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This article argues that, although Syrian troops have withdrawn from Lebanon, their departure is little more than a symbolic acknowledgement of Lebanese sovereignty -- extracted under enormous pressure from the international community -- since the Syrian intelligence apparatus has merely gone underground, & more importantly, Syria has become "hooked" on huge revenues which continue to flow from Lebanon unimpeded. The sources for the multi-billion-dollar annual flow from Lebanon are discussed: underworld revenues from drug production, counterfeiting, & money laundering; Syrian control of Lebanese reconstruction industries, coupled with Lebanese governmental corruption; remittances from roughly one million Syrian workers in Lebanon; & the Syrian use of Lebanon as a captive market for its own exports, particularly agricultural produce, often while circumventing Lebanese customs. It is argued that the Syrian intelligence apparatus deters any resistance to the practices which provide this revenue base. Implications for Lebanese & US foreign policy are discussed in the article's final section. 3 Illustrations. T.K. Brown

Deteriorating relations between the different factions and widespread fighting displaced many families in 1990 and increased the social and economic disruption in the country. For some periods, Beirut came under daily shelling and civilians left the city and its suburbs en masse for safer areas, in particular southern Lebanon. The heavy loss of life and resources weakened the already fragile economic and social structures.

Argues that the Israeli security zone in southern Lebanon benefits Lebanon by providing opposition to Hizbullah, which has Syrian and Iranian backing, and by protecting Lebanese Christians.