Syrian–Lebanese relations have been tumultuous ever
since the establishment of the two states in the 1940s. This
relation became increasingly strained as disputes escalated
in the Middle East, particularly with the divergence of
Syrian and Egyptian positions after the October 1973
war. Syria, which was abandoned by Egypt, and having
conflicting relations with Iraq, felt that Lebanon was
the only place through which it could strengthen its
negotiating position to recover the Golan Heights, which
has been occupied since 1967, and which uses Lebanon as
an outlet for defusing its own crises. As the Syrian military
regime was inherently a breeding ground for crises, and
as the structural differences between the Lebanese and
Syrian compositional frameworks were obvious and
hard to suppress, overt and covert disputes followed one
another. Finally, the whole situation exploded with the
extension for President Emile Lahhoud, followed by the
assassination of Former President Hariri. As the Syrian
army pulled out from Lebanon by virtue of UN Resolution
1559 and the two reports were issued by UN investigator,
magistrate Detlev Mehlis, the relation between the two
neighboring countries seems to be more contentious than
ever. Both regimes seem also ill prepared to confront the
new situations. Perhaps their political and civil character
is more predisposed to challenges and possibilities of
massive changes that involve the political thought in both
countries.