Lebanon’s economy crisis fueling demographic change
Lebanon knows the drill: war and economic crisis lead many to emigrate. In recent years Lebanon has been engulfed in an economic turmoil. In the last 18 months this has become increasingly...
Michael Wurmser: “Norway is a game changer for Europe”
ByTheEast: How did you come to work in Norway?
Michael Wurmser: I was already in the commodity business when I was involved in Norway through friends. We had...
Hyperinflation could spark mass uprising in Lebanon
“I remember what happened in Argentina in 2011”, says Flora, an Argentinian citizen living in Beirut since 2013. “Now, my Lebanese friends understand what it means to lose everything, to see prices...
Lebanon’s (lost) battle with coronavirus pandemic
Lebanon stands on the precipice. If not worse. With countries across the globe reeling from the effects of the coronavirus-induced lock-downs which has significantly negatively impacted sectors, industries and economies around the...
Agriculture in Lebanon: The glimmer of hope?
Lebanon should not avoid all the laws of gravity. As elsewhere in the world, agriculture should be the backbone for our country since it caters to the most basic human need of...
Lebanon: Beware of China’s appetite
Vultures are craving to strip the flesh from Lebanon's bones. The August 4, 2020 explosion of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in Lebanon port, stored without adopting due safety measures was an...
How “I-don’t-give-a-shitism” and corruption destroyed Beirut
Beirut was destroyed. Once again. On August 4, following a massive explosion that ravaged Beirut’s neighbourhood, including ones up to 10 km away, people in Lebanon got to know of the dangers...
Lebanese Pound’s crisis, an opportunity in disguise?
The glamorous rate of the Lebanese Pound, artificially indexed to the US dollar for so many years, is history now. In recent months, the pressure on Lebanon’s economy is seeing a pile-up....
Nadim Houry on Lebanon: “The public sphere is left to rot”
ByTheEast: Since 2011, the Arab countries followed different paths. What have they in common in 2020?
Nadim Houry: The Arab world and the MENA region are plunged into...
Food security: Lessons to be learnt from Covid-19
Let's put our food security on the table. The outbreak of the coronavirus which emerged from China’s Wuhan and has spread the world over has caused phenomenal economic damage across economies in...