It is not the first time that residents of Beirut, Tripoli, Tire and Baalbek have taken to the streets, but the protests of recent days are the biggest mass movement in 15 years. Regarding the direction in which Lebanon is moving, there are more questions than answers. How will the resigned Lebanese government ultimately deal with the demands of its angry citizens on the street? How will the protesters respond to what the government is doing?

What is clear is that the economic reforms promised by the political leadership on October 21 did not put an end to the protests, perhaps because the Lebanese public no longer trust what the country's political elites say. Many citizens who joined these anti-government demonstrations called for the total resignation of the 30-member cabinet and its replacement by a smaller technocratic cabinet.

As the reforms were unveiled, outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri told the Lebanese people that "the decisions we have taken may not achieve your goals, but certainly achieve what I have been seeking for two years." I will not ask you to stop protesting and expressing your anger. "It's about you."

It seems that the reforms promised by the outgoing prime minister are too few and too late, and at the same time, an increasing number of experts fear the looming monetary crisis in Lebanon.

The last straw for many was apparently the October 17 announcement by the caretaker government that its 2020 budget would include a new tax on WhatsApp calls. People responded to the demonstration immediately as crowds of angry people took to the streets to express their rejection of the situation, and the government quickly canceled the tax plan. However, once the protests began, they quickly reached a scale not seen in Lebanon since 2005, and continue amid what the Lebanese press called the WhatsApp Revolution and the “tax uprising”.

Wasting money

Citizens were also outraged after the September 30 New York Times reported that Hariri had paid $ 16 million to a South African model he met years ago. The spending of a lot of money has angered many throughout Lebanon, especially since its companies and media empire, in Lebanon, did not pay the salaries of its employees, at a time when the country is experiencing economic crises.

The Lebanese are also outraged by the state's inability to control the recent outbreak of forest fires, as its fire-fighting equipment has not been properly maintained.

While the WhatsApp cartoons have provoked these demonstrations, the causes of popular unrest and protests against the government are many and deep-seated. Poverty, high unemployment among young people, poor public services and dilapidated infrastructure, and a ruling elite that is not committed to the rule of law are not new issues in Lebanon. But the latest wave of anger revolves around economic mismanagement, corruption and criminal activities for those elites who have enjoyed many privileges since Lebanon's independence in 1943. A middle-aged Lebanese said: "People were already on the brink." Barriers. Alhamdulillah, people have woken up. ''

A number of appalling statistics on the situation in Lebanon help explain the anger of the citizen. 37% of those under the age of 35 are unemployed. According to the World Bank, more than a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. More than half of the population has no access to official water supply, while the electricity network covers only a limited proportion of the population. Although many ruling elites want to impose more austerity on the population to increase revenues, there is widespread anger and opposition to any ideas that put more economic burdens on the backs of the poor.

Lucky elite

Patronage and corruption are rampant in Lebanon. Of 180 countries, Transparency International (TI) ranked Lebanon 138th last year. The widening gap between the privileged elite and the overwhelming majority of Lebanese has contributed significantly to the ongoing unrest. There is a great disparity in income and wealth. 50% of the population receives only 10% of the national income, while the richest 1% receive 25% of the national income. In this country, the billionaires receive 20% of national income, which is higher than in other countries, where income and wealth inequality is high. Such as the United States and China, where the same ratio is 10 and 2%, respectively.

Of course, many of Lebanon's problems have been exacerbated by the influx of 1.5 million Syrian refugees, who now account for nearly 25% of the total population, as well as Palestinian refugees who have been in the country for decades and represent about 10% of the population. With the rapid flight of capital, a worrying economic recession, and the dreadful accumulation of debt, Lebanon's poor financial situation has made life more difficult for its citizens, especially those living on the lower end of the economic ladder.

This wave of anti-government protests is important because of the diversity of protesters' affiliations and the geographical extent of the demonstrations. Those on the streets are Lebanese citizens of all political and societal identities. What makes these protests particularly unique is that the demonstrators blame the leaders of their communities. It is difficult to overstate the significance of this fact, given the extent to which the Lebanese people have often been politically divided along sectarian lines throughout modern history.

It is clear that, contrary to the wave of protests that swept the region during the so-called Arab Spring in 2011, in which the Lebanese demanded changes that did not amount to a revolution, the calls made by citizens this time were revolutionary. This revolutionary enthusiasm stems from the patience that ordinary citizens have lost to politicians, who have consistently promised effective reforms but failed to do so.

Regional context

There is no doubt that the unrest in Lebanon is unique given the local history and political and cultural structure, however, these protests must be understood in the context of active protest movements throughout the greater Arab world.

Such demonstrations break some hypotheses. The idea that Arabs are unwilling to take to the streets for fear of instability proves that they are far from reality in this region.

Lebanese citizens and other Arab states have shown growing frustration with chronic economic stagnation, as well as widespread corruption and mismanagement by the ruling elites. Simply put, they are not willing to carry around longer.

In the case of Lebanon, where many citizens see a hopeless future without a revolution, the state's repressive methods of dealing with the opposition do not prove effective.

No matter how responsive regional states and the rest of the international community, led by the United States and France, to the crisis in Lebanon, the ongoing street protests indicate that the country is ready for a new era. It is time for Lebanon to bypass a political class that has proved incompetent and corrupt. Sectarian rhetoric can no longer be used to keep some communities loyal and tolerant to their leaders, because members of all communities joined together to tell their leaders, "That's enough."

138

Lebanon ranks on the international list of anti-corruption organizations among 180 countries.

There is no doubt that the unrest in Lebanon is unique given the local history, political and cultural structure. However, these protests must be understood in the context of active protest movements throughout the greater Arab world.

20%

It is the billionaires' share of national income, which is higher than other countries.

50%

The population earns only 10% of the national income.