To sign the Taef accord in 1989, which helped bring to an end the civil war, every Lebanese member of Parliament and warlord was paid between $2 million and $8 million, depending on the size of their party representation and, of course, fire power. More recently in Qatar, in May 2008, the scenario was repeated but took much more cash — given conflict-adjusted inflation — to convince our warlords-disguised-as-politicians to call off their thugs from fighting in our streets. The ability of our political class to manipulate fear in the population using sectarianism and segregation seems to be what determines their price tag for either inflaming or restraining the Lebanese propensity to hate. This is parasitic leadership. As a governance equation, the Lebanese have got the algorithm all wrong. In the world as it should be, politicians are rewarded according to their ability to create a prosperous environment where society
