The five crises in Lebanon

• Explosions in Beirut: a tragedy that plunges Lebanon into ruin

• Profile.Michel Aoun: the De Gaulle who changed sides

The explosions that sowed death and destruction in Beirut on August 4 have exposed in the eyes of the world a

beset by a 'matryoshka' of overlapping crises.

Lebanon has been grappling for decades with a failed political system that keeps the same elites in power.

For years, he has been fighting against economic difficulties, social inequalities and diminishing freedoms.

The absence of a system is an endemic evil in the 'country of cedars', with absent institutions.

On the social side, Lebanon is burdened by poor basic services and affected by the war in neighboring Syria.

Its strategic geographical location and its

also make it vulnerable to external interference.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United States, Syria or France have used it as a game board to resolve their conflicts and have maintained their influence through the co-option of identity communities and their leaders.

The coronavirus and

, are just the last two drops that fill a glass full of challenges.

THE POLITICAL CRISIS

Lebanon is a state that was born in the heat of the French mandate, to which it belonged from 1920 until the end of the Second World War.

Heritage of the metropolis, it is governed by a quota system according to which religious confessions (a mosaic of 18 communities) share power, at least in theory, and order their social life.

But this power-sharing system has been showing

for

decades

perpetuating dynastic political elites and institutionalizing corruption.

Using it, each community raises its political leaders, who in turn support their power in a system of perks for their faithful.

This 'modus operandi' is institutionalized and entrenched.

Although there is a widespread citizen current that demands a civil system that treats all Lebanese equally and is not based on sectarianism, it has not managed to prevail against the entrenched confessional regime.

To the point that, before the explosions, although it was highly questioned, the elites did not fear its collapse.

"The last time the system was answered, Lebanon was plunged into a civil war that lasted 15 years," explains

, director of the Carnegie Center for the Middle East in Beirut, in one of her latest posts.

At the end of the conflict, in 1990, the 'warlords' took off their military uniforms and put on suits and ties, changed trenches for carpets, forgot part of their quarrels and shook hands.

And with this they managed to reconvert to continue dictating the fate of the Lebanese.

And so, today, sectarianism is more ingrained than ever in the institutions, which makes it very difficult to change it.

Tired of decades of neglect and corruption, the Lebanese rose up against these elites on October 17, accusing them of enriching themselves at the expense of the state.

The

knocked in a

few days the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

After the tragedy, the demonstrations resumed and in less than a week, Hariri's successor, Hasan Diab, presented the resignation of the entire Cabinet.

On August 31, a new head of government was appointed, Mustafa Adib.

But citizens continue to protest in the street: they ask everyone to leave, including the head of state, Michel Aoun, and the one who has been president of Parliament since 1992, Nabih Berri.

Both led opposing sides during the civil war and are now allies, along with Hezbollah.

The Shiite group is the only one that did not disarm after the fratricidal conflict and today it is a state within a state.

"They rule the country with a mentality of militia, corruption, tyranny and sectarianism," columnist Sarkis Naoum told Reuters.

"It is easy to talk about revolution but our problems are structural and deep, with political loyalties forged over decades and with people willing to give their lives for their leaders," said

, founder of the website 'Beirut Report', on the Al Jazeera.

THE WAR IN SYRIA

The conflict that Syria has suffered since 2011 has strongly hit Lebanon, a country with which it is historically intertwined.

The Syrian elites have contributed for decades to preserve the Lebanese sectarian system through the technique of "divide and conquer", favoring and allying with some groups over others.

.

Only in 2005, Syrian soldiers and intelligence were forced to withdraw from Lebanon by enormous popular pressure in the streets that erupted after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

But the physical departure of the Assad regime from the Lebanese theater deepened the political divide between pro-Syrian and anti-Syrian.

This opened new cracks with the Syrian civil war, in which Hezbollah has sent troops to fight on the side of Bashar Assad.

As a result of the war, more than 1.5 million Syrians took refuge in neighboring Lebanon, which became the country with the highest number of refugees 'per capita' in the world: a quarter of its population.

