Publication

Anyone looking at the aftermath of the collapse of the Lebanese national unity government in the past few weeks could legitimately ask if the much-vaunted 'Switzerland on the Mediterranean' has actually become the battleground between the 'forces of resistance' and the 'evil manipulators' of the West. Some may even wonder during this time of Arab change, whether Lebanon has simply shaken off 'the shackles of reaction' in a people's revolution against injustice. But for all intents and purposes, and despite the appearance of a victorious march toward a 'Hezbollah state', what Lebanon has experienced is a mere putsch whose energy will dissipate in the face of insurmountable domestic and international obstacles.