Stopping the spill

War is coming. The battles ahead will not be fought on land or sea. They will be waged in parliamentary sessions and cabinet meetings. Our enemy is readying for an invasion so our defenses must be impenetrable. As Lebanon slowly develops an oil and gas industry, we need weapons purpose-built to prevent the systemic corruption that is destroying this country from winning territory in this new sector. The law is our sword in this fight, so we must forge it well. All too often, people living in Lebanon denounce the country’s perceived lawlessness, wishing it were more like Europe or the United States of America. There seems to be a notion that elected officials, corporate bigwigs and average citizens in the EU and US are more upstanding or less prone to corruption and dirty dealing. That, however, is simply false. If there is less corruption in the EU and US