■"Sectarian Tensions Simmer in Lebanon: Power-Sharing Pact Raising New Doubts," by Scott Wilson, Washington Post, 13 October 2004, p. A12.
Peace has reigned in Lebanon for 14 years, thanks to a fragile and complex power-sharing arrangement among the Christians, Druze and Sunnis. But one key aspect of that accord has never come to pass: Syria and its 20,000 troops remain in country. Iran and Israel no longer back militias inside the country, but Syria still has enough clout to get things done, like twisting the arm of the parliament there to extend the presidency of its preferred leader, a Maronite Christian.
Now, even the Lebanese leaders who've long praised Syria's past role in stabilizing the country say it's time to leave. The question is why Bashar Assad is afraid to pull out. Is his effort at political reforms in Damascus still too embryonic at this point to withstand the political backlash from conservatives at home? Does he fear the U.S. military presence in Iraq too much?
Or is this just another sign of the Big Bang strategy unfolding at a pace that works to the Core's and—especially—America's advantage?
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