PBS Wide Angle: 'Future for Lebanon'

Byline: Paul Mitchell

The assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri on Feb. 14, 2005, prompted hundreds of thousands of Lebanese to take to the streets in a powerful show of national unity. Their "Cedar Revolution" drove out Syrian troops after 29 years of occupation and caused the pro-Syrian government to disband ahead of the parliamentary elections in May and June. Can Lebanon, a country of 18 different ethnic groups and a history of civil war, achieve genuine independence from foreign interference -- and overcome risks of renewed division from within?

Producer/director Paul Mitchell was online Wednesday, July 20, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the film, "Future for Lebanon," which aired Tuesday, July 19.

PBS Wide Angle: Future for Lebanon.

A transcript follows.

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washingtonpost.com: Stephen Segaller will be unable to join us today.

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Paul Mitchell: Welcome. This is Paul Mitchell in London. I want to thank all who are participating in this chat today and thank all who watched the film last night. It's always very exciting - and a bit scary - for a filmmaker to talk to his/her audience.

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Alexandria, Va.: Since Beirut was on it's way to becoming the Capital of the Mediterranean in the 70's, I have long thought that the U.S., the West and Israel absolutely did not want this and actively sought to incite the civil war. Since the "sandwich woman" specifically said she was not backed by the CIA this is what people talk about. Is it wholly farfetched?

Paul Mitchell: If I understood your question properly, you are asking if it's farfetched to think the Cedar uprising wasn't backed by the CIA. My feeling, and of course the CIA doesn't tell us these things, is that while the uprising was in line with US, French, and Saudi aims, the uprising was on the whole a home-grown affair.

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Washington, D.C.: It was so great to see young people so involved in Lebanon's politics. Do you think there is a similar feeling around the Arab world? That they want change but are stifled by their society and elders?

Paul Mitchell: The Arab world is a big place and I am afraid I can't pretend to know what the feeling is in every country. I only reported on Lebanon in this instance. Maybe that's one for the next Wide Angle!

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Denver, Colo.: How would -you- assess current U.S.- Lebanon relations?

Paul Mitchell: It's hard to answer that question without spending a lot of time in Washington as well as Beirut, but my sense is that relations are improving, but there are still issues, it Hezbollah, the Shabbah Farmsm etc, to be resolved.

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New York City, N.Y.: Dear Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Segaller,

As an American Lebanese, I watched with great interest your program on Lebanon on Channel 13, on 7/19/2005.

I was very surprised that you only interviewed and extensively the leaders from the Hariri Future movement and the Hezbollah movement.

You have totally ignored both the Druze leaders and the Christian leaders who are very important communities in Lebanon. Michel Aoun was able, against all the odds, to claim the majority of the parliamentary seats in the Lebanese Mountains elections. He is now the recognized Christian representative while he has never considered himself a sectarian leader and has always promoted a non sectarian society.

You omitted to mention that on round # 4 of the elections (in Northern Lebanon), the majority of the 28 seats were won by the Aoun candidates till 5 p.m., when the Muslim sheikhs went to the Mosques in Northern Lebanon and threw a "Fatwa" (A religious order) for all the Muslim voters to leave their homes and vote for the Hariri list. Suddenly between 5 and 8 p.m. there was a surge of Muslim voters who came down and voted for the Hariri list.

Your report was extremely incomplete and one wonders whether directly or indirectly it was possibly financed by the Future Movement of Mr. Hariri.

I hope to receive from you a reply to the questions I raised.

Respectfully...

Paul Mitchell: Thank you very much for your detailed question. The film was short - only 45 minutes - and you are right, we missed out a lot, especially on the role of the Druze community. We do not pretend to be an encyclopedia on Lebanon, but to reflect what we saw. We did not witness the Fatwa you refer to.

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Arlington, Va.: At what point after the assassination did you know that you'd be making this film?

Paul Mitchell: We were on the scene by the third day, but only got the magical "green light" from Wide Angle in March.

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Washington, D.C.: Have much access did you have while making this film? What was the most challenging part? Thank you.

