[Insomniapost] SSNPbros, we're back!

*Greater Syria."

The Syrian Social Nationalist Party is a weird fricked up political party/secret society. "Social Nationalist" sounds familiar. Founded in the 1930s. Devoted to creating a Greater Syria from Cyprus to Iraq. I sure am getting deja vu.

The flag of the SSNP. It reminds me of something but I can't quite put my finger on it.

They were a major force in the Levant after WW2, briefly taking over Syria and coming close in Lebanon. One of their advantages was the fanaticism of their followers. Many would go on suicide missions for the cause. The other was drawing support from all religious sects. It was the only party in the Levant where everyone really was welcome. This sometimes baffled their enemies. You could keep Christians or Muslims away from you, but the SSNP would just send the other one after you.

Antoun Saadeh, founder of the party. Executed for treason in Lebanon after a failed coup attempt in 1949.

It didn't take long before everyone else realized the threat and cracked down on them. By the 1960s the party wasn't dead but it was relegated to the fringes. War broke out in Lebanon and the remnants of the SSNP eventually ended up dominated by the Assad regime in Syria. They had some value mostly because they were so crazy. One member killed a president. Others fought against the Israeli occupation forces.

Sana'a Mehaidli. She quit her job at a video store to drive a suicide car bomb into an Israeli convoy, killing two. The SSNP were pioneers in sending teenage girls to their death. Yeah, Christians can do it too.

After the civil war ended they seem to have fallen more and more under the leadership of Hezbollah, fighting alongside them against Israel. I suspect they have become basically the organization for Christians who are loyal to Hezbollah.

In 2008 there was an ill-concieved plot by Sunni and Druze forces to attack Hezbollah. It was put down in a few days, with Hezbollah's allies doing much of the fighting. The SSNP militia briefly occupied part of Beirut. Christopher Hitchens happened to be there, and in the style of any British imperialist he imagined he knew exactly what was going on. He decided the SSNP were "right-wing" and defaced one of their posters with a marker. In return he received a minor beating and proceeded to whine about how brave he was after he fled the country.

SSNP occupied Beirut, 2008.

In recent years they have fought for the Assad regime in Syria and regained some importance there. But what really warmed my old boomer heart was seeing their flag waving in the protest at the US embassy in Beirut today. It's so comforting to know that the psycho terrorists of your youth are still alive and kicking.

SSNP girls.