Whither Now, Lebanon?

Robert Fisk warns that "yet again, Lebanon risks becoming a battlefield for the wars of non- Lebanese."

For 30 years, America has tolerated - even supported - Syria's military presence in Lebanon. In 1976, both the Israelis and the Americans wanted Syrian troops in Lebanon - because they would be able to "control" the 300,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon - but now Mr Bush's real concern is Syria's supposed support for the insurgency in Iraq.

The irony is extraordinary: 140,000 American troops occupy Iraq - we shall leave the Israeli occupation forces in Palestinian lands out of this equation - while their President demands the withdrawal of
14,000 Syrian troops from Lebanon.

Democracy indeed!

Like Fisk, I cannot help but wonder if the current changes in Lebanon will really lead to useful change - as the neocons are pre-emptively crowing - or another slide into the abyss.

Look at Afghanistan: hardly the model of Democracy the US intended. Look at Iraq, the closest thing on the planet to the chaos that engulfed Beirut during the 1980's.

Simply stirring up a hornets' nest does not eliminate the hornets.