Beirut on the Brink
With Lebanon's leading troika abroad for diplomatic sessions, sectarian rifts have begun to reappear, and fears are growing that Syria’s conflict could leak over the Lebanese border, writes Jean Aziz.
After a week of complete political paralysis because of the absence of Lebanon’s officials, who are currently traveling abroad, and amid an overall escalation in tensions across society, Beirut is set to resume addressing its most pressing obligations on the electoral, economic, security and military levels. Many Lebanese politicians have openly declared that the countdown has begun to a security meltdown if a settlement is not reached.
The last thing Lebanon needed was an attack by kids on four Sunni clerics in Beirut and the city’s southern suburbs on Sunday, March 17, which prompted a wave of riots and roadblocks in most Sunni areas.
The country has since been on alert, as if the lightning of sectarian strife has struck the country again.
The unexpected security incident, which all politicians rushed to condemn, happened amid a long series of crises. If these aren't resolved this week, further escalation could result.
