DAILY NEWS
USAID Launches $29 Million Energy Project
The US Agency for International Development has launched a $29 million project to deliver energy across Lebanon through a contract with IMC Worldwide, Inc. The project is designed to increase the supply of electricity generation at the community level in a cost-effective and reliable way while strengthening capacities for renewable energy. [US Embassy Beirut]
Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan Agree to Electricity Plan
During a meeting in Amman today, energy ministers of Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria agreed on a work plan and timeframe to supply Lebanon with Jordanian electricity through Syria. The plan includes repairing necessary infrastructure in Syria which is said to need three months to be completed. Lebanon’s energy minister added that the next step will be to secure financing from the World Bank. [Naharnet]
EU Ambassador Ready to Support Lebanon’s Rescue Plan
After a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Miqati, EU Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf said yesterday that the EU is ready to support the new Lebanese government’s economic rescue plan. The meeting coincides with French envoy Pierre Duquesne’s visit to Beirut as well as German Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Niels Annen’s meetings with top Lebanese officials this week. [The Daily Star]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
National Democratic Institute
No More Politics As Usual: Lebanese Unite Behind Major Reforms
The National Democratic Institute recently released key findings from their quantitative and qualitative public opinion research in Lebanon in partnership with InfoPro Research. The key themes include lack of trust in political representatives and governing institutions; urgency placed on economic assistance and structural reform; belief that meaningful change will not come from elections but from systemic change; a review of the 2019 protests; and that civil society, especially women and youth, will be instrumental to reform.
Al Jazeera
Lebanon After the Beirut Blast: A Nation Stuck in a Moment
Zahera Harb
Harb writes, “It has been more than a year since the explosion. But the people of Lebanon are still waiting for justice. We are waiting for those directly or indirectly responsible for our collective assassination to be held accountable for their crimes. Beirut today is a shadow of the city we once knew. The port blast, followed by the total collapse of the Lebanese economy, took its toll on the capital – and its people. Not only Beirut, but the whole of Lebanon is now a trauma zone. Trauma has become a dominant ingredient of our national identity. We want to heal, we try to heal – but there is no healing without justice. For the Lebanese people to once again look at the future with hope, those who tampered with our economic and physical safety need to be put behind bars. The thugs ruling over us, however, are hellbent on avoiding accountability.”
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the American Task Force on Lebanon, a non-profit, nonpartisan leadership organization of Lebanese-Americans.