Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Hezbollah and Crisis

Failed states fuel terror, instability and crisis. Whether Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Palestine or Lebanon many of the world's hotspots are the result of failed states. Poverty, depressed economies and desperation fuel terrorism. Is it better to treat the seeds of terrorism and instability or to deal with its consequences? Unfortunately George W. Bush doesn't believe in diplomatic solutions because they take too long to bear fruit. He's correct, they do. But the only way, really, to spread democracy is by winning hearts and minds. this is done by creating stable nations and developing democratic institutions.

Lebanon has been a failed state for some time. Great progress was being made until last week. The lack of a government allowed Hezbollah to move into the vacuum (just like Hamas in Gaza) and provide stability, services and hope. There are definite reasons the people in Lebanon support Hezbollah and why those in Gaza support Hamas. Hamas runs the schools and whatever other institutions exist. They learned that to survive they must have the support of the people. They've succeeded.

Israel's actions have set back efforts to stabilize Lebanon greatly. They were, and are, inexcusably disproportionate.

If we're to succeed in replacing these organizations we must provide legitimate, viable, and acceptable governments and institutions in their place. We've failed mightily and the current crisis is one of the fruits of that failed policy. This has been a failed policy under many Presidents, not only the current officeholder.

One other factor in the latest crisis is our drastic change in policy under Bush. We used to be the "honest broker" in this region. During "difficulties" we could use shuttle diplomacy to defuse a crisis and make peace. We're no longer qualified to do so. Under Bush the U.S. made a major change in policy and supported Israel unequivocally. We turned our back on the peace process and the Palestinians and fueled the current situation by our absence and reluctance to get involved.

A significant contributor to this was Yassir Arafat. The late Palestinian leader created some of this policy shift by his failure to make peace during the intense negotiations conducted by President Clinton at the end of his term.

The attacks by Hezbollah were triggered by Israeli brutality in Gaza however. It's extremely simplistic to disassociate all the elements involved. This is a highly complex region where everything is interrelated.

Our policy the past few years was to turn our backs while Israel hammered Palestinians. Now the Palestinians do not trust us to broker a peace or even a cease fire. Our UN veto of a cease fire resolution was a disgrace. People are dying on both sides. The first step must be a cease fire.

I fault all sides in this crisis. This is the time for real leaders to step forward.