Word: lebanons
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Makram Azzi, 65, a retired pilot for Middle East Airlines, Lebanon's national flag carrier, said the blast tore his front door from its hinges. "What can you do? This is a war," he said, still visibly shaken. Ghanem, 64, had returned to Beirut from the Gulf only two days earlier. Like many anti-Syrian legislators, he had spent the summer months abroad out of safety concerns. Eight prominent anti-Syrian figures have been killed in a series of assassinations since February 2005 when former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri died in a massive truck bomb blast. Many Lebanese have blamed...
...swift to link Ghanem's murder to the previous killings. "There's been a pattern. This would seem to fit into the pattern," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, pointing to the murder of people "who publicly sought to end Syria's interference in Lebanon's internal affairs...
...March 14 block and the pro-Syrian opposition led by the powerful militant Shi'ite Hizballah have been at loggerheads for months over the identity of the next President. In Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, the presidency is reserved for Maronite Catholics. Several contenders have announced their candidacy, although no clear consensus has yet emerged that would satisfy both factions. The March 14 block is pushing to elect one of their own, but the opposition has threatened to form a second rival government if an acceptable candidate is not found...
...defuse the lingering fear of civil conflict breaking out. U.S. officials publicly maintain a neutral stance, saying only that the election should be held on time and without foreign meddling, a reference to Syria. But there is little doubt that Washington prefers a President who will continue to uphold Lebanon's independence from Syria and will seek to implement U.N. resolutions calling for the disarming of Hizballah, regarded by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. On the other hand, Syria, and its ally Iran, seem to be angling for a weak President who will not challenge Hizballah's armed status...
...discussion of the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon is also new, as the article was published before the conflict erupted. To Walt and Mearsheimer, the war is a microcosm of the problem posed by the lobby: the conflict, they say, was a “strategic folly” for both the U.S. and Israel but enjoyed the support of the American government due to the power of the lobby...