Lebanon;

Here's a short video featuring english speaking Lebanese Grad students discussing america. It was shot back in 2005 before this summers war and the current internal tensions between the anti-syrian government and the pro-syrian opposition.

I'm very afraid Lebanon will be plunged into civil war shortly. Hez'b'Allah is using the fact that they are heavily armed to demand veto power in the Lebanese parliament despite the fact they do not have the votes to back it up. As the only political party in Lebanon today with a militia that operates above the law there is a high risk that violence could erupt at any time.

Today Hez'b'Allahs true colors are shining through for the whole world to see. If they truly represented the Lebanese people they would lay down there arms and dominate the political scene with the peoples popular support. Instead they use masked thugs to bring the economy to a halt and force the lebanese people to submit to their will. They seek political power through domination - not consensus.

Many in the west have a sadly mistaken view of Hez'b'Allah as some sort of stalwart peoples resistance. These people should examine the facts objectively and critically instead of allowing their disdain for Israeli policy to cloud their perception of an anti-democratic fundamentalist militia that operates above the law and is accountable to no one but Nasrallah.

Let's examine some facts, mmmkay?

We know Syria supports HezbAllah, and that HezbAllah is always quick to portray themselves as a peoples movement. We should ask ourselves why the Syrians are so quick to lend support to a violent faction that brings war to Lebanon and claims to be fighting "Israeli Aggression". If this was truly the motivation then would it not be logical for Syria to have their own resistance? For militias to launch rockets over the Syrian border considering the fact that ISrael occupies the entire Golan Heights?

There is no such thing as a Syrian "resistance". Bashar Al-Assad (Syria's secular dictator) has no interest in provoking Israel into a devastating war that would likely leave his military decimated and his stranglehold on his nation weakened - opening an opportunity for various oppressed opposition movements to take hold.

Assad and Hez'b'Allah have opted instead to use Lebanon as a staging ground for war against Israel. They have used Israel to weaken the democratically elected government of Lebanon and open an opportunity for Hez'b'Allah to violently seize power - effectively destroying any hope for a prosperous democracy in the diverse and progressive nation of Lebanon.

Bashar Al-Assad and Nasrallah care little for the people of Lebanon. They seek to dominate the people and impose their will at the cost of Lebanese prosperity and stability. How unfortunate that a few thousand anti-democratic thugs can be responsible for the destruction of such a beautiful country. How unfortunate that the democratic aspirations of the Lebanese people are surrendered to people who would bring death to a thousand and a half Lebanese citizens without consensus and proclaim it a "victory".

How unfortunate that many in the west harbor such a deep rooted disdain for Israel and America that they would cheer as thugs and gangsters take control of such a progressive and beautiful country.

for more news on the current situation check out Ya Libnan.

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