King Abdullah’s much anticipated visit to Damascus is expected to take place this week.

Last month, Syrian President Bashar Assad traveled to Saudi Arabia to attend the opening ceremony of a new high-tech university, which had been a personal pet project of the King’s. There, President Assad extended an invitation for the King to come to Damascus.

The relationship between the two counties has been strained in recent years due to Syria’s suspected involvement in the assassination of Rafik Hariri, a former Prime Minister of Lebanon with close ties to Riyadh.

Both nations wield significant influence in Lebanon, and their reconciliation  could relieve the political deadlock that has plagued the country since their falling out. The friction between the two is seen as a key reason for Lebanon’s lack of progress in forming a government.

Lebanon  has been without a governing cabinet since the June 7 parliamentary elections, where Saad Hariri’s March 14 coalition won the majority.

Lebanon’s President Michel Suleiman is expected to participate in the meetings, which could make the events more productive from a Lebanese standpoint.

There are also reports of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak possibly joining the meeting. Mubarak’s presence would deepen the summit’s historic feel, hearkening back to the days when  Nasr’s Egypt wielded tremendous influence in the region’s affairs.

Two of Lebanon’s most heated rivals, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and former General Michael Aoun are expected to meet for lunch today in Beirut on the subject of cabinet formation, but very little progress is expected to come until after the Saudi-Syrian summit.

The summit might  also signal a loosening of Syrian-Iranian ties, a relationship that the West has been trying to unravel for years. The possibility of Saudi investment dollars flooding Assad’s beleaguered nation could be extremely persuasive in that regard. Perhaps this is the first step toward the Syria-Iran-Lebanon triangle being replaced by the Saudi-Syria-Lebanon triangle.

Though the degree of foreign influence that plagues Lebanon is not desireable by any nation, one must chose the lesser of two evils  in this instance. If Iran is the odd man out and Saudi Arabia steps in, then at least the cooperation between Syria and Saudi Arabia could lead to an effective government being formed.

This is probably the best possible scenario for the people of Lebanon, because then and only then, with an effective government, will they be able to see significant progress in their great  nation.

Scores of Lebanese Shiites have recently been expelled from the United Arab Emirates, allegedly for their refusal to inform on Hizballah.

The expulsion of the Lebanese nationals started after the June 7  parliamentary elections in Lebanon, but had not been widely known or reported on until the group went public.

Lebanon’s President Suleiman reportedly traveled to the Emirates to try to persuade officials to reconsider, but the trip was in vain.

The group reports that they were asked by UAE officials to spy on Hizballah , and that they were informed of their deportation after they refused. Palestinians  recently expelled from the UAE also report similar treatment when they refused to spy on Hamas.

Many of those expelled had lived in the UAE for most of their lives, and all deny supporting Hizballah.

Expatriates make up a significant portion of  the UAE’s population, including around 100,000 Lebanese.

The real reasons behind the mass expulsions are still unclear at this point.

Every one of the expelled has denied supporting Hizballah, but even if the charges are true, it begs the question of why would UAE officials suddenly care so much about it. After all, money flows freely from all of the Gulf nations to mosques and religious organizations of questionable intent. So why care about Hizballah, and why now?

At this point, it seems like there are three likely factors as to why Abu Dhabi (UAE capital) took these actions: a perceived internal threat from the nation’s Shiite population, a perceived external threat from growing Iranian influence in the Gulf,  pressure from the United States to disrupt any support for Hizballah, or some combination of the three.

Whatever the reason, it must be big.  Many of those expelled have lived peacefully and successfully in the UAE for decades. Some have built businesses that employ Emirati citizens who are predominantly Sunni. It’s very curious as to why the UAE officials would take such a perplexing and disruptive course of action which will effect many of their own citizens.

From Beirut’s Daily Star:

Hussein Masood, a 39-year-old businessman who had lived in the emirates since the age of 4, said he still did not understand what prompted his expulsion in July….“I have three companies there, $5 million worth of contracts and 85 mainly Sunni em­ployees who rely on me,” he added. “I can’t believe this is all happening because I am Shiite.”

There are many like Mr. Masood who only know life in the United Arab Emirates, and who have very little experience living in the country they were deported to. Whatever the reason for their expulsion, the lives that they have built  there are on hold indefinitely. For now, they can only  organize and prepare themselves for the long battle that lies ahead.