The Dec. 27 assassination of Ambassador Mohamad Chatah, the former finance minister of Lebanon, constitutes a serious escalation of dangerous tensions in Lebanon. Amid a resigned government, a dysfunctional parliament, an ongoing flow of Syrian refugees, periodic bombings, kidnappings and sectarian conflicts, Lebanon is vulnerable and will continue to be so as long as the Syrian crisis is not resolved during the forthcoming Geneva II conference.
With the growing sectarian polarization occurring among Lebanon’s neighbors Syria and Iraq, and the Palestinian question still unresolved, it is imperative to focus on Lebanon and its future once again, so that the transfer of power to a new president will take place amid a calm atmosphere of political reconciliation.
