Quite interesting is the discretion of some Arab countries not to provoke Syria's feelings toward its withdrawal from Lebanon. Quite interesting is this cautiousness in comforting Damascus regarding the continuity of its strategic interests in Lebanon following the withdrawal. As if logic calls for compensating Syria for the damages that have resulted from the termination of its domination over the little sister. As if those people prioritize the Syrian interests over the Lebanese ones and wish that Syria hadn't extended Emile Lahoud's term in office…and that Hariri was not killed…otherwise the situation would have remained as it was.
Those people behave as if they are suffering the Stockholm Syndrome, which is a psychological state that marked the Swedish capital in 1976 due to the kidnapping that took place at one of the banks after the kidnappers failed to rob the bank. In fact, one of the victims warned the kidnappers that the police are preparing a plan to thwart the operation, arrest the perpetrators and rescue the hostages!
Maybe it is a matter of capability, the Arab chivalry, which invites to condonation when possible, protruded from behind the borders after three decades of external collusion. It could also be related to the dread of the international will's abandonment (The U.S. and France) due to more important regional developments shortly before Damascus got prepared to negotiate, sign an "unconditional" peace treaty with Israel in return for the withdrawal from the Golan Heights.
The Syrian Head of Security and Intelligence left Lebanon on Monday and returned on Tuesday to celebrate the withdrawal with his Lebanese companions who had agreed after a long time of waiting to permit his departure despite the fact that him and his friends were welcomed for almost 30 years and would have been welcomed for another 30 years.
What is even more exciting about what is taking place on the Lebanese scene is this duality in the criteria regarding the manner of dealing with the occupation or foreign domination of a country or Arab territories. While some of the Arabs are bidding on the Iraqis in demanding for the termination of the American occupation in Iraq, even if that would result is a civil war, those also hope that the remaining Palestinians would commit suicide for the sake of liberating their land.
Evidently, no one saw any problem in the mass-grave regime in Baghdad and its continuity over a period of three decades where his people were crushed and repressed in a way much worse than any occupation. Furthermore, no one sees any problems in Iran's occupation of the Emirate islands despite the fact that Emirates is holding on to its right for these three strategic islands. In Saddam Hussein's case, their justification was "you are ruled based on what you are" and hence the Iraqis deserved their regime! Whereas in Iran case, it is an Islamic country and cannot be treated as an occupation country. The Emirate islands are held by Iran as a consignment until God casts some an effective order. The Arabs were not capable of rescuing the Lebanese from the Syrian grip prior to the American involvement, they were also not capable of rescuing the Iraqis from their bloody regime before the interference of Uncle Sam, and they are still incapable of rescuing the Palestinians from the Israeli occupation in seclusion of the American administration. Consequently, the Arab leaders are holding on to their demands from America to end the Israeli occupation.
Anwar Sadat used to justify his signing of a separate peace treaty with Israel by claiming that 99% of the cards in the Middle East are in America's possession.
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