After years of talks, indebted Arab states and the IMF are at an impasse

THE IMF likes to say it will never walk away from the negotiating table. If a country needs a bail-out, talks have no deadline. A few countries seem determined to put this promise to the test., Lebanon and Tunisia are all in dire need of help. Home to roughly one-third of the Arab world’s population, they are burdened with high levels of debt and dwindling foreign reserves. They are struggling to import basic necessities and prop up their flagging currencies.