A Good Week For Syria

Two stories about Lebanon in the international press recently. Neither bring good news. The Economist tackles the killing of Wissam Eid, and notes the suspicious timing of the bombing:

"The timing of the attack -- two days before the Arab League was scheduled to discuss its as yet unfruitful effort to enable the election of Lebanon's army commander, General Michel Suleiman, as president -- also suggests a broader political motive. Syria and its Lebanese allies have hedged their acceptance of Mr Suleiman with conditions that would enable them to block policies advocated by the current parliamentary majority, which is led by the late Mr Hariri's son, Saad. These policies include a commitment to the Hariri tribunal."

An investigator into Hariri's assassination is killed. The opposition blocks any Arab mediation that would ensure government support for the international tribunal into Hariri's assassination. Not bad for a week's work. But wait, there's more.

Michael Young interviewed Detlev Mehlis for the Wall Street Journal, and wrote an article that is sure to warm Bashar al-Assad's heart (though I doubt this was Mr. Young's intention). European bureaucrats don't need Syrian thuggery to stall the international court at all -- they're perfectly capable of doing it by themselves. Mehlis remarks that "I haven't seen a word in [Serge Brammertz's] reports during the past two years confirming that he has moved forward" with the investigation. The tribunal, according to Mehlis, "appears to have lost the momentum it had until January 2006."

And then, with the riots yesterday -- well, it shouldn't be hard to guess the mood around here. I am busy today. There is more to write later. This will all get much worse before it gets better.