The publication this month of a World Bank report on Lebanon, which presents a damning account of financial and fiscal policy in the country over the past 30 years, raised many eyebrows.

Why does the US make deals with its enemies and abandon its friends? The answer may lie in the fable of “The Wolf and The Lamb,” in which a big bad wolf wants to devour an innocent little lamb. Such stories have been around for centuries and are deeply ingrained in our culture.