Tent city rises to pressure Syria
But regional analysts say Mr. Assad is most likely to be unnerved, not by foreign political pressure but by the unprecedented protest movement sparked by the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The tent city rose up near the immense crater created by the blast that killed Mr. Hariri and 16 others, peopled by protesters who refused to go home after a demonstration Monday described as the largest anti-Syrian protest ever held. Divided into small groups according to affiliation -- the Christian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) in one area, the followers of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt in another -- the camp has been growing daily since Monday. Inspired by December's Orange Revolution in Ukraine and the Rose Revolution in Georgia a year earlier, the protesters have begun to call their action the 'Cedar Revolt' in a tribute to the tree that adorns the Lebanese flag.I often wonder if I would have the courage to participate in such an event, where the possibility of violent crackdown by government officials is very real. Their courage is amazing, and deserving of our awe and support. (via Instapundit)
posted by Dave Justus | 2/25/2005 11:02:00 AM
3 Comments:
"Their courage is amazing, and deserving of our awe and support."
But not, I take it, when the invader or occupying army is American or perhaps Israeli?
Interesting dichotomy...
Sorry, Dave. Unfair poke. I had in mind the Israeli occupation of Lebanon, at the time when Ariel Sharon earned his nickname of Butcher. The Syrians stepped into the vacuum when the Israelis left.
The Israeli occupation was tacitly supported by the US, but without any without overt assistance.
I am sorry that was not clear.
Fair enough.
My view is that the cold war caused a great deal of distortion in U.S. foreign policy, much of it in ways I dislike.
It is difficult to be too critical of that period however, since the ultimate result was victory.
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