Lebanon is a country defined by its past.

As I toured the country last week, the echoes of that past were ever-present in daily life. The overwhelming beauty of both the landscape and people of Lebanon is put in stark contrast with the troubled past of this all-too-recently war-torn country.

Walking the streets of Beirut, one of the most striking features of the city is the old Holiday Inn. This Holiday Inn was constructed only a few years before the civil war began in 1975, and it became a favorite spot for snipers once the fighting started.

Today, it is riddled with bullet holes. Chunks of the building are torn away, blown apart by rocket-propelled grenades during the war. It stands as a daily reminder to the Lebanese of the horrors that took place during the fighting.

As I walked away from the central business area, I noticed yellow Hezbollah flags hanging from every other electrical pole. I asked several people about these flags, and they described it to me as gangs marking their respective territories.

I asked my host mother about life during the 15-yearlong civil war. Her face reflected the bitter memories of that terrible time.

“It was like a nightmare,” she said.

Civilians in Beirut were not able to go anywhere without worrying about mortar or sniper fire. The city was divided between Muslims and the Maronite Christian population. Everything was expensive and travel was heavily restricted to “your territory.”

Kidnappings were an everyday occurrence and a favorite tactic used by both sides to generate funds. Everyone was a target, and entire villages were wiped off of the map. The fighting ended with the signing of the Taif Agreement in 1989, which brought open hostilities to an end.

To this day, it is still difficult for some to forgive and forget after such a horrible conflict.

The conflict in Syria between Sunnis and Shiites has once again sparked tensions and brought violence to the country.

While I was in Beirut, four Sunni sheikhs were beat up for walking through a Shiite neighborhood at the wrong time. The next day, there were hundreds of Sunni protesters in the street, demanding justice. Luckily, the police were able to apprehend the culprits and the conflict was avoided. There are army units stationed at almost every street corner in downtown Beirut to try and diffuse problems like this.

It was odd to see so many soldiers in the street walking around with M16 rifles at the ready. At first, these soldiers gave me a sense of security. But when I asked my friends about the soldiers, they just laughed and said, “Our army isn’t able to do much.”

I found out the army uses outdated equipment because the government can’t agree on from whom to buy supplies. So the army continually gets out-gunned by armed militias roaming the countryside and outlining towns.

Because of this lack of security, Israel has historically attacked “Hezbollah targets,” which often include civilian areas like bridges and power plants. This was the case during the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, which ended in a draw but cost Lebanon $3.6 billion in damage. There haven’t been any further attacks by Israel since 2006.

When I asked people about Hezbollah, there were mixed feelings. They are happy Hezbollah keeps Israel at bay and prevents it from invading any time it chooses, but they also recognize having a separate army that could defeat the country’s army at any time is not ideal.

I am, by no means, a supporter of Hezbollah. However, after hearing the different perspectives of so many Lebanese people, I also began to realize things are not always so black and white.

Lebanon is a fascinating country of diverse, strong and, at times, clashing identities. Though it has been riddled with terrible conflict, the people remain incredibly generous and unbelievably friendly.

Stephen Sydor is a junior international relations major. His column appears every week in Pulp. He can be reached at [email protected].

Published on March 25, 2013 at 9:22 pm