Lebanon: A Critical Battle for New Middle East

Using the July 12 capture of two Israeli soldiers -- whose unit had apparently crossed the Israeli border into Lebanon -- as a pretext, the Bush administration quickly sprung into action: imagining yet a new Middle East, where democracy and freedom reigns over militancy and oppression.

Since the neoconservative takeover of America's foreign policies, it has become apparent that the neo-cons do not operate with such impulsiveness. The plan for a new Middle East was introduced as early as 1992 by then less-influential neoconservative elements. Those ideals were accentuated in 1996 by Richard Perle and company, then advising Israel's Prime Minister at the time, Benjamin Netanyahu.