Like Hezbollah’s weapons, the American destroyers will not be used against the Lebanese people. But their mere presence will shift the strategic balance.
To many Lebanese, it will seem insane to compare American warships to Hezbollah’s weapons. After all, Hezbollah is a local resistance movement that is exclusively meant to fight Israel, while America is a trigger-happy foreign power that is trespassing our sovereignty to bomb our brains out. Right?
But who said anything about the US warships invading or bombing Lebanon? The USS Cole and the other ships coming soon to our neighborhood are just going to hang around. In fact, they’ll be so far we won’t be able to see them.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t make a difference. Lebanon is divided into two, roughly equal groups that are struggling for power. One is backed by Iran and Syria and the other is backed by the west and the rest of the Arab world. Hezbollah had an advantage: It possesses an Iranian arsenal that it’s using for leverage in internal politics. The pro-westerns were being outgunned, and their American allies have decided to fix the situation by lending them some deterrence of their own.
But isn’t it unpatriotic to use American guns against fellow Lebanese?
Not necessarily. Hezbollah’s weapons are from Iran, a persian country in south-west Asia. The party of God regularly promises that it won’t use them against fellow Lebanese, but their threat remains an undertone. Besides, can’t we say the same thing of the American warships? If they’re just going to sit there (being “in the vicinity” as the US chief of staff puts it), sooner or later everyone (except Hezbollah and their backers) is going to forget about them.
Now that the threat of mutual destruction is established, the two sides can hammer a deal out and hopefully progress can be made.
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I have been blogging about Lebanese society and politics since February 2005. You can also find me on 
There is nothing more painful than a perpetual civil war. Honestly how do you suggest eliminating a cause for a people by force instead of by conviction ?
I wasn’t really talking about a Civil War, Blastercbi. I would object to the US (or any other outside power) getting involved in a Civil War in Lebanon. It wouldn’t really be a civil war, then. But Civil Wars historically DO end. The situation in Lebanon is an historical anomaly. I don’t know what the answer to that is.
What I was talking about is the restraint being shown by western powers. Hezbollah seems to think the west is afraid to intervene in Lebanon – afraid of HA. I don’t believe that’s the case at all. I believe the west (the US in particular) would relish a chance to go balls to the wall against Hezbollah. I think the only thing stopping it is fear of the consequences for the rest of Lebanon. A lot of people still have some hope that Lebanon can emerge a prosperous democracy at some point in the future.
the region with the most unpaid electricity is northern lebanon. quit bandying around these urban legends.
Craig, You are such an idiot. Folks here are crying to get out of Iraq and you are still talking war. Hey the Marijuana smoke has cleared, only a hang-over from the war party is left. But you are such a moron still high and buzzed thinking the US will go to war anywhere. Did you see what the economy is doing lately bozo, or where the deficit is?