Word: cabinet
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...know what you’re thinking: Pointless paper shuffling, deeper deficits. Where do people get the nerve to suggest more bureaucratic mess? Creating another cabinet-level department would waste precious time, energy, and resources. On the other hand, the unemployment rate is into double digits, and we need to flesh out some fresh ideas for recovery...
...battleground in regional power struggles was the fact that Lebanon has had no government since parliamentary elections in June. That was until Monday, when the majority U.S.-backed political bloc and its rivals in the Syria- and Iran-backed minority coalition finally agreed on a new power-sharing Cabinet. But while the deal ends the three-year political crisis that brought the country to the brink of civil war, it doesn't address the question underlying the dispute: Should Lebanon be a Westward-looking business-oriented tourist playground, or a frontline bastion of resistance to Israel...
...Although it accepted defeat in its effort to win control of the government at the ballot box, Hizballah has since maneuvered behind the scenes to rig the composition of the Cabinet in its favor. First it demanded veto power over all decisions, but eventually it accepted a compromise formula that left the ruling coalition without a large enough majority to make big decisions on its own. Still not content with that, the opposition pushed for control of Lebanon's telecommunications system, which would give Hizballah added operational security from Israeli intelligence - but could also help it hamper the activities...
...ruling coalition, initially balked at Hizballah's terms, but eventually had no choice but to give in. Lebanon's longstanding deadly rivalries and the ever present threat of violence have made Lebanese politicians wary of acting unilaterally, which is why Hariri invited Hizballah and its allies into the Cabinet in the first place. And Hariri is increasingly isolated, with none of his allies being prepared to confront Hizballah head-on given the experience of the May 2008 mini-civil...
...with the 2006 agreement. "On major issues of diplomacy and defense, the government should consider local elections - but it can become an obstacle." Toshikawa also says that Hatoyama's handling of this issue, by fielding the different plans of his ministers, is characteristic of his desire to "unify his Cabinet." The problem, says Toshikawa, is that Hatoyama, Okada and Kitazawa have different takes on what the resolution entails. "He has not shown his own leadership," says Toshikawa...