Friday, August 04, 2006

Will Lebanon now become the next Islamist state?

Lindsay Beyerstein, my favorite red-diaper baby, has an analytical mind like a steel trap. Her read on what HA is about, strikes me as pretty close to reality. The aftermath of the current conflict can very easily give birth to another Iran-type totalitarian state. (H/T 3 Q Daily)

The Israeli invasion is creating a huge anti-Israeli backlash and a surge in popular support for Hezbollah. Iran certainly has no incentive to curb its support for Hezbollah under these circumstances. On the contrary, Hezbollah wants to make Lebanon an Islamic state on the model of Iran. Hezbollah is the most powerful military force in Lebanon right now. So, if the Lebanese government falls, as many fear it will, Hezbollah is likely to come out on top.
It seems that Gaza is developing along the same lines.
Without tight-fisted Israeli control the West Bank could easily do the same.
NATO forces notwithstanding, Afghanistan may be moving back to the same center of gravity.
And finally, our best efforts to birth a democracy in Iraq seem to have birthed a demonic Shiia-led extremist model instead.

I could go on, but I think the reader gets the point. All you have to do is couple the word "islamist" and any country name you pick and do a Google search. It's like raking leaves in the fall to collect the links.

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