Tuesday February 15, 2005

I've Been Thinking:

Rafik Hariri, former prime minister of Lebanon, is dead, murdered.
We need not shed tears, but we must struggle to understand.
Deciphering the motivation behind and ramifications of this assassination offers us an essential lesson into the workings of the Middle East.

Lebanon could be a world player. It could be a mini-Switzerland.
Lebanon was once the baking capital of the MidEast.
Lebanon is a little country with tremendous economic potential, but that potential will never be realized as long as it continues to be occupied by Syria.

Hariri was a Sunni Muslim with ties to the Saudis.
Hariri was public about his opposition to the Syria occupation.

Only 2 groups could have gained form his demise.
* Anti Saudi Shiites in Lebanon.
That would make the assassination religiously motivated.
* Syria backed assassins.
That would make the attack politically motivated.

What must happen in order for Lebanon to regain prominence as a great center for business and trade and vacation?
Quiet on the streets. Syria must leave. Hizbullah must be controlled.
Bilateral talks with Israel must be reestablished.

Welcome to the Middle East, a place where ideas and religious conflict are always/often motivating forces for murder.