The Beirut Banyan

0:00 Intro

4:08 Reflections on Covid-19

12:11 Emotional Rollercoaster

22:24 Civil War Memories

32:57 'Violence' & Priority

42:33 Hesitation & Reluctance

55:22 Hunger

1:08:38 Ponzi

We're back with Lina Mounzer for Episode 168 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/gpfBdQlNPWY

We compare Covid-19 experiences in Beirut and New York, and dive into her recent LitHub piece about growing up during the civil war and the euphoria following October 17 last year.

We discuss the urgency for political reform in Lebanon, the economic pain we're going through and the serious threat of hunger on the horizon. We also reflect on current protests in the US and the connectivity of the moment.

Lina Mounzer is a writer and translator. The LitHub piece and New York Times op-ed's mentioned in this episode are linked below:

'Letter From Beirut: From Revolution to Pandemic'

https://lithub.com/letter-from-beirut-from-revolution-to-pandemic/

'In Lebanon, a Pandemic of Hunger'

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/06/opinion/lebanon-protests-coronavirus.html

'The Great Lebanese Ponzi Scheme'

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/02/opinion/lebanon-protests.html

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

I reflect on fifteen years since Samir Kassir's assassination.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/Y9-Kk13wJOk

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/nj1wE79UlUE

Part 10 of "On the Move" with Elia Haber talks about graduating from university in a time of physical distancing and the lack of any urge to celebrate. Elia also shares her reasons for leaving Lebanon and the need to keep positive memories alive.

Each episode of "On the Move" tackles a different subject impacting Lebanon that also plays a role in her life abroad.

Elia is a recent Master's degree graduate in science journalism from Concordia University. She is the founder of Café Scientifique - Beirut and previously co-hosted this podcast for her "Voices from the Square' series, covering the initial months of the October 2019 uprising in Lebanon.

Follow Elia on her Twitter handle: @EliaHaber

and on Instagram: @elia.haber

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

We're back with Waël Atallah for Episode 165 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/STtiMATCfho

We discuss the 1969 Cairo Agreement and what that meant for Lebanese state sovereignty, in particular long-term consequences for repeated attempts at political reform.

We also discuss the topic of decentralization within the Lebanese context, and look at local governance beyond communal divisions and sectarian power-sharing as it's understood in modern Lebanese history.

Waël Atallah is an engineer and a regular contributor to the 'Finance 4 Lebanon' blog. He also has a YouTube channel that unpacks current financial problems and also explains the backdrop and aftermath of the Cairo Agreement (discussed in this episode):

https://youtu.be/-TIU7or6k-0

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/9lth4m5rxf0

Part 9 of "On the Move" with Elia Haber continues her conversation with Elie Fares, comparing Covid-19 in Lebanon and the US and discussing uncertainty, coping mechanisms and transitioning out of confinement.

Each episode of "On the Move" tackles a different subject impacting Lebanon that also plays a role in her life abroad.

Elia is a recent Master's degree graduate in science journalism from Concordia University. She is the founder of Café Scientifique - Beirut and previously co-hosted this podcast for her "Voices from the Square' series, covering the initial months of the October 2019 uprising in Lebanon.

Follow Elia on her Twitter handle: @EliaHaber

and on Instagram: @elia.haber

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

We're back with Mohamad Faour for Episode 163 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/fDzvL3rlrv8

We discuss the potential IMF bailout for Lebanon, political opportunities and costs for the protest movement demanding fiscal responsibility, and the inevitable choices for the Lebanese regime given the serious risk of mass hunger on the horizon.

We also discuss Iceland and Jamaica's experiences with previous IMF bailouts and why domestic reform and the wider push for transparency and accountability remain paramount for Lebanon to emerge out of its current economic crisis.

Mohamad Faour is a Postdoc Fellow in Finance at University College Dublin and a contributor to the 'Finance 4 Lebanon' blog and a member of N.E.R.D.S. (explained in the episode).

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/hF6KB4upyOQ

Part 8 of "On the Move" with Elia Haber focuses on Covid-19 in Lebanon, including statistics, testing and strategies on dealing with the pandemic.

Each episode of "On the Move" tackles a different subject impacting Lebanon that also plays a role in her life abroad.

Elia is a recent Master's degree graduate in science journalism from Concordia University. She is the founder of Café Scientifique - Beirut and previously co-hosted this podcast for her "Voices from the Square' series, covering the initial months of the October 2019 uprising in Lebanon.

Follow Elia on her Twitter handle: @EliaHaber

and on Instagram: @elia.haber

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

0:00 Intro

5:57 Repetitive Statements without Reform

11:42 Navigating & Adjusting to the Abnormal

21:06 The Core Issue

34:22 Systemic Mismanagement & Lack of Maintenance

42:43 Potential Benefits of Decentralization

49:36 Indulging in Self-Promotion :)

We're back with Jessica Obeid for Episode 161 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/XCf0-X8sZG8

We discuss electricity reform and why the post-civil war political order plays a detrimental role in preventing basic restructuring needed for sustainable energy throughout the country.

We also discuss basic demands of protestors calling for accountability and trust, and why those critical components are necessary for serious change in state institution reliability and functionality in Lebanon.

Jessica Obeid is an energy consultant, former resident fellow at Chatham House and former UN Chief Engineer.

The articles mentioned in this episode are linked below:

https://www.executive-magazine.com/economics-policy/lebanons-new-electricity-plan

https://www.iptgroup.com.lb/Library/Assets/Small%20size%20Mag%20pages-012948.pdf

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/nywzg8gr0Ak

Part 7 of "On the Move" with Elia Haber focuses multiple forms of violence (from the personal to political, and where they intersect) and the sheer nature of growing accustomed to war.

Each episode of "On the Move" tackles a different subject impacting Lebanon that also plays a role in her life abroad.

Elia is a recent Master's degree graduate in science journalism from Concordia University. She is the founder of Café Scientifique - Beirut and previously co-hosted this podcast for her "Voices from the Square' series, covering the initial months of the October 2019 uprising in Lebanon.

Follow Elia on her Twitter handle: @EliaHaber

and on Instagram: @elia.haber

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/XehSE4dvKfA

Part 6 of "On the Move" with Elia Haber focuses on Lebanon's financial crisis, public reaction to the government's response, and a Washington Post Op-Ed making the rounds.

The articles mentioned in this episode include:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/20/lebanese-prime-minister-coronavirus-is-pushing-lebanon-toward-major-food-crisis/

https://www.almodon.com/media/2020/5/21/حسان-دياب-بالإنكليزية-جائع-وبالعربية-ناجح

Each episode of "On the Move" tackles a different subject impacting Lebanon that also plays a role in her life abroad.

Elia is a recent Master's degree graduate in science journalism from Concordia University. She is the founder of Café Scientifique - Beirut and previously co-hosted this podcast for her "Voices from the Square' series, covering the initial months of the October 2019 uprising in Lebanon.

Follow Elia on her Twitter handle: @EliaHaber

and on Instagram: @elia.haber

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.