Foreword
On February 14, 2005, an explosion with the force of more than 2,000 pounds of dynamite shook downtown Beirut, Lebanon. Killed in the blast were former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others in his motorcade. Hariri, a billionaire businessman and prominent Lebanese politician for more than a decade, had recently resigned from his office in a dispute with the Syrian Government. He was protesting pressure by Syria to extend the term of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, who was sympathetic to the continued Syrian military presence in the nation.Because of this political climate, Syria quickly became the leading suspect…
