The Lebanese Republic is a small, mostly mountainous country in the Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Palestine to the south. Due to its sectarian diversity, Lebanon follows a special political system, known as confessionalism, to distribute power as evenly as possible among different sects...

...Moreover, the war by Israel against Lebanon in July 2006 was devastating to the economy. A very promising tourist season and strongly resurgent economic activity were interrupted, employment opportunities reduced and unemployment increased...