The battle for downtown: Solidere symbolizes much

ENAR

Little has excited the Lebanese in recent months, thoughmuch has contributed to their anxiety. However, it was onenews item in February that seemed to hit public moralehardest. From an initial figure of around 250 establishmentsin the downtown area, we learned that around 80 had closeddue to the ongoing sit-in by opposition supporters. A 30%closure rate in three months is ominous by any standard. A few years ago, I was chatting with the late SamirKassir, when he remarked about an odd habit he had noticedin the Solidere area, particularly its mostly emptynorthernmost quadrant: drivers stopped at red lights, thoughthere was little traffic, and even fewer pedestrians, tomandate such discipline. Why were Lebanese who would havebarreled through red lights in any another part of Beirut solaw-abiding? Kassir wasn’t sure, but he was toying with the idea thatdrivers were somehow intimidated by Solidere’s modernity.Here was an area of town that imposed esteem, he