Here is an interesting article about the reconstruction on Lebanon from the NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/22/opinion/22pascual.html?_r=1&n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fContributors&oref=slogin One of the good observation that the authore makes is that this time there will be no foreign companies brought to Lebanon to help them rebuild the country. Lesson taken from Iraq, where one third of the budget goes to security. The other interesting observation is that the international community will actually train and equip the Lebanese Army which would go to South-Lebanon and that "even before this conflict, the Pentagon had studied the modernization needs of the Lebanese military." Let's remember when Afik Hariri was assasinated by Syria. At this time, Lebanes placed their trust into the hands of the UN which sent a team to investigate. Today, Lebanon get their "reward"; the international community didn't forget them. Of course, there are other interests which are involved (having troops in that region, nowadays, is a good political asset) but it definitely helped a lot.