Warnings Over Lebanon

The United States and France are pushing Syria to stay out of Lebanese politics, a move which looks like it bearing little fruit as the pro-Syrian Omar Karameh become Prime Minister. Some reports suggest that Syria believes Lebanon isn't a major issue for the U.S., about which they are undoubtedly right. If Syria cooperates regarding Iraq and Palestinian issues, the U.S. would spend little time worrying about Lebanon's fate, especially if neoconservatives are less involved in shaping foreign policy after the election. The wild card is Hizbullah, which is the major tie-in between Syria's Lebanon policy and the Arab-Israeli conflict. I suspect that Karameh's elevation represents Syria "digging in" politically in Beirut to weather upcoming diplomatic storms.