“an unpleasant reminder of Lebanon’s place in the Middle East.”

Jeremy Bowen on the difference between being influenced and being controlled:

Visits of foreign dignitaries can be an unpleasant reminder of Lebanon’s place in the Middle East. The problem is not that the offers of help and support they bring with them have strings attached. That is the way international politics works.It is more that big and powerful guests can make some Lebanese feel that they are pawns in a game they cannot control, or even influence all that much.

We know what he’s talking about: That crushing feeling of helplessness we’re all familiar with..