December 9th, 2009 by Zack

In the Christian Science Monitor, Mohamad Bazzi writes that despite the formation of a new U.S.-backed coalition government, “Hezbollah remains the dominant military and political force. It holds the key to both domestic and external stability in Lebanon.”  The greatest concern is that Hezbollah could drag all of Lebanon into a war with Israel over isolated border incidents that threaten to spiral out of control.  Bazzi argues that the U.S. must maintain its support for Saad Hariri’s government, leverage its influence with Syria to limit Hezbollah’s activities, and press Israel not to overreact to future incidents along the border.

Responding to similar assessments (see our post) and ahead of a national dialogue session to form a national defense strategy, Maronite Patriarch Sfeir has stated that Lebanon does not have two armies, urging Hezbollah to transfer its weapons to the Lebanese Army. 

The Daily Star has an editorial decrying both Lebanon’s lack of a state infrastructure and the recent cabinet statement that puts forth no real ideas about to build one.  The people and the government are asking “where is the state?” while the government spins its wheels on political matters such the Taif agreement.  The editorial calls for a coherent and feasible plan of action and argues that “it’s not enough to spend most of the time asking, ‘where is the state?’, especially when it’s your job to shape it and run it.”

Posted in Diplomacy, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Legislation, Mideast Peace Plan, Military, Political Parties, Reform, US foreign policy |