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The Beirut Blast: An Accident in Name Only
The catastrophic explosion in Beirut’s port is a manifestation of the Lebanese political elite’s predation and dysfunction.
Among the country’s long-suffering citizens, shock is quickly yielding to fury.
- ICG
It may be the last chance for those in power to effect long-overdue structural reforms.
From all we know, the blast that destroyed much of the port in the Lebanese capital Beirut in the early evening of 4 August was an accident – but if so, it was an accident only in name.
Storing, against repeated warnings, more than 2,750 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate for…