Lebanon on the Brink

The perennial Middle East crisis known as Lebanon has entered a new phase with the fall of Sunni prime minister Saad Hariri's government. The proximate cause of the government's collapse was the withdrawal from Lebanon's coalition Shiite and opposition ministers aligned with Hezbollah. They object to Hariri's support for the U.N.-authorized Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) investigating the 2005 assassination of his father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. It's little wonder —the Party of God's general secretary Hassan Nasrallah fears that the STL will soon indict members of Hezbollah.

Such indictments would have significant implications for Hezbollah and its patrons in Syria and Iran, for Lebanese democrats, and even for Israel and the U.N. But the stakes are large for us, as well. America has, to this day, given its full rhetorical support to the tribunal. But, more importantly, that support reflected America's long-term interest in a moderate government in Lebanon, and in reducing Syrian and Iranian influence at the Eastern edge of the Mediterranean. Our broader interests are entangled in the unfolding crisis in Lebanon.

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