OK, all the metaphors, similes, and aphorisms are overused: a study in contrasts, a case of extremes, paradoxical, whatever… But the fact is, Lebanon is a place of amazing contrasts, contradictions, and conundrums (mostly political, but some of the women too—but we’ll leave that aside). The country exhibits staggering beauty—mountains, valleys, coastlines (and the women)—but some of the ugliest scenes imaginable—refugee camps, scars of war, extreme poverty.
There may be no better summary of Beirut than the 2006 photo that instantly circled the globe via the Internet. You know the one, the young and beautiful people in the shining red... Read more