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 Lebanon Size: 10,452 square kilometers. Population: 4.1 million |
Lebanon has again been hampered by its lack of freedom to patrol its borders
and eliminate militias. Tension in the country has grown amid the Sept. 11
suicide attacks in New York and Washington. The tension stems from Lebanon's
refusal to cooperate with Washington against the Iranian-backed Hizbullah.
Hizbullah has deployed close to 10,000 rockets and missiles along the border
with Israel, a development that the government in Beirut has no control
over. Syria maintains about 30,000 troops and one million laborers in
Lebanon. The combination of Iranian and Syrian troops in Lebanon has stopped
development and converted the country into a playground for Arab insurgency
and intrigue.This has also stopped Lebanon's military from ending the activities of
Palestinian militias and developing southern Lebanon. Beirut has been unable
to stop agents of Saudi fugitive Osama Bin Laden as they have hid in
Palestinian refugee camps, off-limits to Lebanese troops.The United States has blocked Lebanese efforts to modernize its military
through donations from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. U.S. permission is linked to
Beirut's efforts to restrain Hizbullah. But a flashpoint is the Palestinian
militias in the country, which are increasingly itchy to renew insurgency
activities against Israel.
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