A Blast Heard Round the World?

The car bomb that tore through downtown Beirut’s beachfront area yesterday, killing former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, did far more than just rock the Lebanese capital. In the days ahead, the shock waves emanating from the explosion will likely ricochet across the entire Middle East - and far beyond.

There seems little doubt that the thuggish regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad was behind Hariri’s untimely demise. The former Lebanese premier had recently become one of the most vocal critics of Syria’s ongoing occupation of Lebanon, and he is said to have committed a great deal of his time, energy and vast fortune to pressing for the removal of Syrian troops from the country.

With the Lebanese opposition growing increasingly vocal (and brave) in calling for an end to Syrian domination, and with Lebanon due to hold a round of elections in a few months’ time, the message behind Hariri’s assassination is unequivocal: Syria has no intention of removing its stranglehold from its tiny and rather helpless neighbor.

Why should anyone outside the region care about any of this? The answer is really quite simple: Syria is rapidly becoming one of the greatest threats to Middle East stability alongside Iran.

The same Syrian regime that is aiding the insurgency in Iraq against US soldiers is also seeking to ensure continued volatility in Lebanon, Israel and elsewhere. Damascus hosts various Palestinian terror organizations, serves as one of the chief backers of Hizbullah, and does not shy away from thumbing its nose at the US and its interests. In other words, Syria is out to disrupt US President George W. Bush’s vision of a more democratic Middle East, and they don’t seem too concerned about the consequences.

It is time for that to change, and rapidly. Enough is enough – how much longer does Washington plan to sit on the sidelines and allow Assad to bleed US troops in Baghdad while simultaneously holding Beirut in a chokehold?

If the US is serious about bringing some more tranquility to the region, then it is time to turn up the heat on Assad and put him on notice that he will pay a heavy price for his actions.

The Bush Administration has tried diplomacy, and even imposed some economic sanctions on Syria early last year. But as Hariri’s killing yesterday clearly demonstrated, that doesn’t seem to have impressed Assad very much.

A couple of US Marine divisions knocking at his palace door, however, now that may just do the trick...

Comments

[Robert Gaskell, Jr]

Unfortunately, there is little chance of any US actions against Syria until we finish our mission in Iraq. The Marine Corps is stretched thin, with many of our Reservists being activated, which is quite evident here at Camp Lejeune, which is currently crawling with Reservists training for deployment. Perhaps as Iraq becomes less deadly, we will cross the border. But with current public opinion, I'm skeptical this will happen. I think what is more likely is that eventually an Israeli nuke will destroy Demascus, never to be rebuilt.

[steve peled]

the key to destabilizing syria lies to the north, in a reorginizing kurdistan,and in al-anbar province,which more closely resembles a part of aphghanistan than an international border under control and regulairly patroled.we may have to buy off warlords and strongmen in the region, but there is a lot of competition and the region is awash with arms and cash.the danger is the terrorists ability to establish logistical bases throughout the region,including gaza.it does not require but a few cells of hizbollah,or other jihadi type mass murderers to cause a major amount of damage.a mega attack, inevitable, will change the political landscape, as it has in lebanon.we face the same dilemma.

[John]

Syria will NEVER have punitive actions taken against it.
The reason lies with James Baker and his crooks.
We have had serious problems with Syria but Never have we taken action against them. Only window dressing by enacting laws against it but never enforced.