Members of the March 14 coalition this week announced the formation of a committee to reorganize and rejuvenate the group. The committee called for a new representative body that would grant civil societies and nonparty members a voice in policy decisions. There is little reason to believe, however, that this committee will achieve that purpose, judging, first and foremost, by the motives behind its creation and the reaction of party leaders.

The new committee, led by former MP Elias Atallah and Chouf MPs Marwan Hamadeh and Dory Chamoun, is meant to be more open to civil society groups, unions and journalists. Calling itself the "March 14 National Council", it would reportedly be more representative of the supporters' demands. Atallah denied that this committee's purpose is to extract power away from the current Secretariat led by Fares Soueid, but given the disagreements among the coalition's political figures, it is hard not to see it as such. Moreover, this coucil appears conspicuously disconnected from Lebanon's youth, who drove the March 14 movement in 2005.

There is a legitimate need for the March 14 coalition to recreate itself. The group has long drifted from its founding mission. Analysts attribute March 14's weaknesses to lack of transparency, a weak structure, the inability to run internal elections and bring new blood into the party, and supporting laws that are opposed to its founding values. To this point, journalist Hussain Abdul Hussain has noted that the "Cedar Revolution" was far from an "Arab Spring", and that the group has not been able to implement a vision for change embodying the needs of the movement's support base. Hilal Khashan, Professor of Political Science at American University of Beirut, said that the movement has steadily declined due to poor policy choices and a weak infrastructure.

The group is at a disadvantage compared to other groups in Lebanon, for it does not have the military power that its rivals do. Despite this, however, retired General Elias Hanna believes that starting a discussion would generate ideas and new strategies that would shape policy.

There are certainly justifiable criticisms of March 14; its leadership has made several mistakes since its inception in 2005. For it to be able to compete in the upcoming elections, it must start an honest process of reassessment of its structure, introduce transparency, articulate a clear political platform that will not bend with the wind. Such steps are essential to facilitating a process of gradual change that would resemble an Arab Spring in Lebanon and re-engage disenfranchied supporters of the movement.