Lebanon is still stuck in a complex transitional phase since the declaration of the ceasefire, the election of the president, and the formation of the government. Despite these transformations, Lebanon has not yet moved beyond the consequences of the previous phase, where political parties dominated the state and its institutions, leading to an economic collapse and widespread corruption. At the same time, Lebanon has not fully entered the new phase that the Lebanese have long hoped would mark the beginning of their salvation. President Joseph Aoun had expressed these hopes in his oath speech, and President Nawaf Salam confirmed them in the ministerial statement. However, this progress toward a new phase is still pending due to two main factors that hinder Lebanon’s escape from the spiral of confusion and loss.

The sad and troubling issue is that if there were no clear and firm international pressure on the Lebanese state to assume its responsibility in monopolizing arms, asserting sovereignty, and controlling the borders, and if there were no international conditions for providing Lebanon with financial aid, chief among them being the elimination of illegal weapons, then Hezb would still be roaming freely and arrogantly, and the official stance would be applauding it, just as it did in the past.

Like a phoenix, Beirut Souks shook off the dust following the recent events that devastated the country and its people. They donned a new look to return to being the image of Lebanon we are accustomed to – the image of fashion, modernity, and renewal. In the past few months, we have witnessed the opening of stores featuring global brands in the city center, sparking a new wave of excitement as life officially returns after a long wait.