Paul Mitchell: Lebanon was one of the easiest countries I have worked in in terms of access. There were of course a lot of security issues with the Hariri people, but in general it was easier than filming in, say Washington, London, or Paris.

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New York, N.Y.: Dear Paul. A fascinating glimpse at Lebanon's struggle to regain its democracy. Did your views, opinions change much during the making of this film? How long did you work on this project? What are you presenting working on? Thank you.

Paul Mitchell: Thanks a lot. My views changed all the time during the making of this film - mostly in terms of wondering how much things had really changed. We worked on the project from the end of Feb, till today.

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Knoxville, Tenn.: Lebanon is on the path towards democracy because all foreign forces have been expelled. The presence of foreign troops is always provocative and natives feel the need to resist. Is this a good comparison to Iraq? that peace will not be restored to Iraq unless all foreign troops leave?

Paul Mitchell: I don't pretend to be an Iraq expert, but the obvious difference is that Iraq is a big rich country and Lebanon is very small and very poor. At least in oil and other such resources. Lebanon has always been in a weak position vis a vis its neighbours and will probably remain so.

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Knoxville, Tenn.: What are attitudes towards Israel in Lebanon's sectarian factions? Will Israel have to apologize and pay compensation to Lebanon before normal relations can resume or will the Lebanese let bygones be bygones? Thanks.

Paul Mitchell: I found this question very interesting while I was there. Because neither country allows free travel, both peoples, Lebanese and Israel, seem to me sadly ignorant about the other. There is a pretty deep and widespread anger towards Israel in Lebanon, even in the Christian community, because of the action of Israel during the Civil War. On the other hand, privately, the Sunni community that is the backbone of the Future Movement was clearly telling us they want to make a deal with Israel, end the stalemate and reap the economic benefit. And of course, Hezbollah will really have choices to make if there is a peace deal. So... watch this space.

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Washington, D.C.: I found a great question on the Wide Angle web site -- "With the end of Syria's official occupation and the passing of June's parliamentary elections, Lebanon hopes to assert itself as a truly free and independent state. Yet issues remain: should Hezbollah be forced to disarm its militia? Can Lebanon, a country of 18 different ethnic groups that fought a 15-year civil war, now achieve true independence and overcome renewed divisions within? Would like to hear your thoughts on the above?

Paul Mitchell: The best answer I can give is not to answer, but to say that the film does it best to give the questions some detail and context. that's the most a documentary like this can do, I think.

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Dearborn, Mich.: Lebanon has formed a government on July 19. It's said that the American and the French ambassadors played a big role. So why the U.S. has called on Syria repeatedly not to interfere with the Lebanese political system while the French and American Ambassadors to Lebanon do interfere with impunity?

Paul Mitchell: A few of you have asked variations on this question, so I ought to try to address it. All I can say is that Lebanon is a very small country in the Middle East in a very strategic location. I can't imagine that either Washington or Damascus will let it alone completely. It is, I suppose a question of degree and effect, rather than total independence.

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Anonymous: What kind of an impact do you think this film will have in terms of broadening an understanding of the political situation in the region -- both in the United States and around the world?

Paul Mitchell: Hard to say. As a filmmaker all you can do is make the film, hope you have told the truth and hope it finds an audience. If some people change their minds, that's great.

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Harrisburg, Pa.: How deep are the divisions between the various ethnic groups? Would you assess the divisions are resolvable, or do you see some taking perhaps a generation or two to overcome? Despite these divisions, do you see hope that various groups can eventually agree, given the right circumstances, to work together and avoid violence?

Paul Mitchell: The divisions between groups are real, but it's hard to say how long lasting. There are plenty of people who see themselves as Lebanese first, and members of their community second. And there are plenty more who don't. What is interesting to me was the people of say 30-40 years old who spent a long time outside the country during war. they all tell you that OUTSIDE Lebanon, the difference tend to fade. But once they are back home... The most one can say at any given time that there is no violence now, not like 15 years ago.

