In Lebanon, the system works for the elite
In Lebanon, the system works for the elite October 21, 2019 Lebanese demonstrators gather at Martyrs' Square and Riad Al Solh Square during an anti-government protest against dire economic conditions and new tax regulations on messaging services like Whatsapp, in Beirut, Lebanon on 19 October 2019. “This is the most exciting, unifying thing that has happened since the end of the civil war,” said Fabio Irani, 25, a protester in Beirut. Lebanon is experiencing the rise of collective consciousness and the rejection of a sectarian division of society which has gripped the country for 29 years, since the end of the civil war in 1990. This is the culmination of decades of anger at the mismanagement of the nation by government officials, and corruption which serves only to enrich the political caste. The protesters are not just demanding the resignation of Hariri’s government, which Irani calls “Chapter one”, but the overhaul of the sectarian system. Events that have led to t...