Beirut : In polarised Lebanon, a poster depicting the leader of one of the country's rival political factions can spark a fight - or even a gunbattle. So shopkeepers on Beirut's Al Maamoun Street are breathing a little easier now that a "poster disarmament" has been declared. Most of the posters once plastered on Beirut's walls and lampposts have come down by agreement between the main factions of Shiite and Sunni Muslims - part of a broader attempt to ease nearly three years of sectarian and political tensions that almost dragged the country back into civil war. The move is giving a new look to a city where political posters and banners once were far more numerous than advertising billboards. It's not just symbolic, either. Posters have sparked battles with sticks and stones - or more lethal weapons. In the mixed...
[read full story]
Your Web Site
