LEBANON & THE POWER STRUGGLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST:  LEBANON'S STRUGGLE FOR SOVEREIGNTY -- SYRIAN INTERVENTION INTO LEBANESE POLITICS -- SYRIA'S WITHDRAWAL FROM & RETURN TO LEBANON -- THE IMPACT ON LEBANON OF THE ASCENDANCY OF IRAN & ITS ARAB PROXIES -- LEBANON'S CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION, DOMESTICALLY & INTERNATIONALLY -- THE ROLE OF SAUDI ARABIA IN UNDERMINING THE STRUGGLE FOR LEBANESE SOVEREIGNTY & RETURNING LEBANON TO THE ERA OF SYRIAN DOMINATION

HEZBOLLAH'S FUTURE IN LEBANON & THE MIDDLE EAST:  THE GROUP'S WEAKNESS & FAILURES -- HOW THE WEST CAN NEUTRALIZE HEZBOLLAH'S PROPAGANDA MACHINE & PUNCTURE INFLATED ARAB & LEBANESE PERCEPTIONS OF THE ORGANIZATION -- TAKING THE FIRST STEPS NECESSARY TO NEUTRALIZING THE THREAT THAT HEZBOLLAH POSES TO LEBANON & TO MIDDLE EASTERN REGIONAL STABILITY

THE CONFLICT IN LEBANON:  IRAN, SYRIA, & HEZBOLLAH VERSUS THE WEST -- LEBANON AS A KEY BATTLEGROUND BETWEEN THE WEST AS A WHOLE & THE FORCES THAT SEEK TO DRAG THE MIDDLE EAST DOWN INTO FANATICISM, TYRANNY, & BARBARISM -- LEBANON AS THE FOCAL POINT OF THE ANTI-WESTERN STRATEGY OF IRAN & ITS ALLIES, SYRIA & HEZBOLLAH -- THE TRANSFORMATION OF IRANIAN POLITICS THAT IS BEING PLAYED OUT IN LEBANON & GAZA -- IRAN'S PLAN TO CO-OPT ARAB NATIONALISM, HAVE AN ACTIVE WAR WITH ISRAEL, BE VICTORIOUS IN THAT WAR, & SEIZE LEADERSHIP OF THE MUSLIM WORLD FROM THE SUNNIS & ARABS

THE EVOLVING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SYRIA & HEZBOLLAH IN LEBANON: HEZBOLLAH'S TRANSITION FROM THE ROLE OF SUBSERVIENT JUNIOR PARTNER IN ITS AXIS WITH SYRIA TO THE ROLE OF DOMINANT PARTNER -- THE CONSEQUENT WEAKENING OF SYRIA'S ROLE IN LEBANON -- HEZBOLLAH'S ABANDONMENT OF COOPERATION WITH THE EXISTING LEBANESE GOVERNMENT, STAKING OUT A MORE MAXIMALIST POSITION TO DOMINATE LEBANON & TRANSFORM ITS POLITICAL CHARACTER INTO AN IRANIAN-STYLE ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALIST STATE -- THE STRENGTHENING ROLE OF IRAN IN LEBANON, WHERE IRANIAN AGENTS, IN LEAGUE WITH HEZBOLLAH, HAVE CONSOLIDATED A STATE WITHIN A STATE -- THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC'S ADOPTION OF SYRIA'S FORMER DOMINANT ROLE IN LEBANON

ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON, SYRIA, & THE ISRAELI-ARAB CONFLICT:  THE SECOND LEBANON WAR AS A FALTERING, INDECISIVE WAR RESULTING FROM ISRAEL'S STRATEGIC FOLLIES & OPERATIONAL DEFICIENCES -- THE ISRAELI POLITICAL & MILITARY LEADERSHIP'S LACK OF A CLEAR CONCEPT OF WHAT VICTORY OVER HEZBOLLAH ENTAILED -- HOW ISRAEL SQUANDERED AN OPPORTUNITY TO SETTLE REGIONAL SCORES & MAINTAIN UNQUESTIONED ISRAELI DETERRENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST -- THE STRENGTHS & ADVANTAGES UPON WHICH ISRAEL CAN BUILD & PREPARE TO ATTAIN A CLEAR & DECISIVE VICTORY IN THE NEXT ROUND WITH HEZBOLLAH & THE SYRIAN POLITICAL REGIME

