The Investment Development Authority of Lebanon is in a unique position. It has autonomy to make many decisions on its own and is more or less immune from having its work disrupted by a political class that cannot make decisions. IDAL does not sit for years with its hands tied, awaiting a government decree to move forward with its plans. Nor does IDAL have its strategy reworked every time a new minister comes to power. It ought to be the most successful and properly functioning state institution this poorly governed country has. That it is not is outrageous. In October of last year, IDAL turned 20. We should be celebrating 20 years of steady job creation and increasing foreign direct investment. This magazine should have an investigative report detailing years of IDAL’s direct contributions to GDP growth by slashing through red tape to help investors boost the economy. Instead, we
