Just as it seemed Lebanon was marching towards a better political and economic future, simmering tensions surrounding the probe into the Beirut blast exploded

In Lebanon, it’s easy to evoke collective memories of the civil war. Each time there is a violent clash between militias and civilians, an immediate sense of anxiety emerges about a renewal of the civil war. Such clashes have been frequent since that war ended in 1990, but it seems that the terrifying nature of that war, which lasted 15 years and tore the country to shreds, has always succeeded in getting the upper hand and blocking any disintegration.