Syria’s steely grip over its tiny neighbor Lebanon has begun to look increasingly frail during the past month under the new-found glare of international scrutiny. Emboldened by the intervention of the United Nations and France – a country traditionally sympathetic to Damascus – Lebanese opponents of Syrian hegemony here are speaking out as the old taboos crumble. Posters praising a United Nations resolution calling on Syria to withdraw its estimated 14,000 troops from Lebanon now appear in Christian districts of Beirut, and prominent opposition figures are showing up on television to denounce Syrian interference in Lebanon’s affairs. “The status quo as perceived for the past decade is no longer viable,” says Simon Karam, a member of the Qornet Shehwan opposition group and a former Lebanese ambassador to Washington. Full Story