For Lebanese and Iraqis, small victories in a long struggle

Demonstrators in both nations may have been beaten by the system but they are not ready to concede defeat.

Economic distress, rampant corruption, a self-serving ruling elite, and the ever-looming fear of armed militias – not much is going their way but protesters in both Iraq and Lebanon have found a reason to smile. In campus elections in Lebanon, they turned into candidates and gave a drubbing to opposing student groups backed by traditional political parties that feed off sectarianism and propagate it. In Iraq, they are gearing up to challenge the established parties on the hustings and in the upcoming general election. Their message: they may have been beaten by the system but they are not ready to concede defeat. In October 2019, Iraq and Lebanon erupted in protests as people asked for jobs, an end to corruption, and the removal of the ruling political elite. The uprisings brought hope to a region left despondent by the failure of the Arab Spring in Egypt, Syria, Libya, and Yemen. Many thought that the Arab world might, after all, see a new dawn in its politics.