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INTRODUCTION
The Lebanon that is being currently portrayed is not the Lebanon
we knew. It is devoid of sovereignty, justice and liberty.
Despite huge efforts, the regime has failed to achieve
credibility; no one is deceived any longer by its flagrant
masquerades.
But Lebanon did represent in the past a reasonable model of
liberty, tolerance and cultural pluralism.
It was that particular Lebanon which was identified with the
vision of Charles Malek, a Co-author of the Universal Charter of
Human Rights; He wrote: "Two words summarize the
distinctiveness of Lebanon: Humanity and Liberty". Nowhere in
the Middle East, did the rule of law blossom and prevail as freely
as it did in Lebanon. There was an unwritten respect for human
dignity. Similarly Liberty in its fundamental dimensions was
observed, understood and practiced in Lebanon.
Alas, this Lebanon is no more!
Lebanon today is a far cry from the country of freedom.
Oppression, injustice and tyranny now shackle it. The genesis of
this tragic transformation will now be examined.
"Freedom is not given as a gift (...). One can live under
a dictatorship and still remain free provided he fights it. Man,
who thinks freely and fights for what he believes is right, is
also a free man. Man shouldn't beg for his freedom, he should take
it". (Bread and Wine, I chapter, trad. J-P Samson).
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