Lebanon in the crosshairs – Outsiders meddle in Levant

Lebanon looks set to embark upon the new year in a state of greater unease and foreboding about the imminent future than at any time since the end of the 1975-1990 war. The resignations in mid-November of six cabinet ministers—all five Shia and an ally of President Emile Lahoud—and the accompanying specter of street demonstrations have spurred earnest speculation whether the political impasse will lead to a revival of civil war. The slaying of industry minister Pierre Gemayel, no friend to Syria, has further increased tensions. There appears little hope of a meaningful breakthrough in the crisis, as Lebanon’s domestic ailments cannot be separated from the Gordian knot of regional and international interests which lie beneath much of the country’s current troubles. Historically, Lebanon has tended to play the unenviable role of battleground for competing regional and international powers struggling to subvert and dominate their rivals using local Lebanese factions