WINEP, here (Schenker!)
"...In addition, the organization's (HzB) coordination with the LAF may in fact expand in the near future; a national dialogue between the major political groups could result in a "national defense agreement" between the LAF and Hizballah . Worse, if March 14 loses the spring 2009 parliamentary elections, and a Hizballah-led coalition heads the new government, U.S. assistance to the LAF would likely end altogether.
Today, Lebanon faces an increased threat of instability -- from festering Islamist problems in the north and ongoing Syrian meddling. Washington's strategy of military capacity building is important, but is also insufficient and may soon be downgraded. With Beirut on the brink, the task of crafting a new Lebanon policy to salvage what remains of the pro-West government will fall to the next administration. As Hizballah and the LAF move closer to a formalized operational arrangement, Washington's policy options regarding the LAF will likely face more constraints."
3 comments:
You're putting words in Schenker's mouth. He writes that if Hezb wins the 2009 elections, US assistance "would likely end"; your hed reads "should end."
it's our own headline. schenker and winep would lobby the us givt' to end the support. no qualms here
Well, probably true enough. Schenker did everything short of come out and say that support _should_ end. The stray quotation mark at the end threw me.
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