For many Lebanese, the nightly news pictures of car bombings and street fighting in Iraq are a disturbing reminder of the 15 years of civil war that devastated their country.
Between 1975 and 1990 factions waged a bloody conflict that tore the country apart and killed more than 100,000 people.
But today there is relative peace in Lebanon. Things are far from perfect, but infrastructure has been rebuilt, the security situation is stable and there is a functioning government.
With a diverse makeup comprising 17 different sects, and a political system that offers more freedom than any other Arab state, some say Lebanon could be a model for the new Iraq.
'If you ask Iraqis in Baghdad what state in the Middle East would be the most suitable model for their country, many mention Lebanon,' said Reinoud Leenders, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.
'Perhaps they perceive Lebanon as a country that is closest to the western system but can still preserve their values,' he said.
With security one of the key issues for Iraq's interim government, the post-war stabilisation of Lebanon is an experience Iraq could study.
