Lebanon and the European Way of Peacekeeping

Human Events | Frontpagemagazine ^ | September 17, 2007 | Soeren Kern

[SJackson]

The European-led United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL is proof positive, if any were needed, of why Europe is unlikely to ever be a global superpower. When the 13,400-member force was scratched together following last summer’s 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah, Europeans said their kinder, gentler “soft power” approach to peacekeeping would teach the United States a thing or two about global politics. While the United States starts wars, Europe ends them, or so they claimed.

But today Lebanon is on the verge of political collapse, a defiant Hezbollah has rearmed to the hilt and rumors of another war with Israel are rife. And as Lebanon slides further into chaos, UNIFIL itself has become a tempting target, so much so that it now spends most of its time trying to protect itself.

Which raises the question: What, exactly, are the Europeans doing in Lebanon?

Not much, says UNIFIL. In what may be the understatement of the year, UNIFIL spokeswoman Yasmine Bouziane on August 29 said the UNIFIL mission “has not fulfilled its stated goals, including those dictated by UN Resolution 1701”. Presumably taking aim at her European political masters, she continued: “It is at this time essential to remind that UNIFIL’s primary mission is to restore security and stability to South Lebanon.” Indeed it is.

But since the UN Security Council has just extended UNIFIL’s mandate for another year, this might be a good time to survey the European state of play in Lebanon.

[SJackson]

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[Wuli]

Does sour milk always taste sour? Yes.

Does salt always burn your eyes? Yes.

Does a flame always feel hot to your skin? Yes.

Does the cold come in winter? Yes.

Is the moon made of green cheese? No.

So, as Condi Rice announced that “the status quo anti” was no longer acceptable in Lebabon, and then proposed and achieved a Unifil mission that, by its composition and the limits on its own actions, would not only maintain that “status quo anti” but insure it was maintained to the advantage of the terrorists, how anyone in the world can now be surprised is actually the big mystery,

for there surely was no mystery that the Europeans no longer know anything about “security” and seek to simply minimize the loss of as many of their fewer and fewer remaining lives while they surrender, under the appeasing inducements of their own treasonous leftists.

The pretense that they are NOT in war of civilizations (a leftist-inspired pretense) is now dominant in Europe and worse still, increasing here.

[dennisw]

bttt