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Thursday Nov 27, 2008
Rosner's Domain: Is the U.S. ready to abandon the idea of a free Lebanon?Posted by SHMUEL ROSNER
Comments: 17      One possible answer to the question I was asking yesterday - Is the U.S. ready to abandon the idea of a free Lebanon in order to get an Israeli-Syrian peace process back on track? - is given today in Ari Shavit's column (in Haaretz). The truth is that Israel never really cared about free Lebanon, and was always ready to sacrifice this country for the cause of stability and better relations with Syria. Israeli policy makers hardly believe that Lebanon can be a "real" country, and have always looked at the Bush administration's attempts at strengthening Lebanon with suspicion and puzzlement. But what Aaron David Miller implied yesterday by way of omission - he didn't mention Lebanon in the article about Israel and Syria - Shavit does today in the most blatant way possible. He believes that "if the new administration in Washington and the new government in Jerusalem act, it stands to reason that they are capable of fostering a change of direction in Damascus." And for price? "[T]o reward it [Syria] generously with the Golan Heights and Lebanon." Will the new US administration adopt this (Israeli) position? This will be an interesting case for all those peace activists who keep complaining about too much Israeli influence in Washington. They usually argue that Washington is too eager to adopt the Israeli position, and that's why it is difficult to advance peace in the Middle East. However, this time it seems as if adopting the Israeli position will be exactly what these activists are looking for. Then again, they will not be able to complain about the "Israel lobby". Of course, they can always say that the "lobby" is acting against the will of the Israeli government and is influenced by the Israeli right wing. But this will be hard for them to do in the likely case that the right wing (namely, Binyamin Netanyahu) is in power in Israel. Then again - they'll find something to complain about. And as for Shavit's article. There's still a huge difference between the proposal he makes and the one made yesterday by Miller. While Miller is ready to "be patient", and to recognize that "Syria won't walk away from a 30-year relationship with Iran" - Shavit wants to "make sure that Syria is severing itself from Iran and jihad". In short: he is willing to pay the big money (in Lebanese currency) for the big prize. But if Miller is right, there will be no takers. Assad wants the big money for a small prize. Crossposting: Contentions.
1 | Larry Merbaum - L.A.,CA, Thursday Nov 27, 2008
The U.S. Federal Goverment has about 16 security agencies and none function properly or are effective,
Nobody should be surprised.
2 | Seymour, Friday Nov 28, 2008
So its Miller vs Shavit re: Lebanaon. Perhaps this is all in the service of distracting attention away from the more intractable problem of Iran.
3 | American, Friday Nov 28, 2008
I hope that Obama does believe there is hope for Lebanon being part Lebanese myself and seeing the country as it use to be so beautiful and capable of going far in the true business sense of capitalism. But, between the economy, the two wars, and our lag behind a strong push in technology, I see and hope the U.S. concentrates on the home front and picks and chooses carefully where it puts its energy diplomatically. I think we need to budget literally and figuratively how much we have the potential to change in the world ,and how to make it safer from terrorism. I hope Obama is succcessful.
4 | American, Friday Nov 28, 2008
I hope that Obama does believe there is hope for Lebanon being part Lebanese myself and seeing the country as it use to be so beautiful and capable of going far in the true business sense of capitalism. But, between the economy, the two wars, and our lag behind a strong push in technology, I see and hope the U.S. concentrates on the home front and picks and chooses carefully where it puts its energy diplomatically. I think we need to budget literally and figuratively how much we have the potential to change in the world ,and how to make it safer from terrorism. I hope Obama is succcessful.
5 | Matt C, Friday Nov 28, 2008
I can partially understand the logic they are using. I have looked at Lebanon and I can see no way Hezbollah can be defeated there in the near future. However, IF Syria can be convinced to help Israel (and that is a big "if"), Syria's influence might be the only way to contain Hezbollah (the Saudis have already tried and failed). But, I doubt this will work. If Syria agrees to friendly relations it will likely end up doing so the same way Libya did, moderate itself only a little while maintaining the same overall behaviour and beliefs, but maybe Syria can change (who knows?).
6 | Observer, Friday Nov 28, 2008
The US is giving up freedom allover the world, and in the Lebanon case antisemites in Washington are just glad to help the enemies of Israel. The special relationship is getting very "special" with the rise of antisemitism in the US elite. That will be especially true of the coming Obama administration, which consists mainly of antisemites.
Most Jewish analysts seem to be working outside reality, in delusion. Political decsion-makers are just human, and they have human thoughts. Antisemitism is rising in the US and the US elite is not outside it.
