Pondering Lebanon, Part 3

Boris posts his third installment on the Israel-Lebanon war at The Galloping Beaver. The money quote:

I think it is fair to say...[Israel wants]...to de-populate southern Lebanon of, well, as many Lebanese as possible. The logic is simple: Hizbollah is an organic part of the social and political landscape of south Lebanon, therefore in order to defeat Hizbollah, obliterate the environment in which they exist. Destroy the social and civic infrastructure that supports them. This means demonstrating in the worse possible way, to the civilians in the region, that it is a better option for them to leave. If that means turning their homes and workplaces into rubble, cratering roads and destroying bridges so be it. It is the equivalent of draining a lake to kill the fish. If the civilians are gone, then anyone left must be Hizbollah and is fair game for the IDF. If you have to slaughter the odd batch of innocents to emphasise the point, so be it. If the UN are on a hill taking notes and you want them out of the way, drop a guided bomb on their position so there can be no doubt they are not longer welcome. It doesn’t matter what you say in public. This fight is for keeps.

Be sure to follow the "Dr. Strangelove" link. It reminds us that the logic of war is a constant in the pantheon of human behaviors.