USCFL - Lebanon's light of freedom could illuminate the Middle East

May 2, 2003 After our recent military victory in Iraq, we are about to learn again that democracy and the institutions that support it are much more difficult to build and sustain than they are to destroy. The flame we call freedom, as Solzhenitsyn said, is a fragile one and is vulnerable to the slightest breeze, which can at any time plunge us back into darkness. That's what Syria did in 1976 when she rolled into the jewel of the eastern Mediterranean, Lebanon, and blew out the light of freedom making that part of the world a more dangerous and darker place. Would that we could rekindle that flame to help us light the way for people in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East.

While we struggle to bring freedom to the people of post-war Iraq, Syria's heel remains firmly across the throat of the Lebanese people. Not long ago, Lebanon was a healthy and thriving democracy with a secure, vibrant banking system and dynamic merchant culture. The envy of the region.

But then this civilized nation was fought over, torn apart and occupied and in the process lost much of the resources and talent that made her so unique. Force triumphed and democracy died as 20,000 occupying Syrian troops and countless Syrian operatives made Lebanon a satellite of the dictatorship next door. Syria's patron, Saudi Arabia, funded much of went on there and Syria's primary terrorist tenant in Lebanon, Hezbollah, now destabilizes the region from its base on Lebanese soil. Nine other terrorist organizations use Damascus as their home address and operate openly in both Syria and Lebanon where they train, supply and task their people for terror around the world.

America stopped thinking about Lebanon in 1990 when 14 years of struggle inside that country ended. Syrian occupation was wrongly perceived as bringing about order and policy makers in the U.S. felt that without open conflict, who controls Lebanon mattered little. They also felt that when peace came to the region Lebanon would have its chance for freedom again. But this argument ignored the tyranny that Syria's occupation has brought to the Lebanese people and the mischief that this situation creates for the rest of the world.

Facilitating a lively oil for arms trade that subverted the intent of the UN embargo, Syria pumped more than a billion dollars a year into Iraq's economy selling and shipping oil to clandestine customers and transporting arms through Syria and Lebanon in return. Syria was also Hezbollah's middleman in the region, making it possible for men and equipment from Hezbollah's primary patron, Iran, to find its way into Lebanon and other places in the world like Israel's northern border. With free reign in Lebanon, Hezbollah's terrorists are a deadly combination and have stifled freedom. More importantly though, is that if Hezbollah, as suspected, has close links to Al Qaeda, then solving the Lebanon problem becomes a priority for the U. S. and is not just an afterthought.

Regime change in Syria and the toppling of its Ba'athist regime would be an ideal way to bring about many good things for the Middle East, but short of that, President Bush could strike a major blow against the terrorist infrastructures by insisting that Syria end its occupation of Lebanon. One unambiguous statement of six-words would do it: All Syrian forces must leave Lebanon.

Syria doesn't have to be invaded to make this point. Direct action against the terrorist training camps in Syria and Lebanon might suffice and get her attention just as the 300,000 coalition troops on her doorstep have made her take notice.

President Bush has said that no country or leader who harbors terrorists is safe from retribution, and if Syria's despot du jour, Bashar al-Assad, won't shut down the terrorist training camps, he defies Bush doctrine at his own peril. The Middle East and the world would be a far safer place without Syrian hegemony over Lebanon.

Would you like to comment on this article?

If you would like to send us your thoughts on this article, please click the button below:

If you would like to read feedback submitted by other visitors, please click on the button below:

Article:	Lebanon's light of freedom could illuminate the Middle East
Author:	Ziad K. Abdelnour -- e-mail: ziad@freelebanon.org
Date:	May 1st, 2003