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very few can argue that in terms of longevity and consistency Nabih berry tops the pile of post civil war Lebanese politicians, in fact if we add his time as MP during the civil war than Nabih berry is a phenomenon that might soon be able to brag about a half a century of involvements in Lebanese politics, during the soon to come fifty years berry seems to always be either idling or moving forward, from a lonesome MP of the southern district and member of the amal party which he now has been heading for 4 decades to speaker of parliament for a record 5th terms *, from your off the bat (synonym for very average) lawyer to being regarded by some as arguably the most powerful man in Lebanon , specially on some occasions where it seems that his efforts to round of some corners always seem to inevitably pour in his favor.
how did this all come about , certainly luck had something to do with it, with the kidnapping of imam Moussa Sader a Shiaa cleric that founded the political party that Nabih berry heads right now , Sader initially began his movement as amal al ma7roumin an exclusively shiite anti israel paramilitary group, Sader was kidnapped in Libya in 1978 during a visit, typically Gaddafi’s regime who by then had been in power for 5 years was thought to be the main perpetrator although he never fully acknowledged it
“imam Sader’s kidnapping was a big blow to fledgling amal movement who saw itself during a time of war and uncertainty without its founding leader “.
Step forward Nabih Berri who by that time was rising through the ranks, he had a young movement with a militant branch but no place to cash his chips, rival militias numbered in the dozens , with these factions forming alliances and fighting other faction who were allied.
“chapter 2 a career in negotiating kidnapping”
With the stalemate that was the Lebanese civil war during the mid 80’s berry saw an opportunity , with the rising cases of western kidnappings in west Beirut after the start of the civil war was split into two parts west and east Beirut, Nabih soon turned into negotiator and aggregator, although according to multiple accounts his militia actually did some of the kidnapping itself, this part seemed to have gotten him connections with European and American authorities, the role of negotiator and rudely putting it broker came in to play
‘ a lot of the hostage releases where negotiated over sums of money in return’.
‘CHAPTER 2 the iranian group’
Up until 1985 it was business as usual, factions in west Beirut and the south have been getting along ok, but a movement that had started in 1982 by the name of the islamic jihad group later rebranded as Hezbollah had been creeping up on Nabih berry, long considered as the number one shiaa guy in Lebanon after imam el Sader’s disappearance, here comes another group that had the capability of challenging berry in his own camp.
Soon after 1985 the infamous ‘war of the camps’ broke out between berry’s group and Hezbollah, this episode of fighting was the only intra-shiite fight during the civil war, the two factions went about all out war in the southern suburb of Beirut with both parties dead set on taking full control of the southern suburb which now had become after the start of fighting in Beirut a shiaa stronghold, this came at a cost with some 4000 people loosing their lives in the span of two month*
The fight ended with Syria brokering a deal between the two parties, fighting ceased on month 1986*