Lebanon has long stood out as the black sheep of the Middle East, mainly because it absorbed rather than shunned Western cultural values, at a time when the Middle East was being colonised by Britain and France in the early part of the 20th century.
Beirut, its capital, was known in its golden age as “the Paris of the Middle East”.
Both Muslims and Christian Lebanese attended English and French schools and universities. These institutions helped transform the small country’s abilities to act as a window for both East and West.
But why exactly has Lebanon’s identity developed so drastically different from that of its Arab neighbours?
First, Lebanon’s unique geographical position has placed it at the crossroads of civilisations.