The American General who arguably turned the situation around for the Americans in Iraq is now visiting Beirut. How significant is his visit?
President Sleiman gives a reserved handshake (AP)
General Petraeus’ visit to Beirut can be just a matter of procedure. The man is set soon to be the head of the US Central Command, the arm of the military that is responsible for U.S. operations and troops in the Middle East and Central Asia, a region to which Lebanon belongs.
Yet the surprise visit is also likely to raise speculations. After all, wasn’t General David Petraeus the man who oversaw the putting down of the Sadr Militia in Iraq? Thanks to Gen. Petraeus, the Iraqi Hezbollah-wannabe finally decided to lay down its weapons and become a purely political movement. Isn’t this the future America sees for Hezbollah too?
Moreover, Does Mr. Petraeus’ visit have anything to do with Mr. Saad Hariri’s surprise visit to Iraq last month, in which he met with high officials?
In a sense, what General Petraeus represents is the anti-Iran-Syria-Hezbollah-Hamas’ narrative of an America stumbling goofily in the Middle East. He is anathema to the forces of “rejection” in the region and is likely to provoke a wave of ad-hominem attacks from Hezbollah-friendly media.
To the extent Hezbollah fears facing the destiny of the Sadr militias, the venom in covering the General’s visit will be high. If on the other hands Assafir and Al-Akhbar left the man alone, we will then know for sure that the visit was just one of protocol.
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I've been blogging about Lebanese society, business and politics since February 2005.
(hizb blinder mode on)
That’s it – I knew!
It was evil americans who killed the syrian Sleiman (no not “our” prez). The timing is the key, they want to catch the “resistance” off guard
(hizb blinder mode off)
Jokes apart, it’s just protocol – after all the HA love festung the gov. made, I guess everyone are more reluctant towards the current cabinet.
do you mean to tell us that the esteemed General David Michael Filmore Winston Pipsqueak Petraeus The Third is more powerful than Israel? hmmmmm…
I would say that Sadr was put down by the Iraqi government and its own stupidity.
to add to vox populii, with big help from the surge troops and general patreaus’ new coin strategies.
Perhaps he brought pictures of destroyed Iraq and Saddam dangling from a rope to share with Hezb’s puppet leader as a jovial reminder.
Just a message to black turbines that USA “military” has not abandoned Lebos…
General Petraeus’ visit to Beirut is considered to be an insult to the intellectual Lebanese mind and diplomacy, his personal advisor for the Middle East affairs Saadi Othman is Just a Taxi Driver in NYC who happened to be a linguist in Iraq.Who are you kidding?
The reference to Iraq’s Sadr is possibly relevant to Lebanon’s local version of a herdsman with large holdings. Isn’t it true that Sadr and Nasrallah belong to the same herd (tribe, family, ?); Cousins, or something like that. Also, Petraeus is the co-author of the updated U.S. Army (and Marine Corps) manual on counterinsurgency. Petraeus has demonstrated substance and smarts and Nasrallah doesn’t offer much more than a propaganga seeking blowhard who thinks he’s a resurrected Saladin. Petraeus has proven accomplishments in offensive warfare warfare and Nasrallah mostly proved that if you dig a hole deep enough you can ride out the storm. Petraeus offers a program for stability, reconstruction, improvements in economics, legal structures and other basics of a functioning government. He’ll offer ideas but it will take the Lebanese to follow through. Nasrallah is directed by Iran and God (?) and offers a 12th century version of a functioning society. Only the dummies will dismiss Petraeus and his ideas without listening, and saving their comments for afterwards.
Just protocol…what do you expect him to do? Our issue is not as simple as the sadr militia, it is a complicated regional problem that can’t be solved with force alone…it’s already been proven.
VOR
if you could, take a look at petraeus’s plan for counter insurgency warfare and you’ll see that it is not entirely a military solution. political strength and the incorporation of fringe elements into the (Lebanese) army is very much a important part of the COIN strategy. a big part of Nasrallah’s power comes the fact that the Lebanese government does not have the full support of its people. if petraeus can consult on a Lebanese COIN strategy and make their armed forces as well as the government institutions more effective, I think you’ll see Nasrallah’s grip begin to weaken and a better, stronger Lebanon emerge.
Vor, Iraq is also a complicated regional problem with Iran wanting to control it and other states in the area trying to prevent that from happening. Additionally, along with Sunnis and Shiias, there are also the Kurds to keep the pot boiling. While Petraeus is a capable soldier he is also a statesman. He is the main promoter of the importance of establishing a functioning society as a way to eliminate the selling points of an insurgency. His manual on counterinsurgency is big on the importance of non force solutions. It is non classified and can be downloaded on the Web. With him visiting Lebanon, the country must be pretty high on his list of priorities.