Hariri Wins Big, or, Who's Zoomin' Zunes?

Tim Cavanaugh | June 8, 2009

For fun, read this commentary on yesterday's parliamentary elections in Lebanon by San Francisco State University professor Stephen Zunes, a bazoom-pal of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Zunes explains that "the United States has little to gain and much to potentially lose in taking sides in Lebanon," and should "allow the Lebanese people to determine their own destiny" in amity with "the populist Shiite party" Hezbollah.  Much potted history follows, including the weird story of Hezbollah-allied General Michel Aoun, who spent most of the last 20 years in France while the late Rafiq Hariri (who was absolutely not murdered by anybody having any connection to Hezbollah, Syria, Iran or MESA, Zunes explains) was bringing in investment to rebuild the country, but has now returned and is amazingly worshipped as a great za'im or strongman by tribalist Christians.

Anyway, when you get through that, read how the Lebanese have chosen to determine their own destiny: by handing even bigger electoral wins than expected to the pro-western coalition led by Hariri's son. Good news for investors and voters, say observers. And maybe some good news for Zunes: Hezbollah still has all the guns, so maybe they can get back to not murdering politicians and journalists real soon.  

Comments

|6.8.09 @ 11:31AM|#

Jesus Christ, Cavanaugh, have you melded with Michael Young? Even in the bullshit CampusWatch (!?!) thing you linked to, here's evidence of Zunes' supposed chumminess with Ahmadinejad:

I asked Zunes about the reasons for his criticism of what he calls President Ahmadinejad's "reflective superficiality" on religious matters. "My concern with President Ahmadinejad," he responded, "like that of President Bush, is the use of religious principles which, while in themselves may be legitimate testaments of faith, are used to justify policies which are contrary to basic moral principles on which the faith tradition is based."

|6.8.09 @ 11:33AM|#

Everyone dodged a bullet there. Props to the Lebanese.

I don't guess there's really any way to get rid of Hez, is there? The only scenario I can see is the Lebanese government and army allying with Israel in what would be an(other) incredibly bloody Lebanese civil war, with the US leaning very, very hard on Syria and Iran to keep out.

Firmly filed under Not Gonna Happen, but I wonder what Hez will do next, and what the consequences will be.

wingnutx|6.8.09 @ 2:35PM|#

They are good at not murdering opponents as Obama is at not running GM & Chrysler.