The deadly clashes that continue to plague Tripoli are underlining the very real and very pressing need for Lebanon's squabbling political parties to put the country's interests above their own. The Lebanese people have spent far too long in the shadow of instability, and the military and security forces entrusted with their protection are at least partially hamstrung by the vacuum opened up by the protracted process of creating a new unity cabinet. The leaderships of both the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Internal Security Forces (ISF) are understandably hesitant to grasp the proverbial nettle and impose their will in the Northern port city because they still don't know which civilian ministers will be calling the shots in the aftermath of what could be a messy operation.

This situation would be undesirable in any country, but it is especially hazardous in this one: Lebanese politicians are a famously capricious species, the general and specific roles of the LAF and the ISF are the subjects of heated debates, and the former's status as Lebanon's sole remaining "national" institution is a precious commodity. For these reasons, it is only natural that both organizations have been shy about intervening in force to put down the fighting.
 

Instead of seeing the bloodshed - and the risk of having it spread - as  obvious motivation to dilute their demands, however, some of Lebanon's politicians are using it to blackmail their rivals. This is unacceptable, especially so soon after the carnage that rocked the entire country in early May. That affair was at least temporarily prevented from dragging the Lebanese back into civil war, but only because the Qatari government stepped forward to broker the Doha agreement, which ended a long-running constitutional crisis and ushered in a nascent process of reconciliation. Understandably, however, the Qataris are now indicating that they have done their part, that Lebanon's own politicians have to take the next step by themselves.

Lebanon's ruling "elite" have always been an ineffectual and selfish lot, and much of the general public assumes them to be corrupt and irresponsible. The current phase is a proving ground, therefore, on which the country's political "leaders" have a chance to demonstrate that they can be pragmatic in order to prevent disaster. It can only be hoped that the electorate is watching closely so that when the next elections are held in 2009, those who throw up new obstacles on a daily basis will be held to account.