Preparing ground for future problems

The month-long bloody war in Lebanon has stopped following a much-delayed UN resolution. The silence of the guns and ground realities, however, has been warning the warring parties about what the future could possibly hold for them.

Diplomatic manoeuvres, interest of the opposing countries, military planning, achievements and failures, sectarian divide of Muslims, the US Middle East doctrine and the post war ground realities are the beginnings of a fresh gory clash in the region.

The US and Britain have actually fought a proxy war in Lebanon against Syria and Iran through Israel. Similarly, Syria and Iran were accused of using the Hezbollah for fighting their war.

The war has had a long-lasting impact on the region's military, social, political and economic conditions.

Many people in Israel, the US and Europe believe that the Hezbollah-Israel conflict is the beginning of Armageddon the Biblical final battle between good and evil.

For the people in the Middle East, it was the continuation of the Second World War, imposed on them by the West with the installation of Israel on the Arab lands. Only the stage has shifted from Europe to the Middle East.

In the present scenario, it would be a gross deception to believe in Resolution 1701 and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force as the groundwork for bringing peace to the region.

It would actually safeguard the interests of only US and Israel and pave the way for more bloodshed and destruction in the region since no attention has been paid to the root causes of the conflict Israeli occupation and Palestine.

Not a sudden flare up

The war in Lebanon was not a sudden flare up of hostilities, ignited by Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli solders, but a well planned military adventure under the US Middle East doctrine. It was, in fact, the preamble of the US design for Syria, Iran and other opponents.

The unexpected tough response from Hezbollah has, however, prevented a satisfactory outcome for Washington and Tel Aviv and proved their assessments wrong.

The formidable Israeli military might failed in achieving the objectives against an unmatched and lesser armed enemy.

The war has also given fresh fodder to the military planners and strategists in the region, who must be assessing the impact Hezbollah could have had if the militant group had air, naval and heavy equipment such as tanks and long-range artillery pieces.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has recently highlighted the objectives behind the Lebanese war and the UN Resolution 1701. She said: "This will be a strategic setback for the Syrian and Iranian regimes."

The US administration believes the passage of the resolution is a political and diplomatic defeat for Iran, Syria and those who are resisting the US design for the Middle East.

These objectives also hint at US and Israeli efforts starting right from the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. The assassination forced Syria to go on the defensive and pull out its troops from Lebanon.

Washington and Tel Aviv had feared a larger fall out of Israel's attack on Lebanon in the Syrian presence. Washington also succeeded in keeping the Lebanese army completely off the scene during indiscriminate destruction of Lebanese cities and carnage of its innocent civilians.

It was shocking to see Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora weeping at a meeting of Arab foreign ministers, but not ordering his army to stand up against the invasion of the enemy as the Lebanese army describes Israel in its official website.

Like Lebanon, the leadership of many Islamic countries has falsely assumed that the UN, the US and other world powers will ensure peace and security.

This assumption is nothing but a dangerous deception that has given a free hand to Israel, US and their allies to drive world affairs, particularly in the Middle East, with force. For them might is right and the safety of their own people and interests is the top priority.

Unfortunately, Muslims are divided. They are failing to protect their sovereignty and their influence in world affairs. They have completely forgotten the universal truth that only those nations that are ready to die can survive. Those who depend on others' mercy face humiliation, pain and destruction like Lebanon.