What next for Lebanon?
Today in Lebanon, the final Syrian troops will leave for Dasmascus after a short ceremony signifying the end of an occupation that dates back to 1976, when Syria sent in 40,000 troops to end the Lebanese Civil War. The war didn’t end until 1990, however when it did, the Syrian troops remained, and Dasmacus wielded political hegemony over Lebanon up until February this year, when the assination of popular former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri sparked massive protests both in Lebanon and abroad, calling for the withdrawal of Syrian troops and autonomy to be restored to the Lebanese. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has promised elections by a deadline of May 29th, and the political parties in Lebanon are still very much divided over their support for Syria. Associate professor Ahmad Shboul is the Chair of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Sydney Uninversity. He spoke to Bill Birtles, beginning with whether Syria was really responsible for Hariri’s assination.