The influx of people fleeing the war overwhelmed Lebanon's already fragile social services: hospitals soon found themselves at capacity limits, schools established double shifts,

.

Despite the efforts of NGOs and international humanitarian agencies, a shortage of funds and a lack of solidarity from the international community have meant that refugees have barely had the resources to survive and Lebanon has borne almost too much of a burden.

Six years after the start of the Syrian war, the Lebanese economy was already showing signs of wear.

Buildings damaged by the explosion in Beirut.PATRICK BAZ / AFP

THE ECONOMIC DEBACLE

The 'tsunami' of the economic crisis hit fully in the fall of 2019. The collapse of the artificial anchor of the Lebanese pound to the US dollar - an official fixed exchange valued each greenback at 1,500 pounds since 1997 - caused a progressive devaluation of the local currency already over 80% and a shortage of dollars.

The banks imposed a de facto 'corralito' in November and even closed their offices and ATMs to prevent people from accessing cash.

.

The middle class has been wiped off the map.

According to the World Bank, half of the Lebanese population already lived - before the Beirut explosions - below the poverty line.

Basic products began to be scarce, due to the lack of foreign exchange to import them in a place that brings 80% of what it consumes from abroad.

Food prices rose 60%.

Last March, the country went bankrupt and declared the first debt default in its history.

The "men in black" of the International Monetary Fund took action, but the negotiations stalled in May and today there are no signs of unlocking.

It is the worst economic crisis to break out in the Mediterranean country since its civil war.

THE STRIKE OF THE CORONAVIRUS

And in the midst of sinking, the pandemic arrived.

In the week that the Beirut explosions occurred, the country was exposed to a

.

Between March and July, the country weathered the pandemic relatively well, with a minimal number of cases and deaths, compared to neighboring countries.

But the lockdown measures were the last straw to the economy and hundreds of businesses have closed as a result of months of inactivity.

In July the second wave of Covid-19 arrived, stronger than the first, and movement restrictions had to be reimposed.

On August 4, with hospitals at the limit of their strength due to the pandemic itself and deprived of resources and medicines due to the economic crisis, care for the victims of the explosions brought Lebanese health care to the brink of collapse.

At least 15 health centers in Beirut, including three large hospitals, have suffered damage that makes it impossible to provide health services to the affected population.

Entire containers of coronavirus protection material and medicines have been destroyed by deflagrations.

With more than 300,000 people homeless and with limited access to hygiene, and the relaxation of social distancing measures due to the circumstances of the tragedy, the virus runs the risk of increasing its spread, authorities have warned.

"The current situation due to the coronavirus is very serious and is above the other crises that the country suffers. For more than a year different stages of an economic collapse have been experienced that has impacted on the health system, both public and private. ", explains to EL MUNDO.es

.

"The explosions and the coronavirus add further pressure to an already deteriorated healthcare system. With hospitals operating at full capacity, we will see an increase in Covid-19 cases in the coming days, as those injured by the explosions will continue. needing daily care and treatment, "continues Danika.

A freighter in front of the grain silo in the port of Beirut, badly damaged by the explosions.PATRICK BAZ / AFP

THE BEIRUT EXPLOSIONS

All of the above comes together in a perfect storm on August 4: the explosions in a warehouse where 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate was stored for six years and without any security measures.

Almost 200 people have died and the injured, many with life-long consequences, exceed 6,000.

But the shock wave will affect the entire country.

Deprived of the port of Beirut, as tied to its identity as to its existence,

.

The UN has made an international appeal to raise

to help the country boost its economy and assist the victims of the tragedy.

An international donor conference promised more than 250 million euros, but on the condition that political reforms are made.

The country is now dependent on foreign aid and its balances are more fragile than ever.

The catastrophe has set the Lebanese capital back three decades.

Everything that had been rebuilt after the civil war, with decades of effort, was erased in a few seconds.

, money Lebanon does not have.

"When the cameras and floodlights are turned off, the Lebanese will be left alone to collect the remains. Vulnerabilities will be exacerbated in communities such as refugees and people living below the poverty line," concludes Danika.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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