Ten years ago, explained Fouad Ghazale, one of the owners, it was sufficient to stock imported detergent. But as more goods are available in Damascus, routine imports no longer suffice. The war rarely touched Chtaura, and the reason is evident just 100 yards from Ghazale's, where a Syrian checkpoint slows traffic. Syria has maintained 35,000 troops in Lebanon since 1976, and calm in this town is doubly assured by the presence of a key office of military intelligence. Assad, Hafez's late son and onetime heir.
Some locals dislike it, quietly.
It does make for an odd traffic intersection. Basil al-Assad of Syria, a nation maintaining frequently antagonistic relations with the United States, sitting astride his horse, flanked on one side by a supermarket selling Doritos and on the other by a McDonald's. For the moment, the bank branches in Chtaura feel secure. Even as their parent Lebanese banks plan to move into Syria, branch managers say Syrian customers will need three years before they feel secure enough to switch. The Arab Highway, being built from Beirut to the border, will bypass Chtaura.