Analysis report by Gaelle Nohra, Staff Writer

Recent national occurrences were nothing but another proof of the strength and cohesion of local NGOs who succeeded in asserting their crucial presence during unprecedented settings as pillars of peace and sustainability. Serving as an overview of Caritas Lebanon’s services, it is critical to provide a brief guide through past and recent Caritas Youth’s work on the grounds.

Opinion Policy Analysis by Sandro Joseph Azzam, Staff Writer

It’s time to reclaim Lebanon, but not so that it can return to its status as Switzerland of the Middle East. We need to become the world’s Lebanon. To do so, we must elaborate a clear long-term (maybe even too long-term) plan to spur economic, financial and infrastructure development.

Opinion News Analysis by Farah Termos, Staff Writer

The Lebanese have been through what seems like a decade but is actually a year jam-packed with political instability, economic hyperinflation, currency depreciation and an all-in-all civil uprising in their own country. All of this, crippled with the disastrous explosion of the Beirut Port on August 4th, left millions of Lebanese citizens yearning for any opportunity to flee the country.

Opinion Piece by Rhea Haddad, Staff Writer

One thing that has become certain in our country is that the majority of the people who live there suffer in almost the same way, but at different levels, and a whole population is plunged into despair. What did I say ? A whole population? No… We, the Lebanese youth, whose hearts can fill oceans with hopes and dreams, refuse to be drawn into this wave of distress. The future of Lebanon is ours alone, We are the architects of our Home.

Opinion Analysis by Albert Geokgeuzian, Staff Writer

Lebanon is currently going through multiple catastrophes. It’s experiencing a financial collapse the likes of which has rarely been seen in the MENA region; It recently experienced one of the largest explosions in history, the August 4th explosion that decimated the Beirut Port and left hundreds dead and over 300,000 homeless and obviously Lebanon is not immune to the pandemic. In the wake of these devestations, some have resorted to revolution, again, in an attempt to overthrow a government that couldn’t stop these atrocities from happening.

Opinion Analysis by Gaelle Nohra, Staff Writer

‘Chaos Theory and the Butterfly Effect: An Eco-Political Illustration’ was a Phoenix Daily national affairs piece released on the 20th of May 2020, contrasting the Butterfly effect to the Lebanese events, through a brief comparison drawn between the reforms raised by the Hariri and Diab previous executive councils. In light with the August 4th tragedy and in view of the fact that the butterfly effect, by nature of functionality, holds a series of what-ifs inside, this piece will be an extension to the previously launched article, as well as another opportunity to reflect upon the 6-seconds blast, which altered forever the lines of Beirut’s history.

Opinion Analysis by Zeina Dagher, Staff Writer

The October 17th protests were a definite step in the right direction for the Lebanese people, who, for the first time in a long while, have united against the ever-ruling corrupt political class demanding the bare necessities of life. Up to this day, there hasn’t been any official report bearing the voice of October 17th, uniting all or most the groups active within the movement, and ratified by the people. However, many voices, from both October 17th and the political parties in power, are demanding today Lebanon becoming a secular state, and giving up the confessionalist system. But is confessionalism the real problem in Lebanon? Is it what’s obstructing the implementation of effective reforms?

Opinion Analysis by Maria Wehbe, Staff Writer

Mental Health: two simple words that hold such a deep meaning. With the unprecedented times that all of us are going through for the time being, one of the first things that each and every one of us should be thinking about and working on is our mental health.

Opinion Analysis by Taleen Gharib, Staff Writer

Lebanon has witnessed its fair share of tragedies. Our parents and grandparents have lived through war for years, and our understanding of mental health is heavily influenced by the way we were raised. We come from a society where the word “basita”, a simple term that shrugged off and deemed any kind of mishap irrelevant (for our sake, apparently), was so overused that it has become an automated response to anything that goes wrong.

Opinion Analysis by Joelle El Sheikh, Staff Writer

Heart filled with anger, eyes filled with tears as we ran from the tear gas, the rubber bullets, and the live bullets.Exactly four days after the devastating Beirut Blast that destroyed our homes, hopes, and hearts, hundreds of thousands of desperate, vengeful, and bitter Lebanese people stormed down to the Marty’s Square, myself among them. This time, we did not demand reforms or change. This time, we demanded their heads. While it may sound extreme, it does not begin to compare to blowing up half the city with six-year-old ammonium nitrate. The August 4th Blast, and the consecutive protests on the 8th, affirmed the reality that the government is capable of almost deliberately hurting its own people.

Analysis by Serine Itani, Contributor

We are in bits and pieces. The catastrophic event which struck the city of Beirut a few weeks ago, has left the people of Lebanon in a state of shock, disarray and disrepair. Both physically and psychologically. We need to stop glorifying the resilience of the Lebanese people. We are traumatized and we must stop normalizing our traumas and face the facts: We need psychological help now more than ever. Here a list of 10 centers or individuals that are offering free psychological help for all those affected.

Opinion Analysis by Dina Richani, Staff Writer

Lost innocent souls, destroyed homes and shops, inflated prices, disattached government, angered and ​hopeless p​eople. On October 17th, thousands took down to the streets to fight for a ​civil state that goes beyond sectarianism and corruption. Thousands of students refused to attend university and schools in hope of building a new nation. However, now, with poverty expected to trap 55% of the population, only a few remain on the ground. The hope that once pushed the people forward is now slowly diminishing.

Analysis by Michel Sadek, Staff Writer

Dreams of oil bound riches birthed in Lebanon soon after the discovery of tremendous hydrocarbon fields in the Levantine Basin, particularly offshore Egypt and israel. Following seismic studies, government officials predicted the existence of a 25 trillion cubic feet natural gas reserve in the country’s offshore area. It was a long-awaited beacon of hope, a prospective investor magnet for a country whose debt amounted to 156% of its GDP, the world’s third highest debt-to-GDP ratio.

Opinion Analysis by Albert Geokgeuzian, Staff Writer

The foundation of any democracy is its voting. You vote, they count, a candidate wins. At first glance voting might seem so simple; you get your ballot, you select your preferred candidate and you leave. However, it isn't as simple as it may first appear and the best system requires greater thought. The voting system that Lebanon, and many other countries, have is called First Past the Post voting, a.k.a FPTP. You select one candidate and at the end whoever has the most votes wins. The problems with FPTP are many ranging from Strategic Voting, to a duopoly of politics, and as such Lebanon must switch to a system that allows for a more proportional representation and is more resistant to corruption.

Opinion piece by Francesco Pitzalis, Staff Writer

A shockwave warped my senses. My vision entered slow motion as the window adjacent to my bed crumpled like a piece of rice paper. Daggers of glass were propelled across the room towards the bathroom. I pulled the bathroom door against my body as the window shattered. Alarms wailed in the apartment block and a woman’s scream pierced through the dusty Beirut air. My first emotion post-blast was a feeling of serenity. I was alive and overjoyed to be alive.

Opinion piece by Maria Wehbe, Staff Writer

We are not okay: we are being thrown in the water and we are drowning, barely being able to breath, gasping for air. We are not supposed to go through all the things we went through in barely a year. If we were to make a timeline with all the events that happened from October 2019 up until now, all countries around the world would be at a loss for words. This is a message for my people, for those that have suffered enough as it is, for those that have lost their family members and their loved ones, to those that are still missing: we will no longer remain silent and we are no longer afraid, because this was the last straw, this was the last thing any of us could ever take.