7 | Eric, USA, Friday Nov 28, 2008
Hezbollah is just one of the underestimated forces of evil throughout the world. Israel proved this in the most recent war with Lebanon.
Hezbollah will be a main player in the next attempt to invade Israel.
8 | BOwens, California, USA, Friday Nov 28, 2008
Let us hope that the Constitutional challange to Barack Obama being British born in Kenya, not a natural born citizen of the United States will prevail in our Supreme Court. There are now 2 pending, the first for December 6, 2008. We need to keep our nation strong in this war of terrorism and continue to be a guardian of freedom for the world. Barack Obama is the wrong choice for that path, and is instead, a supporter of terrorists. The man lied about his roots while his once website early revealed his statement of being a British born person, later scrubbed and changed birth to Hawaii. Lie
9 | Daniel-Atlanta, Friday Nov 28, 2008
The U.S. signaled that it was abandoning a free Lebanon when Ronald Reagan withdrew American forces from that country after the Marines were killed three decades ago. Instead of moving in sufficient forces to create the conditions for a free Lebanon, Reagan began the slippery slope of appeasement and giving in to terrorism. Much of what America and Israel are experiencing today can be traced to that decision by Reagan.
10 | Philip, Saturday Nov 29, 2008
The US cares about it's interests. When Lebanon was it's interest, when it mattered, it sent the Marines. When it doesn't it cares less, or adopts Israeli position, thinking that Israelis are the experts on the matter. Israelis are not experts on anything. Israelis have never had a clear policy towards Lebanon. We have supported one of the other group without a clear view of what Lebanon should be like, and we were always ready to sacrifice it.. But there always comes a payment for the deeds. Hezb'u'llah is one of the payments. Israel pays for Israeli actions.
11 | tripoli man, Saturday Nov 29, 2008
israel has played a major part in crippling the healthy part of lebanons westernized and open society. always weak kneed at crushing the head of the snake , israel turned its might against lebanon the weakest country in the area and on top of it not at war with israel. but even then it blew the job of recognizing its real enemies and has frequently left the normal civil society at the mercy of the warmongers and humanity haters. now israel is going to commit the ultimate atrocity in exchange for fake protection from the damascan mafia. too cowardly to face damascus it is going to betray t
12 | bayrooty guy, Saturday Nov 29, 2008
you wait ten more years while the breeding jihad does its dirty work and you will end up a failed split nation like lebanon is today . islam and simple democracy dont mix. if the US and other free nations offer lebanon to the dogs(figure of speech) then in one or two decades all free democratic nations will succumb no two ways about it. israel will be in the same boat that lebanon is in today. sacrificing lebanon will be bad karma for all the west. asad hates you as much as the sunnis. he is playing you and the gullible americans for fools and you will learn it when its too late.(nuclear iran)
13 | allen australia, Saturday Nov 29, 2008
all your suppositons of exchanging golan for peace with Syria are for nought , they want golan without precondition , and said as much . So any negotiation is futile and even foolish .
14 | Linda Fryar BSLS, Saturday Nov 29, 2008
Oy vey, the CIA again? Such intelligence we don't need. Savak could do better.
15 | Chris Arizona-USA, Sunday Nov 30, 2008
Just remember one thing- through all of the events, the Lord our God is sovereign and his plan will come to pass and cannot be altered one iota. Jerusalem and Israel are central to the final chapter of human history. Be still and know that I am GOD.
16 | Terry - Eilat, Israel, Sunday Nov 30, 2008
The US will abandon Lebanon, actually, they already have. And, they will abandon Israel as well.
Appeasement is the order of the day, in the US & in Israel. Unless the upcoming elections allow for a right-wing coalition without Labour & Kadima, our own appeasement-minded policy makers will continue to sacrifice not just Lebanon but Israel as well, with the blessing of the US.
The failure of the mismanaged war to eliminate Hezbollah, the failure to attack Syria at the same time, spelled the end of Lebanon. Olmert's cynical & self-interest driven negotiations with Syria finished the job.
17 | Eliyahu, Jerusalem, Monday Dec 01, 2008
"The truth is that Israel never really cared about free Lebanon...." NEVER is a long time, and maybe Mr. Rosner is too young to remember the "Good Fence". There was a lot of concern then about the Cairo Agreement, and when we entered Lebanon during Mivtza Litani in 1978, we still seemed to care about leaving Lebanon intact, albeit free of PLO influence. This attitude only changed during / after the war of 1982, probably as a result of the rise of Israeli self-hatred, a/k/a Post-Zionism.
While it's in fashion among Post-Zionists to reinterpret/rewrite history, the facts remain... different.
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