Lebanon is a project that was never taken seriously. This book is a call for reconsideration. Lebanon is worth the effort, but will not emerge unless its sovereignty is rebuilt, its citizenship and civil society revived, and its rule of law strengthened. The new Lebanon must also confront crucial facts that were suppressed or intentionally misrepresented with respect to the May 17 Withdrawal Agreement and the Ta'if Accord.
Elie A. Salem’s memoir and manifesto confronts these facts openly, rationally, and courageously. The book recounts the tumultuous peaks and valleys of Lebanon’s political past, while laying a groundwork for future change. Salem’s powerful vision for what Lebanon should be is expressed through the narrative of his upbringing from village boy to doctoral student to university dean to foreign minister to president of a university. His philosophies about freedom, patriotism, and democracy are essential reading for all Lebanese today.