Peace Has Broken Out in Lebanon

For those of you in North America who just woke up, an historically monumental agreement was reached early this morning by rival Lebanese politicians meeting in Doha, Qatar. The agreement not only settles the most recent crisis, which led to armed fighting on the streets of Beirut and elsewhere and left more than 60 people dead, but also the more protracted one, which has kept the office of the presidency vacant since last November and downtown Beirut completely shut down with an opposition encampment since December 2006. In one fell swoop, Lebanon has agreed to elect a new president, reform its electoral law, and rebalance the government to give greater representation to the country's growing Shia population. In response, the opposition has already started tearing down its tent city and has agreed to rejoin the government. Although many people still have their doubts and resentments, it's a promising and exciting day and I'm glad to be here in Lebanon right now to witness it.

Moreover, there are reports that shortly after the settlement was reached, Syria announced that Israel has agreed to withdraw from the Golan Heights to its 1967 borders, another historically monumental occurrence, which, no doubt, given the Lebanese opposition's relationship with Syria, was part of the Doha negotiations.