Problems and No Solutions?

By Hicham Bou Nassif |Weinberg Associate Professor of International Relations and the Middle East and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College-California However one looks at the Lebanese scene, one sees a pileup of problems, with no prospect of resolving any of them. Consider the power cuts. We aren't a nation of tens of millions, nor are we a country of vast territory. Our energy needs are hardly astronomical, and the issue should have been resolved after the end of the civil war in 1990. But that never happened. Energy Minister Joe Saddi’s decision to step aside is an indication of just how intractable the problem has become, no matter how hard he tries. What about expanding the Jounieh highway? People have been talking about it for at least two decades. Loans were allocated for the project, only to vanish into thin air. Is it true, as rumors suggest, that Nabih Berri’s skilled hands played a role in obstructing the project? I do not know, although Berri is certainly no stranger to suspicion. In any case, a solution doesn't appear to be anywhere near. Yet the continuation of this crisis effectively cuts off an area stretching from Lebanon’s far north to Jounieh from Beirut, the country’s economic, educational, and medical hub, because of the traffic trap on the Jounieh highway. If this is how we fare with problems that are supposed to be technical in nature, it is hardly surprising that the same failure is repeated on major issues. I'm writing these words as the media circulates reports about the arrest of two members of the Shia militia, Hezbollah, who were attempting to smuggle 500 kilograms of highly explosive materials to the group. If past experience is any guide, it will not be long before they are released. And if the security forces managed to seize this shipment, we cannot help but ask: How many others passed through without anyone stopping them, reaching their intended recipients intact and awaiting deployment, as they have so often been deployed, in pursuit of the most dangerous and extremist project of political and social annihilation the Lebanese Republic has known since its founding? We also know that Iran’s interference in our affairs continues unabated. The image of Iranian military official Hossein Yekta performing ablutions near the Litani River in southern Lebanon a few days ago, in an area supposedly under the control of the valiant Lebanese Armed Forces, was a slap in the face to the Lebanese authorities. The authorities, of course, did not respond, having grown accustomed to this kind of contempt. Needless to say, an authority that cannot prevent an Iranian military official from appearing publicly in Lebanon, nor implement a decision to expel the Iranian ambassador, will not even be able to object to Iran sending $200 million to the Shia militia, if the figures recently circulated are accurate. The truth is that life in Lebanon is a waste of time, given that nothing in this country moves forward. The Israeli invasion of 1982 rid us of Yasser Arafat and his cronies, only for us to fall under the grip of Hafez al-Assad and his henchmen after the collapse of the 17 May Agreement. Then, the Syrian occupation ended in 2005, only for the nightmare of Hassan Nasrallah’s rule to begin immediately afterward. Today, even if Hezbollah isn't in the best situation, the current administration’s cowardice and failure to take decisive action mean that we remain trapped in the same vicious cycle: failure, repetition, and the emptiness that lies at the very heart of our national life. I'm astonished by those who, even now, remain convinced that this country was a good idea from the outset, or that its political system is suited to its needs. I'm even more astonished by those who still feel enthusiastic about a political leader, or who can still sit through an entire press conference by a Lebanese politician. As for me, I lost the ability to tolerate their voices, let alone feel any enthusiasm for any of them, many years ago. This article was originally published in Arabic by Nida al-Watan on 12 October 2026. The original can be found here. The views expressed in this op-ed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of SyriacPress.