Perhaps it is the huge impact of the UAE and Israel’s announcement of the normalization of their relations, which continues to ferment in the Middle East geopolitical game. All kinds of "more noteworthy" hotspots make people seem unaware of the fact that it is not happening in Beirut, Lebanon on August 4. A whole month has passed since the evening of the explosion.
One of the fundamental reasons for people's temporary forgetting is that the specific cause of the explosion is still unclear, and the port of Beirut is now fully operational.
More importantly, neither the homeless citizens nor the "poisonous gas banner" erected in the city are not as attractive as the new Prime Minister's cabinet formation and Macron's second visit to Beirut.
In fact, the investigation process of the Beirut explosion is not delayed.
Less than two days after the incident, preliminary findings have surfaced: the explosion was caused by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate seized six years ago in the port warehouse.
One month before the accident, a source in the Lebanese judicial circle revealed on September 1 that the welding operation "may be" the cause of the fire and explosion. The 25 persons involved in the case have been detained through investigation.
The government led by former Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned after the bombing.
Since then, the new government fell into a "difficult birth" because the various religious parties were unable to reach an agreement on the candidate for the new prime minister.
According to the Lebanese sect decentralization model, the prime minister should be a Sunni person.
It was not until August 31 that the former ambassador to Germany Mustafa Adib was appointed by the president as the new prime minister.
Adib subsequently said in a televised speech that Lebanon needs to quickly form a new government and immediately implement the reform plan.
He promised to restart the dialogue with the International Monetary Fund in order to obtain assistance from Lebanon to help Lebanon weather the worst economic crisis since the end of the civil war in 1990.
It is reported that the leaders of the Lebanese parties have pledged on September 1 to form a new government within two weeks.
It is worth noting that the news about the time limit for the reorganization of the new Lebanese government did not come from any Lebanese leader, but was announced to the media by French President Macron who visited Lebanon on August 31.
This is Macron's second visit to Beirut within a month after the explosion.
Macron stated on September 1 that he came here to spare no effort to help Lebanon "towards a new future." France will give priority to Lebanon in four areas of medical care, food safety, education and the reconstruction of Beirut Port. .
He also publicly expressed his hope that the new Lebanese government can fulfill its reform commitments within eight weeks.
Al Jazeera quoted Macron as saying that if the reforms promised by Lebanon can proceed as scheduled, he is preparing to host the second Lebanese aid conference in October.
The international community promised to provide Lebanon with more than 250 million euros of emergency assistance in a video conference on August 9, when the conference was led by the United Nations and France.
France and the international community have previously stated that they will not help Lebanon economically until it launches the fight against corruption and improves its governance system.
Macron hopes to play a greater role in Lebanon and even the entire Middle East region. The intention is obvious.
This is particularly evident in the previously unknown new Prime Minister Adib.
"Middle East Eye" website quoted a source as saying that Adib, who has dual citizenship of Lebanon and France, was not on the list of the main contenders for the new prime minister. The reason why he was able to gain widespread support in a short period of time and eventually became prime minister. On the throne, Macron played a vital role.
It is generally believed that Adib will be an important starting point for France to expand its political influence in Lebanon.
Lebanese analyst Karim Makdisi said on Twitter, "This (Adib) is a gift to Macron."
Macron's "excessive proactiveness" in advancing Lebanon's reform has aroused some public criticism.
Turkish President Erdogan has publicly accused that Macron has "colonial goals" for Lebanon.
Lebanon was entrusted to rule by France from 1920 to 1943, and France has maintained influence over Lebanon ever since.
It is embarrassing that a large number of Lebanese people, like Libya before, have illusions about the West.
The Beirut bombing accident became the "last straw" that overwhelmed the Lebanese people. They even launched a petition on the website to request France to take over Lebanon in the next 10 years.
Even Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah also stated on August 30 that as long as Lebanon can reach a consensus, Hezbollah will be open to France's proposal to establish a new Lebanese political convention.
Even if French Foreign Minister Le Drian denied that France wanted to "take over" Lebanon and called on Lebanese to take responsibility for themselves, the "reform road map" Macron sent to Lebanese politicians on August 26 has long been made public; Lebanon President Aoun admitted that it is necessary The term "deeply changing the system" is almost the same as Macron's expression when he visited Beirut in early August.
For a long time before the Beirut bombing, the international community had refused to deal with the "corrupt Lebanese leadership", including Macron.
After the explosion, various countries and forces from all over the world intervened at a speed that exceeded expectations.
In addition to Macron, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hare, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif, and high-level representatives from the United Kingdom, Turkey and the European Union all arrived in Beirut.
It is reported that Hare will also visit Lebanon this week after Macron's emergency visit to Beirut.
Some Lebanese people posted on social media that suddenly, this small country that has been on the front lines of the war no longer feels abandoned.
But observers believe that Lebanon has never realized that the crux of the problem is not to pin its hopes on the outside world, not to continue a "Sura Field" where multiple forces strangle each other, but to fundamentally change the negative impact of sectarian politics on state management.
On August 30, Aoun called for the establishment of a secular state in Lebanon. However, the long-standing political entanglements and labor pains have made few people in Lebanon believe that the Adib-led government will undergo effective changes.
CNN wrote at the end of an article describing Lebanon: "The future has become more and more like the past."
Our newspaper, Beijing, September 2nd
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Ma Ziqian Source: China Youth Daily