Authenticity: Elizabeth Anscombe/Catherine Moukheibir

Abstract

Lebanon, a small, densely populated country hemmed in by the Mediterranean, Israel and Syria, has been a crossroads between Asia, Europe and Africa for millennia. Culturally, religiously and ethnically diverse, its people have shown an extraordinary capacity for integration and inclusion: In recent years, this tiny nation has generously received millions of Syrians fleeing civil war. The Lebanese are famous for their networking abilities, their diplomatic skills and their capacity for management. They are rightly considered the descendants of the Phoenicians, an ancient civilization more interested in trade than conquest.