Putting meat on the skeleton of the state

Walking through the center of Beirut, Nejmeh Square, to the steps leading up to the Lebanese Ministry of Finance (MoF) is even more eerie today than it was 19 years ago. Back then, Downtown was still riddled with brokenness – with scarred streets and uninhabitable buildings that showed the results of the years of conflict. Passing through the district evoked pity and a longing for reconstruction. Traversing Downtown in January 2017 means wiggling in between concrete barriers while empty store windows stare back at you. The last international chain coffee shop in the area recently shut down, and all that the expensively restored buildings evoke are memories of restaurants and shops that thrived here in the more vibrant times of ten years ago.    Up in the welcoming office of MoF Director General Alain Bifani however, there is some cheer and confidence. One of the most crucial issues for Lebanon’s