With Lebanon so much in the news lately (Lebanon and Syria announced today that Syrian forces will pull back to the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.) we thought it’d be good to walk up Massachusetts Avenue to the Kahlil Gibran memorial for this week’s installment of DCist’s monument feature.

We wonder what the oft-quoted Gibran, the Lebanese poet and philosopher, would be thinking right now about what’s going on in his home country … the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the subsequent pressure put on the pro-Syrian government to step aside, etc.

The cover of the most recent Economist says is all: “Democracy stirs in the Middle East.” Some view the unexpected “Cedar Revolution,” along with other hints that democracy may be taking root in the Middle East, as a positive sign that there are brighter, happier days ahead. But as with most political developments from the region, we’re sure there are many, many more obstacles to overcome. Pro-Syrian demonstrators were out in full force in Beirut.