High Tensions between Sunni and Hizballah in Lebanon. Civil War may be imminent.

December 3rd 2006 | jveritas

[attiladhun2]

If we were to take sides in a Lebanese civil conflict, I believe it would bring out the homicide bombers in this country. As recently as last year, a jihadist conference in Iran (which drew 40,000 attendees from all parts of the world) signed up over 10,000 homicide bombers. Since then, over 50,000 homicide bombers have pledged to martyr themselves.

[BIGLOOK]

Alliances and rivalries in the ME are so complicated, it's hard to follow them without a scorecard (and even with one).

The area is full of competing tribes but Syria...and Iraq...have a national socialist political party, the Baath party. What the attraction is to Hizballah and the Iranian regime is beyond me other than the simple goal of control of the greater part of the Middle East.

[JSDude1]

As our president says "You're either with us or against us in this war on terror"..I say lets not get wobbly, not worry about them (while still taking the necessary measures to protect our nation, people, and property) and Fight them anyway, wherever..what say you..?

[AuH2ORepublican]

"The Christians in Lebanon are approximately 35% of the population according to the latest census."

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I thought that the most recent census in Lebanon was held in 1932.

[attiladhun2]

I've never gone wobbly about the WOT. It is the American people who have already gone wobbly. Once we get involved directly in a war with Iran or Syria, their agents here in the U.S. will come out of the woodwork like the stinking cockroaches that they are. Al Qaida got one got sucker punch in on 9-11, but the real and potentially far more dangerous enemy in the WOT has always been Iran. Shiites are 10x more fanatical than the Sunnis who make up AQ.

You have to realize, that a lot of terrorism taking place today is simply part of the Sunni/Shia struggle for dominance of the Islamic world.

[El Gato]

Where do the Christians in Lebanon figure in all of this?

They are split, the article states that most support the anti-Syrian side, along with the Sunnies (and presumably the Druze, who aren't mentioned). Other support the pro-Syrian, and Shiite, Hzb'Allah.

[El Gato]

Chavez egging them on.

Maybe we should just take his oil, and tell the ME terrorist financiers to go %$#_ themselves. We don't buy much from them anyway, so if it's left a glowing crater by Israeli self defense measures, it's not much skin off our back. Let the Eurowienies and the Ruskies go in and work the oil fields in Anti Radiation suits.

[El Gato]

they will be in for a rude awakening if they chose a frontal assault against America while W is Commander-in-Chief

Most likely they'll just nibble around the edges, maybe try to knock of Israel, until after the 2008 elections. Then we'll see. If an appeasnik is elected, as I suspect will be the case... well many have got supplies left over from the Y2K scare. Especially supplies of ammunition.

[El Gato]

They still do not understand that we have only one CIC in this country and that is the President

While that's true, we also have only one source of funding for whatever the CIC wants to do, and that is Congress. Congress goes over to the enemy camp next month.

[El Gato]

Why would Syria (74% Sunni) want to see Sunnis slaughtered?

What the Sunnies in Syria want is of no consequence. The dictator Assad is not a Sunni, he's Alawite (aka Alawi, Nusayris or Ansaris), which is a Shia sect.

[RobbyS]

The Christians were there long before the French came in. At the time of the Crusade, most of the people in the Levant were still Christian..

[hosepipe]

Grooovey.. a smart CIA Section Chief? would make the Sunnis think the Shiites were in league with the CIA, and make the Shiites think the Sunnis were in league with the CIA..

They would Not believe the denials because they BOTH LIE and they both know they both lie.. Check.. in the chess war on terror.. Divide and conquer has always worked.. You know like in Washington D.C.. Should work with the democrats too..

[Jezebelle]

Sadly, Bush has not done a good job of capturing the American minds with his articulations, or lack thereof. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, in the face of the DBM further undermining support for the war, Bush has done a poor job of explaining to the dimwits why Iraq is so important because he hasn't illustrated the nexus between Iraq and U.S. interests.

[Jezebelle]

All very true.

Lebanon fell for the old wolf in sheep's clothing trick, and the fall of Lebanon is pretty much a done deal. As to opening any further fronts in the WoT, we have been neutered by the election results which was largely a media-driven effort. That's why Israel didn't fare better last summer and why there was little vigor and substance to our support for the Israelis.

The enemy is emboldened.

[capitalist229]

True capitalists always capitalize on success.

That's why we should expand out of Iraq and build an entire chain of Roach Motels throughout the ME.

Everybody knows that our customer services can't be beat.

Our Arab customers can't get enough of them so we should try to meet the increasing demand.

BUMP

[jveritas]

It was not a government official census but rather a private one. I read about it few weeks ago in the premiere Lebanese newspaper An Nahar.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"It was not a government official census but rather a private one."

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OK, thank you. Those numbers sound right to me (they are close to the recent estimates I had read), but the word "census" threw me. Christians were what, 55% back in 1932?

[jveritas]

Correct, back in 1932 the Christians were 55% of the population.

[maronite]

If you count lebanese living abroad, the christians still make up a majority. HOwever, lebanese abroad arent allowed to vote, so until that changes(hopefully it will soon) then we will remain a minority.

[jveritas]

Agree.