It has been an unusually peaceful summer in Lebanon. Leaving aside an attempted prison break by Islamist militants, the tourists and Lebanese expatriates who flocked to Beirut over the past few months have basked in unlikely security.

Tourism has thrived and local business has been cheering. Shockingly, there was even a semblance of new-found order on the notoriously unruly streets of Beirut. Some drivers now stop at traffic lights, and quite a few passengers fasten their seat belts.