The Domino Effect: Is freedom on the march?

The Jerusalem Post has picked up a report first published Friday in a Kuwaiti paper alleging that Syrian Military and Lebanese government officials planned and executed the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

Officials at the highest levels in Syria and Lebanon organized the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper a-Siasa. The report revealed that two high-ranking Syrian generals – including Syrian president Bashar Assad's brother-in-law, Brig. Gen. Asef Shawkat, whom he appointed Friday to head military intelligence – and a Lebanese general. The newspaper did not reveal the sources of the report.

The Lebanese and Syrian governments have denied any role in the death of Hariri, who was killed by a massive bomb as he was driven in his motorcade through central Beirut. The blast killed 16 other people and wounded more than 100.

The murder of Hariri, a politician who was seen as a key figure in applying international pressures to effect Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, was evidently intended as a bloody warning to the Lebanese to think twice before demanding that Syrian troops pull out, the report commented.

A Lebanese opposition coalition led by Druse Chief Walid Jumblatt has called for a pro-independence – pro-democracy” uprising to stage peaceful mass demonstrations on Monday to demand the resignation of the current Syrian-back Karame government and immediate compliance with UN Resolution 1559 requiring a complete Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon.

Already Jimblatt has managed to do what had been thought previously impossible by uniting and leading a multi-ethnic coalition made of up Druze, Sunni, Christian fractions in calling for independence from Syria. He has received an endorsement from the Maronite Catholic Arch Bishop, Nasrallah Sfeir, the blessing of the Sunni Muslim Mufti of Lebanon, and the support of Bahaa Hariri, son and heir to the slain former prime minister, Rafik Hariri. This coalition has already raised the ire of Herzbollah Shiite leader Hasan Nasrallah who warned that any popular agitation against Syria could plunge Lebanon into civil war again.

If Jimblatt’s coalition can turn out the numbers and substain demonstrations in the streets the person to watch will be Nabih Berri, House Speaker and leader of the Shiite Amal Party. Berri’s support will be crucial and could ultimately lead to a Syrian withdrawal and the marginalization of Herzbollah in Lebanon. A Syrian withdrawal and the marginalization of Herzbollah would be an act that that has far reaching consequences not just for Lebanon but could ultimately change the dynamics for the entire region.