On the 4th of August a massive explosion erupted in a warehouse full of ammonium nitrate in Beirut’s port district. Over 200 people were killed, 4,000 injured and 300,000 left homeless.
Videos of the explosion went viral on social media and to much of the world it was a spectacle. But this disaster was just the latest in a series of tragedies that have befallen Lebanon in recent decades.
Years of government corruption, international interference and economic mismanagement have brought the country to the brink of collapse. over half the population are below the poverty line, there are fuel shortages, food shortages and regular blackouts. Garbage is left uncollected on the streets, and traffic unregulated.
Following the explosion, Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced that his cabinet would resign. But there's a running joke in Lebanon that you can't tell the difference wether theres a government or not, such is the disfunction of everyday bureaucracy.
Activists and critics have good reason to believe this resignation will have little effect. This government has only been in power for 8 months. The previous government resigned in January, after worstening inflation and food shortages gave rise to a wave of protests late last year.
At the root of the problem is a fundamentally flawed political system that divides power along sectarian lines. The cabinet is merely a front for a political elite who have been ruling Lebanon for the past 30 years.
In this episode of Under The Sun, Ben talks about the Lebanese Civil War and the peace agreement 30 years ago that started all the trouble. He also discusses the regional and international influences that have held the country hostage for so long. Mell takes a closer look at the banking crisis, with a central bank found to be cooking the books and running an international Ponzi scheme.
We end by discussing the details of the explosion, the recent international court verdict on the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and what all this might mean for Lebanon's future.
Under The Sun is a production of Edge Radio, and is made on the stolen land of the Muwinina people, in Nipaluna, on the Island of Lutruwita and sovereignty was never ceded.