The Impact on Society By Jake Laval
Lebanese Society
On August 4th, 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history destroyed the port of Beirut and damaged half of the city. The loss of physical life and infrastructure was immense. The blast killed 218, wounded 7,000, and 150 gained a physical disability. The blast also damaged 77,000 apartments, 163 public and private schools, and destroyed over half of Beirut’s healthcare centres. From the explosion 300,000 people became homeless.The reason for the explosion was due to stored ammonium nitrate, which is “a fertilizer often used in improvised explosive devices”, ( Abouzeid, New York Times, How Corruption Ruined Lebanon, 2021). The ammonium nitrate was poorly stockpiled in 2014 and was left unattended until the eventual blast in 2020, the reason for this explosion was because of corruption in Lebanon. Lebanese society has many different problems that stem from the country's corruption. After the fifteen year civil war ended in 1990, a post war system was implemented that enabled many politicians to “dominate and exploit every facet of the state”, (Abouzeid, New York Times, How Corruption Ruined Lebanon, 2021). Due to the corruption the ammonium nitrate was not handled responsibly by senior officials and it caused the blast.
Before the Blast
Before the blast corruption was very prominent in many aspects of Lebanese society. With such high corruption general services such as electricity were greatly affected. Before the blast many areas of Lebanon would experience daily electrical blackouts that sometimes lasted days. The senior officials would have these problems repaired, but had no plan to actually solve this problem in its entirety. This is a great example of how the government focuses on cheap short- term solutions instead of long-term ones. Before the war there were many protests about the adequacy of government services provided in Lebanon such as garbage disposal and other social services. Since the end of the civil war the citizens of Lebanon have shown visible frustration with the corrupt political system, and its failure to adequately serve the people of the country.
After the blast
After the blast no one was held responsible for more than a year and Beirut had to rebuild. Citizens turned to the private sector to help rebuild but only those who could afford it went for this option. The citizens that can't afford going through the private sector must wait for the government to start rebuilding. The individuals who mishandled the blast knew that the ammonium nitrate was being stored and still they did nothing. “Senior political, judicial, security, military, customs officers, including President Michel Aoun and former Prime Minister Hassan Diab, all knew the materials were stored.”(Abouzeid, New York Times, How Corruption Ruined Lebanon, 2021). Lebanese officials issued a statement saying they will investigate the blast and find out who is responsible, but they were unable two. Individuals within the society began to demand for an international investigation, as they have no faith in their own government to do one correctly. The explosion caused many new protests demanding reform. The Lebanese society is one full of poverty and corruption and the blast only increased the magnitude of all the problems within Lebanon.
References
Human Rights Watch. (2021). “They Killed Us from the Inside”: An Investigation into the August 4 Beirut Blast.
Bryce, R.(August 10, 2020). After Beirut Blast, Lebanon’s Electric Sector Must End Blackouts, Unplug ‘Generator Mafia’
Abouzeid, R.(October 28, 2021). How Corruption Ruined Lebanon:
The deadly port blast, the triple-digit inflation, the energy shortages — Lebanon’s many crises have a shared root: misrule by a self-dealing elite.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/28/magazine/corruption-lebanon.html
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https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/05150355/5-aug_beirut-explosion.jpg
Organeyez.(August 16th) A Condensed History of Lebanon and the System that Led to the Beirut Explosion
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