Protests in Lebanon Continue

Protestors gather to demonstrate against government corruption (Wikipedia)

Protests continue to rock Lebanon in light of perceived government ineptitude amid an ongoing economic crisis. Earlier this month, the Lebanese Lira fell to its lowest valuation ever at 13,000 Liras to a single U.S. dollar on the black market. The Lira has lost 85 percent of its value since 2019 while GDP shrunk by 19 percent in 2021. The country currently has $90 billion in debt— around 170 percent of its total GDP. 

What’s more, the government has been in a deadlock since August 2020. Lebanese Prime Minister delegate Saad Hariri, who succeeded Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab after he and the entire legislative cabinet resigned following the Beirut port explosion, has yet to form a government. Tension between Hariri and Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who has called for Hariri’s resignation, has complicated Hariri’s efforts.

Lebanon has also struggled with COVID-19, though it secured a $10 billion loan from the IMF to address the crisis. Furthermore, parliament accepted another $246 million loan from the World Bank for similar ends. However, Aoun and several MPs have jeopardized this deal after revelations that they received vaccinations ahead of medical staff despite not being eligible. 

These successive failures have led many Lebanese people to view their government as incapable of bringing about order. Protestors have begun setting tires ablaze in the streets. Nevertheless, many fear that the situation will further deteriorate, with Interior Minister Mohammed Fahminoting “security breaches, such as explosions, and assassination attempts.” Hassan Nasrallah, head of Hezbollah, whose political arm constitutes a majority bloc in parliament, likewiseacknowledged the unstable environment, remarking, “Hezbollah is not the only party that owns weapons in Lebanon.”