Indeed the siege would be totally meaningless if only a handful of neighboring Arab and Islamic states simply decided to not abide by it. Most of them covet the roles that Iraq under any leadership would emerge to play when and if the siege is lifted. So as rulers of their midget states, they have been set up from the start by Syckes and Picot, the drawers of the colonial map of Arab division, to go at each others throats in their own midget ways in this world of giants. Therefore, the root of our problems lies in fact in the bitter reality of Arab division, not in the dream or hope of Arab unity as some have recently claimed. Arab division is to blame for the continuation of sanctions on Iraq, Libya, and Sudan, and the general worsening conditions of Arabs.
Arab unity is consequently the solution to that problem.
Understanding the problem this way immediately poses the unabashed political need of mass Arab uprisings to overthrow at least a couple of dictatorial Arab puppets to make room for any progress in any direction within the foreseeable future. Understanding the problem this way also justifies the need to achieve our unity by hook or crook, the same way Abraham Linclon or Bismerck, maintained or achieved the unity of the United States of America and Germany, respectively, by hook or crook. That however is not too surprising for Iraq. What was surprising was Miss Clemence Ashkar, the 1998 winner of Lebanon's beauty pageant, who displayed while answering some rather lame journalistic questions a great deal of intuition, self-confidence, and enthusiasm. Furthermore, she urged the new generation to hold patriotism dear, and carry Lebanon in their hearts.