Peace...or just a lot of useless debate?
When news of the cease fire proposal came out this weekend I decided not to comment on it until it was clear whether Hezbollah would abide by it.
Apparently they are not, with reports of rockets being fired at Israelis coming in tonight. This is as I expected. Hezbollah is a lot like an Internet troll. They are not interested in honest dialog, they will declare victory even when they lose and their goal is to get you to modify your behavior with as little effort on their part as possible.
The "victory" celebrations in parts of Lebanon and the declarations of "victory" from Hezbollah fool no one except the audience they are geared towards: people in Lebanon who support Hezbollah (and their useful fool allies elsewhere).
The one redeeming feature of the agreement, that Hezbollah must disarm, will be a truly monumental achievement if it happens. That is a very large if, though.
Another positive aspect is Condi Rice's ability to stitch together such disparate groups into an agreement such as this. Never bet against Condi Rice! If a diplomatic solution can be found, she will find it.
For now the ball is in the UN's court. This does not instill and degree of confidence in me. They have dropped the ball far too many times to be counted on. This is a test of whether the world really wants peace or just gives lip service to the notion. Hezbollah must be brought under control by whatever means necessary if there is to be peace in Lebanon.
Apparently they are not, with reports of rockets being fired at Israelis coming in tonight. This is as I expected. Hezbollah is a lot like an Internet troll. They are not interested in honest dialog, they will declare victory even when they lose and their goal is to get you to modify your behavior with as little effort on their part as possible.
The "victory" celebrations in parts of Lebanon and the declarations of "victory" from Hezbollah fool no one except the audience they are geared towards: people in Lebanon who support Hezbollah (and their useful fool allies elsewhere).
The one redeeming feature of the agreement, that Hezbollah must disarm, will be a truly monumental achievement if it happens. That is a very large if, though.
Another positive aspect is Condi Rice's ability to stitch together such disparate groups into an agreement such as this. Never bet against Condi Rice! If a diplomatic solution can be found, she will find it.
For now the ball is in the UN's court. This does not instill and degree of confidence in me. They have dropped the ball far too many times to be counted on. This is a test of whether the world really wants peace or just gives lip service to the notion. Hezbollah must be brought under control by whatever means necessary if there is to be peace in Lebanon.