PrintAugust 15, 2010
Lebanon Positioned to Take a Beating
The gods of geopolitics have once again forsaken Lebanon. Weak government infrastructure and a weaker military have, in recent years, made Lebanon the stomping grounds of despotic powers. Their goal is to undermine accountable and moderate state institutions in the Middle East for the sake of gaining a more favorable strategic position on regional and world stages. Hezb'allah, Syria, and Iran have played their hand very well, while the United States has not -- and at Lebanon's expense. The tragic consequences are that Lebanese sovereignty is now positioned to take a beating; the United States will suffer significant and costly strategic setbacks; and Hezb'allah, Syria, and Iran -- repressive powers all -- will gain undue regional and international leverage.Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, is in an absurd position. First, he needs to placate American apprehensions that the Lebanese military is free of Hezb'allah's influence, because Lebanon's security interests depend...(Read Full Article)