THE MIDDLE EAST:  ALTERNATIVE SYSTEMS OF GOVERNANCE -- THE ORIGIN OF MIDDLE EASTERN POLITICAL TRADITIONS & STRUCTURES -- COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ANCIENT & MODERN GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEMS -- THE TENSION BETWEEN THE AUTHORITARIAN RULE OF CENTRALIZED STATE GOVERNMENT & THE COUNTERVAILING POWER OF LOCAL ENTITIES -- THE CONTEMPORARY BATTLE BETWEEN EXCLUSIONARY & CONSENSUAL GOVERNING SYSTEMS

LEBANON, ISRAEL, ISLAMIST TERRORISM, & WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST:  THE ISRAELI-ARAB CONFLICT & MIDDLE EASTERN TERRORISM IN THE BROADER CONTEXT OF THE WORLDWIDE ISLAMIST JIHAD BEING WAGED AGAINST ISRAEL, AMERICA, & THE WEST -- THE ROLE OF IRAN'S ISLAMIST REGIME IN THE GLOBAL CONFLICT -- THE NEED FOR THE U.S.A. & ITS ALLIES, THROUGH COVERT COUNTERTERRORIST POLITICAL ACTION AS WELL AS OVERT MILITARY ACTION, TO BRING ABOUT THE DEFEAT & TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THEIR DEADLY ENEMIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST:  THE LONG & TROUBLED HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE EAST & THE IDEA OF DISPATCHING AN INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING FORCE TO THE REGION -- THE IMPORTANT LESSON THAT THE STATE OF ISRAEL LEARNED, AS REGARDS TRUSTING INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPERS -- THE SAME LESSON THAT THE U.S.A. & THE WEST SHOULD HAVE LEARNED BY NOW -- THE FOLLY OF RELYING ON INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPERS TO END A WAR IN PROGRESS

IRAN, ARABS, & THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT:  THE ISRAELI-ARAB CONFLICT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WIDER MIDDLE EASTERN CONFLICT BETWEEN IRAN & THE ARABS -- CRACKS IN THE SOLIDARITY OF POLITICAL ISLAM -- SHIITES VERSUS SUNNIS -- IRAN'S IDEOLOGICAL COMMITMENT TO EXPORTING THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION & SPREADING IT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MIDDLE EAST -- ARAB LEADERS' PERCEPTION OF HEZBOLLAH AS AN ARM OF IRANIAN INFLUENCE WAGING A SECTARIAN WAR IN THE HEART OF THE MIDDLE EAST

LEBANON, ISLAMIST TERRORISM, & THE ISRAELI-ARAB CONFLICT:  HEZBOLLAH, HAMAS, SYRIA, & IRAN COALESCED IN AN AXIS OF TERROR TO ENSURE TYRANNICAL CONTROL OVER LEBANON & THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL -- WHAT ISRAEL WILL DO FOR LEBANON WHEN ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES SHATTER THE STRONGHOLDS OF HEZBOLLAH IN SOUTHERN LEBANON & END THE RAIN OF HEZBOLLAH'S IRANIAN-MADE ROCKETS ON ISRAELI CITIES:  GIVE LEBANON YET ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO ASSERT ITS SOVEREIGNTY & FREE ITSELF FROM THE TYRANNY OF SYRIAN IMPERIALISM & THAT OF MILITANT ISLAMIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS SPONSORED BY SYRIA & IRAN

