'stability' equals whitewash. If the intl. community cannot deliver indictments even if they don't result in 'justice' for those that deserve it, then they should just leave it all alone, they have no issue when it comes to proclamations/accusations as to israels presumed guilt as to this that and the other.
If they are cowed now, they just pull the rug out from under their own future influence which become mere gestures, not that reasonable folk already don't see a double standard anyway.
one of the original sins here was allowing Hezbollah to miraculously transform literally overnight due to craven application of Taif from being treated as it was- a militia, becoming a 'resistance force'.
Will Hezbollah Be Brought to Justice in Lebanon?
* DECEMBER 26, 2010, 5:17 P.M. ET
Its likely role in Rafik Hariri's death must not be covered up in the name of 'stability.'
snip-
Tensions in Lebanon are high. The U.N.-backed Special Tribunal, set up in the Hague to prosecute the killers of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister and Saad's father, is preparing to issue indictments.
All indications point to members of Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group loyal to Iran, as the main culprits in the 2005 murder. If Hezbollah militants are indicted, it could lead to serious unrest between the group's Shiite base and the largely Sunni followers of the assassinated prime minister. Regional actors including Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United States all have a stake in the outcome.
Many have called for scuttling the tribunal out of fear of the instability it could create. Lebanon is not prepared for justice, these voices claim. New York Times columnist Roger Cohen has argued that "Lebanese stability is precarious and tenuous: it trumps justice delayed, foreign and flawed." And Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has questioned "the use for tribunal justice if it leads to slaughter." True enough, the Middle East does not need another Sunni-Shiite conflict. But rewarding those who engage in assassinations by letting them walk free will only encourage more violence.
Justice is the only path to lasting stability in Lebanon. Without it, Sunni extremists itching to take on their Shiite counterparts will only grow in strength. Sunnis more generally will feel betrayed twice—first for having their leader assassinated and second for being denied justice. Thwarting the tribunal is a guaranteed path to further Sunni-Shiite tensions and a greater sense of anger in the country and the region.
For its part, Hezbollah is attempting to smear the tribunal, labeling it an "American-Israeli project." But no one knows what evidence an indictment will put forward. Judgments about the court's integrity should be withheld until then, and no one should be duped by Hezbollah's misinformation campaign.
Most people in Lebanon already believe that Hezbollah has been exposed for what it truly is, especially after the self-proclaimed "resistance" against Israel turned its weapons against fellow Lebanese in the domestic troubles of 2008. An indictment with solid evidence will only further isolate the group within Lebanon and tarnish its carefully cultivated image in the broader Arab and Muslim worlds.
That said, Hezbollah's overwhelming hold over Lebanon's Shiite community will no doubt remain a key source of its strength. Unraveling this relationship will require a long-term strategy, including engaging with local partners to find alternatives to the extensive social services and patronage networks that the group has employed to capture Shiite loyalty since its 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut.
rest at-
Firas Maksad: Will Hezbollah Be Brought to Justice in Lebanon? - WSJ.com
