Triple Beirut

This is how we choose to think of Beirut - click to see more of this incredible country at the Portfolio

This article and its title have been on my mind for a while now - ever since our third and most recent trip to Lebanon, in fact. For a while, I just thought it sounded cool like some sort of rare combo that a high-roller might land in a high-stakes casino game. I put the article off, though, mostly because I had already written two other pieces on Lebanon. Visit three certainly had its moments - in Beirut, at the Cedars of God, and in the Kadisha Valley (shout out to the best guide in Lebanon, Dav Younes) - but it ended up simmering on the Globepouncing back burner nonetheless.

So much can happen in a year. To use my clever title now is bittersweet. "Triple Beirut" now carries a decidedly more somber tone; it went from a winning casino hand to a post-apocalyptic thriller with a ghastly blast that turned an idyllic wedding reel into a chaotic scramble for shelter and the miracle of birth into a struggle for survival.

We adore Lebanon and the Lebanese - as you may have gathered from "Living Loving Lebanon" - so we are deeply troubled at Lebanon's compounding list of woes. Obviously, a fourth visit now does not appear likely anytime soon, and while this has much to do with this week's horrific blast, Lebanon was already reeling before the explosion. The nation defaulted on its external debt in March and continues to struggle mightily with the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, in the aftermath of the Beirut blast, the devastated nation appears to be headed yet further into an economic and public health disaster.

Globepouncing chooses to think of Lebanon in terms of its rich history and cultural resplendence. The Lebanese people are a credit to our world, and they deserve better politics and more secure rights. The Human Rights Watch reports that Lebanese authorities have cracked down on peaceful free speech in the last year and have allowed the politics of the nation to sour to the point that education, public health, and the economy are all at serious risk at the same time that Lebanese law is still relatively inequitable and offers inadequate protection regarding gender, sexuality, disability, labor, and even torture. The blast of August 4 has only exacerbated these several concerns. Fortunately, world leaders, particularly French President Emmanuel Macron, are aware of the political situation. Macron has publicly articulated the need for political reform and for an end to corruption in the Lebanese government.

The politics of Lebanon's government at present appear to damage the lives of Lebanon's people, which is unacceptable. In this time of immediate crisis, Lebanon's 'leaders' ought to live up to the title, put politics aside, and actually lead...as should the leaders of so many other countries.

In "Living Loving Lebanon," we strongly recommend visiting Lebanon. Sadly, we must suspend that recommendation for the time being. We hope this changes as soon as possible because Lebanon is a gem, and Beirut in particular is a city with few peers that stands as the cultural capital of an entire region. If you clearly understand the risks of going right now, and you decide to go help, we truly admire you.

Politics, public health, and the blast of 2020: Triple Beirut indeed.

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