Beirut Explosion Looks Like An Accident — And A Sign Of The Country's Collapse

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To many Lebanese, the deadly Beirut explosion is the prime example of political paralysis that has the country in perpetual crisis.

. And with the country's currency losing 80% of its value since October, the government is struggling to pay for fuel from elsewhere.

Lebanon's civil war ended in 1990 with a deal — enforced by neighboring Syria — to divide power among sectarian factions. The presidency is set aside for a Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament is always a Shiite Muslim. It means that the real decisions are made behind closed doors and that elections allow limited choice for the voting public.

The presence of Hezbollah further complicates matters. The Shiite Muslim group is not officially part of Lebanon's power-sharing deal but enjoys support from Shiites and some Christians and holds seats in parliament. In other words, the fragmented nature of Lebanese power makes it hard to organize a protest campaign targeting a single leadership — and to vote, or force, it out of power.Lebanon's prime minister and president have formed an investigative committee to find the cause of the blast and those responsible.

 

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marybethliving7 We'll be there soon with you!

Yes. An Israeli “accident.”

like the US

The M/V Rhosus did not have a 'Russian crew' when it docked in Beirut. An article in FleetMon from July 2014 states it was flagged in Moldova and had a mostly Ukrainian crew. Please either cite your source that it was Russian-crewed or issue a correction. LarryKaplow Rsherlock

Sounds like the sign of judgment day is arriving

well that sounds familiar.

Sounds like a country ripe for revolution.

I think the World could help by moving the UN headquarters to Beirut

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