Nadine, your post isn’t naive. It’s the simple call to get organized. I am currently abroad and can’t take part, but the point isn’t this election or the next — it’s the need to start building up our networks. Where is this silent majority we’ve been hearing about since the war, and when will it stop being silent? We know we’re out there, so why aren’t we more connected? Isqat al Nizam was a good start, especially after 2005 and its dual effect of politicizing but then polarizing the post-war generation; that attempt faltered because we couldn’t work through some fundamental questions, the same that plague the country as a whole. So I read you proposal as an opportunity for regrouping and reengaging.

I understand why your friends are telling you that it will never work. It’s because people don’t want to start hoping again, afraid of another loss. But they forget that the lost campaigns are never really losses; they get people together, they forge bonds between them, they teach new ways of organizing, they make you more ready for the next fight.

I think Nasawiya has a lot to offer the country as a model of a successful model of organization. People don’t realize that to build a network and sustain it for more than 6 months is an accomplishment in Lebanon. I hope you start from that, regardless of how many people you can convince to join you. The only real alternative is the long-term one.

One very important thing to keep in mind: it’s a huge thing what you are attempting; it’s most certainly what the country needs, but it’s a hell of a job. Therefore it is of extreme importance to keep going even if doesn’t work in 2013! Keep it loud, keep it visible and build on all the exposure and support you’re going to get. So that when the time comes for the following elections, you’ll be a serious contender and a force to be reckoned with. You don’t have much time until the next elections, but keep your sight focused on the bigger picture and the long term goals.

So please: GO FOR IT!!!