In the blink of an eye, Beirut became an afflicted city. A city which was
the destination of tourists and poets and a source of inspiration for artists
became a pile of sand and broken glass. This time it was not the result of
a civil war or an Israeli attack but the result of corruption and racial
discrimination. This has done to Lebanon what militias, conflicts, and
colonisers could not do with their weapons. Lebanon’s public enemy
today does not wear a military uniform but sits behind the government
desk.
As the sound of the explosion receded in Beirut, public outrage flared
up, directed at a failing regime produced by Al Taif agreement. This
current system of government, which came after the civil war in
Lebanon, has laid the foundation stone for corruption and a rudderless
state as a result of which the country is suffering even now and anybody
who has visited Beirut will figure out that the city is a victim of useless
wars and conflicts that never mattered to it. And, overall, the corruption
has hit ordinary citizens who do not enjoy even basic facilities, even
after their governments receiving billions in aid and investments and
even today, they have to suffer electricity outages.
After the withdrawal of the Syrian regime from Lebanon, the conflict
took place between forces supported by Tehran and others supported by
Riyadh and some European countries. Hezbollah became the successor
to the Syrian regime and took advantage of official corruption and
various conflicts to consolidate its military power and political strength,
and ended up as a state within the state – or a state on the rubble of a
state. As for other competing political forces in the country, they failed
to achieve the simplest unity for political survival, and they continue to
compete in corruption and invited the wrath of the people, until they
became a hostage to the power of Hezbollah and its militias, unable not
only to compete with it, but even to fill the vacuum left by the miserable
Al Taif agreement.
In the light of the decline in the role of the United States, France and
Riyadh in Lebanon, the Iranian role strengthened and the country turned
into a backyard for the ongoing conflict in Syria and created political,
military and economic pressure on Lebanon.
The economic burden of the war and Hezbollah’s exploitation of the
country, both financially and in human terms, and the flow of refugees
across the borders resulted in massive demonstrations that swept the
country months ago and almost toppled its political system. Today, those
protesters are back, faster and more violent. People are still suffering
from the impact of the explosion, so is this the turning point in the life of
a discriminatory and corrupt system?
During the past two days, resignations have flowed from members of the
government and parliament, and in a clear escape from the sinking ship,
even Hezbollah, which usually issues threats, behaved responsibly.
Nevertheless, it is difficult to be optimistic about a bright future for
Lebanon as long as the arms are found outside the framework of the
state’s legitimacy and control, and generous support is available from
various parties to support the conflict. It is difficult to search for light at
the end of the tunnel, and the situation in Lebanon appears darker than in
Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere.
The Lebanese problem will not be solved until there is a solid Arab
system that protects Lebanon from foreign interference and provides it
with the required support to rise as a stable and powerful state. As for
the Arab system today, which is increasingly fragmented and weak, it
feeds the state of failure in Lebanon and encourages the corrupt in it.
Lebanon, May God have mercy on those who perished in this explosion
and save those who survived to face the scourge of what is to come.