godsvictory

No

Support for Hezbollah does not neatly translate into sects. Maronites for instance are evenly divided between pro-resistance and anti-resistance. The last president, a maronite, was pro-resistance and pro-Assad. I cannot confidently speak about other Christian sects but the principle still stands.

;) ;)

It's slightly complicated. The leader of the party at the time, Bachir Gemayel, would flirt with the idea of normalisation with Israel. And there was an agreement that was put in place after the Israeli invasion in '82 but was subsequently rejected by the Lebanese parliament. The Lebanese Forces, which was the military compartment of the party, was provided with Israeli intel in some of their operations, like the Sabra and Shatila massacre.

One civil war and two assassinations later, the Kataeb party rebranded itself as a progressive opposition party. They haven't participated in the government for more than a decade now. From the ruling party to an irrelevant group, really makes you think.

Mujaddara!

Will definitely do so, comrade.

Despite the divisions that cut deep into the political fabric, there is always unity in times of crisis when facing an external threat. Many citizens have gladly opened their homes for refugees for free, some enterprises are providing them with free services and so forth. When it comes to military resistance, Hezbollah holds a monopoly over it, especially after all other political groups were disarmed after the end of the civil war in 1990.

Fawwaz Traboulsi is Marxist Historian and political scientist, definitely worth checking out.

Ussama Makdisi is Palestinian but wrote in depth about religious sectarianism in Lebanon.

Also check out kotobli which is a cool website to discover Arabic literature outside the framework of Anglo-American hegemony.

They are politically influential yet not enough to undermine the resistance. Although they have a majority in parliament, it is not enough to make decisions without the consent of pro-resistance parties. This is why we still cannot elect a president, which requires 2/3 of votes. The parliament speaker is also pro-resistance and plays a role in shutting down (illegaly) any decision that doesn't suit his party's interests.

From a military perspective, some factions tried to challenge Hezbollah in 2008 but ate shit. Hezbollah has historically directed his arms to the domestic space as a tool of coercion, hence the claim that Hezbollah has taken the country hostage.

The soviet union is rarely mentioned nowadays, be it positively or negatively. I presume this is because the union wasn't directly involved in the domestic affairs of the country, not even during the civil war. Some old people, usually muslims, have good impressions because they studied in soviet universities by means of scholarships. However the common talking points about soviet tyranny are prevalent here like in any capitalist society. Most true leftists I know defend the union or at least have sympathies towards it.

Opinions on the current Russian administration are mixed. Unsurprisingly the orthodox community is supportive of Russia. People's opinion also depends on how they view the Assadist regime in Syria, because Russia has been Syria's biggest ally since the eruption of the civil war. Sometimes you can see pro-Ruasian posters on advertisement signs. I also remember that Russia donated a remarkable quantity of wheat to Lebanon during the crisis.

Thank you for all your wishes, comrade. I dearly hope that your country one day regains its communist ways and surpasses its past glory.

Yes there is a significant "resistance" to the resistance. And your right in regards to blaming Hezbollah for the war. I compare the matter to a parent collectively punishing all of their children for one's fault, and so all siblings would dislike the one at fault instead of the parent's action. Except in reality the parent is a genocidal entity with which we had past experiences.

The opposition is not fond of zionists per se, but rather it is against any intervention in Lebanon's affairs, be it the Unites States or Russia or any other state. This is their official stance, but one cannot be sure what their real intentions are because there is a stigma in the arab world attached to normalisation with the entity.

Unfortunately most of what I write is in Arabic. And for the music I am waiting to upgrade my set up so I can record with better quality but I am currently broke lmao.