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Lebanon Cease-Fire Deal Reflects Shift in Bush's Expectations

[Los Angeles Times] Peter Wallsten - For weeks, the Bush administration resisted international pressure for a cease-fire between Israel and Hizballah, insisting that only disarming the militant group would cure a "root cause" of hostility. But the truce that took effect Monday left Hizballah largely intact and outlines no clear path to its disarmament. Several analysts called the UN resolution a "considerable scaling back" of the administration's aspirations, with the resolution vague about how Hizballah would be tamed and how Iran and Syria would be prevented from continuing to send the group weapons, including advanced rockets. "I don't think Hizballah is likely to be disarmed," said Joshua Muravchik, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. As it became clear in recent days that the Israelis were not going to wipe out Hizballah, support in the White House shifted to the advocates for more diplomacy.
2006-08-16 01:00:00
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