May 13, 2008
Iran's Growing Power Sphere
 On the road in Syria, driving to Beirut, May 11, 2008. The back of a car at a gas station off the highway featuring pictures of the Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah leaders.Our story today will look at how developments over the last few years in the Middle East have given Iran more influence over Arab countries. From Iraq, to Gaza, and now to the current political struggle in Lebanon, Tehran is holding the cards. We will be talking to analysts and journalists about the political and military proxy battle between the Tehran/Damascus axis and Western governments, including the United States. According to Hezbollah expert Amal Saad-Gorayeb, what is unfolding in Lebanon now is the end of "the current U-S agenda in Lebanon." U.S. President George W. Bush yesterday reaffirmed his support for the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, but can Western powers now do anything to save the Lebanese government from collapse and a defacto power shift to Hezbollah and its Iran backers? According to Lebanese analyst Rami Khouri, what is happening in Lebanon is more nuanced: "The Army has assumed significant power as it is funded and trained by the United States and receives political guidance by the Iranians [via Hezbollah]. It is the first Iranian-American joint venture." We will be speaking to him as well later today. Watch our story throughout the day on CNN. 7 Comments
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The struggle the western world is having against terrorism and the Iranian/Islamic influence can not be won efficiently when one side has to obey international law and be accountable for their actions while the other side has total disregard for any laws and can lie to and deceive the rest of the world.
I agree, but this doesn't guarantee that the west follows the rules either. We only know what we are told at the end of the day, and when we only have western sources to refer to, biased or not, you're still only getting one side of the story because you don't know what's made it to the news and what hasn't. Loosly comparing the situation to events of the Second World War, would the Allies have made such advances if they didn't rely on the Russians ploughing their way regardless of cost in the East? They sure didn't follow any rules...
I have never heard of a Western world country attacking along a complete border with mortars and rockets and kidnapping and killing soldiers across the border.
Have you? This is how Hizbullah started the second Lebanon war.
it's very funny what ramy khoury is saying: all the US has given to the Lebanese army is weapon TOYS that wouldn't serve to win a street battle. Anyhow, no one is fool enough in Lebanon to expect from the US to give the Lebanese army efficient weapons to defend Lebanon against Israel.
The Lebanese army is THE only respectable institution that is still functioning "in the middle" and now those western puppets in Lebanon want to make it interfere and make battles with hizbullah. I don't understand how the US, Europe and some few arab countries like saudi arabia and egypt permit themselves to interfere in our affairs: BACK OFF and spare us your ignorance and terrorism. in the same way that Bush is responsible of every drop of blood that is being shed in iraq, so he is responsible of every drop of blood that was shed in the last 8 days -to say the least- because to answer ramy khoury the US is only giving heavy weapons to its puppets in Lebanon: hariri militia, the lebanese forces and jumblat militia to make civil war in Lebanon.
I dont see why the Iranian leader is in the picture.Lebanon is an Arab country. I can see Assad picture as an Arab being with another Arab Nassrullah but Ahmad najad why?I do not trust Iran in Lebanon they are playing a dirty game.
I see no dirty game from the iranian side. But the ugly and black games towards Lebanon are being played by the US, Saudi arabia and europe and what happened last week is only a sample of it. keeping saniora as prime minister despite the will of 1.5 million lebanese citizens, and the unconstitutional state of the government is part of their tool to implement their dirty games.
The struggle is that we have leaders in the world that are in kahootz with eachother and do not really take care of their citizens all the time-if at all. They are all teaming up - looking to serve their own purpose.
It appears to me that there are a whole lot of uninspiring primadonnas in a wealthy mafia of leaders playing power games at the expense of their citizens and fellow beings. I do not really see a lot of difference on the many sides of fences - some are just better at camouflaging. |
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