Sabre Rattling?

Israeli citizens living along the border had a rude awakening, which was initially feared to be Qassam rocket attacks. Unfortunately for everyone who can read this, there are tensions, to say the least, on both sides of the border. In Lebanon, among long-standing political deadlock and the assassination of their military leader, Hezbollah has replenished its arms to pre-2006 war levels. Meanwhile, on the Israeli side of the border, the Israeli Defense Forces are training in the ways they have improved their vaunted Merkava tanks in light of deficiencies discovered during the aforementioned Israeli invasion.

The UN General Secretary, perhaps desperate to enforce UNSC Resolution 1701, has sent a letter to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak about the situation. If I had to guess and paraphrase:

Dear President Hosni Mubarak,

Get me on this one and I will owe you big!

Your BFF,

Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General

On a more serious note, Imad Mughniyeh, the Hezbollah official, whom was reportedly assassinated by Israel by sources of no repute, was actively involved in facilitating international cooperation, such as "bringing members of the Iraqi Shi'ite Mahdi Army to the Lebanese Beqa'a valley, where they trained in paramilitary methods," amongst other allegations. However, again, I would advise one to judge the quality of the source before completely swallowing either side.

The Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti governments, on the other hand, are pulling all of its civilians out of Lebanon for fear of violence.

And the addition of the group of vessels off the coast of Lebanon, led by the USS Cole, has brought its own added significance to the dangerous situation.

With the Israeli government looking ready to apply its lessons learned and vindicate a troubled administration, the entire situation is a tense powder keg that is ready to explode. I, for one, hope that this entire affair turns out to be another tempest in a teacup. However, as the Lebanese military moves to the highest state of readiness, the question should be raised, "What about the children?" Or, why isn't this story more of a headline in the mainstream media?

shorten your briefs

Myanmar: a new internet blackout, coupled with the expulsion of the UN Special Envoy, forbodes trouble. The opposition claims that it's strength is waxing, but the military has only begun to respond. Meanwhile, a look at the govt's recruiting efforts, the life of one of the youngest members of the country's elite and his life in singapore, and why his life is about to become much more complicated.

Ivory Coast: What some see as a tenuous peace process moves at a careful pace, while questions are raised about fattening war chests.

Zimbabwe: Under the strangely opaque lighting of continuing negotiations between the government ZANU-PF and the opposition MDC, the two parties have agreed to postpone elections to March of '08. Will these negotiations lead to resolution of the crisis facing Zimbabwe? I bet on no. Phillip Pasirayi also bets on no, though for slightly different reasons.

The Bomb: A resolution will be coming soon to a UN General Assembly near you, with the usual suspects already voting in their respective ways. The world powers dispatch their representatives to London to talk about Iran's bomb. The Bush administration is trying to bully the other permanent members of the UN Security Council for license to attack Iraq, er, Iran. Sorry, I had a moment of deja vu there. North Korea, meanwhile, might soon be rid of their bomb. Germany wants a piece of the potential pie that is the Indian Nuclear Deal, which PM Singh says is only delayed. And check out Hindustan Times' "Nuclear Deal Imbroglio" page.