Interior Minister Announces Security Plan During Upcoming Holidays
According to L’Orient Today, “A national security plan in Lebanon was announced Wednesday by caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi ahead of  Christmas and New Year’s Eve holidays, as Lebanon continues to struggle with an unprecedented economic crisis.The date of the beginning of the plan was not communicated by the minister, but Mawlawi said it will remain in effect until Jan. 1.” [L’Orient Today]

Hezbollah Secretary General to Meet with Former President, Head of FPM Amid Reports of Their Fragile Alliance
According to Naharnet, “Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will meet with ex-president Michel Aoun and Free Patriotic Movement leader Jebran Bassil upon the latter’s return from Qatar, informed ministerial sources said. The meeting will likely be held within a week to ‘put an end to the crisis between the two parties,’ the sources told ad-Diyar newspaper in remarks published Wednesday.” [Naharnet] Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist group by the United States. 

UK Commits to Additional £13 million for Lebanese Armed Forces
According to Naharnet, “The British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamish Cowell, has announced a £13 million commitment to ‘support the Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) resilience from 2022 till 2025 in a Memorandum of Understanding signed with LAF Commander in Chief General Joseph Aoun,’ the British embassy said.” [Naharnet]

Deputy Speaker of Parliament: ‘Dialogue’ Over President Unlikely Before End of Year
According to Naharnet, “Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab met Wednesday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh. After the meeting, Bou Saab said that it is not likely for a dialogue to be held before the end of the year.” [Naharnet]

Ministry of Health Reports Zero Cholera Cases in 24 Hours
According to The 961, “Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday that no new cholera cases or deaths have been recorded within the past 24 hours. Since the beginning of the outbreak in October, Lebanon has recorded 658 cases and 23 deaths. However, the Ministry suspects around 4,900 cases.” [The 961]

AbiNader writes, “More than half of the country’s professional healthcare staff have chosen to emigrate, if they have not done so already, seeking better earnings so that they may feed their families and send their children to school. This has been the situation since the Beirut Port blast and the economic implosion that has left Lebanon dependent on international aid and remittances from overseas. Even if the government begins a process of paying its arrears, most hospitals are refusing to admit patients knowing that the country is bankrupt and neither the availability nor affordability of medical care will change soon.”

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Moussallem writes, “While there is no standardized consensus on which nations have fallen into the failed category, experts have created indexes of ‘fragile states’ to measure countries that have the worst-performing governments. The grading, however, undergoes the same difficulties as other forms of rankings. John Yoo, a law professor at the University of California, argues that ‘there will be disputes about the dysfunctional nature of a nation’s governmental institutions or the severity of internal armed conflicts.’ The ranking may also treat cases differently depending on the cause of the state’s decline. Unlike its neighbors, discussing corruption in Lebanon has rarely been a taboo subject. Technically speaking, Lebanon is well past an inflection point, it is falling further in real time. By every indicator, it is deteriorating. The World Bank has said the country’s economic and financial calamities could possibly be among the top three most severe crises episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century. This clearly shows how highly corrupt countries are incapable of functioning efficiently or flourishing effectively at an economic level, causing societal suffering and instability within the entire governing system.” 

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Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy
The IMF and Social Welfare in MENA: Prospects for Alleviating Crises in Egypt, Tunisia, and Lebanon
Thursday, December 15th, 2022 | 11:00 AM ET | Zoom Webinar

On Thursday, December 15 at 11:00am EST, the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) is pleased to host a virtual discussion featuring Hussein Cheaito, Aymen Bessalah, Salma Hussein, and Timothy Kaldas, and moderated by The Independent’s Bel Trew in which panelists will unpack: What do we know so far about the IMF’s staff-level agreements with Tunisia, Lebanon, and Egypt? How will these programs affect social protections and welfare in these countries? And most importantly: how will these agreements impact ordinary people’s lives?

Register Here

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