A conference organised jointly by the Centre for Lebanese Studies and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, in co-operation with the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University. The conference aimed to analyze the aftermath of the war in Lebanon and to think about the process of healing and recovery before the suffering and the uncertainty had ended. The conference addressed issues such as the hostage state in modern international systems; Unity and reform in Lebanon; the restoration of Lebanese culture; the challenges of socio-economic reconstruction; American policy towards Lebanon; the confessional state; and Lebanon in Comparative Perspective.