The Bush foreign policy continues to push U.S. standing around the world into an ever-deepening hole.
From the Christian Science Monitor
But the US decision to, in essence, allow Israel time to continue its assault has sounded harsh to much of the Middle East. Anti-Americanism in the region was already on the rise, said Hisham Milhem, Washington correspondent for the Lebanese daily Al-Nahar.
Now, "it is the new religion in the Middle East," said Milhem at a recent conference at the Brookings Institution in Washington.
Hizbullah and its backers may see the conflict in the same terms as the White House: an opportunity to mold the region in their own vision.
Just by fighting Israel and surviving, Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrullah and his fighters appear to have gained immense prestige among the surrounding Arab nations. The group's popularity threatens both Israeli safety and the Sunni Arab governments of the region, many of which have followed a policy of accommodating Israel's presence. A further spike in anti-Israeli sentiment could bode ill for the region's long-term stability.
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