Lebanon needs the rule of law, not the rule of sect

With the sound of patriotic music in the background, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese protesters have been chanting the slogan killon ya‘ane killon (all of them means all of them) in reference to their wish to topple all political leaders in Lebanon. Prompted by the government’s now-scrapped proposed taxes – including a USD$6 monthly fee on WhatsApp calls – peaceful protests have swept the country from Tripoli in the north to Tyre in the south since 17 October. Several desperate speeches and empty promises by the sectarian political elite have failed to put an end to these protests. Lebanon’s political and economic crisis does not seem to be fading anytime soon, with politicians reaching an impasse over the formation of a new government after protestors forced Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign in late October.