Those parties who are now objecting to the interference of a group of Lebanese people –a group that currently opposes the Syrian regime – in the so-called “domestic Syrian affairs" must have a really short memory span since they forgot the slogan that became a “national" tune in Lebanon back in the time of Syrian tutelage and almost became part of the national anthem... The slogan is, “one population in two countries." Back then, all the supporters of the Syrian influence in Lebanon were fond of this slogan. The point was to stress on the keenness of the rulers of the “one population" - who happened to live in the neighboring country, Syria - to make major sacrifices in order to protect this part of “their population," which happened to live in the other country. There were justifications to explain that Syrian interference, including the division of the Lebanese, their sectarian strife as well as their inability to build united political and security institutions without the protection of the “Big Brother." One Lebanese ruler who was happy to rule by proxy on behalf of the Syrian regime even went as far as accusing his Lebanese counterparts of being “minors!" Of course, no one dared during that “golden" era to question the violations of that so-called “unity" between the two populations or the destruction of the parties, associations, municipalities, villages, and families, all with the aim of creating pretexts for that interference. The Syrian part of the “one population" was concerned with the dwellers on the other side of the borders! What if we were to compare that kindness with what the once “one population" Lebanese supporters are doing now when it comes to ignoring the ailments of the Syrian people and considering that killing them for demanding freedom is a natural reaction to the so-called “conspiracy" – which Syria is said to be subjected to on the hands of its “terrorist" people? A large proportion of the Lebanese are disregarding what their Syrian brothers are going through. They are even gloating while all what the Syrian people did was to object to the ruling system, only to be met with killings and bullets on the part of the regime. Some Lebanese parties are even defending the methods used by the Syrian regime against its people. Is this how the people of the “one population" should be feeling for one another? The objection of the Syrian regime's allies to any Lebanese voice rising in support of the Syrian opposition is proof that the theory of the “one population" is a one-way theory as it is only concerned with the interests of the ruling regime in the strong neighboring country. Neither the people nor the slogan has anything to do with what actually went on. Neither the Lebanese nor the Syrians were once asked whether they approved the practices that characterized that dark phase of the Lebanese-Syrian relations. This is because the party in control in Damascus, and its followers in Beirut, were never concerned with what their people had to say. The means of propaganda were always ready to come up with theories and justify their power; and prisons and bombs were always ready to respond to the objectors. After all the misdeeds of the Syrian regime in Lebanon, is it too surprising that its opponents are now supporting the group that is fighting and paying a hefty price in blood in order to get rid of that regime? Does this not serve the joint interests of the Syrian and Lebanese people and the establishment of adequate relations between them in the future?
