The Rise of Fatah al-Islam
by Gary C. Gambill
The sudden outbreak of fighting between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam in late May has touched off a flurry of conspiracy theories about the meteoric rise of this shadowy terrorist group. Supporters of Lebanon's ruling March 14 coalition typically allege that the militant fundamentalist organization is an "imitation al-Qaeda" secretly controlled by the secular Baathist regime of neighboring Syria,[1] while those on the other side of the political divide allege that Fatah al-Islam is a creation of Lebanon's ruling coalition.
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Also from Gary C. Gambill
Lemons from Lemonade: Washington and Lebanon after the Syrian Withdrawal
The withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon in 2005 marked one of the most significant American diplomatic achievements in the Middle East in years. Washington played a decisive role in mobilizing international pressure on Damascus, encouraging defections among Lebanon's governing elite, and inspiring mass demonstrations in Beirut, leaving Syrian President Bashar Assad little choice but to abandon the world's only remaining satellite state. Much like the Bush administration's spectacular liberation of Iraq, however, the emancipation of Lebanon has been overshadowed by chronic instability, sectarian polarization, and the looming threat of civil war.
Read more...
by Gary C. Gambill
The sudden outbreak of fighting between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam in late May has touched off a flurry of conspiracy theories about the meteoric rise of this shadowy terrorist group. Supporters of Lebanon's ruling March 14 coalition typically allege that the militant fundamentalist organization is an "imitation al-Qaeda" secretly controlled by the secular Baathist regime of neighboring Syria,[1] while those on the other side of the political divide allege that Fatah al-Islam is a creation of Lebanon's ruling coalition.
Read more...
Also from Gary C. Gambill
Lemons from Lemonade: Washington and Lebanon after the Syrian Withdrawal
The withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon in 2005 marked one of the most significant American diplomatic achievements in the Middle East in years. Washington played a decisive role in mobilizing international pressure on Damascus, encouraging defections among Lebanon's governing elite, and inspiring mass demonstrations in Beirut, leaving Syrian President Bashar Assad little choice but to abandon the world's only remaining satellite state. Much like the Bush administration's spectacular liberation of Iraq, however, the emancipation of Lebanon has been overshadowed by chronic instability, sectarian polarization, and the looming threat of civil war.
Read more...
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