Lock'em Up

What should we do to guarantee success in the next round of the National Dialogue? The Beirut Spring suggests a wild idea: Lock up the leaders until they come out with a solution

We have a problem: We all want the people in the national dialogue to reach an agreement, but as the latest squabbles have shown, our leaders can be a frivolous and irresponsible bunch. What can we do?

Honestly, I think we should lock them up.
Yes, Just like that. They shouldn’t be able to get out of their location until they hammer out an agreement. Their cell phones will be taken away from them, they’ll be well fed and they will be allowed the occasional conjugal visit. But sorry, no entertainment. They only have each other to talk to. (Samir Geagea will have the least trouble with that)

This all might sound like fantasy, but this is not only doable, it is also crucial. It would be the practical translation of “failure is not an option,” the mantra everyone keeps repeating. The concept of locking up important people until they come up with solutions is not a new one. They do it in the Vatican everytime a pope needs to be elected, and, in Iraq, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has just written this:

We need to bring together all the newly elected Iraqi leaders for a national reconciliation conference — outside Baghdad. We should lock them in a room and not let them out until they [..] produce a national unity government

It’s very difficult to lock up the most powerful men in the land, but it’s not impossible. We all know what’s at stake and we all know the importance of dialogue. All foreign and Arab countries should push towards the locking-up option. Lebanese pressure groups should do the same. Today’s activism by the Lebanese Trade bodies is a step in the right direction. Even the army can push towards that (what do you say General Sleiman? Fancy bullying some politicians?)

One last thing. To avoid choking nearby businesses, the meetings should take place outside of Beirut. Maybe somewhere with a chimney so that we could all see the white smoke when (not if) it comes out.