The Guardian Predicts End of "Cedar Revolution" after Elections

One month ahead of the parliamentary elections, the democratic process continues to draw the interest of the Western media...

Indeed, British daily The Guardian devoted a complete article for the upcoming elections, in which it predicted a sweeping victory for the national opposition and the end of the so-called "Cedar Revolution" represented by the loyalty bloc.

Almost exactly four years after its launch, "Lebanon's Cedar Revolution seems to be nearing the end of the road," the article's author Nicholas Noe declared in the first sentence of his report.

Noe emphasized that as a number of western election observers, diplomats and even ardent supporters of the March 14 bloc now publicly acknowledge, it is likely that the opposition will take control of the next four-year parliament when elections are held on June 7.

"Apparently seeking to get out ahead of events, the UK, France, Denmark and other EU countries are already staking out a different course, vigorously pursuing an open policy of engagement with the opposition - and especially with Hizbullah," Nicholas Noe remarked.

"As an important part of this effort, France has made it clear that March 14 "do or die" sloganeering around the upcoming polls is not shared by the Elysee: Lebanon will not suddenly transform into an Islamic republic on the Mediterranean following an opposition win, nor will Syria regain the position it held over what amounted to a 30-year occupation of its neighbor," the article then said.

According to the Guardian, top US officials are apparently content with focusing on the bigger picture of engaging Iran and Syria and leaving Lebanon to the rhetorical purview of staunch March 14 supporters like Jeffrey Feltman, the former ambassador to Lebanon, now assistant secretary of near east policy, who presided over March 14's spectacular rise and fall.

The British daily concluded by calling on the US administration and EU states, instead of seeking to isolate the new majority then, toencourage March 14 to be a partner and take up at least a filibustering position in any new "national unity" cabinet "- something that the opposition has already offered but which March 14 has rejected, apparently for electioneering considerations."