Word: lebanon
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...Oren—the Israeli ambassador to the United States—to speak at the Kennedy School. Fittingly, he was rejected by students who attended the event. Oren is a former officer and paratrooper who served as an Israeli army spokesperson during the unwarranted and illegal attacks on Lebanon in 2006 and Gaza...
Five months after Lebanon's parliamentary elections, Prime Minister--designate Saad Hariri managed to form a unity government. Though the resolution to what had been a contentious political stalemate left Hariri's Western-backed coalition with the most ministerial posts, the opposing faction led by the Iranian-backed militia Hizballah--which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization--gained crucial Cabinet positions. The power-sharing agreement was welcomed by the U.N., but critics admonished Hariri for conceding to Hizballah's demands and potentially legitimizing its military presence in the country...
...Saad Hariri, son of the murdered former Prime Minister and leader of the 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...
...While the Bush Administration regarded the withdrawal of Syria from Lebanon in 2005 - as a result of international pressure and Lebanese street protests - as one of its biggest successes in the Middle East, the new Obama Administration has been less aggressive in its backing for the pro-U.S. Lebanese government. Lebanese media also suggest that Saudi Arabia was dismayed that Hariri's Future movement, which had been building a militia with Saudi money, was so easily routed by Hizballah in the May 2008 street fights. Last month, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah traveled to Damascus for a state visit...
...government's caving in to Hizballah and Syria will have its consequences: most importantly it's a message to those in Lebanon - and the wider Middle East - who put their trust in the U.S. and political reform that guns are still more powerful than votes. Watching the Syrian-backed opposition hamstring the investigation into his father's murder will have been a bitter pill for Hariri and his followers to swallow. When the time comes to settle scores, they may be more likely to choose bullets rather than ballots...