By Micah Halpern
I've Been Thinking:
What happens in Syria has an impact on Lebanon. That should come as no surprise to anyone following the Middle East.
Lebanon is in many ways attached to Syria. And so the civil war of Syria is also being fought on the streets of Lebanon.
Sometimes the fighters are armed gangs that support one side against the other. But the most common place for the fight to be pursued is in the media - on television, radio, newspapers and on the web.
Syria supports Hezbollah in Lebanon. So does Iran. Iran also supports Bashar Assad of Syria. The relationship between Syria and Lebanon is so very close that until very recently, Syria did not even have an embassy in Lebanon - they simply saw Lebanon as a Syrian province.
Syria murdered the political leadership it did not like in Lebanon. Literally. They acted with impunity.
Lebanon is more open, richer, better educated and much more cosmopolitan than Syria, but the Lebanese were there to do the bidding of Damascus. And the divisions and conflicts within Lebanon only served to assist Syria in manipulating Lebanese society and leadership and causing more strife.
Lebanese who were supportive of Syria got a pay check from Syria and they did what they were told. So again, it is no surprise that those supporters hired by Assad are now attacking supporters of the Syrian rebels on the streets of Lebanon.
Expect more conflict on the streets of Lebanon.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
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