How Lebanon can emerge from its failed-state status

Lebanon is the little Arab brother that reluctantly got into its big brothers’ fight with Israel.

Lebanon won its formal independence in 1943 with the termination of the French Mandate established by the League of Nations. It became truly independent with the withdrawal of the French army in 1946. During WWII Lebanon was under the control of the French Vichy regime.

Post WWII Lebanon became quite prosperous as Beirut soon became the banking center for the oil-rich Gulf States including Saudi Arabia. It was considered the Switzerland of the Middle East.

Having created a government model that re...