UK and Lebanon in the New Middle East

Beirut has always been the best city in which to take the pulse of the Arab world, especially at such a tumultuous time for the region. The Arab uprisings have silenced those who thought that a desire for freedom, economic and political rights and dignity was somehow a Western concept. They have brought hope of a better life to millions, and demonstrated the raw, untrammelled power of new technology allied to old ideas. The net result could be the greatest gains for human rights and freedom since the end of the Cold War. But change has also exposed new divisions, new fears, new threats – all of which we must understand and manage if we are not to lose the ground won. Change has been led, and must continue to be led, by the people of the region. I think people are saying that they want three things: security, justice and opportunity. These are not Western concepts. They are the constructs of human dignity, a concept that is as universal as can be. The path of change is unique in each country of the region, but there is no contradiction between respect for a country’s unique culture and traditions, and the right of its people to participate politically and economically in the life of their country. The path of change will be difficult and there will be many challenges. There will be setbacks as well as progress in the years ahead. But the enormity of the task only strengthens the case for helping Arab nations to build their institutions, open up their economies and create strong civil society. The challenges should not blind us to the positive developments, many of which were unthinkable two years ago: in Tunisia, the first democratically elected parliament since the 1950s, with 24 percent of the seats held by women; in Libya, a new government after 40 years of one-man rule; and in Morocco, free elections under a new constitution and a prime minister selected from the largest party in the new parliament. We will work with these new, more representative, legitimate and accountable governments no matter what their political orientation, as long as they respect basic democratic principles, reject violence and respect international treaties. Through our Arab Partnership, Britain has committed 110 million pounds ($178.7 million) in assistance to the Middle East and North Africa over four years. To date we have supported projects worth around 10 million pounds in 11 countries across the region. These have included support to free and fair elections in Tunisia and Egypt, and working with partners across the region to build transparency and strengthen the rule of law. In Lebanon we have been proud to work on Lebanese-led initiatives, such as fostering education on religious diversity, citizenship and coexistence in school education. We have also piloted a unique fellowship program here, which uses high-level British expertise and mentoring to help Lebanese leaders in their field achieve their own individual initiatives to strengthen the rule of law. This project will, we hope, lay the foundation for the establishment of a fellowship network across the Middle East and North Africa. Looking forward, we should also help people access the power of the Internet and social media to understand, engage and to shape the world around them. If we want to help reformers win the argument against the sword, we should do more to better rearm them with the pen. We should do so not through some sort of paternalistic or orientalist hangover, but to help others better understand the foundations on which we chose to construct our societies. It is then their choice what to choose. We also need a greater focus on youth. We face an enormous challenge if we are to create the 50 million jobs in the Middle East in the next decade that are required to prevent more threatening and unpredictable unrest for a population increasingly dominated by 16 to 24-year-olds. I think we need to help reformers identify and articulate a much clearer vision for the future. I’ve spoken about the fact that it is easier to talk of Lebanon 2020 than Lebanon 2013. One international expert told me that he believes Lebanon can be the Singapore of the Middle East. How do we ensure that the right values, including pluralism and protection of minorities, underpin that vision? That’s a challenge for all Lebanese. Of course, these regional changes are also marked by violence, anxiety and uncertainty. As Zhou Enlai recently said of the French revolution, it is still too soon to judge the results. Forces of authoritarianism will hit back against those who want greater rights. Change will be the work of a generation. But I have no doubt which side of history we need to be on. Sickened by the footage we see of repression in Homs or elsewhere, I take comfort in my favorite Martin Luther King quote: “let us not forget that while the arc of the moral universe is long, it bends towards justice.” Inshallah. And if our support for democracy and freedom is to mean anything, the international community must also not give up on the Middle East peace process. The arc of the moral universe must also bend toward justice for the Palestinians. A two-state solution is the only viable and just outcome for Israel and Palestine, whatever the actions of extremists on either side. The Security Council played its role on Libya and Yemen, but has failed on Syria and Palestine. Lebanon has paid over several generations the price for the international community’s failure to deliver such an outcome. And we cannot credibly articulate a values-driven vision for the region while such an outcome evades us. Lebanon has, at its best, led the region in intellectual and journalistic independence and dynamism. Lebanon has, at its best, provided a model of coexistence amid diversity. Lebanon has, at its best, provided a bridge for ideas, people and commerce between East and West. And, as you know better than I do, Lebanon has, at its worst, shown us the peril of making the wrong political choices, of relying on external interference, of focusing more on what divides than unites. The region needs to see Lebanon at its best again. I remain an optimist, especially about the courage, ingenuity and tenacity of the Lebanese people, who have weathered tougher storms in the past. And everything I have seen convinces me that the forces holding Lebanon together remain stronger than those that would seek to tear it apart. We stand with the former. Lebanon is an idea worth fighting for, not fighting over.