At long last, Nasrallah needs to spell out his bottom line

At long last, Nasrallah needs to spell out his bottom line

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's speech on Friday hinted at possible exits from the impasse that exists between the opposition that he leads and the government headed by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. As has so often been the case, however, anyone who listened to the Hizbullah leader's words was denied a detailed description of what the principal issues are - and therefore what the solutions might be. The ruling coalition against which Nasrallah and his allies have been struggling is also guilty of providing little substance to back up its positions, but the fact of the matter is that since the opposition demands change, it has a responsibility to explain what that change would entail, what its bottom-line goals are - and how far the opposition is wiling to go in order to achieve them.

These are not onerous conditions. Whatever criticisms have been leveled against it, Hizbullah is almost universally acknowledged as a well-organized party that does not undertake important projects without having identified its goals and the means to reach them. Unlike most political groupings in Lebanon, this one has a coherent ideology and generally follows policies that reflect a discernible point of view. It is unsettling, therefore, that at the very moment of history when the resistance could do itself - and all Lebanese - so much good by precisely defining its intentions, its has refrained from doing so.
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Astute observer that he is, Nasrallah is more capable than most of realizing that he and his colleagues are regularly excoriated as a spearhead for Iranian and Syrian agendas that clash with Lebanon's national interests. It is true that his opponents are also accused of serving foreign masters, but Hizbullah has always styled itself as a party that rises above the petty tribalism practiced by so many other Lebanese political entities. It has frequently lived up to this self-image, but not since it has become embroiled in the current death dance with the government. Siniora and his allies in the March 14 Forces make such easy targets for thoughtful criticism on so many subjects that it is difficult to imagine why members of the opposition in general - and Hizbullah in particular - have not been more forthcoming on their specific grievances and the remedies they suggest.

This failure to articulate a detailed policy platform only serves to feed the common apprehension - fed by the government and its supporters - that Hizbullah cannot be trusted to irrevocably put Lebanon's interests above any other priorities. The only way for Nasrallah to allay these fears and broaden his appeal is to end the suspense by stating unequivocally what he and his party want for this country.