April 26, 2005
By Chuck Missler
Koinonia House
After nearly 30 years of "protection" Syria is finally pulling its troops out of Lebanon. The Lebanese people breathed a collective sigh of relief, looking forward to their new freedom, as they watched the last of the troops leave Tuesday. However, the various factions within Lebanon have never truly "kissed and made up" and many observers fear Syria will continue to influence Lebanese politics from behind the scenes.
In 1975, strife between Lebanon's 17 sects finally burst into a raging civil war that threatened to destabilize the entire region. A year into the conflict, Lebanon turned to Syria for help, and like a good neighbor, Syria was there. Damascus sent forces into Lebanon to keep the peace between the groups, which included Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Christians and the Druze. However, when the civil war finally ended in 1990, Syria failed to remove its troops, or its big fat thumb from the neck of Lebanese politics.
The Lebanese resent Syria's heavy-handed presence in their country, but neither former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad (1971-2000) nor his son, the current ruler, Bashar al-Assad have been willing to disentangle themselves from their neighbor's affairs. Last year's UN Resolution 1559 and the recent US Syria Accountability Act both demanded that Damascus remove its troops. However, little happened until this February 14, when a car bomb violently killed Lebanese leader Rafik Hariri in Beirut. Believing Damascus to be responsible, the people of Lebanon marched the streets to demand that Syria get out. Damascus relented and trucked out its remaining 14,000 troops through the end of April.
Shaaban al-Ajami, the mayor of Lebanese border village of Majdal Anjar, expressed relief at the Syrian farewell. "I feel like someone who was suffocated and jailed and has finally emerged from jail," he said.
Syria is a sore spot for both the United States and Israel. The US State Department has long criticized Syria for supporting terrorism both in Iraq and against Israel. The terrorist group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon has worked under the blessing of Damascus in stabbing Israel in the side and has supported Syria's confrontations with Israel over the Golan Heights.
Lebanon has a lot of ground to cover to stabilize itself in the physical absence of its big brother neighbor. Iranian President Mohamed Khatami, (a close Syrian ally), has predicted that without Syria, the fragile Lebanese peace will disintegrate back into civil war. Yet things are looking hopeful for Lebanon's upcoming elections, and the new Prime Minister Najib Mikati is a fairly safe compromise candidate.
Unfortunately, removing their troops is not the only necessary step in getting Syria out of Lebanon. Iranian-backed Hezbollah, so often an instrument of Damascus, will not be leaving with the Syrian forces. The terrorist group maintains 3,000 missiles on the border of Israel and Lebanon and is heavily influenced by both Syria and Iran.
Dr. Reuven Erlich, director of Israel's Center for Special Studies concludes, "...It would seem that in that new era, Syrian intervention will be far less dominant and obvious. The Syrians will apparently adopt a more sophisticated and complex pattern of influence based on less visibility and control through its proxies behind the scenes."
http://www.khouse.org/enews_article/2005/908/print/