Al-Akhbar in Lebanon (which favors the Hezbollah opposition coalition) reports that the weakness of the Hariri Movement will create a void that will be filled by Salafi groups intent on waging Jihad to defend Sunni Islam against Shiia infidels.  While the source is suspect, it evinces a real trend towards further destabilization and tribalism, which will doom Lebanon and impact the region.

Translation excerpt from OpinionSource:

Retreat of Al-Hariri movement favors Salafi groups
By Fida’a Ittani
Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), 5/14/2008
Ittani says many Salafi movements are present and they vary in their attitudes from silent opposition to Future leader Saad Al-Hariri to fully supporting him as the leader of the Sunnis. "These groups are the only ones with coherent structures at the ideological, political, technical, and field levels, while if you talk about the Future movement, these groups point you towards Pharaoh [Hariri] and his desolate palaces," Ittani writes. "The Future movement, defeated in Beirut, no longer has any serious influence in the north. The Jihadists have always dreamt of the day in which Sunni liberalism fails or suffers a defeat."
Link to full text in primary source.

Tags: Lebanon, Religion, Middle East //