An uprising is indeed called for in the face of a rampant neo-liberal state that has a remarkably resilient ideological apparatus supported by a highly militarized security force. This uprising is to be affirmed, supported, and pushed to reach its radical potentials. The main challenge facing the protestors is to rid themselves from the populist claims that appear tightly wedded to a staunch Lebanese nationalism that has been remarkably present across the spectrum of protest. The celebratory orations of the Lebanese anthem and calls for sectarian unity, Muslim and Christian, is a form of jouissance that must be countered by substantive demands for social justice, the abolishment of class inequalities, and the reclaiming of the commons and all other public services that have been systematically destroyed and privatized over the past decades. The troika of neo-liberal capitalism, sectarian state apparatus, and clientelist militia that now rules the country is indeed a monstrous enemy that can only live longer through national sentiment. This national sentiment divorced from anti-capitalist demands may indeed save the state in its current duel with the socially progressive forces on the ground.
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The conceptual apparatus of the revolt has to be challenged: de-politicization , ‘adam al-tasyis, must be countered with a re-definition of the political, activism (nashiteen) replaced with rebels (thuwar), violence and non-violence replaced by state violence versus revolutionary violence (that may be non-violent yet transformative in its radical demands), against the “political class” (al-tabaqqa al-siyyasiya) replaced by against class, anti-corruption by anti-neoliberal capitalism, and the list goes on. Most importantly, the role of television in portraying the protest in terms of citizenship has been highly destructive for it is assuming that national identity is already had, that it is not indeed being placed under negotiation and scrutiny with the explicit critique of the system as a whole. We must counter the consumption of nationalism that is being forced upon us, Beirut cannot remain the sole center of the revolt: the streets, neighbourhoods villages, towns, and homes are the true center of the revolt. Most importantly, the uprising urges those on the left to awaken to their role, to re-formulate a universalist revolutionary politics beyond national borders, to unveil the local conditions of capitalist global domination, and to invite the broader populace into a radical politics beyond the existing party structures and non-governmental organisations.
