Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Hezbollah’s Victory
Commentary Magazine ^ | 5/23/08 | Michael J. Totten

Posted on 05/23/2008 2:26:26 PM PDT by Dawnsblood

The majority coalition would never elect him if they could pick whomever they want. Suleiman is well-known as a moderate pro-Syrian. He may be an improvement over Lebanon’s last president, Emile Lahoud, who was nothing if not a tool of Syria’s tyrant Bashar Assad, but frankly no one could be worse than Lahoud outside the ranks of the blatantly fascist Syrian Social Nationalist Party.

Hezbollah still gets to keep the unilaterally installed high-tech surveillance system in Lebanon’s only international airport, and of course its fighters will hold onto their illegal weapons. With freshly minted blocking minority powers, Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah has effectively neutralized any and all government power that gets in the way of his own. He can’t rule the whole country; nobody can. But he and his militia have the radical freedom to do whatever they please. They can unilaterally start wars with other countries and murder anyone in Lebanon who gets in the way. Hezbollah’s power is now at its apogee.

It may take a while, but something will give. If disgruntled radical Sunnis don’t pick a fight with their belligerent Shia counterparts, Hezbollah will eventually face the Israel Defense Forces again. No one can know what exactly will happen and when, but more war is inevitable as long as violent “resistance” is Hezbollah’s raison d’être.

During Nasrallah’s July 2006 war against Israel, thousands of Shia refugees from Hezbollah’s bombarded strongholds fled north to Beirut as refugees. Christian and Sunni Lebanese took these people in despite anger at Hezbollah for starting a war no one else wanted. Don’t expect that to happen again. Hezbollah’s supporters may find themselves facing conflict on two fronts next time the Israel Defense Forces show up in a bad mood.

(Excerpt) Read more at commentarymagazine.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: doha; hezbollah; lebanon

1 posted on 05/23/2008 2:26:26 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Dawnsblood

Wishful thinking.


2 posted on 05/23/2008 2:28:59 PM PDT by webheart
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dawnsblood

3 posted on 05/23/2008 2:30:21 PM PDT by Recovering_Democrat (Just say NObama!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dawnsblood

Yep, no other way to look at it than another victory for the Hezzies.


4 posted on 05/23/2008 2:32:42 PM PDT by NonValueAdded ("Just because you're running for President doesn't mean that you are the center of the universe")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: webheart

I wish the earthquake in China and primaries in the US had not overshadowed this invasion of Lebanon.


5 posted on 05/23/2008 2:34:13 PM PDT by tbw2 ("Sirat: Through the Fires of Hell" by Tamara Wilhite - on amazon.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Dawnsblood
...the (Liberal) DemoncRATS, must be very proud.....now.
6 posted on 05/23/2008 2:50:14 PM PDT by skinkinthegrass (just b/c you're paranoid,doesn't mean "they" aren't out to get you..our hopes were dashed by CINOs :)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson