Lebanon is currently facing one of the most difficult periods of its history. A country known for its instability and civil wars, Lebanon has yet to overcome the postcolonial legacy of a country divided between 18 religious sects and ethnic groups, which include Christian, Sunni and Shia Muslim, Druze, and Armenian.

In addition, the July 2006 U.S.-backed Israeli assault against Lebanon eviscerated civilian infrastructure, causing $3.6 billion worth of damage and wiping away 16 years of reconstruction from Lebanon’s civil war in just one month.