What A Joke
Oh, so the international community condemned Eido's killing in the "strongest possible terms." I guess everyone can calm down now. Everything is going to be all right.
President Bush remarked, "efforts by Damascus and Tehran to foment instability in Lebanon must stop now."
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner condemned the assassination
as an, "odious and cowardly crime."
The EU wants to make sure that, "[t]he causes of this attack must be clarified and those responsible must be punished."
What a joke. How long will this attack delay the next visit from a European or American politician, who comes to Syria hat-in-hand, looking for a deal? A month? Two months, maximum. What concrete actions will be taken to punish Syria for the string of murders it has dragged across Beirut? Nothing; just some pretty words.
No, there won't be any significant help coming from overseas to save the government on this one. Unless, of course, you think car bombs can be stopped with strongly-worded memorandum. The leaders of March 14 find themselves in the place that all good nationalist leaders arrive eventually: all alone, with nobody to count on but themselves.
Comments (4)
This is the scary part; how long till March 14 decide to take a page from their opponents book? If this keeps up, you could hardly fault them for trying to re-adjust the math in their favour.
I fear the coming few days will be dangerous, with the potential for cross-sectarian violence as high as ever.
Posted by Jeha | June 14, 2007 8:35 AM
Posted on June 14, 2007 08:35
You're absolutely right, Jeha. That's what I thought right after I posted this. The international response is important -- but the real story is going to be how March 14 responds. I was kicking myself late last night for not going to Verdun and talking to the shbeb burning tires near Eido's house.
Who knows how this will play out. I try not to think about it, really. I just tell my stories.
Posted by David Kenner | June 14, 2007 8:41 AM
Posted on June 14, 2007 08:41
the funniest? (or saddest?)
" Saniora Pleads for Arab Help "
Posted by ramzi | June 14, 2007 9:27 AM
Posted on June 14, 2007 09:27
Myself, I think about it all the time; I have too much at stake in this country not to. Those who claim March 14 have, for too long, preferred compromise and a degree of shame over war. I fear we will all get both shame and war in the end, like Churchill cautioned the Brits in 1938.
On the bright side, this makes up for a lot of stories to tell. And it seems that dark humour has a future in Lebanon.
Posted by Jeha | June 16, 2007 7:20 AM
Posted on June 16, 2007 07:20