STATECRAFT & THE USE OF DIPLOMACY & DIALOGUE IN THE CONDUCT OF FOREIGN POLICY & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:  WHY EFFECTIVE FOREIGN POLICY REQUIRES THAT DIPLOMACY & DIALOGUE WITH ADVERSARIES BE CARRIED ON WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF AN OVERARCHING STRATEGY -- HOW POORLY TIMED NEGOTIATIONS & MISPLACED CONFIDENCE IN AN ADVERSARY'S SINCERITY CAN HAMPER, RATHER THAN HASTEN, SOLUTIONS TO INTERNATIONAL PROBLEMS -- THE NEED FOR THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO COME TO GRIPS WITH REALITY IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

THE RULE OF LAW & ACCOUNTABILITY OF GOVERNMENT OFFICEHOLDERS TO THE PEOPLE THEY GOVERN:  TWO CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL CONCEPTS THAT ARE SPREADING THROUGHOUT THE ARAB WORLD -- SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RULERS & RULED OCCURRING IN THE MIDDLE EAST -- THE PATH BEING PAVED FOR THE EVENTUAL ADVENT OF CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY IN THE ARAB WORLD

LEBANON & SYRIA:  THE OBSTACLES IN THE PATH OF LEBANON BECOMING A STABLE CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY & COMPLETELY FREEING ITSELF FROM SYRIAN DOMINATION -- HOW AMERICA & EUROPE CAN HELP:  ASSISTING LEBANESE CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRATS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE CONSTITUTIONAL & POLITICAL REFORM -- IDENTIFYING, DIRECTING PRESSURE UPON, & UNDERCUTTING MECHANISMS OF CONTINUED SYRIAN CONTROL OF LEBANON

THE MIDDLE EAST & CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY:  REGIME CHANGE IN IRAQ & PROSPECTS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF STABLE & ENDURING CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EASTERN REGION -- ENHANCING DEMOCRATIZATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST:  WHAT THE U.S.A. & THE WEST SHOULD & SHOULD NOT DO

THE CURRENT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SYRIA & LEBANON:  SYRIA'S UNDERGROUND INTELLIGENCE APPARATUS IN LEBANON AS THE BASIS OF SYRIAN CONTROL OF LEBANON -- SYRIA'S EXPLOITATION OF & FINANCIAL DEPENDENCE ON THE LEBANESE ECONOMY -- THE PROBLEM THAT THE SITUATION POSES FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

WHAT IS ESSENTIAL TO LEBANON'S BECOMING A REAL NATION AGAIN & OPERATING A STABLE & ENDURING CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL SYSTEM: &THE LEBANESE MUSLIMS' DEMONSTRATING TOLERANCE FOR LEBANON'S CHRISTIAN MINORITY, ESTABLISHING THE RULE OF SECULAR LAW & MAKING PEACE WITH ISRAEL, AS WELL AS THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT'S ACHIEVING ITS GOAL OF TRANSFORMING THE MIDDLE EAST, A GOAL WHICH WILL BE ACHIEVED ONLY WHEN CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY IS IMPOSED & PROTECTED BY THE ARMED MIGHT OF THE U.S.A.

SYRIA'S LOSS OF COMMAND & CONTROL OF LEBANON -- THE LIKELY CONSEQUENCES OF SYRIAN MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM LEBANON, AFTER INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE FOR SYRIAN WITHDRAWAL RESULTED FROM A CASCADING SERIES OF SYRIAN MISCALCULATIONS: SYRIA'S LOSS OF REGIONAL PRESTIGE IN THE LEVANT & THE MIDDLE EAST, SUBSTANTIAL WEAKENING OF THE SYRIAN BAATHIST REGIME'S STAYING POWER INSIDE SYRIA ITSELF, & THE EVENTUAL DOWNFALL OF BASHAR AL-ASSAD & HIS DICTATORSHIP

THE CEDAR REVOLUTION:  THE MOVEMENT TO BRING CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY TO LEBANON -- WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE CEDAR REVOLUTION TO SUCCEED?  LEBANESE POLITICIANS' TAKING STEPS TO DISARM HEZBOLLAH & THEIR CUTTING TIES WITH ELEMENTS OF THE FORMER SYRIAN OCCUPATION REGIME

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