lebanon that Israel declared was no justification for two soldiers, so they upped the stakes, calling for Hizbollah to disarm… It is now too late for Israel to back away and be satisfied with the return of its two soldiers, they have started something they need to finish. It is justifiable, in a military sense to cut the enemy's supply routes, but in this case, that just happens to affect millions of non-concerned Lebanese civilians, not to mention the tourists who found themselves trapped.”
Salam Adil (that's me) says Israel is just making itself irrelevant. The world economy has moved to the east and countries like Dubai have taken away the economic significance of Lebanon.
“Gone are the days when the ‘Middle’ of the Middle East has any strategic relevance to the Arabs. The world has moved on and the warheads in Israel, too puffed up in their own arrogance, have failed to notice. …
We are back to the old Israel of the 70's. It will make the media companies happy for a while … and then bit by bit, the world will lose interest. All the petrodollars will flow into Dubai, the far east and Iraq… And Israel will become nothing more than a drain on the US taxpayer.”
The Last Word…
… goes to Liminal:
Destroying Lebanon like they are doing (and sanctioning), is like shooting Bruce Lee down with an F16. Don'tch ya think? There's no honor in it. No honor at all…for making all Lebanese people suffer for the crimes of few.