U.S. faces new challenges as Mideast realigns itself

Yeah, like having any credibility left at all>>

When will they ever learn; leave te liberating to the Liberals and the Libertarians.

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: U.S. faces new challenges as Mideast realigns itself:

"Over the past week, the world has been stunned by the rising ferocity of the war between Israel and Hezbollah. But equally surprising, to many, has been the way the conflict has illuminated the sweeping changes that are reshaping the entire Middle East.

Behind Hezbollah's rockets lurks the specter of a newly unleashed Iran, its patron and supplier. Israel, which hoped to reap some peace after its withdrawal from Gaza, has been emboldened to lash out against its enemies more aggressively than it has in two decades. Iraq remains in turmoil, and the Arab states seem paralyzed. Everywhere, the struts that upheld the region's tenuous stability are wavering, and fierce new winds are blowing.

Whatever the outcome of the current proxy war, fought on the soil of the suffering Lebanese, this broader struggle for dominance will continue to play itself out. So the question arises: What is America's role in this volatile new world? Arab democracy may be a distant dream, but there is still much to be gained or lost in the region, from access to crucial oil fields, to fighting terrorism, to the security of Israel.