by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright July 21, 2006
All Rights Reserved.

efusing to call off the dogs, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telegraphed to Hezbollah that the U.S. wasn't ready stop Israel's mop-up campaign in south Lebanon. Sending the message that she's not interested in a quick-fix, Rice put more pressure on Hezbollah to make the concessions needed to end hostilities. Rice refuses to follow the knee-jerk diplomacy proposed by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan for an immediate ceasefire, in effect ceding control of south Lebanon to the Iranian and Syrian-backed terror organization. Rice seeks a long-term peace that involves allowing Israel to clear out terrorist nests and drive Hezbollah from the region. Rice has no plans of meeting with Hezbollah or Syrian officials, signaling that Israel's current mission could expand into a limited ground invasion to dismantle terror group's war-making machine.

      When President George W. Bush announced he'd be sending “Condi” to Lebanon, everyone expected a quick end to current hostilities. As Israel's air campaign progressed, it became clear that the U.S. would not squander a golden opportunity to finally rid Lebanon of Hezbollah. It was Hezbollah that was suspected in the 1983 bombings of the U.S. embassy and marine barracks in Beirut. “We do seek an end to the current violence, we seek it urgently. We also seek to address the root causes of violence,” Rice told reporter in advance of her Mideast trip. “A ceasefire would be a false promise if it simply returns to the status quo,” hinting that U.S. policy will give Israel enough time to clear Hezbollah from Lebanon. Hezbollah's leader Sheik Hassan Nasarallah denied Israel had degraded his military capability, insisting the war wouldn't stop until Israel agreed to a prisoner swap.

      White House Lebanon policy operates on a long-term or big picture strategy, recognizing that Hezbollah, a terrorist organization sponsored by Iran and Syria, destabilizes the Middle East. Hezbollah's mission, like Hamas, is the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic state. Hezbollah's chief Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and his terrorist group was ordered by a 2002 U.N. resolution 1559 to disarm and leave Lebanon. U.N. peacekeepers couldn't end Iran or Syria's influence or Hezbollah's stranglehold in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah holds 12 seats in Lebanon's parliament, making the terrorist group an integral part of the gover