Lebanon’s end-of-year report card shows it is the perennially underachieving student, full of promise but yet to live up to its full potential. We end 2010 with a sense of achievement, uncertainty and hope. The achievements are there for all to see. Indeed, in early December, Merrill Lynch revised its forecast for Lebanon’s real GDP growth upwards to 8 percent in 2010 and 5.9 percent for 2011, from earlier forecasts of 6.5 percent and 5.1 percent for respectively. These figures are even more remarkable when you consider that they have been achieved while the rest of the global economy was on its knees, a period when Lebanese growth went from strength to strength. For this, as usual, we have the private sector to thank, especially the banking, real estate and tourism industries. But there is uncertainty. It is clear that when Lebanon suffers from acute political tension the idea of
