Lebanon's New Poor Face Long-Term Economic Insecurity
2022-12-11
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1Lebanon is a former middle-income country, one that is neither rich nor poor.
2But its financial system collapsed in 2019.
3The collapse led to a great drop in the value of the Lebanese pound.
4And the United Nations says that event has led four out of five Lebanese people to become poor.
5State services have broken down.
6Financial support to reduce the costs of goods has been removed.
7And tens of thousands of Lebanese have left the country seeking jobs in other countries.
8It is the biggest emigration wave since the 1975-1990 civil war.
9Lebanese political leaders admitted that the crisis was the result of many years of wasteful spending and corruption.
10And the World Bank called the crisis a "deliberate depression" created by those with political and financial power.
11Now, economists say it will deepen if politicians delay passing reforms agreed with the International Monetary Fund (or IMF) in April.
12The passing of these reforms is required to unlock billions of dollars in aid.
13However, public pressure for reform has largely passed.
14The pressure was at its highest during the 2019 protests and after the August 2020 Beirut explosion.
15The political parties that have ruled for much of recent history still won the greatest number of seats in May's parliamentary elections.
16Mohammad Chamseddine is a policy expert at Beirut-based Information International.
17He said, "The Lebanese people accept and become used to all the economic, political and security conditions."
18He noted that many now live on aid and the few hundred dollars their relatives working in other countries send back home each month, called remittances.
19The flow has increased as some 200,000 people have emigrated since 2019, he said.
20Meanwhile, basic state functions are increasingly supported by international aid sent to prevent total state failure.
21The World Food Program alone supports a third of the country's 6 million people with food and money aid.
22Hospitals, schooling, and even security services are increasingly financially supported by international aid.
23The economy has become a two-tier system.
24Those with money are known as the "fresh dollar class."
25They eat at restaurants or send their children to the best schools.
26And those who earn in the local Lebanese pound only have enough for simple needs.
27One such Lebanese is Hussein Hamadeh.
28The 51-year-old is unemployed and unable to support his family of four.
29His two daughters studied in the light that came through a window at their unlit one-bedroom home.
30Hamadeh said, "I have a very pessimistic view of the future. I take each day as it comes, there is no future for me."
31A study by Gallup released last December found that some 63 percent of Lebanese said they would leave the country if they could.
32I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Lebanon is a former middle-income country, one that is neither rich nor poor. But its financial system collapsed in 2019. 2The collapse led to a great drop in the value of the Lebanese pound. And the United Nations says that event has led four out of five Lebanese people to become poor. 3State services have broken down. Financial support to reduce the costs of goods has been removed. And tens of thousands of Lebanese have left the country seeking jobs in other countries. It is the biggest emigration wave since the 1975-1990 civil war. 4Lebanese political leaders admitted that the crisis was the result of many years of wasteful spending and corruption. And the World Bank called the crisis a "deliberate depression" created by those with political and financial power. 5Now, economists say it will deepen if politicians delay passing reforms agreed with the International Monetary Fund (or IMF) in April. The passing of these reforms is required to unlock billions of dollars in aid. 6However, public pressure for reform has largely passed. The pressure was at its highest during the 2019 protests and after the August 2020 Beirut explosion. The political parties that have ruled for much of recent history still won the greatest number of seats in May's parliamentary elections. 7Mohammad Chamseddine is a policy expert at Beirut-based Information International. He said, "The Lebanese people accept and become used to all the economic, political and security conditions." 8He noted that many now live on aid and the few hundred dollars their relatives working in other countries send back home each month, called remittances. The flow has increased as some 200,000 people have emigrated since 2019, he said. 9Meanwhile, basic state functions are increasingly supported by international aid sent to prevent total state failure. The World Food Program alone supports a third of the country's 6 million people with food and money aid. Hospitals, schooling, and even security services are increasingly financially supported by international aid. 10The economy has become a two-tier system. Those with money are known as the "fresh dollar class." They eat at restaurants or send their children to the best schools. And those who earn in the local Lebanese pound only have enough for simple needs. 11One such Lebanese is Hussein Hamadeh. The 51-year-old is unemployed and unable to support his family of four. His two daughters studied in the light that came through a window at their unlit one-bedroom home. 12Hamadeh said, "I have a very pessimistic view of the future. I take each day as it comes, there is no future for me." 13A study by Gallup released last December found that some 63 percent of Lebanese said they would leave the country if they could. 14I'm Gregory Stachel. 15Timour Azhari and Laila Bassam reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 16_________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18deliberate - adj. done or said on purpose 19tier - n. a particular level in a group or organization 20pessimistic - adj. having or showing a lack of hope for the future 21__________________________________________________________________ 22What do you think of the situation in Lebanon? 23We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 24Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.