A man throws a plastic traffic cone through a burning barricade amid clashes during a day of demonstrations against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in Paris as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement, joined by French high school and university students, teachers and parents demanding better school conditions and government action, as well as labour unions, workers, farmers and retirees, France, Oct. 17, 2026. (Credit: Abdul Saboor/Reuters/File Photo)
Writing about France from Lebanon is becoming increasingly perilous. To begin with, two main pitfalls must be avoided. The first is viewing France exclusively through a Lebanese lens, seeing the crises that have been unfolding there for years as the direct result of a problem that some have dubbed “Lebanonization,” characterized by the growing assertion of sectarian identities, the disintegration of the state, and an inability to govern. While certain aspects of the situation may indeed be described as “Lebanonization,” in our view, this does not provide an adequate understanding of what is currently unfolding in France.The second pitfall is to compare the situations in our two countries and conclude that the French are spoiled, unaware of how fortunate they are to have a welfare state, for all its shortcomings, and to live in peace....
Writing about France from Lebanon is becoming increasingly perilous. To begin with, two main pitfalls must be avoided. The first is viewing France exclusively through a Lebanese lens, seeing the crises that have been unfolding there for years as the direct result of a problem that some have dubbed “Lebanonization,” characterized by the growing assertion of sectarian identities, the disintegration of the state, and an inability to govern. While certain aspects of the situation may indeed be described as “Lebanonization,” in our view, this does not provide an adequate understanding of what is currently unfolding in France.The second pitfall is to compare the situations in our two countries and conclude that the French are spoiled, unaware of how fortunate they are to have a welfare state, for all its shortcomings, and to live in...
Midday recap: Hebron attack sparks Israeli crackdown, international meeting in Istanbul for regional 'de-escalation'