The stifling deadlock that threatens to postpone the election of a new president of Lebanon for the next few weeks — if not months — does not mean there is a dearth of exemplary candidates who are not traditional Maronite leaders. Those other candidates are equipped with the clarity of commitment and the wisdom of judgment and thus can be, at critical moments such as Lebanon today, possible candidates.
What is urgently needed to break through are candidates with a proven record of knowledge, enlightenment and the ability to deal with complexity and resolve lingering social, economic and political problems.