The protests against government corruption and austerity measures that quickly spread across the country this month have led Prime Minister Saad Hariri to announce his resignation.
Four months after the tragic bombing, thirty-six years ago, the United States abruptly withdrew from Beirut. The collapse of that mission resonates, hauntingly, as U.S. Special Forces soldiers pull out of Syria now.
The surprise resignation of Lebanon's Prime Minister during a visit to Saudi Arabia came amid a sweeping power play by the kingdom's young Crown Prince and an escalation by Saudi Arabia against Iran.
The supporters of the new law hope that a political system built on the principle of fostering coexistence might be insulated from a region wracked by sectarianism.