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Arlington, Va.: Can you provide more of a behind the scenes look into the making of the film? How many people were involved? How many hours/weeks/months did it take? What didn't make it into the film that you wish did? Anything? Thanks.

Paul Mitchell: It's a pretty small team that makes these films, less than a dozen people. We did it very fast, from March to last week!

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Philadelphia, Pa.: Mr. Mitchell, how did you become involved in making this film?

Paul Mitchell: If you look at this address I tell the story.

Paul Mitchell: If you look at this address below I tell the story of how we started.

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washingtonpost.com: Filmmaker Notes.

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Arlington, Tex.: Greetings: Why did Lebanon erupt into so much fighting between different communities and even within the communities and why did it go on for so long? It took these people 30 years to stop killing each other and settle issues through negotiation and compromise.

Paul Mitchell: It's a very long and complex story. There are several very good books you can look at. Robert Fisk's PITY THE NATION is good, but long. Tom Freidman's FROM BEIRUT TO JERUSALEM is also good, though a bit more about his personal experiences than the 'why'.

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Indianapolis, Ind.: The film showed the hopes and the nightmares of freedom fighters, protestors, and students for democracy, specifically in Beirut. I applaud your work.

As the fight continues for freedom in Lebanon, the sectarian political divisions in the Lebanese Constitution seem to balance the political power. Yet the changes Lebanese want in their Cedar Uprising are under the eye of the superpowers. From what you filmed and experienced, do you have an idea of the future of Lebanon's autonomy?

Paul Mitchell: I have tried to answer this already. I obviously don't have the power to see into the future, but I imagine that as long as the Middle East remains important small Lebanon will be to some degree influenced not just by its Arab neighbors, Israel and Iran, but by the USA and Europe as well. It's a question of how much and to what effect.

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Washington, D.C.: Iran just had an election. And they elected an ultra-conservative Islamic leader to be their new president. Do you think the results as legitimate and democratic?

Paul Mitchell: I can't pretend to be an expert on Iran and was in Lebanon during their elections. I an sure some other journalists have a more educated opinion than me.

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Washington, D.C.: I believe the future is in the Lebanese cooking. The food is fantastic.

Paul Mitchell: It certainly is.

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Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: I'm curious to know more about the extent to which traditional leaders within Lebanon's religious communities (imams from mosques, priests, etc.) were involved in efforts to mobilize citizens for the Cedar Revolution. Are you aware of any religious leaders who were actively involved in the movement (other than those of Hezbollah, who favored the status quo)? Or were most of the leaders primarily drawn from "secular" civil society and from political parties? Were there any pro-Cedar Revolution khutbas in mosques?

Thanks for your insights!

Paul Mitchell: We did the bulk of our filming after the demonstrations were over and we didn't look into this particular question. Certainly in Lebanon, sectarian leaders and political events on the ground are rarely far apart.

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Anonymous: Lebanon has formed a government on July 19. It's said that the American and the French ambassadors played a big role. So why the U.S. has called on Syria repeatedly not to interfere with the Lebanese political system while the French and American Ambassadors to Lebanon do interfere with impunity? What Future are talking about? A satellite government that follow orders from Washington and Paris instead of Damascus!

Paul Mitchell: I think I have already tried to answer this question

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Anonymous: Hezbollah was selling crafts made by its members on its Web site. This lead to several questions, and perhaps you don't know the answer: would they ship an order to the United States, would the United States deliver it, and, finally, should someone in America feel comfortable opening it?

Paul Mitchell: Sorry but I am afraid I don't know anything about this.

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Dallas, Tex.: Please bluntly tell me Christian attitudes towards Muslims in Lebanon. You can generalize. Thank you.

Paul Mitchell: I am afraid it's impossible to answer this question. There are many different Christian communities and huge ranges of opinion within them. And there are many different Muslim Communities too.

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Paul Mitchell: Thanks to everybody who took part. I found it very interesting and great fun. The only bad bit - my fingers are sore from typing. So I'll say goodbye now.

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