Economics fuel Lebanon’s ills

Re “Lebanon’s ominous sense of deja vu,” Nov. 25

After reading this article, it became apparent to me that the primary conflict between Lebanon’s Shiite and Sunni communities is economic rather than sectarian.

Your description of the Sunni-owned gas station that came under attack by roaming Shiite gangs gave me an “ominous sense of daja vu” a la Los Angeles circa 1992.

Indeed, the conflict between the Shiites and Sunnis mirrors conflicts that black and Latino residents have with many Korean shop owners.

And, like race, “sectarian” distinctions seem to be intentionally created and then emphasized to facilitate and sustain an inequitable distribution of scarce economic resources.

Until our societies learn how to fairly allocate resources and opportunities, we will continue to be haunted by an “ominous sense of deja vu.”

DANIEL T. BARKLEY

Irvine