Tribunal for Lebanon

Tribunal for Lebanon May 31, 2007

The UN security council voted to establish an international criminal tribunal to prosecute the murderers of Rafik Hariri. This is momentous. For a start, it is a first for the Middle East. More significantly, it is well known that complicity in Hariri’s murder extends to the very top of the Syrian regime. As the murdered prime minister’s son Saad Hariri (leader of the Sunni-Christian-Druze political alliance) noted: “We’re asking for justice, not for revenge.” For all its faults, the UN has shown that it can be a force of wisdom and justice in the world. The world community is telling governments like Syria that they cannot murder political leaders who dare to cross them (anybody familiar with Lebanese history will realize that the Syrian body count is large, and includes many prominent political leaders including Kamal Jumblatt, Bashir Gemayel, Rene Mouwad, and possibly even Elie Hobieka and Dany Chamoun). Also, note that this is the smart way to confront countries like Syria, instead of using violence and leading to more bloodshed, renewing the cycle of hatred for another generation.


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