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Blackouts skyrocket amid global unrest7/21/2023 It should not be done because of national interests, but because of goodwill. Also, humanitarian needs should be provided by friendly countries and international bodies. The international arena should support Lebanon and its government formation process. Lebanese people are alone, and the few countries that do help them aim to push their own interests. They believe that clientelism and corruption are the results of this sectarian system.īoth views have points, but it is tough to solve the current crisis without international aid and support. Many want to be represented without concerning their religion and seek to see non-sectarian political parties. Anti-sectarian movements among the youth are increasing. The second idea is to change the sectarian system entirely. Many academics contribute to this view by suggesting how the system can be changed without causing insecurity among sectarian communities. The first is not to change the current system of confessionalism but only rearrange the system. There are two major opinions for solving the political deadlock and ending the economic crisis. However, the economic crisis, poverty, hunger, corruption, shortage of basic needs and so on raised the demands for reform and change. Since demographics are crucial in this way, politics is naturally shaped around sectarian relations. The prime ministry is distributed to Sunni Muslims, and the speaker of the parliament has to be chosen from the Shia Muslim community. The number of members of parliament is predetermined for each sect and position.įor example, the presidency is distributed to Maronite Christians. The power is shared among sectarians, and there are strict quotas in the numbers. Lebanon has a type of religion-based political system called confessionalism. Such a situation may affect the balances in the region and cause other problems. Mass migration is also possible in the future if the crisis continues as it has. The country suffers from a brain drain, and qualified people leave Lebanon for developed countries that offer a better life. Lebanese people feel despair toward this situation, and they do not believe that anything good will happen soon. People walk in front of the shuttered door of a pharmacy, during a nationwide strike of pharmacies to protest against a severe shortage of medicine, Beirut, Lebanon, July 9, 2021. However, the revival in domestic tourism and expected dollar inflow has not yet been realized. In addition, many Lebanese changed their vacation routine to domestic tourism rather than going abroad because of the economic crisis. When the summer arrived, the authorities expected the dollar inflow to skyrocket and provide a short relief. Lebanese expats are responsible for more than 10% of the GDP. Lebanon has a significant expat population. Karim Gebar, the head of Lebanon's Pharmaceutical Importers Association, stated that if the situation continues like that, the results will be catastrophic by the end of July. Lebanon owes more than $600 million to pharmaceutical suppliers and cannot afford to pay the debt. Medicine shortageĪnother critical problem is the country's medicine shortage. This crisis increased social unrest and caused numerous protests in the country. People face various difficulties in even reaching their workplace or school. The fuel crisis has affected many sectors and worsened the current situation. There are no trams, metros or even proper bus stops in the city. People have to use private taxis or their personal cars and motorcycles for transportation. In Beirut, it is almost possible to argue that public transportation does not exist. Ordinary people are not able to obtain fuel for their cars, which causes transportation to become paralyzed. A black market for fuel has emerged because of this scarcity. People have to wait for hours to get gasoline for their cars, and after the long wait, they can only get a few liters of gas. In addition to the electricity shortage, a fuel crisis arose. After the meeting, as a goodwill gesture, two power ships from a Turkish company responsible for almost a quarter of the energy supply turned on their generators and started to provide electricity to Lebanon again. A meeting was held between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri in Istanbul. The number of blackouts is continuously increasing, but some good news came in late June.
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