Lebanon

How Tragedy and Hope Prevail in Lebanon

Why do Americans yearn for the romance of Paris? Why do young men in Lahore dream of experiencing the hustle and bustle of New York City? Why would the children of Gaza vigorously support a football team in Barcelona that they would love to go see play live?

I only truly understood these phenomena when I found myself endlessly attracted to the life, stories, and politics of Beirut, Lebanon. People are not drawn to countries simply for the sentimentality of family and memories, but rather due to the mental image they have created from media, art, and news about these places.

From Fairuz’s hit single “Le Beirut” to Nizar Qabbani’s moving poem “Beirut: The mistress of the world”, few cities in the world have been sung to and written about as much as Beirut, Lebanon from Fairuz’s hit single “Le Beirut” to Nizar Qabbani’s moving poem “Beirut: The mistress of the world”.

While I am typically not one for romanticism and melodrama, it truly seems like something extraordinary keeps pulling my mind back to Beirut, a city I have never had the privilege of visiting myself. After exactly one year from publishing my previous article about Lebanon, I can’t help but revisit what artist Rabih Alameddine describes as the Elizabeth Taylor of nations’: “insane, beautiful, falling apart, aging, and forever drama laden”.

WHAT’S THE CURRENT SITUATION IN LEBANON?
There is no question that Lebanon is currently going through one of the most difficult periods of its history, both economically and politically. One year from my previous analysis, it pains me to say the economic situation has only worsened.

The Lebanese pound has lost over 90 percent of its economic value, and over half the Lebanese population continues to live in abject poverty, making day to day interactions and economic transactions painstakingly difficult for the Lebanese population. With banks paralyzed, state debts reaching over 425 percent, and key economic partners like the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia taking a step back in investment, it is an understatement to say Lebanon’s economic situation is bleak.

The Lebanese middle class, with an average monthly income of USD 2,000 in 2018, now makes less than USD 140, which doesn’t cover basic expenses with soaring food prices. Gas is scarce and expensive when available, and most families have to skip at least one meal to push through the rest of the week, with food shortages expected on the daily. One week, bread, a staple for many families, is hard to come by due to wheat shortages. The next week, baby formula seems impossible to obtain.

Moreover, chronic power outages have plagued the country since the end of the civil war.

With Lebanon truly holding on by a thread, government officials have called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for months to create an economic revival plan to get the country back on its feet. While a staff level agreement has been accepted between the government and IMF to pump three billion dollars of investment into the Lebanese economy, the IMF requires significant banking and authoritative reforms to increase political and economic transparency in Lebanon’s banking sector.