The powder keg that is lebanon

The entire world has warned the feuding Lebanese factions of the embarrassingly drawn-out deadlock. As long as there is a power vacuum, the security conditions will deteriorate, they were told. It happened yesterday in broad daylight. A top military general who had been tipped to be the next army chief was killed with at least four others in a car bombing.

The initial reaction of those who knew Francois Al Haj was that it was the work of a militant group, the Al Qaida inspired Fatah Al Islam, which he fought and defeated last summer. This could be true. But the failure to stop what has become frequent bombings is the responsibility of the political leaders who cannot agree on anything. The assassination of Al Haj also challenges the fragile stability of a country in turmoil for the past three months. The crisis escalated in recent weeks as the parliament failed to elect a new president to replace Emile Lahoud whose term expired on November 23. The front runner for the post is army chief General Michel Sulaiman. But his election was blocked by a stand-off between the two rival camps, the Western-backed ruling majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition.

The assassination also comes one day after the Algiers massacre in which more than 60 people were killed by a twin attack, claimed by another Al Qaida franchise; Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghrib. The two attacks prove that terrorism thrives where the political system fails to offer solutions.

Therefore, Lebanese parties must end their endless political brinkmanship game. They must consider the tragic death of General Al Haj as a prelude to perhaps bloodier and costlier attacks to come. There is no denying that Lebanon has become a powder keg. So its politicians must quit toying with fire.