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| International-UN-NGOs |
| Back to square one in Lebanon |
| 2006-08-15 |
| It may take weeks if not months before the cease-fire ordered in Lebanon by the United Nations Security Council is established and tested on the ground. However, one thing already is certain: The deeper causes of the war remain unchanged and could undermine the hoped-for cease-fire at any time. Those who drafted the cease-fire resolution ignored the crucial fact that the Israel-Hezbollah duel was not prompted by classical considerations such as territory, borders or levels of military build-up. This was an existential struggle between two foes that regard the annihilation of each other as the only worthy goal. Hezbollah, as part of a broader messianic movement, is committed to wiping Israel off the map. For its part, Israel regards that messianic movement as the most serious threat ever to its very existence and thus cannot feel secure until and unless Hezbollah is disarmed. While many might welcome any cease-fire as a means of alleviating the suffering of civilians on both sides, a closer analysis might reveal a very different picture. The cease-fire, as structured, may well create more problems than it solves, ultimately sowing the seeds of an even larger and deadlier conflict. As always, the latest U.N. resolution is designed to fudge the real issues. It does not provide for an immediate release of the Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah - a move that triggered the war in the first place. Nor does it echo Hezbollah's demands that Israel free Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners. It also ignores Security Council Resolution 1559, passed two years ago and calling for Hezbollah's disarmament as a step toward giving the legitimate Lebanese government a monopoly of armed forces in the country. If that looks like Byzantine chicanery, the resolution permits Israel to use force in self-defense but envisages no punishment for actions that might trigger such action in the first place. This vagueness might enable Israel to pursue its campaign to "clean" the south from Hezbollah missile sites and hideouts even after a cease-fire has come into effect. However, it could also be interpreted by Hezbollah as an amber light for continuing some operations against Israeli units inside Lebanon. There is also no guarantee that Hezbollah will not adopt tactics employed by guerrilla forces elsewhere by accepting a cease-fire while prompting "rogue elements" to continue their attacks on the enemy. There is, of course, also no guarantee that Israel will not use covert operations to defang Hezbollah or even subject its leaders to targeted killings. More importantly, the resolution assumes a measure of moral equality between the two protagonists, thus confirming their deep distrust of international institutions. The biggest damage that the United Nations might do is to prevent the two protagonists from discovering each other's thresholds of pain. Throughout history, wars ended when one side in the conflict proved that it could suffer more pain than the other could. That discovery always persuaded the weaker side not only to stop fighting but also to abandon its bellicose dreams. Because of U.N. intervention, Israel and Hezbollah would not discover each other's threshold of pain this time round. And this could encourage them to keep war alive as a low-cost option, thus weakening any argument for a genuine political settlement. Because neither side came close to being crushed, both could claim victory based on the Nietzschean dictum that "What does not kill me makes me stronger!" Without wishing to echo doomsayers, it is imperative to signal the possibility that the U.N. intervention could create an even bigger mess in southern Lebanon, an area of just over 1,000 square kilometers. To these are to be added between 15,000 and 30,000 men from the Lebanese National Army along with another 15,000 men in a multinational force led by France. Add to these the estimated 5,000 fighters of Hezbollah who are unlikely either to disarm or go on holiday and you may end up with an average of 50 armed men per square kilometer. Even if all the 150,000 displaced population of the area returned home, we would still have the highest ratio of gunmen to civilians anywhere in the world. Having failed to address the root causes of this conflict the United Nations, and the so-called international community in general, should at least try to replace the logic of war on the ground with one of peace. This cannot be achieved without strong international support for Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora's democratically elected government, and its "Project for Peace," which enjoys the support of more than 70 percent of all Lebanese. The war has displaced at least 700,000 people, almost all of them Shiites, who have been forced to seek temporary shelter in predominantly Christian and Druze towns and villages. In some cases, the incoming wave of Shiite refugees has altered the demographic balance of villages and towns, causing sectarian tension. Very soon, the displaced families would have to think about finding schools for their children and, before long, winter would threaten over half a million people in largely mountainous areas. Having encouraged and then supported the "Cedar Revolution" that led to the creation of Lebanon's first democratic government, the United States and its allies have a moral duty, as well as a political responsibility, to lead a major effort to re-house the displaced families and start reconstruction. Failing to do that could enable the most radical anti-democratic elements to shift the battle to the political front and undermine, or even overthrow, the Siniora government. Once again, the "international community" has stepped in to prevent war from doing its job of deciding who won and who lost. It would be even worse if the same "international community" were to prevent peace from doing its job of helping those affected by the fighting to return to normal life before it is too late. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #5 No $ for terror-abiding gov'ts - rebuild with your own bloody hands, bastards |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-08-15 13:34 |
| #4 I think the Isrealis accomplish their primary goal which was the reduction of Hezbollah rocket stores in Lebanon. This creates a window for an attack against Iran by US and maybe Israel, without the immediate fear that Hezbollah will throw 30,000 rockets down on Israel. In the meantime, Iran won't be able to resupply the Hezbollah, because they will have their hands full. And any long-range rocket the Hezbollah have left can be taken down by their anti-missile defenses. So Israel has won a time window. Let's see if it only needs to stretch through the 22nd. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-08-15 13:26 |
| #3 War is over and the first damn thing ask for is the US to hand them money, F*CK THEM. |
| Posted by: djohn66 2006-08-15 11:16 |
| #2 Huge mistake letting the Shiites return. They all should have been pushed out and the area kept Shiite free long enough so they would settle somewhere else (like Syria). |
| Posted by: ed 2006-08-15 11:00 |
| #1 Having encouraged and then supported the "Cedar Revolution" that led to the creation of Lebanon's first democratic government, the United States and its allies have a moral duty, as well as a political responsibility, to lead a major effort to re-house the displaced families and start reconstruction. Failing to do that could enable the most radical anti-democratic elements to shift the battle to the political front and undermine, or even overthrow, the Siniora government. What I'd really like to see (but will not) is US congress passing a law "NO $$$ for Lebanon until 1559 is implemented". |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-08-15 09:17 |