Sectarian tension between Lebanon’s Sunni and Shiite factions has been escalating as conflict in Syria is spilling over its border. A car bomb exploded on January 2, claiming five, in Beirut’s suburb largely controlled by Hezbollah. Less than a week prior Mohammad Chatah, former Finance Minister, was killed along with six others by a car bomb detonated by a remote on December 27.
Lebanon is in the midst of a shadow war between Iran supporting Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Shiite political party, and Saudi Arabia backing Lebanon’s Sunni politicians. Lebanon’s Sunnis largely support the Sunni rebel fighters in Syria, while its Shiite population supports the Shiite minority in Syria. Hezbollah has vehemently supported President Assad by sending thousands of its fighters to protect its long-time ally, Bashar al-Assad. In response to Hezbollah’s growing intervention in the Syrian civil war, there has been an increase in support for Syrian rebels with the emergence of more homegrown Sunni militants and more vocal Sunni political elites.
Although many believe Lebanon is not likely to slip into a civil war of its own, several fear this recent wave of violence will spiral into a greater conflict as tensions between Lebanon’s factions intensify.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
