“The “cedar” revolution now has a larger dimension, one that does not necessarily favour America’s plans. If the Shia of Iraq can be painted as defenders of democracy, the Shias of Lebanon cannot be portrayed as the defenders of “terrorism”. So what does Washington make of yesterday’s extraordinary events in Beirut?”<\/p>\n
– Robert Fisk<\/a><\/p>\n U.S. Called Ready to See Hezbollah in Lebanon Role<\/a><\/p>\n “The main players are making Hezbollah a lower priority,” said a diplomat who is closely tracking the negotiations. “There is a realization by France and the United States that if you tackle Hezbollah now, you array the Shiites against you. With elections coming in Lebanon, you don’t want the entire Shiite community against you.”<\/p>\n The new posture of the administration was described by its officials, who asked not to be identified because of longstanding American antipathy toward Hezbollah.<\/p>\n “Hezbollah has American blood on its hands,” an administration official said, referring to such events as the truck bombing that killed more than 200 American marines in Beirut in 1983. “They are in the same category as Al Qaeda. The administration has an absolute aversion to admitting that Hezbollah has a role to play in Lebanon, but that is the path we’re going down.”<\/p>\n Only a few weeks ago, the United States was tangling with France over Hezbollah’s status, as France blocked an effort by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to have Europe formally label Hezbollah a terrorist group, restricting its fund-raising.<\/p>\n Now the United States has basically accepted the French view, echoed by others in Europe, that with Hezbollah emerging as such a force in very fractured Lebanon, it is dangerous to antagonize it right now and wiser to encourage the party to run candidates in Lebanese elections.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Flashback: Beirut, June 1982, The Reagan Roadmap for Antiterrorism Disaster<\/a> By James Bovard illustrates why branding Hezbollah a terrorist org. “in the same category as al Qaeda” is a self-serving and deliberately misleading statement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “The “cedar” revolution now has a larger dimension, one that does not necessarily favour America’s plans. If the Shia of Iraq can be painted as defenders of democracy, the Shias of Lebanon cannot be portrayed as the defenders of “terrorism”. … Continue reading