by Stephen Lendman

Longstanding US/Israeli plans call for redrawing the Middle East map, replacing independent governments with pro-Western puppet regimes, balkanizing Iraq, Syria, Iran and other regional countries for easier control, looting their resources, and exploiting their people.

Analyst Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya says plans call for "creating an arc of instability, chaos, and violence extending from Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria to Iraq, the Persian Gulf, Iran, and the borders of NATO-garrisoned Afghanistan” - by color revolutions or wars. Violent protests rock Beirut - ongoing for days, a so-called “You Stink” campaign over uncollected rubbish, people demanding “corrupt” government officials resign for letting it pile up.

Lebanon has been without a president for over a year. Obama’s war on Syria created an enormous burden. More than 1.2 million refugees flooded into a nation of 4.5 million people on top of half a million displaced Palestinians - the equivalent of around 130 million in a nation the size of America or about 500 million for China.

Other issues affect Lebanon like in most other countries - mainly governance serving monied interests at the expense of most others.

Yet violent street protests haven’t erupted globally. Just cause exists in many countries remaining quiet.

Crisis began after Beirut’s Naameh landfill closed on July 17. New sites or alternative arrangements weren’t chosen. Trash began piling up everywhere.

Since August 22, violent protests gripped the capital. Prime Minister Tammam Salam warned “(w)e’re heading towards collapse if things continue as they are.”

Tuesday’s cabinet meeting failed to resolve things. Protest organizer Marwan Maalouf said “(i)n the beginning, this was a battle over the trash issue...But now there is a general battle against the political class.”

Protesters openly call for regime change. Are Israeli and US dirty hands manipulating things covertly? Is another imperial color revolution attempt ongoing?

Is uncollected garbage a pretext to topple another regional government? People elsewhere facing much greater problems don’t protest violently for days.

These type incidents are manipulated. Several thousand protesters don’t reflect the sentiment of most Beirut residents.

If Lebanon’s government falls, Washington and Israel gain at the expense of Syria and Iran. They’ll achieve another triumph toward redrawing the Middle East map - adversely affecting ordinary people across the region and beyond.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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