Why is it that we Lebanese fall into the same trap every time our instincts take control? Since 2005 and the outrageous assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, we have seen Lebanon’s hard won equity eroded by political killings, instability, full- scale war, economic decline and civil unrest. During this period, Lebanon has lost a dozen brave reformers and national servants as well as — and here is where the really shocking figures kick in — 1,400 civilians lost to a war in 2006 that also saw the displacement of nearly one million people and the economy ripped to shreds. Today, we are still picking up the suffering, especially when one considers the subsequent deaths from unexploded cluster bombs that continue to litter South Lebanon. And for what? All we do is pander to the same leaders whose performance, if judged in the boardroom rather than the street, would
