Strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces

As part of Executive’s ‘10 Ways to Save Lebanon’ issue, we talk to leading experts to discuss ways to improve security in the country. Any hopes that the formation of a new government would end Lebanon’s security woes were dashed almost before they were raised. On Wednesday February 19, just four days after the new government was announced, Beirut again awoke to the sounds of explosions as two car bombs rocked the city’s southern suburbs. The attacks were the ninth in the country since Christmas, with the Al Qaeda-affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades claiming responsibility. Clearly any policy manifesto for Lebanon has to start by assessing ways to improve security. Economic development and fundamental reforms are only possible in the context of stability, and tackling this is a prerequisite to any other proposals suggested in a manifesto. The deteriorating security situation has both short-term and long-term causes. The civil war in