Lebanon, A Year After the Port Explosion

Lebanon, A Year After the Port Explosion

Author: Arab Studies Institute September 16, 2021 Duration: 34:23

A year after the blast in the port of Beirut, Lebanon sinks into a severe economic crisis which the World Bank ranks in the top 10, and possibly top 3, most severe crises episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century. Electricity, gas and even medicine are in short supply in the country. Angry residents wait in line for hours to fill their car tanks while others lucky enough to be able to connect to the internet run online campaigns asking Lebanese expats visiting the country for the summer, to bring with them the much needed medicines for loved ones.

How did the blast from the Beirut port exacerbate the current economic and political crisis in the country and what's life like today for millions of Lebanese people and for the victims of the port blast and their families?

VOMENA Host Mira Nabulsi speaks with Lara Bitar, the editor in chief of The Public Source, a Beirut-based independent media organization dedicated to long-form and in-depth journalism in the public interest.


Each month, Status/الوضع assembles a vital audio journal from the Arab Studies Institute, moving beyond headlines to explore the deeper currents shaping the region and its global connections. This isn't about quick takes; it's a sustained, critical conversation built on ground-level reporting and scholarly insight. You'll hear extended dialogues with analysts, activists, and artists, alongside dispatches recorded where events unfold. The tone ranges from sharp, informed commentary to pointed satire, reflecting the complex realities it examines. The podcast deliberately blends genres-interviews feel like revealing conversations, reports carry narrative depth, and commentary is interwoven with readings of essential texts. It’s a collaborative project that values independence, offering a platform for nuanced perspectives often sidelined in mainstream discourse. By engaging with culture, politics, and society as intertwined forces, Status/الوضع provides listeners with a more complete, challenging, and human picture of the Middle East and its place in the world. Tune in for a monthly installment of substance, where critical thought meets audio storytelling.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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