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The U.S. Committee For A Free Lebanon
The United States Committee For A Free Lebanon (USCFL) is a committee whose aim is “to educate the American public as to Lebanon's strategic and moral significance as an ally of the United States and an outpost of Western values in the Middle East”. . The USCFL seeks to keep the American people updated on the events in Lebanon.

The USCFL discredits the Syrian government as having too much involvement with the Lebanon military. They argue that Syria has used this involvement to its advantage. These advantages are seen in the swaying of Lebanon politics, policies, and the economy.

Democracy in Lebanon and the Middle East is the organizations main ambition.

Formation and Founders
The USCFL “was founded on July 4, 1997 by New York financier Ziad K. Abdelnour, along with 56 other prominent Lebanese American activists and other financiers” (“About the USCFL”, 2009).

Abdelnour is known throughout many countries for his economic, investment, and financing skills. His skill with finances has helped him gain support and influence policies within the different number of companies he works, especially the USCFL.

The committee has an International Advisory Board. It consists of members who have made great contributions since the formation of the USCFL. Their actions have led to an increasing possibility of the independence of Lebanon.

Origins
The beginning of the committee was encouraged by Syria’s unwanted occupation, or so called invasion, of Lebanon. While occupying Lebanon, the Syrian government dishelved the Lebanese people by divided them into separate communities. The Syrian government also went on a violent rampage to prove their increasing presence. They went on to kill the leaders and those Lebanese people that rejected their presence in Lebanon. After terrifying and overtaking Lebanon, the Syrian government became a threat to most of the Middle East countries.

The United States Committee For A Free Lebanon asserts that Lebanon is a self-governing and privatized nation that should be free from interference from countries, especially Syria or any other nation. (“About the USCFL”, 2009).

Affiliates
Originally, there were 56 members. Today, the number of members exceeds over 3,100. The committee has a web following of over 100,000 sections, reaching at least around 25 Chapters around the world. (“About the USCFL”, 2009).

The End Of An Era
On February 18, 2005, the Lebanon people and supporters of a Syrian-free Lebanon “launched the ‘Independence Peaceful Uprising’ to liberate Lebanon, motivating the Lebanese masses to support its move. The Lebanese in occupied Lebanon and in Diaspora held mass rallies to support the freedom of their occupied motherland. The protests continued -- larger, louder and bolder -- until the pro-Syrian government in Lebanon resigned on February 28, 2005…By the end of March 2005, the Syrian government pulled most of their troops and dismantled all of its intelligence stations in Beirut and north Lebanon”.

Although the goal of the USCFL has been fulfilled, the USCFL is still committed to keeping the United States informed on the actions and movements of the Lebanese people. The committee is forever pledged to having Lebanon viewed in a positive perspective by the American people.

Philosophy
The goals and intentions of the USCFL were created to increase the likelihood of an independent Lebanon, which tool place in 2005. With the independence of Lebanon, the Committee is continuing their mission of making sure that Lebanon stays independent. The Committee is also continuing their mission of making sure that U.S. citizens have a greater understanding of Lebanon and their connection with the United States.

The Committee does not wish to use force. Force is only used in dire times when it is the only option left available. It is most commonly used against terrorist, as violence is the only answer the terrorists know.

The USFL also tries to change the way foreign policy is directed in the area of Lebanon and the Middle East. The USCFL tries to increase the awareness of issues surrounding Lebanon, to make the country more civilized and urban.

The committee serves as aide to communicate eccentric and intellectual concepts to corporations and government leaders in powerful countries that have the power to influence politics and other countries’ leaders. The main goal of these concepts is to help end the exploitation of Lebanon and punish those who contributed to the exploitation.

The USCFL asserts that in order for Lebanon to be a country of wealth, tranquility, and free of danger, the focus of topics must be on something that all Lebanese citizens can agree on. This is an important matter since Lebanon is made up of a variety of religions and ideologies. (“About the USCFL”, 2009).

Principles
The USCFL strongly advocates for people in the Middle East. They believe that the people of the Middle East have the right to basic civil liberties that, those in developed countries, take for granted. For example, the right to own property, the right to protest unfair acts, the right to freedom or religion, speech, and the right to freedom of the press. The USCFL endorses the idea of people in the Middle East to be free from government and their right to freely choose sovereignty. The Committee also believes that people have to right to live anywhere in the Middle East free of judgment and harassment by others, regardless of religion, sex, or ethnicity.

With the Middle East going through many transitions, like new governments and policies to implement peace, the USCFL believe that Lebanon should not be the target of such transitions but a partner helping to increase peace.

The Committee fights for the human and civil rights of Lebanon; that they be implements properly and with justification. (“About the USCFL”, 2009).

Actions Taken
Since the formation of the USCFL, the committee has been an active member in lobbying for the rights of Lebanon and change in the Middle East.

In 2001, the USCFL created “A Petition Demanding War Against Governments that Sponsor Terrorism”. The document ordered that six countries: Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Lybia, and Sudan, relinquish their governments over to the United States. These countries’ governments would be run and under the U.S.’s possession until conventional governments-ones that could sustain long tern military power- were established. (Floyd, 2003).

In 2003, along with other foreign-member organizations, the USCFL created the Syria Accountability Act. The act entails that the U.S. back the plans to full Syria out of,Lebanon, end Syria’s open support for terrorism, and stop its development and production of weapons of mass destruction. Above all, the act wishes to punish Syria for being a violent for and taking advantage of the other countries surrounding it. The Act was in response to Syria’s threat to countries located around it.

The USCFL’s actions are not just limited to trying to pass the bill. They encourage their followers and members to contact their local government and representatives to seek a change in Lebanon relations.

Critics
Being a Middle East state, some people feel hostility and animosity towards Lebanon and the USCFL. The committee has faced opposition and been viewed as a facade. A number of people have spoken out against the USCFL as having ulterior motives. Those in opposition to the USCFL say that it is an organization out to shatter Lebanon’s interests. They work with other organizations to impair and inhibit the future of Lebanon. The USCFL has assured the public that this is not true. Their goal, simply put, is to shine a positive light on Lebanon and, as already accomplished, exile the Syrian government. (“About the USCFL”, 2009).

The USCFL has been called a letterhead organization. These organizations appear to be irrelevant to society but are not. Letterhead organizations harm society by allowing a few individuals to interchange positions and control a large number of corporations. These individuals in turn, develop a façade that their influence is far reaching. This influence can be seen in lobbying policy members and Congress, as all leaders of these organizations support each other.

The USCFL has other traits that categorize it as a letterhead organization. First, it is unclear where the Committee’s funds come from. It is not reported or stated anywhere how the Committee thrives and has the power to lobby officials. Some believe that the funds come from the members of the organization, but it has been suggested that the funds come from the collective group of letterheads. Also, the Committee supported the reshaping of the Middle East to favor U.S. interests. The USCFL, as mentioned above, created “A Petition Demanding War Against Governments that Sponsor Terrorism”. Not only did the petition demolish Middle East governments from over 5 countries, the U.S. would not reinstate the governments until they met U.S. standards.

Some believe the USCFL, along with other letterhead organizations, have the power to shift political issues with no clear authority to hold them accountable for their actions. According to them, the Committee is just another group that have infinite power spanning across a number of organizations that has the power to affect people’s opinions and how the government acts.