I flew over the northern portion two years ago and the beauty of Lebanon and northern Syria was something to see from above. Thanks for the pictures from up close.

Great shots, it is so green this time of year, if you have a chance you should go to the chouf nature reserve, the cedar forest there is much larger than bcherre, and you really feel in another world walking there. Great pictures and reporting.

Wonderful shots, and thank you very much. I'd be interested to know if others feel like I do, that after seeing the reports from Iraq and the destruction there, I am so hopeful they are able to avoid an outbreak of fighting and keep the beauty and solidity of their country in Lebanon.

"I am so hopeful they are able to avoid an outbreak of fighting and keep the beauty and solidity of their country in Lebanon."

Absolutely! I hope the worst of the destruction is well behind them.

Great stuff. Get home safe. Stay sharp, drink water.

NICE SHOTS!!!

Wow, great shots.

Snow? What a surprise. Really cool.

Beautiful photos.

I've been to the Southern Border at the Israeli town of Metulla.

Would love to visit one day.

Syria is leaving and that's great. But Michael, what did you hear about Hezbollah leaving? They're basically an agency of Iran. Are the Lebanese fed up with them, or tolerate them?

Beautiful shots! The architecture does seem to be influenced by Europe. It's such a total contrast to the other Roman-influenced nation that you visited, Libya. Lebanon is definitely a place to visit (how are the beaches?)

The spinning swastika is interesting. Syria's allies, Hezbollah, are also influenced by the same sort of imagery. I guess that's no coincidence.

Wonderful photos. They remind me that, thirty years ago, Beirut was considered one of the most cosmopolitan and beautiful cities in the Middle East. It looks like it may be well on its way to regaining that status.

Moonbat One,

There already is strong demand for Hezbollah to disarm. They briefly were popular in Lebanon when they drove the Israelis out of the country. But that honeymoon didn't last long.

Let me put it to you this way. No American hates Hezbollah anywhere nearly as much as the Sunni Muslims hate Hezbollah - not to mention the Christians. Only a minority of the Shia minority supports Hezbollah now. They're a reactionary civil-war era relic. The reason they're powerful is because they're armed and dangerous. They are better armed than the Lebanese army, or so I've been told by several people who have forgotten more about Lebanon than I'll ever know.

More than half the Shia are secular, belong to a minor political party, or support Amal.

Amal is no picnic, either, though. That said, most people think Amal is a fundamentalist rival to Hezbollah, but it isn't true. I met the Amal militia leader's daughter at a restaurant. She was dressed like a French woman, was hanging all over her boyfriend, and was boozing it up. She gets along great with "Dad."

I met her by sheer chance because she happened to show up and is a friend of the guy I was eating with. Lebanon is a small country.

Moonbat One,

There already is strong demand for Hezbollah to disarm. They briefly were popular in Lebanon when they drove the Israelis out of the country. But that honeymoon didn't last long.

Let me put it to you this way. No American hates Hezbollah anywhere nearly as much as the Sunni Muslims hate Hezbollah - not to mention the Christians. Only a minority of the Shia minority supports Hezbollah now. They're a reactionary civil-war era relic. The reason they're powerful is because they're armed and dangerous. They are better armed than the Lebanese army, or so I've been told by several people who have forgotten more about Lebanon than I'll ever know.

More than half the Shia are secular, belong to a minor political party, or support Amal.

Amal is no picnic, either, though. That said, most people think Amal is a fundamentalist rival to Hezbollah, but it isn't true. I met the Amal militia leader's daughter at a restaurant. She was dressed like a French woman, was hanging all over her boyfriend, and was boozing it up. She gets along great with "Dad."

I met her by sheer chance because she happened to show up and is a friend of the guy I was eating with. Lebanon is a small country.

Michael -

Thanks for the photos. During the years I lived in West Africa, you couldn't miss the Lebanese presence in the commercial sector. Most grocery stores were operated by Lebanese, but also fabric shops and hardware stores. (Indians ran a distant second; they're stronger in East Africa, I'm told).

I wonder how much of the reconstruction happening in Beirut is funded by money generated in Africa. Did you notice much of an African presence in Lebanon?

Didsbury,

Most the reconstruction was funded by Hariri, who made his fortune in Saudi.

As someone wrote at his grave site: "Rafik Hariri is the person who made Lebanon into a nice place from a place that had nothing nice in it."

“More than half the Shia are secular, belong to a minor political party, or support Amal.”

This is great news. The fact that the young lady drinks alcoholic beverages says a lot about her religious commitment. She obviously takes it with a huge grain of salt. Lebanon does indeed have a chance to become a vibrant westernized nation.

The Power Line blog reminds us that today is the thirty year anniversary of the fall of Vietnam to the Communists murderers:

“For me, the horrible sights of April 29 and 30, 1975 bitterly highlighted the necessity of unlearning the many lies and myths of the American antiwar movement that I had merrily bought. The much-derided doctrine of containment that had more or less led us to resist the Communist takeover of South Vietnam was vindicated within remarkably few years -- crowned with success by the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the liberation of its conquered provinces and former satellites.”

http://powerlineblog.com/archives/010315.php

The liberal establishment betrayed the United States and the Vietnamese people. We must not allow them to do the same to the Iraqis and the Lebanese people. These human beings beings are probably threatened more by the liberals in the United States and the rest of the West than by the crazies within their midst.

David: These human beings beings are probably threatened more by the liberals in the United States and the rest of the West than by the crazies within their midst.

That's the last time you say that.

“That's the last time you say that.”

Have I said something illogical? What is the reason for your peculiar response?

I should add that Glenn Reynolds seems to agree with me. Does Michael Totten believe that Instapundit is going off the deep end? That earlier Power Line link originally came from Reynolds. Please feel free to take a look:

“April 30, 2005

REMEMBERING THE FALL OF SAIGON: And remember, too, that there are some people here who would like to see the same thing happen in Iraq.

posted at 08:21 AM by Glenn Reynolds

http://instapundit.com/archives/022731.php

David,

You let me know when American liberals start mass-murdering foreigners. Until then, you're not going to post any more of that kind of nonsense on my Web site. Nor are you going to argue with me about it if you want to keep posting here at all. I know where I can find far-right crazy talk when that's what I'm in the mood for, and my own personal Web site isn't the place.

This discussion is over.

"These human beings beings are probably threatened more by the liberals in the United States and the rest of the West than by the crazies within their midst."

Yes and John Ashcroft poses a greater threat to the security of the United States than Osama Bin Laden.

Also, Cuba is much more Democratic than the USA.

Michael, thank you so much for staying polite and respectful in your comments when others are losing every sense of morality once they can hide behind their computer screens! Your answers maintain their level of dignity in the middle of the nonsense some people post every day and I admire that. This makes me want to read more on this amazing website of yours!
Keep up the good work, the things you have here are great!