Is this safe?

On May 13, 2009 The US Department of State Issued a Travel Warning, superseding prior travel warnings, urging U.S. Citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon due to Safety and security concerns. That Travel Warning remains current at the present time. The Warning goes into a lot of detail as to why and I'm sure you are aware of all that is contained therein. So how have you come to the conclusion that it's okay to take your family there?

They almost always have such a warning posted. This is something that Kim and I have discussed openly and frankly. Just this week rocket and artillery fire were exchanged across the Israeli border.

What we think of as safe here in the US is very relative. I live across from one of the larger drug dealers in Marshall County. Gunfire is not uncommon. There is an ongoing investigation of a corpse found on our property. There are plenty of places in Lebanon where my family can live that are safer than our current situation. There's less danger of violent crime or drugs than here in the US.

Lebanon is a country divided between five major religious/cultural groups. Areas under Christian, Sunni, and Druze control are not dangerous to Americans. Even during the worst times in the 80s, the violence and kidnappings happened in areas under the control of the other two factions -Shia' and Palestinians. For clarity, Palestinians are a cultural group apart from the four religious factions. Knowing which areas to avoid is the difference between safety and danger. I spent a year of my life getting to know these factions in great detail, and make it a point to stay current on them these days.


How do you propose to provide for that worse case set of circumstances that would call for you or your family or both to need to get out of the area?

Kim and I will place profits from the sale of our farm into investment funds and use the income from those to provide some of our support. This will also provide an adequate emergency fund for evacuation or other similar needs. We might return to the US if it looked like a long-term issue, or to Cyprus if it looked more short-term.

Exit can be had through ports at Beirut and Jounieh, the airport in Beirut, or across the Syrian border. There's also a backup airport in the Christian enclave if circumstances were drastic. While these routes can be blocked, they lie within the realms of opposing factions so not all of them would be blocked at once. This will also include financial provisions for Rob Araujo to travel to Lebanon and return with the children if something happens to Kim and me.