Another Bomb in Beirut

Another bomb has just exploded in the northern Beirut suburb of Bauchrieh, the third in just over a week. This time the target was a factory. A final casualty toll has yet to be announced, but there seem to be dead and injured. There is little, if any, doubt that this was done by the Syrian intelligence services or their local agents, and that the message is this: There can be no security in Lebanon without Syria; if Syria is forced to leave, Lebanon will pay.

Like every single Syrian decision taken in the past seven months, since Syria extended the mandate of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud against the wishes of most Lebanese, it will backfire.

Comments

[Dave]

Sounds like a typical mob scam. "You need to pay us for protection". Protection from what? "Ummm....us".

[The Real Bill]

Dave,

Don't you know that all governments are just big gangs? Great song that says it all: "1%" by Jane's Addiction:

all the people i know wanna be left alone
some people!
i don't know?
they wanna leave you alone
you gotta be just - be just like them
biggest gang i know they call the government
gang is a weapon
that you trade your mind in for
you gotta be just - be just like them
the gang
and the government
no different
the gang
and the government
no different
the gang
and the government
no different
that makes me
1%
that makes me
1%
trouble comes down
like a foot steppin heavy
shake your fist
at the bitch
or wave your money
you gotta be right
you gotta be right
don't be no
supper for a big fish
with the big lip
and the over -
bite - bite

you gotta bite
bite - bite - bite - da bita
bite - bite - ba da da bita
bite - bite - bite - bite
bite - bite - bite - bite
all the people i know wanna be left alone
some people!
i don't know?
they wanna leave you alone!
you gotta be just - be just like them
the gang
and the government
no different
the gang
and the government
no different
the gang
and the government
no different
that makes me
1%
that makes me
1%
that makes me
1%
that makes me
1%

This really should be the official libertarian theme song.

[Mith]

"There is little, if any, doubt that this was done by the Syrian intelligence services or their local agents, and that the message is this: There can be no security in Lebanon without Syria; if Syria is forced to leave, Lebanon will pay."

Ok, sorry, but says who? What evidence is there that Syria (or one of their local agents) did it? They haven't even come out with numbers of killed and injured yet, but it's already "known" that Syria is behind it? Frankly there's no evidence that ANYONE did it yet (baring the off chance that the Syrian's have come out and said "Hah! We did it! Grovel before us!").

So anytime something bad happens, Syria did it, apparently. The website's called Reason, please don't put this stuff up unless you have actual facts to back up your opinions. In two weeks if someone has evidence that the Syrians did it, then it's time to post.

[Douglas Fletcher]

I love rock lyrics, they're always so profound.

[Tony]

Mith, if you perhaps visit planet earth, let alone Lebanon, perhaps you'd understand... that you invoke reason would've been funny, had it not been so incredibly irritating. Word to the wise: walk on... hushhhhh.

[Ken Shultz]

"Ok, sorry, but says who? What evidence is there that Syria (or one of their local agents) did it?"

Perhaps Mr. Young has details he's yet to share. Even if he doesn't, isn't it highly unlikely that anti-Syrian forces would set off a bomb in a predominantly Christian suburb of Beirut?

Has anyone claimed responsibility? Is anyone likely to claim responsibility? When a roadside bomb goes off in Baghdad, is it presumptuous to blame the insurgency?

[Ruthless]

Is there an Idiot's Guide to Lebanon?
Not that I would read it. (And neither would anyone else.)
But can someone explain what's going on there in terms of what it means to US citizens?

All I know about Lebanon I learned from going to the annual festivals of the Maronite? church not far from here: St. Anthony of Padua?
(Stuff wrapped in grape leaves is pretty good.)

[Josh]

Tony, surely you dont think there arent other groups in lebanon capable of carrying out an attack such as this? Lebanon is a society of factions vying for control, the Syrians being the biggest and baddest, but not the only. Hell, not even all Lebanese are convinced that Syria was behind the attack on Hariri.

[Justin Raimondo's Brother]

Only Bushie thugs and neocons would deny Israel's hand in this.

[Tony]

Groups vying for power?

OK, who are the groups? What are the camps in Lebanon today? Pro-Syrian, anti-Syrian, and supposed neutrals. Pro-Syrians include the secret services, thug gangs posing as parties like the Baath (which had no weight in Lebanon before the Syrian era), some in the SSNP, and such. Who else? It's highly unlikely that it's Hizbullah. Who else remains? All the rest are in the opposition camp. Which brings us back to Michael's claim: either Syrian agents, or their local cronies. Local cronies includes the above-mentioned thugs as well as the security services which have been operating under direct order from the Syrians.

