September 2, 2004
WE'RE ALL UNILATERALISTS:
Lebanon's Lost Sovereignty (NY Times, 9/02/04)
Choosing a president ought to be an internal Lebanese affair, but Syria has made it an international one. That is why the United States and France are now asking the United Nations Security Council to affirm Lebanon's full sovereignty and its right to choose a new president without foreign interference.Those principles deserve the strong endorsement of every Council member. And Lebanon, the most democratically minded country in the Arab Middle East, deserves the immediate withdrawal of Syrian occupation troops.
Presumably the Times won't go wobbly should we decide to give Lebanon what it deserves? Posted by Orrin Judd at September 2, 2004 8:42 AM
Lebanon was carved out of Syria by the French in the 40s as a safe haven for Christians. However, dithering by the Euros and the Clinton Administration, along with that Saudi stooge Bush 41, has all but ended the notion of Christian Lebanon.
Posted by: Bart at September 2, 2004 9:47 AMTheir minority status and misuse of power has doomed them--not external parties.
Posted by: oj at September 2, 2004 10:08 AMTheir internecine clan warfare was probably more damaging than anything. But when the nonsense started there in the late 70s, the West failed to back the Christians, who were still the majority. Today, the place is only about 20-25% Christian.
During Barak's withdrawl from South Lebanon, 50,000 Maronites moved to Israel.
Posted by: Bart at September 2, 2004 12:39 PM