In the aftermath of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, Lebanon is again at the centre of attention. The international community is backing the UN Security Council resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from the country it has controlled for over twenty years. This has also brought France and the United States together despite all their differences over Iraq.
The last time this coalition happened over Lebanon was in 1983 when both countries were part of a multinational force there following the Israeli invasion. The object then, as now, was to get Syria out and restore Lebanese sovereignty.
Why should it work now if it has not worked before? The long history of western intervention in Lebanon suggests that it can create more problems than it solves.
