Two parallel narratives about Lebanon prevail: One is about the country being a failed state and the other is about a state that has been battered until it failed.

The murder of Lebanese cultural entrepreneur and political activist Lokman Slim this month has led to a resurgence of the kind of demands for accountability and “the truth” that protesters in Beirut called for in 2005 following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

A multipolar world is one of competing visions, strategies and actions. During inauguration week in the US, there is much speculation about the new administration’s worldview and the position of the Middle East in that context.