The Cedars 'Telephone Revolution

By Walid Phares
Putting its fear aside, Lebanon's civil society decided to demonstrate against the Syrian occupation on Monday despite the presence of thousands of Mukhabarat in the country as well as Syrian troops. The Lebanese opposition, Christian, Sunni, Druse and some Shiite moderates will be converging from all areas of the country as of early Monday into Beirut downtown. The leaders of the opposition and activists said "you will see the mother of all demonstrations for freedom and democracy." Indeed, as I was on the phone with leaders of the Lebanese diaspora and NGO's inside Lebanon, I was told that every single village, town and neighborhood will be represented. "Even the kindergarten teachers will be there, calling on moms to keep the children at home," told me human rights activists. This time, expect not only the regular patriotic students but the shopkeepers, farmers, bankers and workers. They will be leaving their workplaces just to show the world what the public really want.
Lebanese knows that the world wants to see them on the TV screens to believe that freedom is on the rise. "And indeed you will see us on your sets," said many on the phone. And they do have a point. This is not Hizbollah's militant march supported by the Syrian and Lebanese regimes. This is going to be a demonstration against the occupation and despite the regimes not with its support. The demonstrators of Monday won't be loaded on Syrian buses from the border, but they will come from their mountains and urban zones. They aren't the recipients of the annual 40 million dollars from Iran's Mullahs, but will spend from their own savings. They do not have militias, aren't backed by the Syrian intelligence and aren't seeking privileges for one particular community but freedom for all Lebanese.
Hizbollah brought in about 225,000 marchers, and maybe more last week. That's what it assembled last fall to protest UNSCR 1559. The Syrian regime and its allies then called it the "Million Demonstration." But despite the backing of three regimes: Tehran, Damascus and the Syrian controlled Lebanese regime, it got only the fourth of the numbers expected. Hizbollah's march may have impacted many in the West, because no one analyzed it for them. Would we be influenced by the rallies organized by Fidel Castro, Khomeini, or Stalin? Of course not: These are the supporters of the regime and those who profit from it. I would be impressed to see hundred dissident braving the oppressive regimes, not a 100,000 praising oppression and obstructing democracy.
East Timor’s entire population didn't exceed 700,000. Their largest demonstrations brought about 30,000. The Indonesian occupying administration used to bus in half a million, almost as many citizens of the Island. But the international community stood by the free few versus the regime organized events. So should the world do today: For on Monday, watch the brave marchers for freedom taking on the Terrorists networks and the regimes supporting Terrorism. Beirut demonstrators are among the most courageous in the world: Alone, without weapons and facing the alliance between Syria, Iran and Hizbollah will walk with their flags and chanting. Isn't this demonstration one of the greatest battle in the War on Terror?
And from the Lebanese Diaspora, another revolution is brewing. Out of many cities from Sydney to Los Angeles, the World Lebanese Cultural Union (WLCU) has requested from the Lebanese Diaspora worldwide to act in solidarity with the people of Lebanon as it will be marching to protest the Syrian occupation next Monday in Beirut. They have requested that each able Lebanese in the world would make one phone call to a relative or a friend in Lebanon asking them to participate in the march on Monday. Each demonstrator will represent at least one emigrant or one Lebanese in exile. These are the instructions:
1) Make a phone call during the week end to encourage the demonstrators and to inform them that the Diaspora will be watching them during the demonstration from a city or town across the Globe.
2) On early morning this Monday Lebanese around the world will be calling demonstrators in Beirut on their cell phones to symbolically march with them. Each marcher contacted will be representing one to ten around the world.
I dubbed it the "Cedars Telephone Revolution."
Unless the Syrians and the Hizbollahi have decided to break the demonstration by force, the frontlines in the battle for democracy and freedom will move forward again next Monday..
Dr Walid Phares is a senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington DC.