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Letter from the Publisher

June 2008

For the first time in over a year, we can see the light shining on Lebanon again.  The country that I grew up in while I was a student in high school and university in the late 1960's and early 70's is once again hopeful for its future after coming very close to another civil war just a few weeks ago.  The agreement reached recently between rival Lebanese political leaders in meetings in Doha, Qatar initiated by the Arab League, allows Lebanon to return to a new national unity government with a new president, ending 18 months of political turmoil and sporadic violence. The Lebanese political factions agreed to elect Army Chief Michel Suleiman as the new president and to new rules for power sharing.  Although no agreement was reached on the issue of Hezbollah's military arsenal, this positive and peaceful understanding which was reached without foreign intervention, can be taken as sign that a political solution is possible for Lebanon, and that hopefully this will pave the way to solving the other conflicts in other parts of the Middle East.

On the Israeli front, the indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel brokered by Turkey are continuing and there is a good chance there may be an agreement soon. Although the latest demands by Israel may become huge hurdles, one can be hopeful that there is a genuine intention by Tel Aviv of returning the Golan Heights to Damascus if she seizes support for Hezbollah and Hamas, and pulls away from its close ties to Iran.  Let us hope some compromise can be reached and this possible new peace agreement will be another affirmation that the various crises in the Middle East are moving towards peaceful outcomes with hopes of further stability and security in the region.  After all there are plenty of land and resources in the Middle East to accommodate and support the entire population of the region, and therefore there is no need for any of the nations to fight over any of this. 

The Islamic Republic of Iran has also recently shown a new and more positive attitude in its ongoing dispute with the West over its nuclear program.  Iran has presented a whole new set of proposals to the United Nations as well as the 5+1 group called “Proposed Package for Constructive Negotiations” which reveals that Tehran is in favor of compromise and flexibility on negotiating the country's nuclear activities.  This may mean that Iran is finally open to the idea of a temporary suspension of uranium enrichment activities- for a maximum of six months- as called for by the incentive package that has been offered to Iran by the Iran Six nations.  One of the main items on Iran's agenda is security guarantees from the Western powers, especially the United States, which Tehran sees as vital to its own survival and for ensuring the collective security of the region. This package is being delivered to Tehran by Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief as we go to print and we do hope that we can finally see the light at the end of this dark tunnel as well as the Islamic Republic's leaders come to their senses to resolve their dispute with the West over its nuclear program.