The Resistance goes on

President Michel Sleiman’s proposal for a national defense strategy, which includes placing Hezbollah’s arsenal of weapons under the command of the Lebanese army, is an attempt to fine tune an idea that was first aired around a decade ago. The Sleiman proposal was unveiled at a meeting on September 21 that grouped most of the country’s top leaders for yet another of the seemingly interminable national dialogue sessions. Although the national dialogue began in early 2006 with the fate of Hezbollah’s arms as its chief raison d’être, the participants have only agreed on one item: closing the bases manned by Syrian-backed Palestinian factions in the Bekaa Valley and in Naameh south of Beirut. However, despite unanimity on that decision it has yet to be put into effect and the Palestinian military bases continue to operate unmolested. Sleiman’s proposal is unlikely to meet the approval of all participants to the national