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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/02/AR2009100200452.html
Syria Seen Regaining Its Influence in Lebanon
[AP/Washington Post] Hussein Dakroub - Earlier this year, Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa boasted that Damascus is stronger in Lebanon than it was when it maintained troops in the country. Lebanon's pro-Western politicians have been unable to form a government since winning June elections, and many of them blame Damascus, saying it is using its allies in Lebanon - led by Hizbullah - to stymie negotiations and show that nothing can get done without its say-so. The U.S. tried for the past four years to keep Syria out of Lebanon's politics and largely failed. Now the Obama administration's outreach has resulted in "the invigorating of Syria's role in the region, including Lebanon," said Wiam Wahhab, a pro-Syrian Lebanese politician.