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Understanding the 2019 protests in Lebanon - and what it teaches to the global community about government response

Credit: CNN

Lebanon began to see a political revolution in October of 2019, where thousand of protestors took to the streets to demand reforms in the government and an improvement in the economy. The Lebanon Protests have signaled to the rest of the world of the changing paradigms of authoritarian and corrupt rule in the Middle East.

It is important to understand how these protests began, and what has been the impact and response from the government, as it shows the rest of the world how to act in times of crises, and protect fundamental human rights of protestors.

The History 

Lebanon has historically been a country teemed with corruption, ranked as the 137th most corrupt country out of 180 by the Transparency Index. This, combined with the poor economy performance and high taxes, motivated civilians to protest as peaceful demonstrations and advocate for a change in their country. The response, however, was far from peaceful. Many protestors were shot, fatally wounded, beaten and held at gunpoint, in an attempt to prevent opposition to Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government.

The multicultural nature of Lebanon implies that the government must need fair and equitable representation. Therefore, the 18 recognized religious groups each attained some form of power or representation in Lebanon's government. However, these divisions have incited foreign backing, where Iran and Saudi Arabia back opposing political parties. This has caused corruption to thrive in the government due to constant instability, and gave power to officials who look for individual profit rather than development of the country.

Saad Hariri, who was Prime Minister at the time, stepped down by the 13th day of protests due to the heavy opposition. Months later, Hassan Diab, who became the new Prime Minister, implemented a new government with completely different people who were said to have no 'political leanings'. However, protests have still continued, as many speculate the new government is allied with the Hezbollah, a powerful militia which many states have labelled as an extremist organization.

The Opinions

Credit: Amnesty International
Supporters - Supporters of the new 'regime' personally benefit from the corruption, as they are former officials or rich people who can capitalize on the lack of accountability.

Critics - Critics of the government believe that it is necessary for the Lebanese government to not be backed or dependent on an external party, such as the Hezbollah. They desire decisive action and to appoint ministers who are qualified, experts, and have no political bias.

The Answer

The case of Lebanon indicates two important things to the global community - 1) How to respond to protests and 2) The need for quick reform and diplomatic efforts to end protests. The peaceful protests have escalated into a nation-wide conflict, and have compromised on the human rights of the citizens, due to the initial police brutality and detention of civilians, including children. Moreover, had there been quick diplomatic efforts such as negotiation, the Lebanese government would have been able to avoid the huge ongoing riots and their devastating impacts on infrastructure and economy. 

 Governments need to be held accountable for their actions, and many hope that the Lebanese protests will signal a larger change in the Middle East. 

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