Muslim Peacekeepers in Lebanon: Qatar, Turkey Agree to Commit Troops

Finally some good news for Beirut, Turkey announced they would be committing troops to the "expanded peacekeeping" (didn't we use to call that "peace enforcement"?) mission in Lebanon. Although Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that the Turkish contribution probably would not exceed 1,000 troops, that's still good news for everyone. Besides being a NATO member with a highly proficient military, Turkey has strong relations with Israel, and their presence should alleviate some Israeli concerns about who's looking out for their interests in southern Lebanon.

It also means-- since Qatar earlier agreed to commit 200-300 troops-- that the UNIFIL force is getting greater representation from Muslim countries, which is critical if it's going to avoid flaring up already-existing Christian/Muslim tensions in Lebanon. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan mentioned the UN's desire to increase Muslim contributions, and Indonesia announced that it would be contributing 1,000 troops as well. Two other likely candidates would be Bangladesh and Malaysia. It's anyone's guess how the "expanded rules of engagement" will play out on the ground and with each nation's domestic populations, or what the long-term plan for handing over security responsibility to Lebanese forces, or even if Hezbollah will eventually be disarmed-- nor do I know how to weigh that in light of Nasrullah's admission that, "Had I known that capturing the soldiers would lead to this result, I never would have done it."

But we're going to have to start somewhere if we're ever going to stabilize that country, so I guess this is as good as anywhere.