Daily Archives: May 11, 2017

Palestinian refugee camps are up in flames, across the country, a result of the disputes between the rival factions, but also of unsavory influences from abroad. As everyone knows here, there are, for instance, the Al Qaida-affiliated militants hiding in the South.

There are Israeli incursions into Lebanon, both by land and by water. There are also drones, flying habitually from Israel into and through the Lebanese airspace.

There is great tension between Israel and Hezbollah, over Syria, but not only.

Lebanese forces are fighting DAESH, mainly in the Northeast of Lebanon, on the mountainous border with Syria. Hezbollah is fighting DAESH, too, but independently.

In the 7th year into the war in Syria, there are still more than 1 million Syrian refugees living on Lebanese territory, some in awful conditions and many with extremely uncertain future. The exact number is unknown (UNHCR stopped the registration of all new arrivals approximately 2 years ago), but is believed to fluctuate between 1 and 2 million.

There is mounting tension between the Syrian and the Lebanese communities, as they are now competing for already sparse jobs and public services (including such basic utilities like water), while Palestinian refugees have been stranded in Lebanon already for decades, with very little social, political and economic rights.

There is a drug epidemic, from its production (mainly in the Bekaa Valley), to its unbridled consumption in Beirut.

A new government has finally been formed in December 2016, after more than 2.5 years of absence of any functioning administration. However, the Prime Minister is a Sunni Muslim, Saad Hariri, who is openly hostile to Syria and has directly expressed support for the recent US attacks against the neighboring country. Mr. Hariri has long been accusing Hezbollah and Syria of assassinating his father, Rafik Hariri, in February 2005. Mr. Hariri has dual citizenship, that of Lebanon and also of Saudi Arabia where he was born (in Riyadh). On the other hand, the President of Lebanon is now a Maronite Christian, 83-years old Michel Aoun, who came to power thanks to the unfailing support given to him by Hezbollah, the fact that puts him at odds with the Prime Minister.

There is an ongoing struggle, even deadlock, amongst the political parties (in Lebanon often synonymous with sectarian divisions), over such varied issues as the electoral law, waste management, international political alliances, foreign military funding, gender-based discrimination, employment as well as all basic social services (or acute lack of them).

* * *

Lebanon is literally surrounded by perpetual conflicts. Syria, the country in great agony is right next door, north and east of tiny Lebanon, while mighty and aggressive Israel is threatening the country from the south. The United Nations troops are patrolling the so-called UN 2000 Blue Line or the de facto border between Lebanon and Israel. In fact, UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon) has for years been covering a large part of the countrys territory. It all feels like a war zone.

In fact the region consists of a series of temporarily dormant conflicts that are ready to explode again, at any moment, with destructive, murderous force.

The occupied and devastated Golan Heights is just across the borderline, too. Officially, The Golans are still part of Syria, but the Israelis have already purged most of its population, resettling it with their own citizens. During my visit, some 4 years ago, the situation was already dire, the area scarred by barbed wires, with Israeli military posts and vehicles everywhere. Many local houses were destroyed, as punishment. If you drive to the geographical extreme, you can see the Golan Heights from Lebanon. You can also see Israel, while Syria is always there, right behind the majestic and bare mountains.

The UN peacekeepers come from all parts of the world, including South Korea, Indonesia and Europe. Right before the Coastal Highway ends, near the city of Tyre, the motorists pass through the last Lebanese checkpoint. The UNIFIL protected area begins, with armored vehicles, sandbags and watchtowers. It reads, on the concrete blocks intended to slow down the traffic:

Peace to Lebanon, Glory to Korea!

Palestinian refugee camps are overflowing. Syrian refugees (some in awful conditions) are working like slaves in the Bekaa Valley, begging for money in Sidon and Beirut, or if they are wealthy, renting lavish seafront condominiums on the Corniche of the capital city.

* * *

Despite all the bravado, Lebanon is scared; it is petrified.

Everybody knows that Israel could hit at any moment, again. It is said that Israelis are already stealing Lebanese oil from the seabed, but the weak and almost totally defenseless country can do almost nothing against one of the mightiest military forces on Earth.

All over the country, there are dormant cells of ISIS (DAESH) and of other extremist militant groups, overflowing from war-torn Syria. The ISIS is dreaming about a caliphate and the access to the sea. Lebanon is right there, a perfect location.

Both Russia and China are keeping a relatively low profile here, not too interested in operating in this divided and uncertain political climate. In Lebanon, there are very few permanent loyalties left;allegiances are often shifting andare frequently dependent on outside funding.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are always present here, and so is the West. Hezbollah (on several lists of the terrorist organizations of the West) is the only pan-Lebanese force capable and willing to provide at least some basic social services for the poor, as well as determined military and ideological defense against Israel.

Many political analysts are predicting that Lebanon will collapse, totally, and soon. But it is still here, determined and defiant. How, nobody knows. For how long, is a total mystery!

Patrolled by the UN, overflowing with refugees, Lebanon is shining into the night. Its Ferraris are roaming through its streets, without mufflers, until early morning hours. Its nightclubs are seducing hedonist visitors from the Gulf. Its art cinemas are as good or even better than those in Paris. At the AUB Medical Center, the best Middle Eastern surgeons are treating the most horrid war injuries from the area.

Here, war and self-indulgence are living side by side. Some say it is nothing else other than a bare cynicism. Others would argue:

No, it is life! Life of the 21st century world; exposed, brought to the extreme, but in a way honest.

