Final countdown for Lebanon has begun

The end of September is supposed to be good, bringing with it a general relief from summertime inertia, and sizzling with new economic energy as the business season gears up toward the best time of the year. This is supposed to be a season that yields a mix of harvests from successful endeavors and new projects in preparation of the coming year, which indeed should be most auspicious for Lebanon if history adheres to the idea of favoring perfectly round anniversaries. What is going on?!? While the people watch Lebanon stumble and tumble into the fourth quarter of 2019 accompanied by a cacophony of rumors about the dollar, helpless ruminations by hapless politicians, and popular protests driven presumably by activists and determined minorities, everything looks possible—and most of it bad. The shocks last month hit fast and seemingly out of the blue. They were shocks not felt for a generation