He is not afraid, introduces himself as someone well-versed in the political game, and swears he will not leave his home for anything in the world. He is Joseph Aoun. Not the president of the republic, the other one.Retired, a former construction foreman, the octogenarian is something of a local legend in this upscale Metn village. Owner of a five-story building attached to the United States Embassy in Awkar, the mustachioed man is well-liked by locals but especially by the Americans, with whom he is used to dealing "to repair a shared wall or split a watering hose."Aoun, originally from Jezzine, knows his neighbors well. He knows what they like. And what they do not like. "Photos are forbidden." So, to stay in their good graces, he avoids trouble and remains accommodating. The secret to his longevity at the foot of...
He is not afraid, introduces himself as someone well-versed in the political game, and swears he will not leave his home for anything in the world. He is Joseph Aoun. Not the president of the republic, the other one.Retired, a former construction foreman, the octogenarian is something of a local legend in this upscale Metn village. Owner of a five-story building attached to the United States Embassy in Awkar, the mustachioed man is well-liked by locals but especially by the Americans, with whom he is used to dealing "to repair a shared wall or split a watering hose."Aoun, originally from Jezzine, knows his neighbors well. He knows what they like. And what they do not like. "Photos are forbidden." So, to stay in their good graces, he avoids trouble and remains accommodating. The secret to his longevity at the foot of...
