US Gunboat Diplomacy in Lebanon Again by Andrew Lee Butters, TIME Magazine Middle East Blog

Published: March 5, 2008, 9:20 am

TIME MAGAZINE MIDDLE EAST BLOG2/29/08US Gunboat Diplomacy in Lebanon AgainAndrew Lee ButtersYou would think by now that the Bush Administration would realize that the days of gunboat diplomacy -- when the US could influence the course of international events with a display of military muscle -- are on the wane. The Iraq war showed everyone in the Middle East both the vast superiority of American weaponry, and the limits of war as an extension of politics. And yet, the White House has just sent an American warship, the USS Cole, to patrol off the coast of Lebanon as a "show of support for regional stability", according to news reports citing an anonymous US official.In reality, the Cole is a show of support to Administrations allies in Lebanon and Israel, and a warning to Syria, Iran, and the Lebanese militia Hizballah to stop meddling in Lebanon's political crisis. It's perhaps also a warning for Hizballah to think twice about retaliating against Israel for the assassination of

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