Thinking About It
August 23, 2006
While the Middle East could be standing on the brink of another war as the truce between Israel and Hezbollah looks very fragile, the French government has shown its weakness while the new Italian government has shown its strength in offering to provide peacekeepers in Lebanon.
The new government of Romano Prodi, itself a fragile coalition which just won an extremely close election over Silvio Berlusconi and his party, has offered to lead the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
“I have confirmed the willingness of Italy to take command of the mission in Lebanon,” Italy’s Prime Minister Romano Prodi stated today. The Italian government has approved a plan to send up to 3, 000 troops to the beleaguered southern part of Lebanon.
Prodi and his foreign minister Massimo D’Alema have surprised the world with their bold decision to step up to the plate and lead the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon. The Prodi government said they are waiting to hear instructions from the UN before they deploy troops to the former battlefield between Israel and Hezbollah.
Most governments have been very weary of the rules of engagement as peacekeepers and worry about Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. The troops are to act as a buffer between Israeli and Hezbollah fighters. A sticking point has been what authority the peacekeepers have to disarm Hezbollah.
The United Nations has been appealing to governments to send up to 13, 000 additional troops to southern Lebanon to strengthen the 2,000 strong observer mission already in place over there.
But, government after government, especially in European Union countries, have been giving one excuse after another why they can’t deploy troops as it might be too dangerous and they don’t understand the rules of engagement.
Europe’s overall failure and France’s specific failure is a shame. Europe is trying to show they are a player on the world stage yet the lack of a quick response to send troops to southern Lebanon, once again, shows they are great in being quick to criticize the United States but slow to actually respond to world events themselves. France tries to think of themselves as a major power - although those days are long behind them - but the idea of only sending several hundred troops to be peacekeepers- makes a complete mockery of what they have been saying. Obviously it is much easier to talk at the U.N. and in Paris about what to do to make the world safer than to actually sending troops to a troubled area.
Italy is showing it can be a player on the world scene. Rome, often seen as a backwater these days, while Brussels, Paris, Berlin and London take center stage, is now displaying new courage and could soon be joining the front ranks of EU capitals.
Congratulations to the new Prodi government for taking a bold stand in favor of peace and a back of the hand to the Chirac government for letting down the world as it looks for new ways to bring peace to the Middle East.
The cause of the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah was Israel’s stated objective of getting back its two soldiers that were captured by the Lebanese terrorist group. What happened to the two soldiers? Why aren’t they part of the peace agreement? What happened also to the kidnapped Israeli soldier in Gaza?
What exactly did this war accomplish? Will the government in Israel eventually fall over the incomplete results in the war? Will a new war begin in the near future? Did Condi Rice play an effective role? Can Lebanon repair itself?
And, will the world have to talk with the Syrians and Iranians to bring a real peace to the area?
Many questions remain as the fragile truce seems shakier every day. There are many losers and few winners. But, the new Italian government of Romano Prodi is to be applauded for its courage. The old French government of Jacques Chirac, once again, shows it has run out of new ideas.
Who will follow Italy’s lead and provide troops to the United Nations peacekeeping force? Stay tuned.
Robert J. Guttman
Director, CPFR Click here to return to the Thinking About It archive.
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