By Hussain Abdul-Hussain ----

The only survey which shows the faith of the Lebanese people in their country during the post civil war era, is the number of emigrants. The apparent reason behind this mass departure seems to be, at first sight, economic. The media has not yet run many investigative reports covering this issue. As a young citizen, I've always prided myself for insisting on living in my homeland despite the hardships that accompany this against-the-current decision. My peers, however, seem to have taken a collective decision to leave the country, and I think I know why they decided to do so. First come the financial issues. With unemployment running at 20%, underemployment dominating the workforce market, and the economies of most Arab countries displaying negative figures, seeking jobs abroad becomes inevitable. The World Bank's promises of economic assistance will never crystallize without Lebanon's abiding by the international organization's recipe (mainly cutting out unneeded employment in the public sector) which means an increase in the unemployment rate. If you are a university graduate and you are lucky enough to find a job, you will never be able to rent a house, or buy a car, or raise a family. You will not be able either to send your youngsters to the schools and universities that you yourself went to. If your family is not able to support you and your newly established household, then forget about raising a family. You can even forget all about leaving your family's house and living independently. Numbers indicate that the majority of Lebanese adults leave their parents' house at a relatively old age. Second come the social issues. Perhaps this is the least apparent yet the most important factor lying behind the emigration of the younger generation. Probably not so many people have noticed the huge social gap between youth and their parent's generation. With the fast rate of world globalization, the new generation is adopting a new social code while the elder generation is still holding firm to its relatively conservative social style. Cross-sectarian marriages are a good example. Two young people from different sects fall in love and decide to get married (the elder generation tends to prefer arranged same-sect marriages). Typically, their parents will fiercely oppose such a union. The young couple will face two options. They will have either to marry despite their parents' will, which is not feasible under the present economic situation, or they will have to give up on their project. The only solution will be for the young couple to migrate to a place where they can marry and independently support themselves. Also under the banner of social problems falls the society's inability to accommodate the recent coming out of some homosexuals. I know of a couple of AUB students who e-mailed their classmates confessing their "coming out" once they went to live in the US. Third comes the issue of military draft for adult males. We have all heard of the newly passed law in the Lebanese parliament which states that all males who have spent more than five years abroad will be exempted from this economically unprofitable one-year experience. The new law seems to be clever in getting males who have been living abroad for five years (that is if they were not already established abroad) back to their homeland. On the other hand, the law will push every male who hasn't been abroad yet to leave the country, at least for five years, in order to be exempted. But there is a risk that the new emigrants will be assimilated in the countries where they have resided for five years. Fourthly, the political situation is exclusively open to only a small circle of select people. Most politicians are aging. The few young public figures do not necessarily come from humble social backgrounds. Of the three most known young MPs, who supposedly represent the Lebanese youth, one is the son of the President of the Republic, the second is the son of the former President of the Republic, and the third comes from a renowned feudal family. In many instances, young citizens feel they are cleverer than the dominant political rhetoric. Most university students find the brainwashing political campaigns, which come from archaic times of totalitarian regimes, hard to digest. New political ideas are not heeded in this country. All Lebanese citizens are expected to praise the Taif Accord, to support national coexistence, and to hail the leaders. Young citizens with rhetoric different from that of the two opposing official points of view are encouraged to withhold their opinion. Citing all the factors responsible for the mass departure of the Lebanese youth in one article is virtually impossible. It is also worth mentioning that emigration is not exclusively for the younger generation. Take a brief look at the AUB community. I know of a senior professor and a senior administrator who are waiting for their green cards. The country is actually losing its human assets. "The last one of you to leave, please do not forget to switch off the Beirut Airport lights."