The year 2013 ended with a violent blast in Beirut a few meters from where Rafik Hariri was assassinated on Feb. 14, 2005, an event that changed the face of Lebanon. The explosion was also near the headquarters of Saad Hariri, the symbol of the excluded Sunni leadership.
The blast killed Mohammed Chatah, a prominent figure in the March 14 movement who was close to Saad Hariri, and a man characterized by moderation and diplomacy. All crimes and bombings are brutal, but this crime encapsulates the deep crisis of the Arab Levant and presages some dark days.