Lebanese leaders of all political affiliations have their attention focused on the ongoing war in Syria. All are waiting for even a slight change in the balance of power in their favor, or more precisely in favor of the regional power they are allied with, in the hope that it would boost their role internally or weaken that of their opponents, who were until recently partners in the homeland.

The various communities and their leaders are also divided and have aligned themselves like hordes with different regional camps. All parties are holding their breath in anticipation of a decisive strike or dreadful failure. Meanwhile, this small country is slipping slowly to the edge of economic collapse. Fellow citizens might soon need to appeal to a more powerful neighbor to resolve their domestic differences or impose its hegemony. This is due to the bitter fact that the foundations of the homeland have cracked and its assets have disappeared.

Despite the importance of the Syrian events — which have taken a regional, even global dimension and taken priority over other concerns — Lebanon witnessed yesterday [Sept. 4] the most significant strike in its modern history. For the first time, the economic bodies and trade unions came together in a single movement, and on the same day, despite their different demands. It was as if there was an implicit acknowledgement among all production sectors of the importance and seriousness of the economic stage.

The country’s economic affairs are out of control, since the institutions responsible for running, developing and preserving them are either absent or disrupted. The government resigned on March 22, that is, nearly six months ago. Parliament, which is in charge of oversight, legislation and preserving the interests of the citizens who authorized it to represent them, has only convened once since that date, only to further abrogate its duties by canceling the elections that had been scheduled for May and to vote for an extension of the parliament term.