Can Lebanon Region Be Calmed?
And yes, it is risky for the United States to pressure European countries to label Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, as the Bush administration is doing. Sticks are being used exclusively without carrots. What the United States and the international community must try to do is engage the various players — including Syria, Iran, Lebanon and Hezbollah — because without a settlement that includes all of them, you’ll never have peace in that part of the world. Hezbollah is part of the fabric of the Shiite community in Lebanon now, and the Shiite community represents about 55 percent of Lebanon’s population. You must deal with the root problem — the simmering Arab-Israeli conflict and the volatile situation in Iraq. The war in Iraq has had a direct impact on the situation in Lebanon. One cannot understand recent developments in Lebanon without understanding the upheaval raging in Iraq. Syria is becoming more anxious about its own security, not to mention its interest in Lebanon. The
