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Lebanon’s Collapse Speeds Up

Khalil Gibran's poem "Pity the Nation" is timelier than ever as his home country accelerates into a phase of “omni-crisis” characterised by more and more chaos and desperate responses from the Lebanese trying to ride out the storm. Speeds Up
Drivers in Lebanon are now paying three to four times the official price for petrol on the black market as shortages of fuel intensify throughout the country. In May the country got darker as two giant barges that had boosted its electricity grid were switched off. More than half of Lebanon’s population is living in poverty, and its financial crisis is likely to rank in the top 10, and possibly even the top three, most severe crises in the world since the mid-1800s, according to the World Bank.
“The increasingly dire socioeconomic conditions risk systemic national failings with regional and potentially global effects,” the World Bank said in a report last month. An association representing Lebanese firms that import medicines has warned of potentially disastrous shortages, as the country's economic crisis deepens. It says "imports have almost completely ground to a halt" in the past month.
For what ‘systemic’ national failings looks like there is no better place to start than the state of the Lebanese armed forces. During the country’s civil war period from the mid-1970s the army disintegration into confessional groups. Since the end of the war the independence of the army has seen it emerge as the most popular institution in the country. The army’s motto is “honor, Sacrifice, Loyalty” and on the 1st of August it celebrates its annual “Army Day” with established pomp and ceremony.
If the famous phrase that an “army marches on its stomach” is true, then things slowed considerably for the Lebanese army in June when they scrapped meat from all meals it offers to soldiers due to the accelerating cost. The Lebanese military roughly employs more than 80,000 soldiers, most of whom earned the equivalent of $800 a month but now take home between $70-$90. That is far from what they need to buy food, pay for commute, educate their children, and for healthcare. More than 3,000 soldiers have reportedly left military service because they can’t support their families. Army chief General Joseph Aoun warned in a speech to officers in March that soldiers were “suffering and hungry like the rest of the people.” Speeds Up
The desperate state of the country’s army was highlighted recently by the new offer for tourists to ride in their helicopters for $150 a trip in US currency. This attempt to bolster their foreign currency and keep soldiers from leaving is in dynamic contrast to the more dangerous missions the army is now being asked to fulfil. At the end of June gunmen took to the streets in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, firing in the air and at times throwing stones at soldiers amid rising anger at power cuts, fuel shortages and soaring prices.
Back in March the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri said that “the whole country is in danger, the whole country is the Titanic." If the Titanic metaphor holds true then the ability of the army of keep its soldiers and its operational ability is a key test of whether Lebanon can survive the omni crisis that has engulfed the country. The U.S. has given the Lebanese army more than $2 billion since 2007 but at this crossroads in the country’s history would-be donors are demanding political reform before opening their wallets. Such potential reform is largely characterised by its absence with power brokers in the country seemingly comfortable with the status quo. As a recent Chatham House briefing explained “for Hezbollah, having hybrid rather than ‘full’ state status is ideal for maintaining its objective of possessing and exercising power without responsibility to the Lebanese people”. Speeds Up
A country whose political leadership refuse to take responsibility and almost appear in denial as to the current crisis is in a desperate place indeed. What happens if the army is unable or unwilling to respond to the next demonstrations in Tripoli or elsewhere? As one commentator put it; what to do with a “state that refuses to reform even to save itself”. Amongst more and more apocalyptic language it is critically important to keep a laser focus on the state of Lebanon’s army to assess the whether the country’s decline is temporal or terminal. Speeds Up
by: James Denselow levant
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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