A cold, harsh year

It was never going to be an easy year for Lebanon. The economy entered 2012 with the International Monetary Fund pegging growth at only 1.5 percent for the previous year, war and economic crisis flanked the country, and among the only indicators rising in the face of falling growth was inflation. Now as the year draws to a close and we survey the prospect for 2013 there is little reason to cheer; the economy is most likely slumped in stagflation, Syria boils more violently than ever and Lebanon’s politicians have effectively squashed hopes of meaningful reform and leadership from parliament. One event that was lauded as a success was the cabinet’s passing of a new budget. Admittedly, in most countries this is considered a bare minimum the citizens can expect from their elected leaders, but in Lebanon is has become something of an exceptional occurrence. Since the political crisis that