I fail to see how "vying for power" works in terrorist bombings of Christian neighborhoods!

[Joe]

Justin Raimondo's younger brother, I assume. The genuine article takes a little more space in making basically identical points.

[Curious]

There was an article posted recently abut the Druze and their leader. This article said there are hundreds of thousands of Druze in Syria. Does anyone know if they are being abused because of the politics of their leader in Lebanon?

[Peter K.]

Doesn't seem logical or reasonable to me that Israel would provoke instability in Lebanon which would give Syria a reason to remain. But then their continued colonization of the West Bank isn't very smart either.

However, they are withdrawing from Gaza, just as they withdrew from Lebanon in 2000. Assad and Sharon are using each other to excuse their bad behavior just as Eastasia, Eurasia and Oceania did in 1984.

Syria is ruled by the minority Alawite clan. Throw in the restive Kurds of Syria, along with the newly empowered Kurds of Iraq and it's easy to see their days are numbered. The question is how many people they'll take out with them as they're reduced to their rightful minority status.

[Rick Barton]

Michael:

Like every single Syrian decision taken in the past seven months...it will backfire.

And the Syrian government is so stupid that they don't know this? That could well be. But it could also be the Israeli government is behind it, knowing that the Syrian government will get blamed thus hastening their departure.

Either way, it seems that the Lebanese people will be far better off if the Syrian government splits-Provided that the Israeli government doesn't take their place, as they've tried to do before.

Lebanon seems to have a tradition of greater liberty than most places in region. All foreign governments, including the US, should leave Lebanon alone.

[Rick Barton]

The Real Bill,

Thanks for the tip on the Jane's Addiction song-Great lyrics.

[Joe]

Peter K.,

Israel doesn't need excuses to hold on to anything. Holding on to the West Bank may or may not be a wise policy, but it has little to do, and was never justified - as you imply - by anything remotely related to Assad. It was held by Jordan before 67, when Jordan attacked Israel, and lost the territory. In 95, I think, the two countries made peace, and settled territorial disputes between them. This doesn't mean it's smart for Israel to stay there, but it is nothing like Syria's occupation of Lebanon.
But frankly, it is difficult to know how much anyone who talks about Israel "colonizing" anything knows about the Middle East. Have you looked at a map? Do you realize that to say Israel colonizes the West Bank is like saying people on the Upper East Side colonize the West Side (in the sense that these are contiguous, minuscule territories)?

[a]

" Jordan attacked Israel,"

Jordan didn't attack Israel in 1967.

"Do you realize that to say Israel colonizes the West Bank is like saying people on the Upper East Side colonize the West Side (in the sense that these are contiguous, minuscule territories)?"

Does the East side have its army controlling the west side? Do they have checkpoints? imprison thousands of the west side residents? Do they domlish houses? confiscate land?

[R C Dean]

Does the East side have its army controlling the west side?

Counting hte quasi-military NYPD - sure.

Do they have checkpoints?

You got me there. Probably not.

imprison thousands of the west side residents?

Depending on your definition of West Side, I would say there are probably thousands incarcerated.

Do they domlish houses? confiscate land?

You bet they do. Its called eminent domain.

[Rick Barton]

You bet they do. Its called eminent domain.

Come on. Although eminent domain proceedings are unjust, they are nothing like the house demolitions that the Palestinians face with no compensation or due process.

[Mike H.]

Is there much of anything that Israel is not to blame for in the Middle East?

[Rick Barton]

Is there much of anything that Israel is not to blame for in the Middle East?

There's plenty. The region is loaded with thug governments. Some of which, such as Egypt and Jordan, receive US taxpayer's dollars. Of course, in the case of those two, the funds are payoffs for making piece with Israel.

[Mike H.]

Is that a typo, Rick, or something much more sinister...? One wonders. 🙂

[Rick Barton]

A Typo,oops. Excuse me. Perhaps I'm getting hungry. 🙂

[Joe]

a,

"Jordan didn't attack Israel in 1967."

The Jordanians shelled Jerusalem on June 5th 1967, and their forces penetrated the armistice line and took control of some parts of Jerusalem.
Israel counter-attacked, conquering the West Bank.

Yes, Israel demolishes the houses of suicide bombers, or those used to launch attacks on its soldiers and citizens. It may not be to your liking, but I wonder how would the US, or any other country respond in a similar situation.
It even holds in prisons those who participated in such attacks. Possibly several thousands.

In both cases, the families whose houses are demolished, and the terrorists, are entitled to more due process than any other Arab population anywhere else in the Middle East.

So how do these things, including the check-points, make Israel a "colonizer" in the West Bank, given that, again, the area was taken from Jordan, which has since made its peace with Israel?

Joe