The International Crisis Group On The Tribunal

In an extensive report (Executive Summary | Full pdf paper ), the ICG attempts to explore the political jockeying behind the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. There’s nothing new in the report, but it serves as a good recap for everything that has been done so far. The think tank conclude that the best outcome is some kind of lose-lose settlement:

Such a deal would not be neat, and it would not be pretty. Hizbollah would not get all its wants […] March 14 would not be satisfied either, having to accept real limitations on the STL’s work. […] No winner will come out of the current battle. What is necessary is to ensure the Lebanese people do not emerge as the biggest losers of all.

What’s funny is that the best possible outcome is expressed in so many negative words.