Where Is Lebanon's Arab Spring?

International sanctions recently imposed against Syria are being felt in the Lebanese economy, since a third of Lebanon's trade is either with Syria or transported through Syria. Ahmad Fayyad, a trader at Beirut's wholesale fruit and vegetable market, tells me that "a kilo of lemons used to be 3,000 lira (2 US$), now it's down to 2,000." Citrus fruits and apples are big exports to Syria, but only a small portion of Fayyad's produce is actually leaving Lebanon, and prices have dropped. Exports to Egypt, Libya and Iraq are also down, and produce to the Gulf is now mostly flown. "There is fear," Fayyad says, "and it effects us in Lebanon." From here.