To say that Lebanon is a Fragile State is a no-brainer. The chaos that would result from the collapse of this country in the Middle East is a proposition that frightens experts in the region.
The week ending 10 September, 2021 yielded two events that will be seen in two different perspectives. What will be seen outside the borders as signals of promise and moving forward will be met with disdain among the population that struggles to meet and maintain the basic necessitites to survive.
Earlier in the week the Energy Ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Syria met in an effort to determine how these countries could best provide two key needs in Lebanon. Those needs are a stable source of electricity and fuel to provide the means to generate power and allow businesses the means to operate especially bakeries so that they can bake bread to allieviate the food insecurity.
It was determined that Natural Gas from Egypt would be sent into the country via Syria. The decision didn’t mention just how the Gas would be delivered to Syria which in itself is a key logisitcal hurdle. It is also a political hurdle as well due to the Civil War that shows no sign of ending in the short term in Syria either. There is a major security risk that could be presented when Insurgents attack the means of delivery as well if they assume that the Gas is for internal distribution.
As we discuss Energy Supplies and Lebanon it would be a Cardinal Sin to omit Hizbullah. During this time frame the Group announced that its allies in Iran were providing assistance to Lebanon as well. Reports indicate that there are three Iranian Oil Tankers sitting off shore waiting to deliver the sorely needed product. The timeline about docking and the actual delivery remains unclear at this time. However whenever the opportunity to promote the role of Hizbullah on a national scale is needed rest assured that is when the oil will be delivered.
Also on 10 September 2021 a new administration was announced for Lebanon. The country has been under the auspices of a caretaker government since the horrendous explosion at the Port of Beirut last year. If one just listened to the International Media Outlets one would hear copious amounts of praise being heaped upon Lebanon. But if one asked the average Lebanese citizen their view of events would be akin to more of the same.
So which side has the proper narrative? The Government of Lebanon which has mismanaged affairs into the current state? Or the General Population which suffers from these poor decisions and are often left out of the conversations for the most part?
