2006 was indeed the year of dreams and nightmares. Aspirations for peace, stability and prosperity were coupled with miseries of wars, violence and hostilities in Lebanon and the region.
At the beginning of 2006, Lebanon witnessed a wary and cautious atmosphere due to the tragic and bloody unfolding events in the preceding year. However, the announcement of launching the National Dialogue by the Speaker of Parliament, coupled with a relatively stable security situation, raised opportunities for political leaders to come up with a new consensus on conflicting agendas. Also, it raised hopes in the eyes of Lebanese people about the future of the country especially that some economic indicators were very promising (e.g. bank assets reached over 75 billion dollars, the influx of tourists to Lebanon registered a 49.3% increase over 2005 figures, market capitalization was at an all time high, estimated at $10.9 billion at the end of the second quarter of 2006).

While the Lebanese people were preparing themselves for an unprecedented summer season, an abduction operation by Hezbollah on the Lebanese-Israeli borders on July 12th constituted the grounds for Israel to launch a destructive war on Lebanese infrastructure and people. What has been named the “July War” or the “34-day War”, ended up by a ceasefire on the morning of August 14th, based on the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701, leaving behind a devastated country. Several estimates indicated that the direct and indirect costs of the war ranged between US$ 3 billion and 15 billion. The international community rushed to help in the rebuilding and reconstruction of the country and a major donor’s conference was held in Stockholm in August whereby around US$ 930 million were promised to the government of Lebanon. Similarly, a large number of international organizations and agencies deployed their human, financial and material resources in order to assist the government and the people of Lebanon to resume their life with adequate support.

Consequently, sectors of the economy have demonstrated stagnation because of that war. The growth forecasts set for 2006, prior to the war at 6%, dropped to -5% growth as indicated by the International Monetary Fund by the end of the year. 

In this regard, the government had to review its reform agenda in light of the new problems and challenges in the post-war period. However, political confrontations and sectarian polarization, sharpened by the failure of National Consultation sessions in November and the failure of the National Dialogue earlier this year, have crippled any prospects for change and threatened the very existence of the state itself, questioning the possibility of implementing promised reforms and potentially the Paris III conference scheduled for mid-January, 2007.

On the regional level, instability and violence continued to hinder prospects of reforms and democratization. Iran’s nuclear program, sectarian violence in Iraq, Palestinian internal clashes on one hand and Israeli ongoing attacks on the other, all these are threatening regional peace and security, and fears of mounting violence escalating into civil and regional wars became more concrete.  Under such circumstances, Arab civil society is still trying to take a shape and play a role in enhancing its capacities to voice people’s concerns and aspirations and building its efforts aiming at increasing citizen participation and empowerment.

In such unstable and frustrating context, the International Management and Training Institute (IMTI) has ended its eighteenth year of service with a renewed determination and dedication to achieve quality excellence and service distinction.