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To: M. Dodge Thomas
As recent events in Lebanon reminded us, if your are the militarily stronger power, anything less than a convincing victory is regarded in much of the world as a defeat.

The Arab Press and MSM, but the "Arab street" knows that the Lebanese people would prefer not to have any more such victories.

24 posted on 09/15/2006 11:58:59 AM PDT by Maceman (This is America. Why must we press "1" for English?)
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To: Maceman
The Arab Press and MSM (may beleive this was a Hezbollah victory), but the "Arab street" knows that the Lebanese people would prefer not to have any more such victories.

We know this how?

Because Hezbollah has been ejected from Lebanon's government?

Because there have been massive street demonstrations against Hezbollah in Bruit (as there were against Syria two years ago)?

Because we are reading news reports of spitting and cursing villagers refusing Hezbollah aid in rebuilding?

Because the governments of most other Islamic states are issuing daily denunciation of Hezbollah's actions in Lebanon?

Because Lebanese public opinion is forcing Hezbollah to disarm?

No one likes to be on the receiving end of an fective air campaign against their country's basic infrastructure, or to be even temporary refuges forced from their homes.

But that's not the same as blaming Hezbollah for their situation.

For example a poll taken last week shows that the Lebanese population is split almost evenly of the question of whether Hezbollah should be disarmed – about the same as before the war – and The UN secretary-general was jeered in a Shiite suburb of Beirut last week – a pretty good measure of Shiite Lebanon's endorsement of UN hopes of disarming Hezbollah.

According to every report I've read – including those in the Israeli press - the fact that Hezbollah after weeks of punishing attacks of Israel was still launching missiles for as little a two miles north of the border increased their creditability on “The Arab Street” because they were absorbing punishing attacks but continued to respond with attacks of this their own.

You can't apply “western” standards when attempting to predict or understand the effects such measures upon "honor societies" - in this case it appears that the greater the damage inflicted by Israel on Lebanon, the greater the “honor” of the Hezbollah “resistance” and the civilian “martyrs” who died in Israeli attacks.

43 posted on 09/15/2006 12:54:18 PM PDT by M. Dodge Thomas (More of the same, only with more zeros at the end.)
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