What's up with Syria? A bare bones background:
1901 Sykes-Picot defined Syria as French protectorate. Lebanon had been a
province but established independence, never recognized by Syria. Hafez
Assad came to power somewhat paralleling Saddam Hussein. Assad pere
(deceased) gives way to Assad fils, Bashaar, fine empirical nepotism.
Syria, mostly arid rocky desert, landlocked with skinny arm to only Mediterannean
port of Latakia. Lebanon has no desert, net exporter, lots of gulf money,
numerous ports and lovely strategic southern geography bordering Israel.
1976 Syria "invited" into Lebanon ostensibly as peacekeeper; not exactly
welcome sight to the embattled ruling Maronite Christian minority led by
Gemayel pere et fils, later assassinated. And for 20 years Syrian
government adopts terminology repatriating "our province Lebanon".
As Saddam Hussein took grotesque retribution to assert complete power so
too did Assad: Hama, a city of ~1million, I sat in outdoor restaurant by the
river eating tasty kebabs, watching old men in robes, kheffiyeh and aghal
smoking narghili, boys riding waterwheel buckets up then jumping off into the
river, all no longer exist through expulsion and bulldozing; foolish people
supposedly tried to elect non-Baathists.
Now, in 2005, all I see in the media is American government telling Syria to
get out, Lebanese ex-PM assassinated, "spontaneous" public uprising and
"our province Lebanon" president and government resigning.
These aren't people who say "Ok we'll go"... Something else has happened or
is threatening to happen.
1901 Sykes-Picot defined Syria as French protectorate. Lebanon had been a
province but established independence, never recognized by Syria. Hafez
Assad came to power somewhat paralleling Saddam Hussein. Assad pere
(deceased) gives way to Assad fils, Bashaar, fine empirical nepotism.
Syria, mostly arid rocky desert, landlocked with skinny arm to only Mediterannean
port of Latakia. Lebanon has no desert, net exporter, lots of gulf money,
numerous ports and lovely strategic southern geography bordering Israel.
1976 Syria "invited" into Lebanon ostensibly as peacekeeper; not exactly
welcome sight to the embattled ruling Maronite Christian minority led by
Gemayel pere et fils, later assassinated. And for 20 years Syrian
government adopts terminology repatriating "our province Lebanon".
As Saddam Hussein took grotesque retribution to assert complete power so
too did Assad: Hama, a city of ~1million, I sat in outdoor restaurant by the
river eating tasty kebabs, watching old men in robes, kheffiyeh and aghal
smoking narghili, boys riding waterwheel buckets up then jumping off into the
river, all no longer exist through expulsion and bulldozing; foolish people
supposedly tried to elect non-Baathists.
Now, in 2005, all I see in the media is American government telling Syria to
get out, Lebanese ex-PM assassinated, "spontaneous" public uprising and
"our province Lebanon" president and government resigning.
These aren't people who say "Ok we'll go"... Something else has happened or
is threatening to happen.