It’s all in the delivery

Lebanese democracy, which the international media had long lauded as a rarity in the Middle East, is now being mourned in the aftermath of the decision to extend the Parliament’s mandate last month. With an already five point decline in our ranking on the Democracy Index and a regression in our score on freedom in the Freedom in the World index over the past year, this comes as yet another blow that foretells more backsliding in international indices, and this will carry ramifications for economic growth. This article does not aim to dwell on any of the political calculations that led to this decision. However, what should make us stop and think is whether the implications of such a decision for our country’s already poor image and reputation could have been better mitigated had political leaders invested more effort into proper communication. Although this may remain debatable, it is certain