Blazing cedars

ANYWHERE else one might expect bank runs or a stockmarket crash. But in Lebanon the toppling of a Western-backed coalition that recorded five years of solid economic growth and its replacement with a rival alliance, underpinned by an Iranian-funded outfit that America terms terrorist, has caused no such hiccups. Instead, the installation of a new prime minister, just two weeks after his predecessor's government fell, brought mostly relief. As Lebanese know all too well, it could have been so much worse.

Not everyone is so sanguine, however. Under a complex sectarian system, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament is a Shia. The outgoing prime minister, Saad Hariri, enjoyed overwhelming Sunni support. His ousting has sparked heated protests in predominantly Sunni areas.