Lebanese Industry Minister Assassinated

Pierre Gemayel, a leader of Lebanon’s Christian Phalange and Minister of Industry, died of multiple gunshot wounds yesterday. He is the fifth anti-Syrian politician killed in Lebanon in the last several months. He probably won’t be the last. Although the Syrian government has denied responsibility, there is little doubt that members of the Syrian security establishment were involved. And this is one of the regimes Mr. Bush needs to help him get out of Iraq-Nam.

The Gemayel family is one of Lebanon’s political dynasties. The Christian Phalange, which took its name in 1936 from the political movement of Francisco Franco who overthrew the freely elected republican government of Spain, was founded by the late minister’s grandfather, also named Pierre. The Phalange established Christian Marionette dominance in Lebanon, and this lasted up until the Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s. In 1982, after the Israelis invaded Lebanon, Basher Gemayel, son of the founder of the movement, was elected president and was assassinated almost as the last ballot was counted. His brother, Amin, took over. He soon found himself a Syrian stooge. When his time in office ended in 1988, he took the family into exile hoping it would help heal the nation. His return in 2000 was part of an anti-Syrian movement that culminated in the election of Rafik Hariri who was also killed.

The Syrian state is modeled on Stalinist lines; however, it lacks the efficiency of the Soviet Union, which is to say it is quite inefficient indeed. Nonetheless, it also means that the security apparatus is supreme. Having been the occupying power in Lebanon for decades, its spooks have infiltrated a great many parts of Lebanese society. Even after the Syrian army left Lebanon, Syrian influence has been powerful. It is no coincidence that of the five Lebanese political leaders who have been murdered were all anti-Syrian.

Of course, the government in Damascus denies any ties to the killing(s). And indeed, it could well be true that the very highest circles there didn’t know a thing about it. Having set the tone, they don’t need to actually give orders nor do they need progress reports. Quite simply, they want their employees to retain their influence over Lebanon, by whatever means necessary. Rogue elements exist in all security services. One way or another, Mr. Gemayel was killed in the interests of Syria.

Now that the Bush administration needs to find a way out of Iraq-Nam, it will have to discuss matters with both Damascus and Tehran. Everyone knows that the Americans have a weak hand to play. The concessions that can be wrung from Washington are huge. It wouldn’t be a surprise if part of the price for a more stable Iraq-Nam is a more Syrian Lebanon.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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