hariri, lebanon & neocons: history
Created By: boatsie
Last Modified: 04/10/08
Summary: mid east policy ... hariri assassination ... cedar revolution.... lebanonCedar Revolution: Lebanon
Link: Lebanon History: Cedar Revolution
Summary: Mass rallies and movement to force Syrian troops out of Lebanon
Syria: US using Hariri tribunal to pressure Damascus
DAMASCUS, Syria: The United States is using the ongoing investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri as a means to pressure Damascus politically, a foreign ministry official said Thursday.
The unnamed Syrian official was responding to a statement made Wednesday by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the need for the international Hariri tribunal to be credible.
From: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/10/africa/ME-GEN-Syria-US.php
Link: more on who benefited
Summary: syria as 'low hanging fruit'
4/2006: analysis in light of Lebanon war
Beyond that, Israel and its friends in the United
States should seriously reconsider their alliances not only with the
neocons, but also with the Christian Right. The largest "pro-Israel"
lobby day during this crisis was mobilized by Pastor John Hagee and his
Christians United For Israel, a believer in Armageddon with all its
implications for a rather particular end to the Jewish story. This is
just asking to become the mother of all dumb, self-defeating and
morally abhorrent alliances.
Internationalist Republicans, Democrats and mainstream Israelis must construct an alternative narrative to the neocon nightmare, identifying shared interests in a policy that reestablishes American leadership, respect and credibility in the region by facilitating security and stability, pursuing conflict resolution and promoting the conditions for more open societies (as opposed to narrow election-worship). The last two years of the Bush presidency can be an opportunity for progress or an exercise in desperate damage limitation. It sounds counter-intuitive, but Israel should reflect on and even help reorient American expectations.
Internationalist Republicans, Democrats and mainstream Israelis must construct an alternative narrative to the neocon nightmare, identifying shared interests in a policy that reestablishes American leadership, respect and credibility in the region by facilitating security and stability, pursuing conflict resolution and promoting the conditions for more open societies (as opposed to narrow election-worship). The last two years of the Bush presidency can be an opportunity for progress or an exercise in desperate damage limitation. It sounds counter-intuitive, but Israel should reflect on and even help reorient American expectations.
