Lebanese back pro Western coalition

Whilst on the subject of elections the people of Lebanon must be breathing a certain sigh of relief this morning as the anti-Syrian coalition in that country have come out on top against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its allies.

Saad al-Hariri's pro-Western bloc won 71 out of 128 seats in the Parliament against 57 for for the opposition alliance.

The implications may be great.As Time writes

Lebanon is often regarded as a bellwether for the Middle East. In that sense, it would appear that the region is taking a step back from the radicalism that coincided with the Bush Administration's invasion of Iraq and its pointed neglect of the Arab-Israeli peace process.