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[thomas <thomas AT tbeckett.com>]

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Bruce wrote:
| Slight change of subject but what do you guys thing of the positive spin
| "freedom on the march" in the middle east is getting?

Actually, Lebanon was historically a much more open society and actually
enjoyed a democratic government of sorts until the civil war began in
1945.  Beirut was a thriving hub of commerce and a beautiful resort
city.  The civil war was largely due to the Christian minority holding
control of the government.  That war lasted 15 years, destroyed the
nation's economy, and was only ended when Syria invaded to quell the
violence.  Israel also occupied the southern end of the country for
several years ending in 2000.  Since that time the economy has recovered
and a nominally democratic republican form of government created.

The demonstrations against the Syrian Occupation and consequent
resignation of the Syrian-backed government can more readily be
attributed to the Lebanese hearkening to their own national heritage,
the withdrawal of Israel from southern Lebanon, UN Security Council
Resolution 1559 last fall calling for Syria to withdraw, and Syria's
apparent hamfisted assasination of the former Prime Minister Hariri than
~ to "freedom on the march".

Even if events in Iraq have an influence (and the history of Lebanon and
Iraq is closely connected), would one attribute the Lebanese
demonstrations to the largely successful guerilla campaign against the
U.S. occupation or to the U.S.-orchestrated elections of January?

TaB
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Thomas A. Beckett, JD & MBA              Business Law and Consulting
828-713-1668            <http://www.tbeckett.com>           919-824-5696
Authentication instructions: <http://www.tbeckett.com/verification.html>
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