All this wouldn't be a problem if Lebanon had a strong government to centrally plan and direct its economy, and also a government which cared for its 99%, instead of only its 1%. But Lebanon has neither of these things. The reason for this has nothing to do with Hezbollah, but everything to do with the real root of the current protests.
After the Taif Accords in 1990 and the fall of the USSR in 1991, Rafic Hariri, who became Lebanon's richest man/prime minister thanks to earning billions via construction with the House of Saud, embarked on the massive "Horizon 2000" privatization plan, which sold off the major industries and real estate of the Lebanese people. Hariri, in classic Western fashion, privatized the people's wealth mainly to himself, but also to France. France has over 100 companies present in their former colony, and dominate key sectors and portfolios.
Hariri's "There Is No Alternative" to capitalism plan also included massive efforts to attract foreign investment, which proved to be another case of an Arab aristocrat yoking his people to Western debts for generations.
For these reasons (i.e., he made them rich) the assassinated Hariri is worshiped in the West as a true martyr to the neoliberal faith, whereas his corruption in Lebanon was infamous and resented. Hariri also banned protests and encouraged bribes and kickbacks to the army in order to continue his neo-liberalisation drive totally unfettered.
His son Saad Hariri could have hardly done worse, but he certainly has tried: millions to a beauty queen, getting abducted by the Saudis, confessing.
What I have described is three decades of oligarchic economic corruption, mismanagement and right-wing neglect, and here is the modern legacy: At 158% Lebanon's debt to GDP ratio is the 5th highest in the world, just behind Greece.
Few commentators go further, however: Lebanon's external debt to GDP ratio is only around 45%, implying that there is a lot of money in Lebanon but held - in an inherently corrupt manner - by very few hands. And this is certainly the case: Lebanon's richest 1% own nearly 30% of the nation's wealth, whereas the poorest 50 percent own less than a single percent - Lebanon is one of the most unequal countries in the world.
Lebanon is thus an economically rudderless, economically unequal and economically corrupt nation, and none of this happened because of late-arriving, poor-loving Hezbollah or Iran.
Therefore, it is absolutely preposterous to believe that Iran or Hezbollah is the source of Lebanon's inequality and corruption, and thus that they could be the true target of protesters. The Western Mainstream Media - mostly privately owned, incredibly chauvinistic - is trying to sell an anti-Iran/anti-Hezbollah conspiracy even though the Lebanese themselves will not be fooled by it for one second.
The West, especially France, created, applauded and profited from Lebanon's economic corruption via its unstinting support for the corrupt Rafic Hariri. Saad Hariri has held so very many closed-door meetings with France's president that I truly just got tired of covering it for PressTV.
I hope the true profiteers of Lebanon's misery will finally be called to account. I have zero concern - the Lebanese know who has robbed them, and it is not Hezbollah, Amal, Nasrallah or Iran.
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Part 2 in this series will give more details on the corrupt Lebanese politicians of today, most of who are never mentioned in the West, mainly due to their association with violent militias armed and funded by France and/or have collaborated with Israel.
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