U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice has embarked on a mission to the Middle East
to reinforce the U.S. position on the recent surge of violence.
Secretary Rice was right to announce that pressing for a ceasefire
is not necessarily the best way to further the cause of
peace-particularly if it rewards Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran, which
have done much to instigate the current conflict. Rice should make
the case that the United States remains anxious to promote
solutions that will bring stability and security to all nations in
the region. She must be clear to all sides that there are three
unchanging messages from Washington.
Terrorism is
Intolerable
Hezbollah, Syria,
and Iran have repeatedly demonstrated that they consider terrorism
to be a legitimate instrument of foreign policy. Hezbollah believes
that attacking Israel will raise its prestige in the region and
expand its control over the countryside. Syria hopes that the chaos
will allow it reassert its control of Lebanon. Iran promotes the
fighting to divert attention from efforts to end its nuclear
ambitions. These are contemptible actions. The United States
rejects the proposition that the intentional slaughter of innocents
is an acceptable way to promote any agenda. Secretary Rice must
dissuade the terrorists and their state sponsors from the notion
that they can benefit by terrorist tactics and press others do the
same.
Moderation
Matters
The Arab world is
hardly unified in its support for the Shiite-dominated Hezbollah.
Many Sunnis fear that the group and its sponsorship by radical
Shiite mullahs in Tehran are as much of a threat to them as to
Israel. Even terrorist weblogs are debating whether an emboldened
Hezbollah is a blessing or curse. The United States must reaffirm
its support for moderate Arabs who recognize that the only real
chance to achieve the blessings of honor and justice is to reject
groups like Hezbollah that would slaughter or enslave one people to
promote another.
Freedom Always Finds
a Way
Hezbollah is at
war-with the people of Lebanon. After decades of violence, civil
war, and occupation, the people of Lebanon enjoyed a brief false
dawn with the withdrawal of occupying armies and free elections.
People could once again sip coffee at Beirut cafés without
taking their lives in their hands. Hezbollah ended all of that for
sake of aggrandizing its own position. It plunged the country back
into conflict, conclusively demonstrating that it is the single
greatest threat to the peace and security of the country. Secretary
Rice must reaffirm America's commitment to stand by the people of
Lebanon who voted for freedom with humanitarian assistance,
reconstruction aid, support for good governance, and a pledge to
press for the demilitarization of Hezbollah.
America's
Message
Demonstrating
American resolve and perseverance is the best contribution
Secretary Rice can make to achieve a just outcome to the present
conflict. Her task is to ensure that all parties hear and
understand this message.
When ceasefire
comes, the United States must make sure that it comports with
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for
the disarming Hezbollah. In addition, the United States must not
let the Security Council lose sight of its obligation to deal with
the real troublemaker in the region-the offensive regime in
Tehran.
James Jay Carafano,
Ph.D., is Senior Research Fellow for National Security and
Homeland Security in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for
Foreign Policy Studies, a division of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom
Davis Institute for International Studies, at The Heritage
Foundation.