Lebanon again at the brink

More on this later.

Lebanon again at the brink | csmonitor.com: "Still, Hizbullah's opposition also reflects a deep mistrust of a government that it regards as a tool of US foreign policy. The Shiite party was angered by what it considered to be a lack of support from the government during the war with Israel and has accused it of plotting to disarm Hizbullah's military wing on US orders to benefit Israel.

The Bush administration, which fully endorsed the mass street protests of 22 months ago that brought down the pro-Syrian government of then Prime Minister Omar Karami, has likened the Hizbullah-led equivalent to a 'coup' attempt.

With US authority in Iraq steadily waning, Lebanon finds itself playing a key role in the confrontation pitting Washington and its regional allies against an anti-Western alliance grouping Iran, Syria, Hizbullah, and Hamas.

If Hizbullah and its allies succeed in toppling the government, US influence in Lebanon will inevitably weaken in favor of Syria and Iran. And that, say some analysts, is an underlying motive for Hizbullah's political gambit."