Commentary: The collapsing system behind the Beirut port blast

For many, the disaster was the direct consequence of decades of corruption and inept leadership at the top of the Lebanese state. “What we saw yesterday is the catastrophic results of a system that is collapsing,” said Maha Yahya, director of the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Centre, a think-tank. “A political leadership that knows no limits . . . does thrive on chaos.

Public anger over rampant official corruption has fuelled nationwide protests in Lebanon since October AFP/Ibrahim CHALHOUB Anger at institutional incompetence has been stoked by reports that customs officials had for years attempted to get a ruling from a Beirut judge about what to do with the ammonium nitrate shipment, which arrived and was seized in late 2013 — but to no avail.

The presence of the ammonium nitrate was well-known among port regulars, said Mr Khatib, who could recall specific details about the arrival of the shipment several years ago, including problems with the vessel and the fact it was en route to Africa. To process his goods through the port, the importer said he would pay “anywhere from 500 bucks to clear [a shipment] quicker to $1,000 so they’d review the goods [properly] . . . and not reassess the value based on their own internal bastard system”.Many of the dead and wounded are expected to be port workers and members of security and emergency forces stationed at the port.

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