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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Lebanon battles a new demon |
| 2007-05-23 |
| The last thing Lebanon needed was an internal war between its armed forces and clandestine cells with links to al-Qaeda. The last thing Syria needed was to be blamed for the violence. The Lebanese are already worried - too worried - about what the future holds for them. The standoff between the March 14 Coalition and the Hezbollah-backed opposition continues, headed by US-backed Saad al-Hariri on one front and Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah and his Christian ally Michel Aoun on the other. Prime Minister Fouad al-Siniora refuses to step down, and Parliament is still in recess as presidential elections approach, with no consensus on who the new president will be. The Lebanese public has barely recovered from the Israeli war on Hezbollah last summer to be confronted with internal political bickering and, now, radical military-political Islam. The fighting in the refugee camp is some of the bloodiest internal feuding since the 1975-90 civil war and threatens Lebanon's delicate political fabric with disintegration. Clearly a radical group like Fatah al-Islam makes the situation more complicated in the overall political situation in Lebanon, which is already on the verge of explosion. It will strain security for the Siniora cabinet and give it an additional thing to blame on the Syrians. Yet it makes no sense for Syria to support a radical political and military Islamic group in Lebanon. Abssi's record in Syrian jails is enough proof of how illogical it would be to accuse him of being on the payroll of the Syrians. Radical political Islam has been a threat to Syria ever since the republic was created in 1932. It always has been a secular regime in Damascus - at times without the Syrians even knowing it. The Syrians will not and cannot ally themselves with political Islam. Simply put, such an alliance would backfire and result in violence within Syria, something that President Bashar al-Assad will not tolerate. That explains why the Syrians have closed their border with Lebanon over the fighting, fearing the worst. Some want to use Fatah al-Islam's outburst as further ammunition against Damascus. Some equally want to use the incident to justify a clampdown on Islamic groups in Lebanon, either Sunni or Shi'ite. It is always easy for the Lebanese to blame Syria. But the Lebanese government and, particularly, its army and security forces are too weak to crack down on a bunch of terrorists on their own territory. If anybody is to blame for Fatah al-Islam, it is the Siniora government, which has tolerated it for six months, knowing perfectly well that it has existed since last November. Sami Moubayed is a |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #2 It is always easy for the |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-05-23 11:46 |
| #1 The last thing Lebanon needed was an internal war between its armed forces and clandestine cells with links to al-Qaeda. The last thing Syria needed was to be blamed for the violence. They need to remember that old saying: Before things get worse, they have to get a whole lot more worse. Yet it makes no sense for Syria to support a radical political and military Islamic group in Lebanon. And then his Radical political Islam has been a threat to Syria ever since the republic was created in 1932. Which is why Syria exports it in such great quantities. Simply put, such an alliance would backfire and result in violence within Syria, something that President Bashar al-Assad will not tolerate. Tell that to the citizens of Hama in 1982. It is always easy for the Lebanese to blame Syria. Especially when Syria is always found holding the shit-stirring stick. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-05-23 02:51 |