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From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Responding to Terrorism
Message-ID: <1613@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 3-Jul-85 18:42:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: dciem.1613
Posted: Wed Jul  3 18:42:10 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 3-Jul-85 20:35:21 EDT
References: <500@ttidcc.UUCP> <920@sdcsla.UUCP> 
Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 31
Summary: 


>Lebanon's internal troubles have been their own fault for a long time.
>
>Chris Shaw    watmath!watmum!cdshaw  or  cdshaw@watmath
>
Before King Hussein kicked the PLO out of Jordan because they were
messing up his country, Lebanon was the jewel of the Middle East,
and Beirut the jewel of the Mediterranean.  It was the one place in
the area that had a reputation as tolerant and safe, both Western and
Arab in culture and contact.  For the PLO, it was another place they
didn't want to be, but still a convenient base for terrorism, and
terrorists don't much approve of moderates or of toleration. (Not
trying to claim most Palestinians are terrorists, or even that they
don't have very legitimate grievances both against the Arab nations
and against Israel).  When you put a large group of armed outcasts
into a "nice" society, like Lebanon was, the society doesn't have much
chance to survive in its original form.

If Lebanon is to blame for its own troubles, it is largely because it was
tolerant enough (or weak enough or shortsighted enough) to allow the
PLO to set up shop there.

As another point, Syria never really accepted the separation of Lebanon,
and has always wanted to assert its authority (and presumably eventually
extend its territory into the area).  A stable Lebanese government is
not in Syria's interests.
-- 

Martin Taylor
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