it is looking scary in lebanon. but one important difference between 1975 and now is that this time most lebanese have clear memories of the last civil war.
they know that the war lasted far longer than anyone imagined it would at the beginning and was only stopped by outside powers who didn't leave when the war ended. they also know that there were no clear winners of the last civil war. so none of the current leaders are going to fool themselves into thinking a total victory is in the cards this time around.
sometimes the cycles of violence take on a logic of their own, but i'm hoping that the common memories of lebanon between 1975 and 1990 will be enough to prevent a new civil war.
