Comments on issues raised by BBC WHYS

The recent clashes in Lebanon show that the seeds of trouble are in this country’s political and religious structure. It is a country torn by political differences that make it regularly exposed to clashes of minor and major magnitude. Lebanon seems to have entered a phase of endless violence since the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah war. The irony of the situation in Lebanon is that the antagonists look outside their country for support. The current government is supported by the West, mainly the USA as it is supported by Saudi Arabia. The “strong” opposition led by Hezbollah is supported by Iran and Syria. Adding to this there is the problematic issue of the Palestinian refugees as there are sections in the Lebanese political class who want them to leave the country while Israel is refusing the return of the Palestinian refugees to their homeland. This adds to the internal tension.

Lebanon needs to be cleansed of foreign interferences as the Lebanese need to unite for their country instead of remaining divided into sections with different foreign allegiances to countries like Syria and Iran.

Without national unity and immunity from foreign interference, Lebanon is likely to continue being like a volcano that needs to emit its lava from time to time. Any section, Palestinian refugees, political parties can be manipulated by these forces for their political ends. As there are political views in Lebanon that are vehemently opposed, violence eruption will continue being triggered from one side or the other. This should be taken for granted.

“The Last King of Scotland” brought to the world’s attention the history of Uganda, which was known until the 90s of the last century as a troubled country. This film was very forceful in depicting the state of Uganda, which witnessed one the worst atrocities in Africa, with more than 300,000 killed by Idi Amin’s forces.

One of the scenes in this film is the expulsion of more than 80,000 Asians although their commercial activities were the backbone of Ugandan economy. That added just to the economic hardship of Uganda, making it one of the poorest countries in the world. Thanks to the return of stability under the current government, it is estimated that more than 15,000 have arrived in the country.

Last month there were attacks on the Asians as it was reported by the BBC

Linking the past with the present, there are questions to ask like:

How good are the relations between Ugandans and Asians? Is there any risk of a repetition of their forced expulsions from Uganda, in other words, will they continue to be the scapegoat for the economic problems the country is suffering from?