Media Talk: Lebanon on the brink of civil war

Fighting between the government troops and the radical Islamist groups in the north of Lebanon could lead the country into another bloody civil war.

Lebanon is one of the most politically complex countries in the world and is facing another crisis with government troops fighting Fatah al-Islam – a radical group based in the Palestinian refugee camps in the north of the country.

With political sympathies of the country deeply divided, the government itself is split between anti-Syrian and pro-Syrian factions. The former loosely unites Sunnis, Christians and Druze, while the latter is a Shia grouping dominated by Hezbollah. The new player, Fatah al-Islam, is a growing movement which supports radical Islam.

Our panel discusses whether this crisis will lead to another civil war.

Roula Khalaf – Middle East Editor of the Financial Times.

Judith Palmer Harik – author of Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism.

Mohammed Chebaro – London Bureau Chief of Al-Arabiya

Baria Alamuddin – foreign editor of the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat.

Moderated by Sebastian Usher – BBC foreign correspondent.