Schenker: Protect Lebanese MPs

David Schenker, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute has written a column for the Los Angeles Times pressing the Bush administration for immediate action against Lebanon’s political assassinations.

Not enough ?

After a lengthy introduction to why the MPs are killed, Mr. Schenker goes to the point:

For Washington, the key will be to craft a policy to prevent Syria and its Lebanese allies from subverting the government in Beirut. One possibility is to deploy, at Lebanon’s request, international forces — under the auspices of already-in-force U.N. Security Council resolutions — to protect targeted politicians. A more effective but politically difficult option would be to hold Syria accountable for all future political murders in Lebanon.Regardless of how Washington proceeds, immediate action is required.The ongoing thinning of the majority raises the very real specter that the results of the 2005 parliamentary elections in Lebanon will be reversed by terrorism. Should this trend of assassinations continue unchallenged, the pro-Syrian opposition, led by the Iranian-sponsored Shiite terrorist organization Hezbollah, waits in the wings.

The issue of international protection of Lebanese MPs can be explosive (no pun intended). It remains to be seen if any “immediate action” will be in the offing.