I am writing this from the LAU computer labratory on the bottom floor of my dorm. I was the first off of my plane (thank the almighty I didn't check any bags!) and met LAU's driver, Mohammed, in the terminal. There was definately a presence of Lebanese Army and Police in Beirut Airport, but nothing too extreme.
As we left the airport I saw a number of Emile Lahoud (Lebanon's pro-Syrian president) posters plastered to an onramp post, but it was minimal in comparison to the huge posters of Rafik Hariri (Lebanon's slain former Prime Minster) that dotteded Beirut. As we pulled into the Hamra district I passed a fully armed M113 Armored Personel Carrier, complete with .50 caliber machine gun, and 3 Lebanese Army soldiers with M16s, quite the show of force.
LAU, right in the heart of Korietem, borders the Hariri Mansion, and as such is heavily guarded. The same anti-car-bomb devices used in places like Iraq and Israel were present, along with many guards. The campus itself is quite quaint, and thankfully air conditioned.
Pictures will come along with more comentary.
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