GREGORY HARMS blog: Summer 2014: Beirut

Travel email 3 of 3 (July 5, 2014)

Friends,

To round out my trip, I just spent a little under a week in Beirut. I had the time, certainly the inclination, and luckily no evidence of having entered Israel at any point. Travel to certain countries in the Middle East becomes impossible if one has Israeli stamps, visas, or the infamous "access denied" chop in one's passport. Surprisingly, Israeli passport control is generally accommodating in this regard. They used to stamp a separate sheet of paper for you, and now issue a digitally printed visa, complete with your picture and a barcode.

I flew from Amman to Beirut Int'l Airport, which is about a one-hour flight. This would have ordinarily been a bus or car ride; but on account of the situation in Syria, passing through Damascus is no longer an option.

Beirut is a city I have taken an interest in for some time, have studied its history, and written about its civil war (1975-90), specifically Israel's military operations there. Without going into the history, I'll just say Lebanon has been one of the most manipulated and ravaged countries in the Middle East. And though no longer the war zone it became known for, it still suffers from fragile internal politics and the occasional bombing.

Just a week prior to my visit, in Beirut alone there was a suicide/car bombing in the south (June 23) and two days later another suicide bombing at a hotel in the northwestern part of the city along the coastline. After such incidents, things can get quiet, but Beirutis are a tough lot and known for their ability to get on with things despite the constant threat of danger.

I'm hardly the first person to point out that Beirut is an East-meets-West city. It is. Though a mix of many religions and sects, Western dress and informal social interactions are basically the norm. One could be forgiven for not noticing that the Muslim month of Ramadan has begun (June 29). In a city like Amman, however, it is very clear.

In the more Christian areas of Beirut, there are bars and cafes. A lot of them. In these establishments, hearing Edith Piaf, Frank Sinatra, or Lou Reed is not an uncommon experience. Equal amounts of Arabic, French, and English can be heard.

However, under the surface Beirut is Arab and possesses the best aspects of Levantine culture. For a city of around 1.5 million people, one where there's a good deal of wealth (in the north), the friendliness is remarkable. People talk to strangers—Arab or otherwise—as if they know them personally. When I ask a random person on the sidewalk for directions, the response might as well begin with "Oh, hi Greg ..."

Being a French mandate territory after World War I, much French culture made its way into Beirut: the language, the food, the architecture. And a good deal more of the Western aesthetic was adopted along the way. Yet, they haven't picked up the, um, attitude. Beirut has maintained its Arab roots. And, of course, the corresponding food and music are present. This makes for a fascinating brew.

Beirut is: Turkish coffee, a fluorescent pair of Adidas trainers, someone smoking a water pipe, a war-scarred building, a sky-crane, a mosque, a church, a Maserati, an old woman wearing a black chador, a young couple playing chess by the sea, a soldier checking people's bags, an enthusing taxicab driver, men slap-shaking hands, a dish of poisson, a plate of zaatar, stenciled political graffiti, a city in touch with its history, a city pensive about its future.

I'm probably skewing a bit superficial, a bit aesthetic here. Yes, Beirut has problems—economic, political—that bear exploration. However, when Americans think "Beirut" they think burning cars, bombed out buildings, and streets full of rubble. Understandable. Due to how Lebanon was created, along with the role the United States and Israel have played there, Beirut is no stranger to nightmares. That said, I want to offer not a history lesson (see my Palestine-Israel Conflict, 3rd ed., p. 131-8) or a political analysis, but instead a brief, impressionistic rendering that hopefully adds some depth to our two-dimensional sense of this impressive city.

. . .

I am now back in Amman, soon to head home. I hope these few reports have given a decent sense of where I've been and what I've been up to. It was quite a month and a half.

Once again, I am truly thankful to you guys for supporting my fundraising campaign and making this trip a reality. I was overdue for a visit to the Middle East: a place I have studied in my efforts to make a political contribution, teach people what I've learned, and hopefully help move discussion of the region in a more informed direction.

Moreover, I have also grown personally interested in the Middle East, its people, and its history. I very much hope the day comes when the region is left to exist and develop on its own, free of foreign intervention and the byproducts it produces. We actually have a good deal of say in the matter, which begins with education and getting to know a people very much worth getting to know. I can certainly vouch for that.

Gregory