Before he dies, he wants to rebuild the small church on his property where he worshipped as a boy. A wooden cross is all that remains. Beirutis realize that their country won't return quickly to its former status and prosperity. The Lebanese government projects that the average citizen will not reach prewar living standards until 2007. Many people who endured the war are discouraged that peace is not paying a bigger dividend.
Critics question the government's breakneck reconstruction plan.
Some economists are concerned that the debt incurred for the rebuilding program will fall on the shoulders of already overburdened taxpayers. Meanwhile, Lebanese farmers facing bankruptcy in the northern Bequaa region complain that Beirut's renewed prosperity is not putting food on their tables. We learned to cope. But today we find ourselves in a different kind of battle, an economic crisis that has left us feeling defenseless. As in most wars, the poor suffer most.