The new Lebanon: what people don't realize is that the capitalism that is imposed on countries of the South is even more cruel and aggressive than the capitalism of the North. You see: in the countries of the North, domestic political interests tend to minimize the cruel ambitions of modern capitalism. Not so in the countries of the South. While hundreds of billions are spent every year in Europe and the US to subsidize their farmers, World Bank "reforms" in Lebanon, championed by mini-Hariri, have now eliminated subsidies on shamandar as-sukkari (I don't know what you call them in English--Joe says it is sugar beets) which will effect and impoverish the farmers in the Biqa` valley. Same story with the olive growers in the Rashayya region.