Tens of thousands of people in Iraq and Lebanon have been protesting against their governments for weeks now.
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In Iraq, the demonstrators have faced brutal repression, with more than 400 protesters killed so far, whereas, in Lebanon, the protests have thankfully been relatively peaceful with one recorded death to date.
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But, despite the drastic differences between their handling of the protests, political leaders in the two countries have been dragging their feet on enacting real reforms.
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Apart from the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri last month, there has been no agreement by Lebanon’s ruling elite on the way forward.
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This week, however, there seemed to be growing consensus among Lebanon’s political elite to nominate consensus candidate Samir Al Khatib as premier.
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– Gulf News###
Having never held any public office, he could be an acceptable choice to Lebanese who want to do away with the country’s ruling elite.
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Lebanese citizens want the removal of all corrupt politicians, but it seems that controversial foreign minister Gebran Bassil is refusing to budge.
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This point will be the trickiest to navigate going forward.
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In Iraq, Tehran has openly intervened, sending in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief, Qassem Soleimani, to personally intervene in a bid to make sure the government of Adel Abdul Mahdi does not fall.
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However, after much bloodshed and heartache, Abdul Mahdi finally offered to resign this week.
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Now begins the complicated and delicate process of agreeing on his replacement.
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What is similar between both countries is that Iran wants to make sure whoever replaces the outgoing premiers will not compromise its influence there.
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This is not the first time Iran has intervened to bolster a government that the people sought to topple.
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It is because of Iran, and also Russia, that the government of Bashar Al Assad in Syria is still intact, despite a gruelling eight-year civil war that killed nearly half a million people and practically destroyed the country.
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It is vital that the leaders of both countries put their citizens’ needs before those of foreign interests.
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Iran should act as a neighbourly state and not hold the Lebanese and Iraqi people hostage to its political agenda.
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It is also vital that the next leaders put citizens’ needs before that of the ruling elite.
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Both countries require technocratic leaders that work to resolve deep-seated problems in the country.
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The priority for both countries should be on their failing economies and finding ways to root out corruption and replenish state coffers, so as to invest in their people’s development.
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