The year 2025 is off to the most promising start. At long last we got the leaders that we have always wished for. Their declarations are coherent, their statements clear and frank about Lebanon’s sovereign rights and the critical imperatives of sovereignty, from the inviolable rule of law to the state monopoly on the legal use of force. And in accordance with their words, I fully expect our new President and Prime Minister (as of yet designate) to understand and support the crucial role of the private sector and the freedom of the press. As a committed optimist on Lebanon, I wish that our country is finally, albeit after four ambiguous presidential terms and many political vacuums desperately, welcoming democratic leaders who will be moral and convincing throughout and who will carry the torch of our sovereignty in a way that makes me forget the leadership disappointments of the past.
