Waning ties with the diaspora

ENAR

This article is part of an in depth special report on the Lebanese in Brazil. Read more stories as they’re published here, or pick up July’s issue at newsstands in Lebanon. One of the challenges that Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has set himself is to encourage more investment from the diaspora. At a conference in May, Bassil made a bold appeal for those with Lebanese roots to invest in the country. “The Lebanese people look for investment opportunities,” he said in a speech opening the event. “Did we give them offers, did we give them incentives? Don’t they deserve for the sake of sharing to be able to invest in oil and gas, electricity plans?” Bassil asked. In particular, he mentioned trade with Latin American countries as an area of potential growth — and a number of powerful Brazilians were in attendance, including Roberto Duailibi, one of the country’s top advertising