In Beirut, a suicide truck bomber assassinated
Rafik Hariri, a well-known politician and former prime minister of Lebanon, on
this month's anniversary. Before entering politics, Hariri was a philanthropist
who had made his fortune in the construction industry. He gave millions of
dollars to Lebanese victims of war and strife, and later played a significant
role in bringing an end to the civil war and reconstructing the capital city.
The assassination of Hariri signalled the
start of a profound political shift and struggles for democracy in Lebanon.
Politicians and notable individuals who opposed Syria's and Hezbollah's
influence in the nation were targeted for years after his murder.
Hezbollah has simply reinforced its hold on
Lebanon, keeping the country in a desperate situation, despite an international
tribunal finding its members guilty of Hariri's murder following fervent calls
for an investigation into his death.
Lebanese economist Nadim Shehadi claimed on
"Frankly Speaking," the Arab News current affairs talk show that
features prominent policymakers and business executives, that "Hariri was
slain 18 years ago and it took roughly 15 years to demolish the entire country
after everything he tried to construct."
"The Independent International
Investigation Commission and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon visited Lebanon,
and it took them around 15 years to produce their findings. And for the first
time in Lebanon's history—a country with a long history of assassinations—we
had a conviction, Shehadi said.
Hezbollah's dominance over Lebanon, however,
means that the true assassins will go unpunished and the group would continue
to keep the country captive, in his opinion, regardless of a conviction in
Hariri's case.
The myriad political and economic difficulties
in Lebanon have only become worse in recent years, with inflation in the nation
reaching record levels in 2021 and the value of the Lebanese lira falling
sharply.
A number of armed customers held up banks last
year while trying to get their locked deposits out. Two-thirds of the people
now live in poverty in a nation whose capital was once known as the "Paris
of the East," and regular electrical blackouts and shortages of essentials
like water and medicine are becoming more commonplace.