3 August 2021
Writing in the dark without electricity, Bissan Fakih recounts the blast that devastated Lebanon's capital one year ago, and charts the country's dizzying collapse into utter dysfunction and despair ever since.
Port
One year on from its uprising, with much of Beirut in ruins, Lebanon is in the depths of despair. Yet a way forward out the abyss remains possible.
Is it time to leave Lebanon? The question, posed with renewed urgency after Beirut’s port explosion, is as old as the country itself, writes Dr. Sara Mourad, who returned in 2016 after seven years abroad.
Beirut’s wounds are starting to heal, but its system is more broken than ever. That must change before rebuilding becomes feasible, writes the owner of a popular hostel, café, and bar destroyed in the giant port blast.
As the dust settles after Beirut’s port massacre, a profound sense of disorientation and uncertainty about the future envelops the city.