ABSTRACT
After a devastating civil war that lasted over fifteen years, Lebanon seems to be on the road to social peace, political reconciliation, and economic rebuilding. Power has returned to the constitutional organs of government, the unity and integrity of the country have once again been assured, authority over vital installations such as airports and seaports has been reasserted, and militias have been disarmed, to name only a few accomplishments. With ambitious plans for reconstructing the infrastructure of a strong and competitive economy that has traditionally depended on a dominant services and financial sector, the present government has seized the opportunity of communal peace to chart a course that should steer the country toward playing a central role in the future, the “new” Middle East.
