As the size and scope of the anti-government protests in Lebanon grow, so too has the sense that a Pandora's box may be opening for the country's ruling elite. Stoked by the country's increasingly dire financial situation , the widespread anger that has taken root across Lebanon has seemingly reached the point where any government decision perceived as either a piecemeal promise or surface-level solution risks only adding fuel to the fire. This has, in turn, left Beirut's leaders with little means to regain its citizens' trust, barring the kind of sweeping political reforms they're now demanding on the streets. The protesters face an uphill battle in accomplishing their ambitious goals of structural change, as past attempts to enact even small political reforms in Lebanon have proven largely unsuccessful.