From resilience to inaction

Lebanon’s history has not been short of challenges. The modern Lebanese state is less than a century old, yet it has endured unique experiences unknown to other nations over a much longer history — a 15 year civil war, foreign invasions, sociopolitical and security unrest and, most recently, a major inflow of refugees. Lebanon has survived all of these shocks — on top of others that have created havoc in the rest of the world, like the global financial crisis. And not only has Lebanon survived them, it has done so with a certain flair. In fact, there is no surprise there. This is, after all, what Lebanon’s renowned resilience is about. [pullquote]Confidence in Lebanon’s resilience seems to have morphed into an unchallenged sense that problems can wait[/pullquote] But such fortitude can also bring about a sense of complacency and an excessive confidence that things will work out because, one