Friday August 4, 2006

I've Been Thinking:

Israel's offensive is winding down.
Another stage will begin in the next few days.

Condi Rice has been making it known that the end is in sight.
Why?
She is pressuring the nations of the world to start volunteering the soldiers necessary to create an international force to step in when Israel steps out.

Israel has begun to achieve the goals that were set out at the beginning of the conflict.
Israel is emasculating Hezbollah.
Almost all of Hezbollah's fire power has been reduced.
Most Hezbollah fighters have either been wounded or killed.
Hezbollah will not be permitted to threaten Israel's northern border again.
But until that international force is in place, Israel will not leave.

When the international force is ready and deployed then Israel will withdraw from Lebanon and begin the process of scaling back and mopping.
Israel will hand the region over to a group charged with the responsibility of helping Lebanon keep Hezbollah from re-arming.
That is the agenda of the international force, it is what Israel and the United States want, it is the short term solution.

In the long term ... only time will tell.