Lebanon: Part of a Comprehensive Solution

December 5, 2007
“Secretary Rice says nice things about Lebanese democracy, but the fact is that nothing matters to her half as much as the peace process. This myopia is what led Rice to make room for Syria in her three-ring circus on the Chesapeake Bay. Since Israeli- Palestinian comity warrants all of the time and prestige of the Secretary of State, and since Damascus's friends in Hamas can make things very tough for peace processing, they must be rewarded for their blackmail and invited to Annapolis. Consciously or not, Rice signaled where America's real priorities lie--not with protecting a fledgling democracy in Beirut from the terrorist state next door, but in trying to reward a society that breeds terrorism within its own state.”
--Lee Smith, visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute, “The Price of Annapolis - Lebanese Democracy,” The Daily Standard, November 30, 2007
  • "There's been a very clear link in the past two weeks between the Lebanon crisis and Annapolis… It's part of a process that focuses again on the Arab-Israeli struggle. Definitely, it will have a positive impact on Lebanon."
    --Ibrahim Hamidi, Al-Hayat’s bureau chief in Damascus, Lebanese Broadcasting Company’s correspondent and a frequent contributor to The Daily Star, November 27, 2007


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