Ten years ago next week, the Israeli armed forces unilaterally withdrew from most of the territory that they had occupied in south Lebanon. The withdrawal did not lead to a peaceful border, but instead clarified that territory is only one aspect of a conflict with many dimensions. Ten years later, the south of Lebanon today is a region pregnant with tension, and perhaps the best microcosm we have of the nature of conflicts in the Middle East. The Israel-Hizbullah war of summer 2006 was the most violent and destructive incident in the period that followed the withdrawal, and has since triggered significant military and other preparedness measures on both sides of the border. This is perhaps the most militarized and politically confrontational border in the world, with armies from every concerned quarter. Israel and Hizbullah are the main antagonists, but also present in the immediate area or nearby are the Lebanese Army, United Nations peace-keeping troops from many countries, Syria’s armed forces further eastward, and, by proxy, interested state parties in the United States, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
