Elephants are the epitome of power. These times of mystifying power tugs-of-war remind us that Lebanon’s economy has a fundamental right to security and stability. If you personally like the company of an elephant is thus secondary, as long as their power is wielded democratically. The scary downside of this equation is that when out of control, an elephant in any room will be ruinously destructive. Without a harness, ours has been running loose for much too long. What is tricky is that we cannot mislabel, ostracize or kick it out, since years of indoctrination have engrained it in the identity of Lebanese individuals, families, and communities. We understand that this elephant is part of our national mix of communities, we know its roots and doctrine, and we are well aware of the bloody path it has taken for forty years, rampaging both for and despite of Lebanon’s interests. But
