Resurrecting the Dahieh

Over the course of July and August 2006, Israeli air strikes pounded Beirut’s southern suburb of Haret Hreik, pulverizing infrastructure and forcing many of the quarter’s residents to flee. Four years later the rubble has been cleared, clusters of new structures dot the landscape and life has returned, albeit to a soundtrack of seemingly ceaseless construction. The architects behind this effort are not shy about asserting that the resurrection of this section of the Dahieh has been swift and efficient.    “In the beginning, we asked the people of the Dahieh who they wanted to rebuild for them,” said Hassan Jeshi, chief executive officer of the Waad reconstruction project. “At the time 70 percent opted for us. By the time we had completed our preparations and established the project as a viable entity, the 30 percent who abstained had decreased to 3 percent.” The project’s recipe for success: a massive bankroll,