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....
Lebanon’s gas boom dead in the water?
Lebanon’s quest for gas and oil has so far yielded no meaningful results with the country’s first-ever offshore search for hydrocarbons throwing up commercially unviable results. “No matter where you turn, the...
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...
Lebanon: The banking system needs reforms to stop the bleeding, not politics
Something has to change in the wonderful world of the Lebanese banking system. The manner in which Lebanon is addressing its financial crisis leaves a lot of room for improvement, with Lebanon’s...
Covid-19: Lebanon staring at historic opportunity
Could the COVID-19 outbreak be an opportunity for the Lebanese economy? The “Arab Spring” which was earlier seen as the most disruptive event which shook the Middle East to its core since...
Lebanon: The next ‘oil-cursed’ country?
Late last month, a drillship anchored off Lebanon's coast started exploring for oil and gas raising hopes for a more prosperous economy, which currently is hanging by a thread off a cliff’s...
Energy: UAE gains its first nuclear power plant
In a first of its kind in the Middle East, the UAE is set to host a nuclear power plant in the region. The 5,600MW Barakah nuclear power plant (NPP), located around...