Bidding War
The Lebanese Bloggers are discussing all the money interested parties are throwing at Lebanon in an attempt to buy influence.It all began with a competition over who would offer more mulla to the thousands of Lebanese whose homes were destroyed during the one-month-long Israeli offensive. Hizballah offered $12,000, the international community responded by pooling their resources together and offering $40,000.
He goes on about how it is not only bridges but villages that are being reconstructed. No mention of whether the villages will be renamed.
Then, Lebanon's billionaire politicians started to compete over who would re-build the destroyed bridges that the Israelis so generously targeted "to prevent Hizballah from re-arming itself." They publicly selected their favorite bridges and promised to fork over the funds necessary to rebuild them - on condition that the bridges be named after them, once constructed.
Then he comes to the latest bit of munificience offered by the Saudis. BEIRUT, 7 September 2006 — Saudi Arabia will pay the fees for all the students of all levels studying in Lebanese government schools.
It probably is also an attempt to keep kids out of Hizballah schools and buy at least temporary loyalty from their parents.
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Abdul Aziz Khoja made this announcement during a meeting with Lebanese Premier Fuad Siniora in Beirut yesterday, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
"Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah issued the order to enable the Lebanese education institutions to meet the cost of education and guarantee that no student remains outside of school because he does not have a desk or books," Khoja said in a statement run by the SPA.
The gesture aims at enabling educational institutions in Lebanon to overcome educational burdens.
So far Iran has been out bid at every step. I covered some of the points discussed here including the bidding war for lost housing mentioned above in Lebanon's Cash Flow Problems.
Update: 10 Sept '06 0509z
The Captain
doesn't like Lebanese prospects.
Posts
1 comment:
FROM CAROL HERMAN
With the arabs, there's always reality checks. (I learned this when so many promises came to Abbas. But the checks weren't in the mail.) The arabs are good at this. The cameras are always there when they make their announcements. But if you want the money. You have to look for the spigot from which it would flow. And, those aren't marked, exactly.
So a lot of this stuff is still just hot air.
Then? Well, there's the 10% Chirac gets. And, that's at the top. Then, there are the grifters in the middle, as well.
By the way. Nasrallah's still underground. He's afraid to come out. He's afraid Israel has a special laser light, attached to a drone. Just looking for him.
And, then? Those Shi'a? Who used to live in Lebanon? But their buildings are flattened like pancakes? (That's what happens when you don't have honest bulding inspectors. And, you can get away with NOT building to CODE.) Instead? The mullets say prayers when these things are opened. Then? Smart ones run like hell.
Which brings me to have to tell you that today there are about a million Lebanese Shi'a in SYRIA. Where they're trying to find Assad's pockets. Without much luck.
It's the Mideast. The truth is never told. But you know the worry? There's a fear out there that what the Palestinians "do" ... which is local mafia type stuff. Can take root ahead, in Lebanon. And, then it will be a "wild place." Long before the truth gets told.
Add to this all those foreigners coming in wearing Blue Hats. (Though I think a lot of them will try to get passes to visit Israel to spend their travel dollars, you just never know.) The french, meanwhile, will want a whole class of "bathing beauties" not usually found in the Mideast. Somebody's gonna have to send int he russian girls. (Where, again. Guess who'd come to the rescue? You didn't know? Israel has 3 million russian citizens these days. Just the ticket. On top of the rubble just created in Southern Lebanon will be a thriving black market business.) Almost too funny for words.
Post a Comment