Andre Vltchekis a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Three of his latest books are revolutionary novel Aurora and two bestselling works of political non-fiction: Exposing Lies Of The Empire and Fighting Against Western Imperialism. View his other books here. Andre is making films for teleSUR and Al-Mayadeen. Watch Rwanda Gambit, his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo. After having lived in Latin America, Africa and Oceania, Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through hiswebsite and his Twitter.

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Lebanon: Hedonism and War - Center for Research on Globalization

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When Duran Duran convened to record the balance of Rio at George Martins storied AIR Studios in the beginning of 1982, they couldnt have known the major leap they were about to make both in their own career and in pop music as a whole. The sound and stance the album represented would help push them toward the worldwide superstardom that came to full fruition with 1983s Seven and the Ragged Tiger, and would provide a payoff on the aspirations of the New Romantic movement in the bargain.

The bands self-titled 1981 debut album made them stars in the U.K. but they had yet to beat a path to the top in America. As the poster boys for the New Romantic movement that took over England in 1980-81, they started out by mixing post-punk edge with German-influenced electronics, glam influences, and a solid disco-informed groove (early on they cheekily described their sound as a blend of Chic and the Sex Pistols).

They also fully embraced the New Romantic anti-punk ethos that valued aspirational hedonism over gritty anarchismthey wanted to be pop stars living the high life. But despite having hooks aplenty, their first album still bore trace elements of their underground beginnings and lacked a full-on pop production sheen. It felt more like music for the emerging dance-rock club culture than the work of a world-beating pop phenomenon.

But even before the album was out, Rios first single, My Own Way (released in late 81) signaled a shift. Its swooping strings, soaring choruses, and do-or-die production pointed towards the glittering prize of Duran Durans worldwide pop-star future, even if an altered version was eventually cut for the album release.

You didnt even need to pull the LP out of its sleeve to get a whiff of what the band was aiming for on Rio. For the album cover, Duran Duran enlisted the talents of Patrick Nagel, sort of an American Alberto Vargas, best known for his glossy images of women for Playboy magazine. The explosive colors, sleek lines, and glamour-gal image contrasted sharply with the starkly framed band shot adorning Duran Durans debut.

The inner-sleeve image of the band followed suit. Instead of the flowing, foppish New Romantic gear they sported on the first albums cover, the boys presented a sort of proto-Miami Vice look, nattily attired in expensive-looking suits and looking better suited for celebrity hobnobbing than cultish clubbing.

And of course, the visuals set up a batch of songs equally invested with a shiny, stylish flair. Rio is an ode to the idealized title figure, an aspiring international playboys dream girl. A guest sax solo from Andy Hamilton added to the sophisticated Roxy Music vibe, and the tracks combination of elegant melodic flow and danceable groove was the mixture that would hit pay dirt for the band.

That song and Hungry Like the Wolf solidified this second phase of Duran Durans evolution and lodged themselves and the band firmly into the pop pantheon forevermore. A generous helping of power chords from guitarist Andy Taylor mixes with John Taylors (no relation) thumb-slapping bass lines and Nick Rhodes frothy, burbling synths. But Simon Le Bons suave delivery of his feral, randy lyrics probably did more than anything to aid in the bands burgeoning sex-symbol status. The singles Top 5 placement on both the U.K. and U.S. charts served notice of Duran Durans increased commercial clout as well.

The videos the band made for these tunes had no small role in establishing Duran Durans new image either. In Hungry Like the Wolf theyre Indiana Jones-like adventurers in exotic locales. The Rio video finds them alternately sunning themselves on a yacht and engaged in beachside antics in tropical climes, clad in the same sort of well-tailored suits seen in the album art. Not only did these ubiquitous clips solidify the bands superheroes-of-hedonism persona, they changed the game for the entire music video industry.

Watch the Video for Rio

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But Duran Durans intercontinental stardom had its downside too. John Taylor was, at least in Le Bons view, leaping a tad too wholeheartedly into the whole hedonism thing, taking full advantage of the bands lofty perch to overindulge in every conceivable way. On one level, its simply whats expected of a certain sort of rock star, but Le Bon worried that instead of burning the candle at both ends, Taylor was taking a blowtorch to the middle and endangering himself in the process. In lieu of a frank discussion, Le Bon decided to channel his concerns into the lyrics for Hold Back the Rain, which he actually slipped under Taylors door after finishing them. Decades later, Le Bon said Taylor never offered up any response, but if nothing else, it all ended up in one of Rios most potent, propulsive tunes.

By the albums end, the other side of Duran Durans sound popped its head up. The records last two tracks were like a long, wistful sigh following the urgent momentum of the rest of Rio. The delicate Save a Prayer floats on a bed of lush bed of synths as its tender, romantic sentiments unfold into one of the most emotionally impactful ballads in the entire Duran Duran oeuvre.

And on the albums final track, The Chauffeur, the band taps into something downright transcendent that has nothing to do with the pursuit of pop perfection but instead speaks to their credibility as true artistes. Its a poetic, wistful evocation of romantic yearning riding on a fragile, arty framework. Rhodes graceful keyboard lines support Le Bons evocative lyrics in an arrangement thats unconventional without being inaccessible. The drums dont even enter the scene until halfway through the track, turning up in time to help propel the songs long, atmospheric ride-out and achieving a feel somehow closer to a 60s Godard film than an 80s pop record.

Watch the Video for The Chauffeur

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But artful detours aside, ultimately, Rio proved that both Duran Duran and the entire British new wave realm from which they emerged could be refitted for more pop-friendly purposes and take over the world in the process.

Duran Duran Albums Ranked in Order of Awesomeness

Next: Revisit Duran Duran's Self-Titled Debut

Link:

35 Years Ago: Duran Duran Invents the '80s on 'Rio' - Diffuser.fm - Diffuser.fm