Below is the full text of the op-ed: “Lebanon: Parting Thoughts Chris Rampling, British Ambassador Lebanon has changed so much since I arrived, and especially over the last 14 months. My wife and I, and our 2 young children, touched down in 2018 with great expectation. Before coming, I had heard Yasmine Hamdan sing ‘Beirut’ in London and knew I was coming to the most fascinating city on the planet (I still think that). But now Lebanese eyes tell of sadness; their words, of despair. Almost half the workforce is unemployed, and more than half are in poverty, with the UK’s Middle East Minister warning 2 weeks ago of a humanitarian tsunami. Many families have become separated, and talent and skills are emigrating in numbers. At night, the cities are darker. In more ways than one.