Totten on Lebanon's Liberalism
"When Israel and Hezbollah reach a ceasefire at last, round two of this conflict will commence...."
In his superb Middle East Journal, Michael Totten pens an essay on the fragile situation that will face Lebanon after the Israelis stop shooting.
Most Lebanese are going easy on Hezbollah as much as they can while the bombs are still falling. But a terrible reckoning awaits them once this is over. Some Lebanese can’t wait even that long...
The majority of Lebanon’s people were wise and civilized enough to take the gun out of politics after the fifteen year war... No one knows if the Lebanese will be able to keep the gun out of politics after all that has happened.
Don’t discount what bloody mayhem and hell a few thousand armed Druze, Christians, and Sunni can do if they decide to go hunting Shia in revenge for destroying their country. Don't forget, also, that Lebanon is now surging with tens of thousands of furious, displaced, homeless, unemployed, and undisciplined young Shia men enthralled with Iranian-style jihad..."
Michael holds on to the hope that Lebanon may be peaceful someday, but points out that there are more obstacles on the way to peace than simply Israel and Hizbollah. His essay is certainly worth a read.
Posted by David at July 29, 2006 04:53 AM